Origin and identity of the Macedonian people

[Archduke]

Today the Macedonian nation is distinct, although until recently that wasn't the case. I would like us here to discuss the processes which led to the separation of the Macedonian people from the larger Balkan ethnic groups. And let's be realistic and discuss the facts the way they are, not influenced from the propaganda we have been raised with.

When it comes to origins at least there is no point for discussing. As a whole modern Macedonians and modern Bulgarians share the same ancestors and it is physically visible if you compare people. But that doesn't mean that they used to be the same nation, or did they? The big question is how these people felt in the beginning of the 20th century when the modern Balkan nations were formed. In my opinion the options are exactly three (briefly explained):

1. Macedonians of the beginning of the 20th century had been Bulgarians with strong regional identity (same as Thracian Bulgarians). But after the several unsuccessful wars Bulgaria went through, the people fro Macedonia were dissapointed and an idea for a distinct Macedonian country was created. Later on, the Yugoslav Communists supported this idea and helped to become reality. This is more or less the Bulgarian version.

2. Slavs of Macedonia were people without ethnic identity, the same as Torlaks, with the exception that a strong regional identity was present among Macedonians. Because of the close language that they share with Bulgarians, they allied with them and fought for the same idea. Although many turned their regional identity to ethnic one, opposed to the ones who identified as Bulgarian. Those who had turned their regional identity to ethnic one found support among communists and became such themselves. Then again after 1945 the Yugoslavs nurtured this idea.

3. Macedonians had been mixed people (Vlachs, Greeks, Bulgarians, Albanians) and had no identity at all. Throughout the years, they had accepted identities that suited them for the certain moment. At the end of they day (with the help of Yugoslavia), the idea of being Macedonians suited them the best and as a result we have Macedonians today.

Whatever option is close to the truth, it is a fact that the Yugoslav Communist played a huge role for the formation of the modern Macedonian nation.

Discuss.

[Wrong]

There still are unassimilated Orthodox Albanians in Macedonia

BRANKO MANOJLOVSKI

[Archduke]

There still are unassimilated Orthodox Albanians in Macedonia

BRANKO MANOJLOVSKI

Most are assimilated though.

[Ayetooey]

[Bosniensis]

FYR Macedonians descend from Alexander the Great

[DarknessWin]

The ottoman province of Macedonia was only a geographic term that time,
everyone called macedonian geografically and not ethnically.

Macedonian Bulgarians , Greeks and Turks lived one near to other.

When the macedonia war started Greece wanted to get the lands that belong to its history,
Bulgaria wanted to get macedonia to find a way to aegean sea.
Greeks fought against Bulgarians, Bulgarians fought against Greeks and both of them against Ottomans

Good or Bad the war ended with Ottoman defeat , population exchanged , turks left and Greece made also population exchanges with Bulgaria.
I know turkish villages that later inhabitant from Pontian Greeks , also many Greeks came back from Monastiri and other greek cities that Greece
was unable to liberate and stayed out of the greek world.

Especially greek soldiers cried about Monastiri, because it was a Greek city left out.

Modern times Greece and Bulgaria have good relations because the solved issues of the time and population exchanges.
The only country that make problems is Fyrom, and this because their population is mixed and they never made population exchanges,
also they get many refugees from both Greece and Bulgaria, especially turks and albanian muslims chased out from Greece and Bulgaria. Albania too

So now Fyrom is a country mixed with all that nationalities (Bulgarians,Greeks and Greek vlachs, Albanians,Turks,Gypsies etc).
They have not rights to claim ancient macedonian heritage , this only Greeks from macedonia can claim.
But they have the right to macedonian name geographically but also without propaganda and claim about the ancient greek kingdom,
the best name from them is Former Ottoman Province of Macedonia

Their population in mostly Bulgarian , then albanian in the west and Greek population in the south.
Of course all of them are brainwashed now from Tito

[Papastratosels26]

Στάλθηκε από το G3311 μου χρησιμοποιώντας Tapatalk

[Freeroostah]

FYR Macedonians descend from Alexander the Great

You have a good sense of humor

[Crn Volk]

We were invented by L Ron Hubbard

[CommonSense]

The Yugoslav communists weren't only responisble for the formation of the present day Macedonian ethnicity, but also for the Bosniak and Montenegrin ones. Hiding under the false paroles of brotherhood and unity all they managed to do was drive an even bigger wedge between the people.