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Revision as of 01:47, 4 August 2007 by 203.36.120.6 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Nikola Karev (Born 1877, Krushevo, Macedonia - Died, 27 April 1905, Raychani, near Kochani, Macedonia) was a Macedonian revolutionary, a member and a local leader of what later became known as the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO).Karev was a Revolutionary renowned for his cystal clear Macedonian state of mind. In a letter sent from Karev to Gotse Delchev, Karev states that the Macedonians should not wait for freedom from the Greeks, neither the Bulgarians, instead proposing a fight for Macedonia from those who live inside her.
The Ilinden Uprising
- Main article: Ilinden Uprising.
The Ilinden Uprising was the turning point in the revolutionary struggle of the IMRO. It began on 2 August 1903, and soon spread over the entire region of Macedonia, with various degrees of participation by the local population.
The heaviest fighting took place in the Bitola and Krusevo regions. The insurgents captured significant area around the towns of Bitola, Ohrid, Kicevo, Lerin and Prilep as well as in the Strandja mountains. There was less pronounced fighting in the Salonika, Seres and Skopje regions. The towns of Krusevo, Neveska and Klisura were captured. Most nationalities living in Macedonia and the Odrin region took part in the uprising, a withness to its popular and democratic character. On 3 August 1903, the rebels captured the town of Krusevo and established a revolutionary government, proclaiming the Krusevo Republic - which was the first modern day republic in the Balkans. The Republic existed only for 10 days - August 3rd to August 13th, and was headed by president Nikola Karev.
Amongst the two groups in Krushevo - Macedonians and Vlachs, a Republican Council was elected with 60 members - 20 representatives from each. The Council also elected an executive body - the Provisional Government, with six members (2 from each religious group), whose duty was to promote law and order and manage supplies, finances, and medical care. The "Krusevo Manifesto" was published. Written by Nikola Karev himself, it outlined the goals of the uprising, calling upon the population to join forces with the provisional government in the struggle against Ottoman tyranny, in order to attain freedom and independence.
The Turkish government was surprised by the uprising, taking extraordinary military measures to suppress it: 176,000 soldiers, 3,700 mounted troops and 444 cannons were sent to Macedonia. After fierce battles near Sliva and Mečkin Kamen, the Turks managed to destroy the Krusevo Republic, committing atrocities against the rebel forces and the local population. As a result, over 200 communities were exterminated, more than 12,000 houses burned to the ground, more than 70,000 people were left homeless, and 8,816 were killed. Some 30,000 people fled their homes to avoid the Turkish reprisal.
Documents
Letter from Nikola Karev to Gotse Delchev:
1902
Dear G(otse)
... In Krushevo and Bitola the night blocades appear almost every day, and a lot of affairs throw people in jail. We shouldn't wait anymore, Goce. It is time for us to stand up and fight. We shouldn't wait for freedom from Greeks, neither from Bulgarians, but we Macedonians should fight for our Macedonia, ... As I am concerned, nobody can take away my courage and my patriotism. I am proud to report to you, that all our men are prepared to fight, with guns in their hands.
N(ikola)
- “Сами ние да се бориме за наша Македонија”, (Необјавено писмо на Никола Карев до Гоце Делчев) – Nova Makedonija (Skopje) year XXIV no. 7744 (5 May 1968) p. 8.
Notes
- ==References==
- Битоски, Крсте, сп. "Македонско Време", Скопје - март 1997, quoting: Quoting: Public Record Office - Foreign Office 78/4951 Turkey (Bulgaria), From Elliot, 1898, Устав на ТМОРО. S. 1. published in Документи за борбата на македонскиот народ за самостојност и за национална држава, Скопје, Универзитет "Кирил и Методиј": Факултет за филозофско-историски науки, 1981, pp 331 - 333. Template:Mk icon
- Hugh Pouton Who Are the Macedonians? , C. Hurst & Co, 2000. p. 53. ISBN 1-85065-534-0
- Fikret Adanir, Die Makedonische Frage: ihre entestehung und etwicklung bis 1908., Wiessbaden 1979, p. 112.
- Duncan Perry The Politics of Terror: The Macedonian Liberation Movements, 1893-1903 , Durham, Duke University Press, 1988. pp. 40-41, 210 n. 10.
- Keith Brown,The Past in Question: Modern Macedonia and the Uncertainties of Nation, Princeton University Press, 2003.
External links
- An interview where Nikola Karev speaks about his Macedonian ethnicity according to Macedonian newspaper Makedonsko Sonce. Template:Mk icon