02.08.2023
August 2 is a symbol. On that date 120 years ago the Bulgarians in Macedonia and Adrianople [Eastern] Thrace proved that the idea of a democratic republic in which “Bulgarians, Turks, Jews will be equal in every respect” did not perish on the gallows together with Levski. This idea gave meaning and inspired courage in thousands of fighters who sacrificed their lives for the sake of freedom and equality among all nationalities.
The Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising is an event of particular historic worth for the modern Bulgarian nation as the insurgents’ longing for freedom was not selfishly nationalistic. The ideological flag of this freedom was “the full political autonomy of Macedonia and Adrianople Thrace” with equal rights, equal obligations, equal responsibilities and equal opportunities for development for all communities regardless of “faith and nationality”. Similar reforms were promised by the Great Powers in the Treaty of Berlin of 1878 but these never materialized in the declining Ottoman Empire.
It is not to be wondered that namely the Bulgarians were the driving force in the most massive uprising against the Ottoman Empire in these lands. The Bulgarians outnumbered all other constituents of the otherwise heterogeneous population and politically were its most active part. The Bulgarian substance and aspect of both, the Uprising and the entire revolutionary movement in Macedonia and Adrianople Thrace were recognized universally – by the Ottoman authorities, by the other ethnic communities and by the Balkan neighbor countries. The Great Powers, which at that time jealously defended what had remained of the Ottoman Empire, were not an exception. Their diplomats and journalists described not just the growing influence of the Bulgarian Exarchate. Their focus was more and more on the doings of the revolutionary organization whose activity in early 20th century became a real threat to the centuries-old Empire.
The memory of the Reunification of 1885 was not so distant in early 20th century. That is why both, friends and foes were aware of the natural course that sought full autonomy for Macedonia and Adrianople Thrace towards a consequent Reunification. This is why the geopolitical tide turned against the Uprising. In the summer of 1903, our fellow-countrymen in Macedonia and Adrianople Thrace paid the price of their pursuit of freedom with a toll of thousands of human lives, losses of property and wounded souls. To escape from the killings over 30,000 refugees sought shelter in their ancestral homeland.
August 2 is a symbol. On that date 120 years ago thousands of insurgents threw a bridge to the core values that drive the democratic world today – civil liberties and equality for all people regardless of ethnic background, religion, sex and occupation. We, their descendants, are called to uphold these values and pass them on to our children who will carry them into the future.
Glory and homage to the heroes of the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie epic who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of Macedonia and Adrianople Thrace!
