Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization |
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Emblem of the IMRO
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| Leader(s) | Hristo Tatarchev, Petar Pop-Arsov, Hristo Batandzhiev, Dame Gruev, Ivan Hadzhinikolov, Andon Dimitrov |
| Foundation | 23 October 1893 (4 November N.S.) Thessaloniki, Salonika Vilayet, Ottoman Empire (now Greece) |
| Dissolved | 14 June 1934 |
| Motives | Before WWI: Autonomy for Macedonia and Adrianople regions During WWI: Incorporation of Vardar Macedonia, Belomorie and Pomoravie within Bulgaria After WWI: Independent Macedonia |
| Ideology | Macedonia for the Macedonians |
| Major actions | Miss Stone Affair Kokošinje murders Štip massacre Assassination of Alexander I of Yugoslavia Kadrifakovo massacre Gavran massacre |
| Status | Revolutionary Organisation |
| Allies |  Kingdom of Bulgaria |
| Opponents |  Ottoman Empire Kingdom of Serbia Kingdom of Yugoslavia Kingdom of Greece |
| Battles and wars |
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The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; Bulgarian: Вътрешна македонска революционна организация (ВМРО), romanized: Vatrešna Makedonska Revoljucionna Organizacija (VMRO); Macedonian: Внатрешна македонска револуционерна организација (ВМРО), romanized: Vnatrešna Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizacija (VMRO)), was a secret revolutionary society founded in the Ottoman territories in Europe, that operated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Founded in 1893 in Salonica, it initially aimed to gain autonomy for Macedonia and Adrianople regions in the Ottoman Empire, however, it later became an agent serving Bulgarian interests in Balkan politics. IMRO modeled itself after the earlier Bulgarian Internal Revolutionary Organization of Vasil Levski and accepted its motto "Freedom or Death" (Свобода или смърть). According to the memoirs of some founding and ordinary members, in the Organization's earliest statute from 1894, the membership was reserved exclusively for Bulgarians. It used the Bulgarian language in all its documents and in its correspondence. The Organisation founded its Foreign Representation in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1896. Starting in the same year, it fought the Ottomans using guerrilla tactics, and in this, they were successful, even establishing a state within a state in some regions, including their tax collectors. This effort escalated in 1903 into the Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising. The fighting involved about 15,000 IMRO irregulars and 40,000 Ottoman soldiers. After the uprising failed, and the Ottomans destroyed some 100 villages, the IMRO resorted to more systematic forms of terrorism targeting civilians. During the Balkan Wars and the First World War, the organization supported the Bulgarian army and joined Bulgarian war-time authorities when they temporarily took control over parts of Thrace and Macedonia. In this period, autonomism as a political tactic was abandoned, and annexationist positions were supported, aiming eventual incorporation of occupied areas into Bulgaria.
After the First World War the combined Macedonian-Thracian revolutionary movement separated into two detached organizations, IMRO and ITRO. After this moment the IMRO earned a reputation as an ultimate terror network, seeking to change state frontiers in the Macedonian regions of Greece and Serbia (later Yugoslavia). They contested the partitioning of Macedonia and launched raids from their Petrich stronghold into Greek and Yugoslav territory. Their base of operation in Bulgaria was jeopardized by the Treaty of Niš, and the IMRO reacted by assassinating Bulgarian prime minister Aleksandar Stamboliyski in 1923, with the cooperation of other Bulgarian elements opposed to him. In 1925 the Greek army launched a cross-border operation to reduce the IMRO base area, but it was ultimately stopped by the League of Nations, and IMRO attacks resumed. In the interwar period the IMRO also cooperated with the Croatian Ustaše, and their ultimate victim was Alexander I of Yugoslavia, assassinated in France in 1934. After the Bulgarian coup d'état of 1934, their Petrich stronghold was subjected to a military crackdown by the Bulgarian army, and the IMRO was reduced to a marginal phenomenon.
The organization changed its name on several occasions. After the fall of communism in the region, numerous parties claimed the IMRO name and lineage to legitimize themselves. Among them, in Bulgaria a right-wing party carrying the prefix "VMRO" was established in the 1990s, while in then Republic of Macedonia a right-wing party was established under the name "VMRO-DPMNE".
Images for kids
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A convoy of captured Bulgarian IMRO activists.
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Arthur D. Howden Smith joined VMRO and later wrote the book "Fighting the Turk in the Balkans".
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IMRO Revolutionaries from Florina, 1903.
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Hristo Chernopeev's band in 1903.
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General Tsontcheff, with revolutionists in 1904.
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The partition of Macedonia and Adrianople Thrace in 1913.
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Sandanski (left in front of flag) with IMARO members supporting Bulgarian troops during Balkan wars.
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Guerilla company of the 11th Macedonian Infantry Division composed of IMRO paramilitaries during WWI.
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General Alexandar Protogerov.
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Nikola Pitu Gulev with interwar IMRO uniform.
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Mara Buneva]] Shortly after the publication, Todor Alexandrov
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Vlado Chernozemski.
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Metodi Shatorov – Sharlo.
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VMRO's logo
See also
- Velin Alaykov
- Ivan Anastasov
- Dimitar Andonov
- Aleksandar Andreev
- Ivan Angov
- Bulgarian People's Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization
- Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (United)
- Internal Revolutionary Organisation
- Internal Thracian Revolutionary Organisation
- Macedonia (region)
- Macedonian Bulgarians
- Macedonian Question
- Ohrana
- Thrace
- Thracian Bulgarians
- United Macedonia
- March of the Macedonian Revolutionaries
- Flags of Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization
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