Someone's Son, Once...
This is a photo on a vintage Macedonian Revolution Union Card/Passport issued in 1942 in Bulgaria. Take a look at the image in the original size view, if you like. This isn't a fellow I'd care to tangle with..
For anyone who wants to know the context of this photo and card, read on...
BACKGROUND
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (in Bulgarian: Vatreshna Makedonska Revolyutsionna Organizatsiya, Вътрешна македонска революционна организация, ВМРО, in Macedonian: Vnatrešna Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizacija, Внатрешна Македонска Револуционерна Организација, ВМРО), commonly known in English as IMRO, was the name of a revolutionary political organization in the Macedonia and Thrace regions of the Ottoman Empire, as well as in Bulgaria, and after 1913 in the Macedonian regions of Greece and Serbia (later Yugoslavia). The organization has changed its name on several occasions.
By 1934, IMRO had come to be seen as a gangster organization inside Bulgaria and a band of assassins outside it. IMRO's constant fratricidal killings and assassinations abroad provoked some within Bulgarian military, after a 1934 Bulgarian coup, to take control and break the power of the organization. IMRO leader Ivan Mihailov was forced to escape to Turkey. He ordered his supporters not to resist the Bulgarian army and to accept the disarmament peacefully, thus avoiding fratricides, destabilization of Bulgaria, civil war, or external invasion. Many inhabitants of Pirin Macedonia met this disbandment with satisfaction because it was perceived as relief from an unlawful - and quite often brutal - parallel authority.
IMRO kept its organization alive in exile in various countries, but ceased to be an active force in Macedonian politics except for brief moments during Word War II.
AT THE TIME OF THE UNION CARD’S DATE, THE BALKANS REGION WAS IN TURMOIL.
On September 7, 1940, Romania’s Southern Dobruja territory was restored to Bulgaria by treaty after having been in Romania’s possession since 1913. The treaty was followed by an obligatory population exchange: about 110,000 Romanians (almost 95% of which settled there after 1913) were forced to leave Southern Dobruja, whereas 77,000 Bulgarians had to leave northern Dobruja.
Bulgaria then became allied with the Axis Powers in WWII, declaring war on the US and the UK, but not the USSR (to Hitler’s chagrin). Still, Nazi Germany allowed Bulgaria to occupy parts of Greece and Yugoslavia, including territories long coveted by the Bulgarians.
As the Bulgarian army entered Yugoslav Vardar Macedonia in 1941, it was greeted by most of the population as liberators. Former IMRO members were active in organizing Bulgarian Action Committees charged with taking over the local authorities. Many former IMRO members assisted the authorities in fighting partizans.
In addition to the national and cultural divisiveness, broad political ideologies were brewing conflict – ideologies that would soon underlie the Cold War. Fascists and communists squared off, making more of a mess.
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (United) (1925-1936) (in Macedonian: Vnatrešna Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizacija (Obedineta), Внатрешна Македонска Револуционерна Организација, in Bulgarian: Vatreshna Makedonska Revolyucionna Organizaciya (Obedinena), Вътрешна Македонска Революционна Организация - Обединена), commonly known in English as IMRO (United), was the name of a revolutionary political organization active in Macedonia. IMRO (United) was founded in 1925 in Vienna by the left wing of the IMRO. Its main object was to free Macedonia within its geographical and economical borders and create a political entity which would become an equal member of the future Balkan Communist Federation. Until its dissolution in 1936 it sought to act as part of a Communist Party of Yugoslavia, and in fact attempted to play the part of a Communist led Macedonian national or popular front.
The fascist right-wing IMRO was active in organizing the resistance of the Bulgarian population in Aegean Macedonia against Greek nationalist and communist bands. With the help of Mihailov and Macedonian emigres in Sofia, several pro-German armed detachments were organized in several districts of Greek Macedonia in 1943-44.
On August 2, 1944, with the support of left-wing former IMRO (United) members, the modern Macedonian state was officially proclaimed as a federal state within Tito's Yugoslavia. It had a Communist-oriented government. Yet because it was anti-Axis, the US and Britain approved.
When the advancing Soviet army entered Bulgaria in 1944, Bulgaria declared war on Germany.
Meanwhile, IMRO leader-in-exile Mihailov arrived in German-occupied Skopje, where the Germans hoped that he could form a pro-German Macedonian state with their support. He refused, however, to avoid further bloodshed, seeing that Germany would lose the war. (Mihailov eventually ended up in Rome where he published numerous articles, books and pamphlets on "the Macedonian Question.")
THE FACE ON THE UNION CARD WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THAT.
And it looks it...
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Macedonian_Revolutionary_O...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMRO_(United)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgaria
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_coup_d'%c3%a9tat_of_1934
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_III_of_Bulgaria
Someone's Son, Once...
This is a photo on a vintage Macedonian Revolution Union Card/Passport issued in 1942 in Bulgaria. Take a look at the image in the original size view, if you like. This isn't a fellow I'd care to tangle with..
For anyone who wants to know the context of this photo and card, read on...
BACKGROUND
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (in Bulgarian: Vatreshna Makedonska Revolyutsionna Organizatsiya, Вътрешна македонска революционна организация, ВМРО, in Macedonian: Vnatrešna Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizacija, Внатрешна Македонска Револуционерна Организација, ВМРО), commonly known in English as IMRO, was the name of a revolutionary political organization in the Macedonia and Thrace regions of the Ottoman Empire, as well as in Bulgaria, and after 1913 in the Macedonian regions of Greece and Serbia (later Yugoslavia). The organization has changed its name on several occasions.
By 1934, IMRO had come to be seen as a gangster organization inside Bulgaria and a band of assassins outside it. IMRO's constant fratricidal killings and assassinations abroad provoked some within Bulgarian military, after a 1934 Bulgarian coup, to take control and break the power of the organization. IMRO leader Ivan Mihailov was forced to escape to Turkey. He ordered his supporters not to resist the Bulgarian army and to accept the disarmament peacefully, thus avoiding fratricides, destabilization of Bulgaria, civil war, or external invasion. Many inhabitants of Pirin Macedonia met this disbandment with satisfaction because it was perceived as relief from an unlawful - and quite often brutal - parallel authority.
IMRO kept its organization alive in exile in various countries, but ceased to be an active force in Macedonian politics except for brief moments during Word War II.
AT THE TIME OF THE UNION CARD’S DATE, THE BALKANS REGION WAS IN TURMOIL.
On September 7, 1940, Romania’s Southern Dobruja territory was restored to Bulgaria by treaty after having been in Romania’s possession since 1913. The treaty was followed by an obligatory population exchange: about 110,000 Romanians (almost 95% of which settled there after 1913) were forced to leave Southern Dobruja, whereas 77,000 Bulgarians had to leave northern Dobruja.
Bulgaria then became allied with the Axis Powers in WWII, declaring war on the US and the UK, but not the USSR (to Hitler’s chagrin). Still, Nazi Germany allowed Bulgaria to occupy parts of Greece and Yugoslavia, including territories long coveted by the Bulgarians.
As the Bulgarian army entered Yugoslav Vardar Macedonia in 1941, it was greeted by most of the population as liberators. Former IMRO members were active in organizing Bulgarian Action Committees charged with taking over the local authorities. Many former IMRO members assisted the authorities in fighting partizans.
In addition to the national and cultural divisiveness, broad political ideologies were brewing conflict – ideologies that would soon underlie the Cold War. Fascists and communists squared off, making more of a mess.
The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (United) (1925-1936) (in Macedonian: Vnatrešna Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizacija (Obedineta), Внатрешна Македонска Револуционерна Организација, in Bulgarian: Vatreshna Makedonska Revolyucionna Organizaciya (Obedinena), Вътрешна Македонска Революционна Организация - Обединена), commonly known in English as IMRO (United), was the name of a revolutionary political organization active in Macedonia. IMRO (United) was founded in 1925 in Vienna by the left wing of the IMRO. Its main object was to free Macedonia within its geographical and economical borders and create a political entity which would become an equal member of the future Balkan Communist Federation. Until its dissolution in 1936 it sought to act as part of a Communist Party of Yugoslavia, and in fact attempted to play the part of a Communist led Macedonian national or popular front.
The fascist right-wing IMRO was active in organizing the resistance of the Bulgarian population in Aegean Macedonia against Greek nationalist and communist bands. With the help of Mihailov and Macedonian emigres in Sofia, several pro-German armed detachments were organized in several districts of Greek Macedonia in 1943-44.
On August 2, 1944, with the support of left-wing former IMRO (United) members, the modern Macedonian state was officially proclaimed as a federal state within Tito's Yugoslavia. It had a Communist-oriented government. Yet because it was anti-Axis, the US and Britain approved.
When the advancing Soviet army entered Bulgaria in 1944, Bulgaria declared war on Germany.
Meanwhile, IMRO leader-in-exile Mihailov arrived in German-occupied Skopje, where the Germans hoped that he could form a pro-German Macedonian state with their support. He refused, however, to avoid further bloodshed, seeing that Germany would lose the war. (Mihailov eventually ended up in Rome where he published numerous articles, books and pamphlets on "the Macedonian Question.")
THE FACE ON THE UNION CARD WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THAT.
And it looks it...
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_Macedonian_Revolutionary_O...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMRO_(United)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgaria
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_coup_d'%c3%a9tat_of_1934
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_III_of_Bulgaria