Nationalism in the Balkan Countries and Education of Macedonians (1913-1945)

Abstract

After Macedonia’s division following the Balkan wars between Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria, a planned action was launched to denationalise the Macedonian nation and assimilate it with Balkan states. For Macedonian children in Vardar, Aegean and Pirin Macedonia the languages of school tuition were foreign to them. During the World War I on the territories occupied by Bulgaria, children were taught in Bulgarian by teachers specially sent there or those who had come before, usually Orthodox clergymen (exarchate). Such a policy was continued and still reinforced in the interwar period, with a view to destroying the Macedonian culture and language used in daily life. All public Macedonian demonstrations were prohibited.