The Bulgarian Action Committees in Macedonia were collaborationist nationalist organizations of

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

in Macedonia during 1941, emboldened by the invasion of

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, determined to end the Yugoslav rule in the region, perceived as oppressive by Macedonian Bulgarians and by the representatives of other communities or political tendencies in

Vardar Macedonia Vardar Macedonia (Macedonian language, Macedonian and ) is a historical term referring to the central part of the broader Macedonian region, roughly corresponding to present-day North Macedonia. The name derives from the Vardar, Vardar River and i ...

. They were also encouraged by the friendly relations between Nazi Germany and

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, and by the hope that after the German Army swept through the Bulgarian one succeed it. The time of the Bulgarian Action Committees was a time witnessing an acute lack of authority. The

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

in authority positions had fled most of the region, not out of fear of the

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

, but primarily out of terror from their local collaborators.
Македония 1941 Възкресение
' (''Macedonia 1941 Resurrection''), Сотир Нанев (Sotir Nanev), 1942, reprinted 1993 with , publisher Труд (Trud). Memoirs of a Macedonia-born Bulgarian lieutenant participating in the occupation of the Yugoslavian and Greek parts of Macedonia. The Bulgarian Action Committees sought to take control of the region for Bulgaria, laying the groundwork for Bulgarian rule. The Executive Committee of the organization was headed by: Stefan Stefanov from Kratovo, president, Spiro Kitinchev from Skopje, vice-president, and Vasil Hadzhikimov from

Štip Štip ( ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities. As of the 2021 census, the city of Štip had ...

(Novo selo), secretary. In Veles Bulgarian Action Committees received the active support by popular communist functionaries as Panko Brashnarov.Minchev, Dimitre. Bulgarian Campaign Committees in Macedonia - 1941 (Минчев, Димитър. Българските акционни комитети в Македония - 1941, София 1995, с. 28, 96-97)
/ref> When the Yugoslav rule was replaced by German military administration, and then finally by Bulgarian occupation, these goals were realized. On May 18, 1941, the German military command in Skopje officially handed over the administrative power to the Bulgarian state. However, once the region and administration were organized, the Action Committees became marginalized, and ultimately dissolved.

References

{{Reflist Yugoslav Macedonia in World War II Bulgarian revolutionary organisations Organizations established in 1941 Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization Bulgaria–Yugoslavia relations Macedonian Question

See also

References