Преглед организованог рада националне акције српске владе у Маћедонији и Старој Србији крајем 19. века

Abstract

Of all the cities in Macedonia and Old Serbia which comprised the field of the Serbian national work, Skoplje had the special place. This town represented a fragile spot of confrontation of the different aspirations of the Balkan countries on one side, and Turkey on the other. Skoplje had a special significance for the spreading of the national action in Serbian territories in Macedonia. This was the gate to the south through which a cultural and educational propaganda of the Kingdom of Serbia should reach the Serbian population in Macedonia. The end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century brought about the worsening of the political situation in Old Serbia and Macedonia. Serbian national workers encountered many ordeals. Beside the Turkish authorities and the Albanians which represented a constant threat, the great obstacle to the Serbian national work was ever more dangerous Bulgarian propaganda as well as the repellent attitude of the Carigradska patrijaršija (Residence of the Patriarch of Carigrad) in the settling of the church issues. Turkish authorities would not acknowledge the existence of the Serbs in Skoplje – in other words, they would not acknowledge the existence of the Serbian minority in Turkey. The similar attitude was held by the Bulgarians and the Greeks. The negation of the existence of the Serbs in Skoplje should serve as a reason for denying Serbia the right to this city and other Serbian territories in Macedonia. However, despite such an attitude, the historical documentation shows that the Serbian people was significantly and numerously represented in Skoplje and comprised an important part of the Christian population in these territories.