Projects for Balkan Federation

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Projects for Balkan Federation
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• The Balkans a region ?
• Different projects for Balkan Federation
• Main political parties
• Left socialists and communists
• Right Agrarians
• Conclusion

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The Balkans as a region ?

• Region Balkan Peninsula (1808, by German
  geographer Zeune)
• Italic/Spanish peninsula
• New concept Southern Europe (Stability Pact for
  South Eastern Europe-EU)
• Federalism in the Balkan
• Paradox socio-cultural affinities and
  nationalism in the XIXth century
• Different identity construction
• Greece
• Albania
• Romania
• Former Yugoslavia
• Bulgaria
• Turkey

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• Role of Foreign Powers Balkanization
• Fragmentation
• Foreign intervention (negative)

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Federalists Projects in the Balkans the
socialist blueprint

• Socialist Projects
• Botev (Bulgaria)
• Markovich (Serbia)
• Project for Balkan Federation as early as 1870s
• Problems
• Left weak
• Backwardeness

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• 1910s Left stronger with political developments
• anti-War and Federation including Turkey
• Proletariat
• Balkan Wars
• 1912 First Balkan War gt progressive
  democratization and close union
• Second Balkan War socialist grew even bigger
• Anti-War before 1914 with exception of Greek
  socialists

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• Divide between socialists and communists
• Socialist International rapprochement between
  peoples and federation of independent states
• Balkan Communist Federation self-determination
  and federation gt Balkan Soviet Republic

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Federal Projects in the Balkan the Agrarian
Blueprint

• Agrarian Party
• Main figures Dimitur Dragiev and Aleksandur
  Stamboliiski
• WWI opposed to War and against King Ferdinandgt
  abdication in 1918
• Program anti-Army and peasants
• Stamboliiski
• Federative projects
• Reactions of Italy
• 1923 assassination of Stamboliiski by IMRO

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• Croatia Agrarian party of Stefan Radich
• Same program than in Bulgaria
• Same federative projects gtlt centralization
  policies in Serbia and Yugoslavia
• Assassination of Radich

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Agrarians and Communists difficult relationship

• Complication Macedonia and IMRO
• Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
• During WWI instrument of Bulgarian government
• After WWI against Treaty of Neuilly
• Further cooperation between Sofia and Belgrade
• Domestically campaign of terror and
  assassination of Stamboliiski

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• IMRO
• Autonomy of Macedonia and Federation
• Rapprochement with the Communists (Journal the
  Balkan Federation until 1931
• Against Balkanization
• Division
• IMRO united cooperation with Communists
• Against Communists

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• Yugoslavia
• 1925 suspension of Parliament and killing of
  Radich
• 1929 dissolution of all political parties

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Conclusion

• Strong federal idea but political divisions and
  realities on the ground
• Project to address specific issues
• The Macedonian question
• Against centralization in Yugoslavia
• Social and economic agendas
• Integration and post-nationalism