Third Letter The Carnegie Report on the State of Macedonia and the Conduct of the Bulgarians

During the War

Misrepresentation of Bulgaria

During the period when Bulgaria was isolated, there was a campaign of false information spread about the country. This hurt Bulgaria a lot. However, the Carnegie Commission later examined the situation in detail and presented a fair and thorough report.

The War of Liberation

The war of liberation, or the war against Turkey, was a conflict to free a Christian population from the Turkish rule. This rule had lasted for five centuries and had made life in the Balkans full of rebellion, repression, and massacres Turkey Sightseeing.

The Carnegie Commission explained:

The defeat of the Turkish armies was more than just a political change. It symbolized a change in power, reversing the relationship between the conquerors and the people they ruled.

It promised a social revolution for the Balkan people.

Conditions in Macedonia

In Macedonia, the Bulgarian army wasn’t very large, but it moved quickly south towards Thessalonica (a city in Greece). Because the army was so focused on advancing, they didn’t leave enough soldiers behind to maintain order.

Due to this, during the early weeks of the war, the Muslim population in some areas suffered from vengeful attacks and chaos. The Carnegie Commission noted that:

In many areas, Christian villagers burned down Muslim villages.

The Muslim villages weren’t just harmed in areas controlled by the Bulgarian army; even in the areas occupied by the Serbs and Greeks, there were major attacks.

According to the British Macedonian Relief Fund, about 80% of Muslim villages in the Monastir province were destroyed by fire.

Refugees and Suffering

Cities like Salonica, Monastir, and Uskub became crowded with thousands of homeless Muslim refugees, many of whom were starving.

Many of these refugees ended up moving to Asia, trying to escape the destruction and hardship they had experienced.

The Carnegie Report provides a detailed and balanced view of the suffering and violence that occurred during the Balkan wars. While the Bulgarian army aimed to free the people from Turkish rule, the consequences for the Muslim population were severe, and many villages were destroyed. The refugee crisis that followed added to the hardship and displacement of the people in the region.