Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (United)
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The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (United) (1925-1936) (in Macedonian: Vnatrešna Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizacija (Obedineta), Внатрешна Македонска Револуционерна Организација, in Bulgarian: Vatreshna Makedonska Revolyucionna Organizaciya (?), Вътрешна Македонска Революционна Организация, VMRO), commonly known in English as IMRO (United) or VRMO (United), was the name of a revolutionary political organization active in Macedonia.
IMRO (United) was founded in 1925 in Vienna by the left wing of the IMRO in 1925. It was under the leadership of Dimitar Vlahov, Pavel Satev, Georgi Zankov, Rizo Rizov, Vladimir Pop Timov and Hristo Jankov. Its main objective was to free Macedonia within its geographical and economical borders and create an independent political entity based on the principles of the Krushevo Republic, and which would become an equal member of the future Balkan Federation.
It was recognized by the Comintern and accepted as a partner in the Balkan Communist Federation. It maintained close links with the Bulgarian communist leader, Georgi Dimitrov.
By 1935, the IMRO (United) organisation in Greece was working closely with the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). Indeed on 3 July 1935, the KKE newspaper, Rizospastis, reported a statement issued by the IMRO (United) organisation in Edesa (Voden) and signed by G. Slavos:
"We Macedonians here, held a conference where one of our comrades spoke to us about the programme of the IMRO (United) and about how the minorities live in the Soviet Union. He told us that the Macedonians in Bulgaria and Serbia are fighting under the leadership of the Communist parties for a united and independent Macedonia. We declare that we will fight for our freedom under the leadership of the Communist Party of Greece and [we] demand that our schools have instruction in the Macedonian language. We also insist on not being called Bulgarians, for we are neither Bulgarians, nor Serbs, nor Greeks, but Macedonians. We invite all Macedonians to join the ranks of the IMRO (United), and all of us together will fight for a free Macedonia."
Another IMRO (United) statement suggested that the organisation aimed at representing all peoples of Maceconia: "The IRMO (United) was not a party of the Macedonian Slavs. In one of its statements, it declared that "the Macedonian people" consisted of "all the nationalities that used to live and still live there, and in behalf of whom we speak of: Bulgarians, Albanians, Turks, Jews, Vlachs, Greeks, Gypsies."
Until its dissolution in 1936 it sought to act as a Communist Party of Macedonia, and in fact attempted to play the part of a Communist-led Macedonian national or popular front.
[edit] Sources
- VMRO (obedineta), vol. I, p. 131 Skopje 1991
- Andrew Rossos. The Macedonians of Aegean Macedonia: A British officer's report, 1944. [1]
