Federal Macedonia and Greater Bulgarian Chauvinism

Federal Macedonia and Greater Bulgarian Chauvinism by Hristo Kalaydzhiev is a political speech delivered in February 1945 that addresses the Macedonian question in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. The author sharply criticizes the policies of interwar Bulgarian ruling circles, describing them as expressions of Great-Bulgarian chauvinism that subordinated the Macedonian cause to expansionist state ambitions. He portrays the pre-1944 period as marked by repression, manipulation of the Macedonian emigration, and attempts to suppress independent Macedonian political expression.

A central part of the speech defends the establishment of Federal Macedonia within Tito’s Yugoslavia as the historic realization of long-standing revolutionary aspirations. Kalaydzhiev presents ASNOM as the decisive institutional act that transformed Macedonia from a geographic concept into a political entity with statehood. He stresses the recognition of the Macedonian nation and frames federalism as a solution that prevents renewed Balkan hegemonism. Considerable attention is devoted to denouncing fascist collaboration, Mihailovist currents, and earlier annexationist projects.

The publication reflects the ideological environment of 1945 and the consolidation of a new regional order following the defeat of fascism. As a contemporary political document, it provides insight into postwar interpretations of the Macedonian struggle, the critique of interwar Bulgarian nationalism, and the broader discourse on Balkan federalism. It remains a primary source for understanding how the Macedonian question was articulated in the transitional moment between war and socialist state formation.