The Macedonian Question and Yugoslavia

The Macedonian Question and Yugoslavia by Ivan (Vanche) Mihajlov, published in 1971 as a recorded conversation with a correspondent of the Croatian newspaper Hrvatska, presents Mihajlov’s interpretation of the political developments in Macedonia and the Balkans during the twentieth century. The work reflects his long-standing position as a leading figure of the right-wing faction of VMRO and offers a critique of Yugoslav state policy toward Macedonia. Throughout the interview, Mihajlov challenges the legitimacy of the Macedonian nation as recognized within socialist Yugoslavia.

A central argument of the text is that the population of Macedonia historically constituted part of the Bulgarian national body, and that the concept of a separate Macedonian identity was constructed under Yugoslav communist rule. Mihajlov repeatedly asserts that the revolutionary movement in Macedonia was founded by and composed of what he calls Macedonian Bulgarians, presenting linguistic and historical arguments in support of this claim. The discussion also extends to the policies of the Serbian monarchy, the communist authorities after 1944, and what he characterizes as systematic reinterpretation of historical memory.

Today, the booklet is understood primarily as a document of Bulgarian nationalist historiography and émigré political thought during the Cold War period. Rather than a neutral historical study, it reflects Mihajlov’s ideological convictions and his opposition to Yugoslav federalism and socialist national policy. As such, the text remains significant for examining competing interpretations of identity, revolutionary heritage, and statehood in the history of Macedonia.