Ilinden was a veteran unpolitical organization established in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

in 1921 with branches in a whole of Bulgaria.''Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Macedonia'', Dimitar Bechev, Scarecrow Press, 2009, , p. 94. It was founded by leaders of the former

Internal Macedonian Adrianople Revolutionary Organization The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; bg, Вътрешна Македонска Революционна Организация (ВМРО), translit=Vatrešna Makedonska Revoljucionna Organizacija (VMRO); mk, Внатр� ...

, who did not participate into the new

Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO; bg, Вътрешна Македонска Революционна Организация (ВМРО), translit=Vatrešna Makedonska Revoljucionna Organizacija (VMRO); mk, Внатр� ...

(IMRO) founded by

Todor Alexandrov Todor Aleksandrov Poporushov, best known as Todor Alexandrov ( Bulgarian/ Macedonian: Тодор Александров), also spelt as Alexandroff (4 March 1881 – 31 August 1924), was a Bulgarian revolutionary, army officer, politician and t ...

after the First World War. It supported the creation of a federal Macedonian state within a future Balkan Federation, which concept was similar to the ideas proclaimed by the Balkan Communist Federation at that time. In 1924 Alexandrov several times spoke with

Petar Atsev Petar Atsev ( bg, Петър Ацев) was a Bulgarian revolutionary, a voyvoda of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization (IMARO) for the region of Prilep. Biography Petar Atsev was born in 1877 in the village of Oreovec ...

, then president of the organization, on the occasion of a growing communist propaganda among its members. In 1924 Aleksandrov was killed, but as participants in the conspiracy against him were suspected the leaders of the Ilinden organization. Subsequently, many of them became victims of the ''

Gorna Dzhumaya Blagoevgrad ( bg, Благоевград ) is а town in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province. With a population of almost inhabitants, it is the economic and cultural centre ...

events'' and the subsequent fratricidal killings among the IMRO factions. In the following years Ilinden organization was primarily engaged in cultural and educational activities. The organization was formally dissolved after the military coup d'état from 19 May 1934, but it continued its existence. After the accession of most of the

Vardar Macedonia Vardar Macedonia ( Macedonian and sr, Вардарска Македонија, ''Vardarska Makedonija'') was the name given to the territory of the Kingdom of Serbia (1912–1918) and Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) roughly corresponding to t ...

to Bulgaria in April 1941, the organization created there its branches. After the coup d'état from 9 September 1944 a new leadership was elected, loyal to the Communist government. On 15 June 1947 the communist authorities disbanded the organization.

References

Sources

* "История на България - електронна енциклопедия", ИК Труд, (Илинденска организация) {{in lang, bg Bulgarian revolutionary organisations Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization Organizations established in 1921 Organizations disestablished in 1947 1921 establishments in Bulgaria 1947 disestablishments in Bulgaria 1947 in Bulgaria Defunct organizations based in Bulgaria History of Macedonia (region) Veterans' organizations

See also

References

Sources