The Macedonian People's League (; MPL) was a leftist organization, founded in the United States.Stephan Thernstrom, Ann Orlov, Oscar Handlin eds., Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1980, , pp. 692–693.

History

The foundations of the MPL were set by Smile Vojdanov in

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, Pontiac is part of the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area, and is vari ...

, in 1929. Other founders include Georgi Pirinski and Dincho Ralley. The organization was created under Soviet and Yugoslav communist orders.Chris Kostov, Contested Ethnic Identity: The Case of Macedonian Immigrants in Toronto, 1900-1996, Peter Lang, 2010, , p. 131; 147. In 1930, the first conference of the League was held in

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, with Smile Vojdanov being elected as a chairman of the Central Committee and Georgi Pirinski Sr. as a secretary. The first regular congress of MPL was held in

Gary, Indiana Gary ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Indiana's List of municipalities in Indiana, eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historical ...

, in 1931, and since then the Macedonian People's League has been formed. Immediately after its formation, the MPL was associated with various left-wing organizations in the United States and Europe, as well as with the

Comintern The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internatio ...

. It established relations with the

's leader

Georgi Dimitrov Georgi Dimitrov Mihaylov (; ) also known as Georgiy Mihaylovich Dimitrov (; 18 June 1882 – 2 July 1949), was a Bulgarian communist politician who served as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party from 1933 t ...

. Dimitrov praised the work of Georgi Pirinski publicized in

Daily Worker The ''Daily Worker'' was a newspaper published in Chicago founded by communists, socialists, union members, and other activists. Publication began in 1924. It generally reflected the prevailing views of members of the Communist Party USA (CPU ...

in August 1935. Pirinski appealed to

Bulgarian Americans Bulgarian Americans are Americans of full or partial Bulgarian descent. For the 2000 United States Census, 55,489 Americans indicated Bulgarian as their first ancestry, while 92,841 persons declared to have Bulgarian ancestry. Those can includ ...

to heed the call for action by their countryman Dimitrov.George J. Prpic, John Carroll University, South South immigration in America, Twayne Publishers, 1971, G. K. Hall & Co., Boston, p. 236. In 1938, the MPL was renamed the Macedonian-American People's League, and a branch, the Macedonian-Canadian People's League, was founded in Canada. The League published in the Bulgarian language the newspaper "People's Will" (Narodna Volya) in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. The newspaper attacked both the IMRO and MPO, referring to them as "terrorists" and "Bulgarian nationalists and fascists". The organization supported the creation of an independent Macedonia within a

Balkan Federation In late 19th and throughout the 20th century, the establishment of a Balkan Federation had been a recurrent suggestion of various political factions in the Balkans. The concept of a Balkan federation emerged in the late 19th century among left-w ...

. It was the first organization in the United States to support the idea that the Macedonians constitute a separate nationality and that their language is distinct.Elliott Robert Barkan eds. Immigrants in American History: Arrival, Adaptation, and Integration Volumes ABC-CLIO, 2013, , p. 504; 1111. MPL acted aggressively against the

Macedonian Patriotic Organization Macedonian Patriotic Organization (MPO) is a diaspora organization in the United States and Canada. It was founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States, in 1922, by Macedonian Bulgarian immigrants originating mainly from Greek Macedonia. It was ...

, that it believed, was a Bulgarian agent. In the 1940s MPL supported the creation of the

People's Republic of Macedonia The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia, Yugoslav Macedonia or simply Macedonia, was one of the six constituent republics of the post-World War II Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...

within

Communist Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

and favored the establishment of Communist regimes throughout

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

. During the Tito-Stalin split, the organization's leadership decided not to support the Yugoslav leadership and openly worked against the People's Republic of Macedonia. Afterwards, its membership declined and the organization was shut down in 1956.

References

{{Bulgarian diaspora Macedonian-American culture in Michigan Macedonian American history Bulgarian-American history Organizations based in Indiana Patriotic societies Organizations established in 1931 1931 establishments in Indiana Communist organizations in the United States 1956 disestablishments in the United States Socialism in Michigan

History

See also

References