National Liberation Front (Macedonia)

National Liberation Front (Narodno Osloboditelen Front)
File:421 nof 2.jpg A group of ethnic Macedonian partisans, participants in the Greek Civil War (1946 - 1949) on the side of the Democratic Army.
Active	1945-1949
Country	Greece (Greek Macedonia)
Engagements	Greek Civil War

The National Liberation Front (abbreviated NOF) (Macedonian: Народно Ослободителен Фронт (НОФ), transliterated Narodno Osloboditelen Front), also known as the People's Liberation Front, was a political and military organization created by the ethnic Macedonian minority in Greece. The organization operated from 1945–1949, most prominently in the Greek Civil War.

Background

The 'Macedonian Question', surfaced after the Balkan Wars in 1912 and 1913, following division of the region of Macedonia amongst the Kingdom of Greece, the Kingdom of Bulgaria and the Kingdom of Serbia. During Ottoman rule, the Slavic-speaking population in Macedonia was under the influence of the Exarchate, the Greek Patriarchate and their education system, which resulted in the formation of Bulgarian, Greek, and afterwards Serb identities among them.

But after the Balkan Wars, a new entity was being build among the Slavic-speaking population - an ethnic Macedonian one^[1]. Although the ethnic Macedonian national renaissance started back in the 19th century^[2], still the real apogee of the ethnic Macedonian conscience and identity occurred between the two world wars, and triumphed during WWII when ethnic Macedonian institutions were created in the three parts of Macedonia^[3]. The first revolutionary organization that promoted the existence of a separate ethnic Macedonian nation was IMRO (United)^[4], composed of former left-wing IMRO members. This idea was internationalized and backed by the Comintern which issued in 1934 a declaration supporting the development of the entity^[5]. This action was attacked by the IMRO, but was supported by the Balkan communists, including the Greek Communist Party, which created a Macedonian section within the party, headed by Andreas Tsipas and supported the national consolidation of the ethnic Macedonian minority within Greece. But the Metaxas regime institutionalized the repression of minorities and leftist organizations. The use of minority languages both in public and in private as well as expressions of the minority cultural distinctiveness were forbidden and punished.

Occupation of Greece in World War II

While most of Greece was occupied by Axis Powers in World War II, resistance movements were created by Greeks and the then-prominent ethnic Macedonian population. After Greece was occupied by Italy, Germany and Bulgaria, in the whole territory of northern Greece, different guerrilla bands and movements were formed. Some of them fought against the occupation (like Napoleon Zervas and his National Republican Greek League (EDES), other were collaborationists, but one thing was common, all of them were attacking the unarmed ethnic Macedonians living in northern Greece^[6], seeing them as a potential threat - as happened during the Ioannis Metaxas regime^[7]. There was also the National People's Liberation Army (ELAS), a partisan army headed by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). Although ELAS in some cases relied on forced mobilization, the ethnic Macedonians sympathized with ELAS and the KKE because of their friendly position towards the ethnic minorities of Greece.^[8]

The most notorious armed group involved in the repression of the ethnic Macedonians of Greece were the collaborationist Security Battalions (Tágmata Asfalías), which accused them as autonomists. These units were involved in the murder and rape of the minority in western Greek Macedonia.^[9].

SNOF

Slavic-Macedonian National Liberation Front
File:Egejskaudarnabrigada.jpg Former SNOF members, organized in the First Aegean Shock Brigade marching through liberated Bitola.
Active	1943-1944
Country	Greece (Greek Macedonia)
Allegiance	National People's Liberation Army
Engagements	Greek Resistance

The first ethnic-Macedonian armed military organization, the Slavic-Macedonian National Liberation Front (SNOF) (Macedonian: Славјано Македонски Народно Ослободителен Фронт (СНОФ), Latinic: Slavjano Мakedonski Narodno Osloboditelen Front (SNOF)) was established in 1943 by ethnic Macedonian members of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE).

File:433px-Makedonci NOF 3.jpg

Еthnic Macedonian NOF partisans from Florina (1946–1949).

Before the creation of the SNOF, ethnic Macedonian military detachments in Greek Macedonia participated in the National People's Liberation Army .^[10]

The main aim of the SNOF was to obtain the entire support of the local population and to mobilize it, through SNOF, for the aims of the National Liberation Front (EAM).^[11] Also one of the main goals of SNOF was to struggle against the Ohrana activity in western Greek Macedonia,^[12] and to persuade the Ohrana members to desert their ranks and join the SNOF and support ELAS. SNOF started publishing newspapers and booklets on Ethnic Macedonian history and engaged a massive propaganda war against the Ohrana. Just before the liberation of Greece, SNOF operatives manages to convince many former "Ohranists" to entered the ranks of the SNOF, and some of them afterwards took part in the Greek Civil War on the side of the DSE and gave their lives in the struggle^[13].

After increasing in numbers, the military detachments of the SNOF fought the Axis occupation in Northern Greece and collaborated with units of the KKE.

During this time, the ethnic Macedonians in Greece were permitted to publish newspapers in the Macedonian language and run schools.^[14] After the end of the Greek Resistance against the Axis occupation, the SNOF was dissolved in 1944 on the an orders of the KKE Central Committee and through British intervention. Headed by Vangel Ajanovski - Oche, some SNOF commanders, dissatisfied with the KKE decision, crossed into Vardar Macedonia and participated in the National Liberation War of Macedonia.^[15]

NOF

Foundation of NOF and first actions

After the liberation of Greece, and the signing of the Treaty of Varkiza, there was no sign of possible political stabilization of the country. The Communist-led forces become isolated from the process, and the British intervention backed the right-wing government formed in Athens. After the ELAS was partly disarmed, the KKE and the its forces concentrated on political struggle.^[16] But while the KKE was negotiating and fighting within the political framework, in northern Greece, bands of the former Security Battalions (wartime collaborators) and government forces harassed the ethnic Macedonians, accusing them of autonomist activities.

File:Makedonci NOF 2.JPG

Young ethnic Macedonians from the Kastorian village of Baptsori, in the ranks of the NOF.

File:451 nof ustav.jpg

The statute of NOF.

Given that the KKE had now switched to a political struggle, a number of ethnic Macedonians in Edessa, Kastoria and Florina, Paskal Mitrevski, Mihail Keramidzhiev, Georgi Urdov, Atanas Koroveshov, Pavle Rakovski and Mincho Fotev, decided to form the Narodno Osloboditelen Front (NOF) on 23 April 1945. According to its statute, the NOF’s objectives were: to resist the "Monarcho-Fascist aggressors", to fight for democracy and a Greek Republic, and the physical preservation of the ethnic Macedonian population.^[17]

At first, the NOF organised meetings, street and factory protests, published illegal papers. Soon after it started began forming partisan detachments. The ethnic-Macedonian KKE members who escaped Greece when the country was liberated, started coming back to their homes and entering the ranks of NOF. In 1945, 12 were formed in Kastoria, 7 in Florina, and 11 in Edessa and Gianitsa region.^[18] These groups patrolled villages and their aim was to defend the population. In the second half of 1945, these groups engaged in thirty battles with government forces. The biggest one was near Moglena, where a convoy carrying political prisoners was attacked by the NOF. 14 government soldiers were killed, 9 captured and all of the prisoners (ethnic Macedonians and Pontians) released.^[19]

Nepokoren - one of the newspapers published by NOF.

In some villages of Edessa, Pontians served on NOF committees. In Kastoria a lot of Vlachs were also involved in the NOF, alongside the ethnic Macedonians.^[20] At first there was a conflict between the KKE and the NOF. The former wanted a political struggle, while the NOF insisted on an armed struggle. The NOF were convinced that the government would not implement the Varkiza Treaty, while KKE leader Nikos Zachariadis still believed that this represented a chance to deal with the government.^[21]. Even before the KKE declared the beginning of the armed struggle of the Democratic Army of Greece in 1946, the NOF was acting independently from the KKE, was engaged in several battles with government forces, who enjoyed British support. Thus, the NOF stimulated the beginning of an armed insurrection of the communist forces against the government.^[22] The NOF and also created regional committees in all areas with compact ethnic Macedonian populations (Florina, Eddesa, Giannitsa and Kastoria).

The merger of the NOF with the Democratic Army

When the NOF became a powerful factor in northern Greece, the KKE opened negotiations with it. The negotiations were conducted by Mihail Keramidzhiev and Paskal Mitrevski, on behalf of the NOF, and Markos Vafiadis, on behalf of the Democratic Army of Greece (DSE). After nearly seven months of negotiations, they reached an agreement to merge. In 1946, the NOF merged with the DSE. During all this time, the KKE and the NOF maintained a basic position on the minorities' question in Greece (the equality of all ethnic groups within the borders of Greece), and NOF was against every form of autonomy. Owing to the KKE's equal treatment of ethnic Macedonians and Greeks, many ethnic Macedonians enlisted as volunteers in the DSE (60 per cent of the DSE was composed of ethnic Macedonians).^[23]

Greek Civil War

Main article: Greek Civil War

Ethnic Macedonians and the Greek Civil War

File:NOF Cavalry.jpg

Ethnic Macedonian cavalry - fighting in the Greek Civil War

The ethnic Macedonians of Greek Macedonia, mobilized for the struggle by their own movement NOF, made a critical contribution to the communist side during the Greek Civil War.^[24] Soon after the first free territories were created, Keramitdzhiev met with KKE officials, and it was decided that ethnic Macedonian schools would open in the area controlled by the DSE.^[25] Books written in the ethnic Macedonian language were published, while ethnic Macedonians theatres and cultural organizations operated. Also within the NOF, a female organization, the Antifascist Women's front (AFZH), and a youth organization, the National Liberation Front of Youth (ONOM), were formed.^[26]

The creation of the ethnic Macedonian cultural institutions on the DSE hold territory, newspapers and books published by NOF, public speeches and the schools opened, helped the consolidation of the ethnic Macedonian conscience and identity among the population. According to information announced by Paskal Mitrovski on the I plenum of NOF on August 1948 - about 85% of the Slavic-speaking population in Greek Macedonia has ethnic Macedonian self-identity. The language that was thought in the schools was the official language of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia. About 20,000 young ethnic Macedonians learned to read and write using that language, and learned their own history.

The ethnic Macedonians fought in the Greek Civil War and made a significant contribution to the initial victories of the DSE.^[27] However, when the Tito-Stalin split arose, Yugoslavia (and the Socialist Republic of Macedonia) closed its border to the DSE, as both the NOF and the DSE supported the Soviet line.^[28] At the beginning of the war Markos Vafiadis had a very efficient guerilla strategy, and controlled territories, mainly in the villages and mountains, from Florina to Attica, and for a short period there were also DSE-controlled territories in the Peloponnese. The DSE came under pressure after the British intervened, sending tanks, air planes and ammunition to the government forces, which were mainly stationed in cities.^[29]

The defeat of the Democratic Army

The DSE, whose soldiers were armed mainly with light arms and which had little heavy weaponry, started losing ground as a result of the heavy aerial bombardment, artillery barrages and tank attacks. In August 1948, Vafiadis was removed from the position of DSE commander-in-chief and was replaced by Nikos Zachariadis, who changed the whole command cadre with party members with no armed experience. This decision accelerated the decline of the DSE.^[30]

Children refugees passing the border.

From the merger in 1946 until the end of the Civil War, the NOF was loyal to Greece and was fighting for minimal human rights within the borders of a Greek republic.But Zachariadis, in order to mobilize more ethnic Macedonians into the DSE, declared on 31 January 1949 at the 5th Meeting of the KKE Central Committee that when the DSE took power in Greece, there would be an independent Macedonian state, united in its geographical borders.^[31] This new line of the KKE had an impact on the mobilisation rate of ethnic Macedonians (which even earlier was considerably high), but did not manage, ultimately, to change the course of the war.At the battles of Vitsi and Grammos, in which the government forces deployed napalm bombs and artillery barrages, the DSE was expelled from Greece. As Yugoslavia had closed its borders to Greece, the evacuation was conducted through Albania.

Aftermath

The exodus of ethnic Macedonians from Greece

The government forces destroyed every village that was on their way, and expelled the civilian population. Leaving as a result of force or on their own accord (in order to escape repression and retaliation), 50,000 people left Greece together with the retreating DSE forces. All of them were sent to Eastern Bloc countries.^[32][33] It was not until the 1970s that some of them were allowed to come to the Socialist Republic of Macedonia. In the 1980s, the Greek parliament adopted the law of national reconciliation which allowed DSE members "of Greek origin" to repatriate to Greece, where they were given land. Ethnic Macedonian DSE remembers remained excluded from the terms of this legislation.^[34]

On August 20, 2003, the Rainbow Party hosted a reception for the "child refugees", ethnic Macedonian children who fled their homes during the Greek Civil War , were permitted to enter Greece for a maximum of 20 days. Now elderly, this was the first time many of them saw their birthplaces and families in some 55 years. The reception included relatives of the refugees who are living in Greece and are members of Rainbow Party. However, many were refused entry by Greek border authorities because their passports listed the Slavic- Macedonian names of their places of birth.

References

1. ^ "History of the Balkans, Vol. 2: Twentieth Century", Barbara Jelavich, 1983.
2. ^ "Кон македонската преродба" Блаже Конески, Скопје, 1959. - The ethnic Macedonian renaissances started with Georgi Pulevski, going through the teachings of Misirkov to Dimitrija Čupovski.
3. ^ "History of the Balkans, Vol. 2: Twentieth Century", Barbara Jelavich, 1983.
4. ^ "The Situation in Macedonia and the Tasks of IMRO (United)" - published in the official newspaper of IMRO (United), "Македонско дело", N.185, April 1934
5. ^ "Резолюция о македонской нации (принятой Балканском секретариате Коминтерна" - Февраль 1934 г, Москва
6. ^ "Σαραντα χρονια του ΚΚΕ 1918-1958", Athens, 1958, p. 549.
7. ^ "Rizospastis", no. 89 (7026), 10 June 1934, p. 3.
8. ^ "Σαραντα χρονια του ΚΚΕ 1918-1958", Athens, 1958, p. 562.
9. ^ "Les Archives de la Macedonine" - (Letter from Fotis Papadimitriou to the CC of the KKE), 28 March 1943.
10. ^ "Народно Ослободителниот Фронт и други организации на Македонците од Егејскиот дел на Македонија. (Ристо Кирјазовски)", Skopje, 1985.
11. ^ "Славјано Македонски Глас", 15 Јануари 1944 с.1
12. ^ "АМ, Збирка: Егејска Македонија во НОБ 1941-1945 - (Повик на СНОФ до Македонците од Костурско 16 Мај 1944)"
13. ^ "Идеолошкиот активизам над Македонците под Грција", Стојан Кочов, Скопје, 2000
14. ^ "Народно Ослободителниот Фронт и други организации на Македонците од Егејскиот дел на Македонија. (Ристо Кирјазовски)", Скопје, 1985.
15. ^ "Егеjски бури - Револуционерното движење во Воденско и НОФ во Егеjска Македоница. (Вангел Аjановски Оче)", Скопје, 1975.
16. ^ "To ΚΚΕ, Episama kimena", t. V, 1940-1945, 1973.
17. ^ "Les Archives de la Macedonine" - (The Constitution of NOF).
18. ^ "Les Archives de la Macedonine, Fond: Aegean Macedonia in NLW" - (Field report of Mihail Keramidzhiev to the Main Command of NOF), 8 July 1945
19. ^ "Les Archives de la Macedonine, Fond: Aegean Macedonia in NLW" - (Report of Elefterios Imsiridis to the CC of KKE about the activity of NOF), 6 September 1945
20. ^ "Егејскиот дел на Македонија (1913-1989). Стојан Киселиновски", Скопје, 1990.
21. ^ "КПГ и Македонското национално прашање (1918-1940). Ристо Кирјазовски", Скопје, 1985.
22. ^ "Народно Ослободителниот Фронт и други организации на Македонците од Егејскиот дел на Македонија. (Ристо Кирјазовски)", Скопје, 1985.
23. ^ "Η Τραγική αναμέτρηση, 1945-1949 – Ο μύθος και η αλήθεια. Ζαούσης Αλέξανδρος" (ISBN 9607213432).
24. ^ "Incompatible Allies: Greek Communism and Macedonian Nationalism in the Civil War in Greece, 1943-1949. Andrew Rossos", The Journal of Modern History, Vol. 69, No. 1 (Mar., 1997) (p. 42)
25. ^ "Prokiriksi, Praksis kai apofasis tou Genikou Arhigiou tou Dimokratikou Stratou tis Elados", 1947.
26. ^ "Македонски национални институции во Егејскиот дел на Македонија (Ристо Кирјазовски)", Скопје, 1987.
27. ^ "Σαραντα χρονια του ΚΚΕ 1918-1958", Αθηνα, 1958, σ.575.
28. ^ "Македонците и односите на КПЈ и КПГ (1945-1949). Ристо Кирјазовски", Скопје, 1995.
29. ^ "General Markos: Zašto me Staljin nije streljao. Jovan Popovski", Ljubljana, 1982.
30. ^ "General Markos: Zašto me Staljin nije streljao. Jovan Popovski", Ljubljana, 1982.
31. ^ "Les Archives de la Macedonine" - (Resolution of the 5th Plenary Session of the Communist Party of Greece), 31 January 1949.
32. ^ "Македонската политичка емиграција од Егејскиот дел на Македонија во Источна Европа. Ристо Кирјазовски", Скопје, 1989.
33. ^ "From Gramos Mountain towards Lower Schleszia: Refugees from the Greek Civil War in Eastern Europe and Central Asia", Stefan Troebst. [35]
34. ^ "Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) - Minority rights Report on Greece to the 1998 OSCE Implementation Meeting", 28 October 1998.

See also

• Ethnic Macedonians
• Macedonian Question
• National Liberation War of Macedonia
• Greek Civil War
• Ohrana
• Minorities in Greece

External links

• Greek Macedonia after the Balkan Wars
• Incompatible Allies: Greek Communism and Macedonian Nationalism in the Civil War in Greece, 1943-1949 by Andrew Rossos -The Journal of Modern History, Vol. 69, No. 1 (Mar., 1997), pp. 42-76.