Internal revolutionary organization
Inner Revolutionary Organization , IRO for short , ( Bulgarian Вътрешна революционна организация ) was an underground organization of the Bulgarians that existed in the 19th century and was directed against the rule of the Ottoman Empire .
history
Bulgaria came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 14th century . The independence movement (" National Rebirth ") intensified particularly in the 19th century. Initially, Bulgarian revolutionaries tried to set up combat groups (so-called Tscheti ) abroad (Serbia, Romania) . But their incursions were unsuccessful, but led to major Ottoman reprisals . Wassil Levski came to the conclusion that a comprehensive liberation movement had to be carried out inside the country. He went back to the ideas of Georgi Rakowski .
Levski toured the country in 1868/69 and, in conjunction with the Bulgarian Society and the “Young Bulgaria” group, set up the first revolutionary committees and issued proclamations . In October 1869 in Bucharest , the “Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee” (BRZK) later led the underground movement. After further revolutionary committees (around 200 in total) had been founded in 1870 and 1871 and these were networked with one another, the overall organization was finally referred to as the “Inner Revolutionary Organization” (IRO).
In Lovech a headquarters that would also take over the function of a provisional government during a rebellion arose. The organization was subject to the strictest discipline and secrecy. In addition to the committees, Levski set up a secret post office and militia (→ Komitadschi ), but also a secret police, whose task it was to check the reliability of the members and to prevent infiltration by the Ottoman secret service. Levski introduced pseudonyms for the functionaries and localities. The main task of the committees, however, was military preparation and fundraising. The IRO was, not least because of its objectives, an organization consisting primarily of people from the bourgeoisie. Not a few of its members described their profession as merchants, but also many representatives of the petty bourgeoisie such as craftsmen, church staff of lower rank (simple priests) and above all teachers. Petko Karawelow took over the management of the BRZK , while Levski himself acted as an authorized representative in Bulgaria.
In May 1872 members of the IRO attacked an Ottoman money transport at the Arabakonak pass without orders and were then arrested. The Ottomans obtained important information about the revolutionary organizations in Bulgaria through their statements, which were probably obtained through torture . The BRZK demanded an immediate popular uprising, but Levski hesitated because he did not yet believe it would be successful. He was arrested in December 1872 and finally executed in February 1873. After Lewski's death, the IRO and BRZK organized the Stara Sagora uprising (1875) and the April uprising (1876). Both failed, however, and it was not until the Russo-Ottoman War (1877–1878) that Bulgaria gained independence.
Other organizations
Following the example of the IRO , other organizations were founded with similar names:
- BGZRK - Bulgarian Secret Revolutionary Central Committee (bulg. "Български таен централен революционен комитет" -БТЦРК), active in Eastern Rumelia in 1885
-
BMARK - Bulgarian Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Committees, active in Macedonia and Eastern Thrace in 1893
- GMARK - Secret Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Committee, active in Macedonia and Eastern Thrace and carried out the Ilinden-Preobraschenie Uprising , renamed the BMARK in 1902
- IMARO - Inner Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization, renaming of the GMARK (1905), active in Macedonia and Eastern Thrace
- from 1919 split into
- IMRO - Inner Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, further renaming of the BMARK, active in Greek and Yugoslav Macedonia from 1919 to 1941 and
- ITRO - Inner Thracian Revolutionary Organization, active in Western Thrace from 1922 to 1934
- IDRO - Inner Dobruja Revolutionary Organization, active in Dobruja from 1923 to 1940
- IWRRO - Inner West Periphery Revolutionary organization, active in the former Bulgarian western regions from 1921 to 1941
literature
- Hans-Jürgen Hoppe: Levski, Vasil. In: Mathias Bernath, Felix von Schroeder, Gerda Bartl (eds.): Biographical lexicon for the history of Southeast Europe. Volume 3, Verlag Oldenbourg, Munich 1979, ISBN 3-486-48991-7 , pp. 28-30.