The Slavophones of Macedonia: the course of integration into the Greek nation-state

No AbstractThe purpose of this study is to define the social, economic and political parameters which determined the attitude of the Christian Slavic-speaking population of Macedonia towards the Greek nation-state. It is also an attempt to elucidate the course of integration without the use of racial terms which are found in abundance in bibliography. The separation of the Slavophones into two factions, the pro-Bulgarian Exarchians and the Graecomans devoted to the Ecumenical Patriarch, was a slow process which was influenced by pre-existing social and economic cleavages and political events rather than ethnic differences. This process of “nationalisation”, in spite of the bloody conflicts and the perennial propa­ gandas, had not been completed by the end of the Balkan Wars (1913). How­ ever, this initial stage of involvement with the nation-state, either positive or negative, determined to a high degree the subsequent attitude of the Slavo­ phones towards Greece. This pattern did not change much until World War II. The administrative and ideological inefficiency of the Greek state, especially of low-ranking civil servants, who often interpreted linguistic and cultural deferences as a contest of the Greek national sovereignty had a tremendous impact on Slavophone peasants: Instead of appeasing, the state mechanism perpetuated the feelings of fear, insecurity, and mistrust. Moreover, the pressing political and diplo­ matic situation forced parties and governments into hasty handling which reinforced the fears of the non-Greek-speaking peasants. Fear and local passions were maintained by and proved extremely useful for political parties which were anxious to secure the bloc vote of the various groups and classes residing in Greece’s new provinces. Finally confrontation with the refuges from Asia Minor and the contiguous financial, political and social problems increased the locals’ sense of desertion and alienated a part of them from the Greek state. However, the contemporary observer should note that in spite of the barriers that domestic and foreign policy tended to erect between the various population groups, the process of ethnic differentiation, as sources testify, regarded only a small percentage of the Slavophone population of Greek Macedonia.