Summary: The suppression of the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising of 1903 did not go unnoticed in Europe and became a catalyst for processes that had already begun. The Great powers accelerate their Balkan policy and intensify their direct involvement in the settlement of the pressing Macedonian question. This is reflected in the reform program adopted in the fall of 1903 in Murzsteg by the countries considered to be “most interested” in the region – Russia and Austria-Hungary. In the following five years, Macedonia will be firmly within the reach of the European reformers, and all spheres of life of the Bulgarian population will pass precisely under this sign. The current article offers readers a panoramic picture of Macedonia in the reforms era, through the prism of the chairman of the Thessaloniki Bulgarian municipality Hieromonk Neophyte. In response to an exarchial district, on July 11, 1907, he prepared a detailed report on the situation of the Bulgarian population in the Thessaloniki vilayet during the years of the Murzsteg reforms, which can easily be applied to the entire province. Emphasis is put on individual important stages of the project and how far they have been realized in practice. Hieromonk Neophyte supports the theses expressed by him with concrete evidence and numerous examples to illustrate the situation clearly enough. An overview is made of the public conditions and newly introduced measures and their impact on the local population. The roots of many problems and the possible options for their resolution are also explored.
Keywords: Macedonia, Murzsteg reforms, Thessaloniki Bulgarian municipality, European reformers, Hieromonk Neophyte
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