Mr. Asquith's Statement on Smaller Nationalities

Recently, in Dublin, Mr. Asquith spoke about one of the main reasons for the current war. He said:

“It means that room must be made and kept for smaller nationalities to exist and develop freely, each with its own identity.”

The Corporate Consciousness of the Bulgarian People

The list of Churches, Priests, Schools, and Scholars in the areas liberated by the Allies shows the identity (or corporate consciousness) of the Bulgarian people in those regions. The Treaty of Bucharest gave parts of this land to Greece and Serbia, leading to the suppression of this Bulgarian identity in those areas Sightseeing Turkey.

To understand the importance of this list, we need to remember that after Bulgaria became stronger following its liberation, Turkey tried to stop its growth in Macedonia. Turkey did this by closing many Bulgarian schools and churches. This persecution became even worse with the massacres of 1903, which mainly targeted Bulgarians and, sadly, were supported by the Greeks in some cases.

The Loss of Bulgarian Territories

Additionally, Turkey took back a large part of the land that was given to Bulgaria by the Treaty of Bucharest. This land once had:

83 Priests

81 Churches

184 Teachers

99 Schools

5,597 Scholars

When the Turks regained control of this area, almost all Bulgarians fled, except for a few in Adrianople and Kirk Kiiisse. These people were not allowed to return by the Turks.

The Loss of Bulgarian Influence in Freed Territories

Of the territory freed by the Treaty of London, where the Bulgarian race’s identity was shown through:

1,310 Priests

1,331 Churches

294 Chapels

1,373 Schools

2,266 Teachers

78,854 Scholars

Bulgaria has lost land that had:

1,029 Priests

1,058 Churches

147 Chapels

67 Monasteries

1,035 Schools

1,778 Teachers

60,549 Scholars

The Fate of Bulgarians in Turkey, Greece, and Serbia

In Turkey, there are almost no Bulgarians left. In Greece and Serbia, the churches and schools have been taken over, and Bulgarians are no longer served by their own priests. The younger generation is not allowed to learn in their own language anymore.