Through the end of 19th century, modern industrial establishments emerged in Macedonia. First of them was a flour plant. Until the Balkan War II, they built 53 flour plants. 13 of them were in Selaniko, 3 in Manastir, 6 in Uskup, 3 in Serez, 4 in Pirleme and 1 in Voden, Ohri, İstip, Kurusova and Negotin. Most of them were of Ottoman Greeks, Jews and Slavs. Food industry also developed rapidly in the same period. For example, there bulit plants producing beer, olive oil, sugar, paste meal, conserved food, alcohol drinks etc. Jews and Greeks possessed these plants in Selaniko while Macedonian Slavs owned similar enterprises in Uskup, Koprulu, Kocana and Istip. Until the Balkan War I the region was meeting the need of dressing and wooden cloth in Ottoman Empire. There were 36 textile plants in the region, which were owned by Ottoman Jews, Greeks and Slavs.
Bigger industrial and commercial centers in Macedonia produced spirits, soap, brickets, metal pieces, tobacco and cigarette, leather, furniture, gas etc. The share owners of these enterprises were again Europeans, Jews, Slavs, Greeks, Armenians and others which were not Turks. After the Constitutional Monarchy the economic and social conditions for non-Turk minorities developed in Macedonia, because this reform gave them more privilege than Turks. So they got social superiority and Turks became second-class citizens at their homeland.
50 out of 130 representatives at the Parliamentary of Monarch I were Christians. Considering the other Muslim nationalities such as Arabs, Albanians, etc., Turks were minority at their own parliamentary. This was a great danger for Turkish Nation and Ottoman Empire. Sultan Abdulhamid II was aware of this danger and he annulled the parliamentary and he himself managed the country until Monarch II. But he could not stop the superiority of these non-Muslim minorities which groups got more privileges from government after the Balkan War II.
Benefiting the basic rights and freedom of the Monarch I, Macedonian Slav people selected Dimitar Robev and Georgi Çakarov as senators for the parliamentary. But it was Monarch II which made the most powerful effect in Slavic political life. They stopped their revolt and fight against Muslim Turkish people with the announcement of Monarch II. They came to cities from mountains. They uttered, Long live freedom. Long live Independence. Long live justice. They promised that all citizens would live in peace. They supported Monarch II. Government announced general amnesty at the very beginning of the Monarch II.
There had been many clubs and political parties founded after the announcement of Monarch II. Except Ittıhat ve Terakki, there founded many political parties by Bulgarian, Serbian, Greek, Jewish, Armenian and Albanian minorities. All of them attended the 1908 elections and selected their 71 representatives at Ottoman Parliamentary. Macedonian Slavs selected Dimitar Vlahov, Panço Dorev, Todor Pavlov and Hıristo Dalçev as their representatives. They also published number of books and newspapers. Most famous magazines were Konstitutsionna Zarya, Narodna Volya, Edinstvo, Kulturno Edinstvo, Oteçestvo, İskra, Svetlost, Rodina and Vardar. Ottoman Empire gave the same basic rights and freedom to Macedonian Slavs as other nations and groups in other places of the Empire. They even got more privileges. Ottoman Empire assigned prime ministers, ministers, governors, representatives from non-Turk groups. They fulfilled religious service and made educational activities freely on their own tradition. They built many schools, church and synagogues. They were not called for military service.
Turks went for military service without any complain. They protected railways, ports and other strategic places from terrorists. While Turks were under military service for years, the non-Turk minorities became richer. They established banks, plants and companies. They lived in peace and comfort. They kept their existence and wealth by the help of tolerant and just policies of Ottoman Empire and Turkish Nation. But they deny this reality and condemn Ottoman Empire for their unsuccessful attempts. But it is this historical reality, they have forgotten, that there was an Ottoman and Turk justice, freedom, peace and guaranty for 550 years, not a Turkish slavery. These elements should never forget that they owe to Ottoman Turks of their existence today in this region.
The End
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