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Macedonia and Greece: The Struggle to Define a New Balkan Nation

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This book examines all aspects of the dispute between Macedonia and Greece ranging from ancient history to the present. John Shea analyzes such topics as the Greek government's refusal to recognize its large ethnic Macedonian minority, the Greek myth of ethnic purity, and the Republic of Macedonia's struggle for international recognition. This is yet another example of a non-Macedonian author being able to conduct research and come to his own conclusion that Greek claims about Macedonia simply are not valid. Highly recommended for people searching for a non-biased examination of Macedonia.

Thanks to the author many facts unknown to the wider audience related to Macedonia, its history and the Macedonians are finally revealed. The author takes trip back in time, 2000 years ago to start his book with the relations of Macedonia and Greece at that time. Mr. Shea goes through the centuries and unveils many things from the sad Macedonian history : supression, genocide and expulsion. The book concludes with the modern relations of Macedonia and its neighbors, as well as with the sad situation of the Macedonians in the neigboring countries. Must read book.

The greatest falsification of history is finnaly demystified.By reading this book,everybody can learn truth about glorious history of Macedonians and painfull aspects of their denial by Athens.Ancient Macedonians were not Greeks-it is adoption of certain Greek customs that was cherished by Hellenophilic historians as prove of their Greek belonging,but that is just as logical as saying that James Joyce was Greek because he is author of book named "Ullisius".Here,all important aspects of Macedonian History are blended into coherent and extremely well documentated essay-this book will leave speachless anybody who dares to falsify Macedonian history with its power of arguments.

this book is a great non-biased history lesson for all to read. 100% satisfaction in this purchase i recomend it to all, this book should be given to all ultra-nationalist greeks whose minds have been littered by ludacris propaganda by their fasict-like government

The so-called Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia was nothing more than Marshall Tito's way of making sure the people living in
that section of Serbia did not lean towards Bulgaria. Instead he
gave them a new identity. They were now Macedonians, "reaching out" to their "lost and oppressed" brothers in Greek Macedonia. Access to the port of Thessaloniki wouldn't have been bad for the Marshall either. The so-called "Macedonian" minority in Greece was, and still is, nothing more than Serbs and Bulgarians still living in that part of the world after the Byzantine/Ottoman period.

The FYROM "Macedonian" language is nothing more than a dialect spoken at the Serb-Bulgarian border region and has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the Greek dialect the ancient Macedonians spoke. NOTHING.

Greece does not recognize a "Macedonian" minority because there was never such an ethnic group. Macedonia has always been a region and not an ethnicity. Bulgarians and Serbs living in the land of ancient Macedonia (900 years after the death of Alexander the Great) are simply that - Bulgarians and Serbs living in the region of Macedonia.

People should read this book with a huge grain of salt. It is definitely revisionist history.

John Shea's book is an easy to read, concise analysis of the political situation in Macedonia. John Shea analyses the relationship between Macedonia and Greece from earliest times to today and how that relationship affects the complicated politics currently affecting the two nations.

The book details Macedonia's current position from the perspective of the Macedonian's. It provides a great insight into the current issues facing Macedonia (externally and internally). It is quite clear that Macedonia faces significant cultural hostility from its neighbours (as can be observed from some of the other reviews on this book).

I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in a macedonian viewpoint on today's Macedonia.

So, the synopsis of the book is that Ancient Makedonians were slavic. According to the author, the Ancient Makedonians did not speak a Hellenic dialect and Alexander the Great's tutor, Aristotle, taught him a slavic dialect.In a Socratic dialogue, that makes Aristotle a slav too since he was born in Ancient Makedonia and returned there when in exile.(I need to burn my history books.)
Furthermore, if the ancient Makedonians were slavs, why then was Alexander I, the king of Makedonia, named Philhellene(lover of Hellas)? This title is bestowed only to foreigners.
Unfortunately, the author doesn't mention that the king of Makedonia, Alexander I, was named Philhellene by the Theban poet Pindaros for the same reason Jason of Pherrai and Euagoras of Cyprus were called Philhellenes (Isocrates 107A, 199A). The title Philhellene in ancient times meant Philopatris (lover of the homeland) or simply put "a patriot" (Plato, Politics, 470E; Xenophon, Agesilaus, 7, 4), which is why Alexander the Great did not touch the traditional house of Pindaros when he ordered his soldiers to burn Thebes.
I think that the book is poorly written because the author does not take into consideration the 4000 year history of Makedonia and only focuses on the recent 2000 years and especially the cold war period.
This being the case and enlighted by the author, I recommend to all Global Hellenes to uprise. How would the Australian Author feel, if 600 years from now, the Hellenic Australian community claims that Australia wasn't an english speaking country because there were Hellenes living in Australia? So, Australia is Hellenic although we came to Australia 170 years after the Anglo-Saxons.
Based on his book,I guess the author would agree with the Hellenic Australians since he agrees with the slavs who entered Makedonia in the 6th and 8th century(800 years after Alexander the Great's death). Apotheosis.
Claiming, that the inhabitants of The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia(The FYROM) are ethnic Macedonians, direct descendants of, or related to the ancient Macedonians the author contradicts some testimonies from The FYROM's officials:
The inhabitants of The FYROM are mostly Slavs, Bulgarians and Albanians. They have nothing in common with the ancient Makedonians.
a. The former President of The FYROM, Kiro Gligorov said:"We are Slavs who came to this area in the sixth century ... we are not descendants of the ancient Macedonians" (Foreign Information Service Daily Report, Eastern Europe, February 26, 1992, p. 35).
b. Also, Mr Gligorov declared:"We are Macedonians but we are Slav Macedonians. That's who we are! We have no connection to Alexander the Greek and his Macedonia... Our ancestors came here in the 6th and 8th century" (Toronto Star, March 15, 1992).
c. On 22 January 1999, Ambassador of the FYROM to USA, Ljubica Achevska gave a speech on the present situation in the Balkans. In answering questions at the end of her speech Mrs. Acevshka said: "We do not claim to be descendants of Alexander the Great ... Greece is Macedonia's second largest trading partner, and its number one investor. Instead of opting for war, we have chosen the mediation of the United Nations, with talks on the ambassadorial level under Mr. Vance and Mr. Nemitz." In reply to another question about the ethnic origin of the people of FYROM, Ambassador Achevska stated that "we are Slavs and we speak a Slav language."
d. On 24 February 1999, in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen, Gyordan Veselinov, FYROM'S Ambassador to Canada, admitted, "We are not related to the northern Greeks who produced leaders like Philip and Alexander the Great. We are a Slav people and our language is closely related to Bulgarian." He also commented, "There is some confusion about the identity of the people of my country."
e. Moreover, the Foreign Minister of the FYROM, Slobodan Casule, in an interview to Utrinski Vesnik of Skopje on December 29, 2001, said that he mentioned to the Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, Solomon Pasi, that they "belong to the same Slav people."

For an American writer, John Shea seems unusually well versed on the Slav-Macedonian version of history.....

The sheer fact that he calls this country "Macedonia", shows that this is clearly a propaganda book, probably financed by the George Soros foundation, as many things in Skopje are...

As far as whether Alexander or the ancient Macedonians were Greek or not, it is their own admissions that clarify this more than anything else:

"For I (Alexander I) myself am by ancient descent a Greek, and I would not willingly see Hellas change her freedom for slavery." (Herod. IX, 45, 2 [Loeb])

"Tell your king (Xerxes), who sent you, how his Greek viceroy (Alexander I) of Macedonia has received you hospitably." (Herod. V, 20, 4 [Loeb])

The speech of Alexander I, when he was admitted to the Olympic games
"Men of Athens...
Had I not greatly at heart the common welfare of Hellas I should not have come to tell you; but I am myself Hellene by descent, and I would not willingly see Hellas exchange freedom for slavery....
If you prosper in this war, forget not to do something for my freedom; consider the risk I have run, out of zeal for the Hellenic cause, to acquaint you with what Mardonius intends, and to save you from being surprised by the barbarians. I am Alexander of Macedon." (Herodotus, The Histories, 9.45)

"Now, that these descendants of Perdiccas are Greeks, as they themselves say, I myself chance to know." (Herod. V, 22, 1 [Loeb])

Other historical references concerning the identity of the ancient Macedonians:

"The country by the sea which is now called Macedonia... Alexander, the father of Perdiccas, and his forefathers, who were originally Temenidae from Argos" (Thucydides 99,3 (Loeb, C F Smith)

"But Alexander (I), proving himself to be an Argive, was judged to be a Greek; so he contended in the furlong race and ran a dead heat for first place."(Herod. V, 22, 2)

"The Macedonian people and their kings were of Greek stock, as their traditions and the scanty remains of their language combine to testify."
` {John Bagnell Bury, "A History of Greece to the Death of Alexander the Great", 2nd ed.(1913)

"Clearly, the language of the ancient Macedonians was Greek"
{Prof. John C. Roumans Professor Emeritus of Classics Wisconsin University}

"There is no doubt, that Macedonians were Greeks."
(Robin Lane Fox "Historian-Author" In Interview with newspaper TO BHMA)

Concerning the identity and origins of modern citizens of FYROM:

"Bulgarian historians say the inhabitants of FYROM are of Bulgarian origin and their language developed from a Bulgarian dialect," which Skopje denies. But Sofia was also the first country to recognize FYROM's independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 and now favours its joining the EU. (August 2006 AFP)

"Every national of FYROM who does not claim Albanian or Serbian origin has the right to declare a Bulgarian origin." This is an individual act in accordance with the historical reality of our common ethnic origin,"
According to: Stefan Nikolov of the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad. (August 2006 AFP)

I would like to know were did Mr O'Shea get his facts from?
He writes in his book that no Greeks lived in Macedonia before 1913.Well I have spoken to at least more than 50 families who come from Macedonia who can trace their roots back before the turn of the century(late 1800's)I have also looked up various books that are non biased(neutral authors)that clearly define the population of Macedonia early 1900's in 2 major groups Greek and Bulgarian.He also claims that the Hellenes called Macedonia northern Greece until 1980 well let me tell you that I have a map of the Balkans dated 1927 that clearly defines Macedonia as a state of Greece.He also says that the Maceonians were not Greek but then why would Alexander the Great promoted Hellenism if his mother tongue was not Greek?Why would he not promote the Macedonian language and also why wasn't Alexander's Age called the Macedonian Age?I mean the Romans promotted their language throughout their conquests even though Greek was widely spoken throughout the then known world.Also I would like to point that Alexander and Philip's dynasty was called the Argeadai dynasty which claims descendancy from Argos in southern Greece.Has Mr O'Shea looked into all this or did he just investigate and write a totally biased book?This is a very poor read as it hasn't even been researched properly.Mr O'Shea go get an education in ancient and Balkan history before you go and write a totally BIASED book.

No other book manages to expose Greek falsification of Macedonian history with such argumentated foundations.Synthesising the origin of Greek sudden "macedonistic renessance" author displayed incontroversial evidence:archaeologic,linguistic,historical-from antiquity up to modern times-that Macedonia had no ties whatsoever with Hellenism,thus distroying every claim Athens has made toward this territory. Greek policy equals science fiction: that todays greek-speaking population of Aegean Macedonia is made from in situ descedants of ancient Macedonians.For this purpose official Athens didn't restrained from mobilising enormous propaganda machinery to preach to the World that "there ain't more authenthic Greece than Macedonia".Every important aspect of Macedonian Question is highlited here:antagonism between ancient Macedonians and Greeks,how latter stated innumerious times that the former were barbars(non-Greeks),continious existence of Macedonian identity within Macedonia-distinct from Greek,as well as irational attitude of official Athens towards Macedonians,that culminated in several expulsions that ethnicaly cleansed occupied part of Macedonia and populated its territory with Greeks from Turkey and Armenia,together with account about todays position of Macedonians in this "Greek" province-denial of their very existence.Greeks should read this book to see how irational are their claims on Macedonia and how much are they themselves compromised from these.