As a french, I did not learn much from the history of the balkans (I'll skip the part where I go over how bad our teaching of history is), what i know comes from what I learned from the history books that I had, researches I've done and videos I've watched (with some video games more or less accurate).
This thread actually made me realise how much history in the region is complicated and seems very complex from the point of view of someone out of it.
I've read, nearly all messages of the debates, and as I consider my point of view as neutral considering the non-knowledge I have over the subject, I can resume it as North Macedonians trying to prove their point that, while under ottoman occupation, they used bulgaria as a basis to creat nationalists movements that, then, were morphed to fit a more Macedonian-Nationalist ideal, using quotes from the creators of those movement to prove that they were Macedonians and that their goal was to create an idependent Macedonian state.
From what I have read however, the Bulgarians here, are arguying, with written proofs, that those quotes are missinterpreted and taken out of context, if not simply put together to fit the wish of creating an idea. what they want to prove is that, at the time, Macedonians identified more as Bulgarian than ethnic Macedonian, whether it being by their language or other means. They do not contradict Macedonian sovreignty or reason of being as it may be understood by reading the Macedonian arguments, they want to show that, at the time, Macedonians were close to Bulgarians ethnicaly and culturally speaking, meaning that they were close enough for Bulgarians to accept the idea of them being Bulgarian too even with the differences they had.
If I had to remember one thing from all of this is that Macedonians, or as they are called today, North Macedonians, wants to assert a cultural claim, an historical footprint and a clear distinction from Bulgarian culture and history. While if i look at the Bulgarian point, I'd remeber that they tried to show their common history and that, if Macedonians are different from Bulgarians, they have a close, common history and that it is possible at some point that some Macedonians felt close enouh form Bulgarians to seek unification.
As this is all very interesting, I'd be happy to have anyone correct me if I said anything wrong or to add any details to what I said and clarify some points.
Debates is good, just try to be civile about it and show your argument calmly while listening to the other's.
