Efrem Chuchkov: one of the most prominent figures of the Bulgarian national liberation movement in Macedonia

EFREM CHUCHKOV: ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT FIGURES OF THE BULGARIAN NATIONAL LIBERATION MOVEMENT IN MACEDONIA 

 Yavor Chuchkov 

 (Summary) 

 The almost forgotten in our country Bulgarian revolutionary Efrem Chuchkov was one of the notable leaders of IMARO/IMRO. He occu pied a leading role in its hierarchy until his death in 1923. Chuchkov left deep traces in the consciousness and memory of Macedonia’s Bulgari ans. As a squad commander and head of the Skopje Revolutionary Dis trict, he worked closely with the younger than him Todor Aleksandrov: the future head of the Organization. A testimonial of Chuchkov’s author ity is the fact that at the 1908 Kyustendil Congress he was elected a member of the IMARO’s Central Committee. The commander was par ticularly active during the Balkan War (1912 – 1913), when his squad, as well as the other IMARO’s formations, acted as an auxiliary unit of the Bulgarian Army. Efrem Chuchkov and his squad liberated the towns of Kočani, Štip and the whole Štip area from the Ottoman troops, estab lishing an improvised Bulgarian administration there. His role in the restoration of IMRO after the First World War was also crucial. 

Keywords: Efrem Chuchkov, Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, IMRO, Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization, IMARO, Bulgarian National Liberation Movement in Macedonia