The Republic of Kruševo

On August 3rd, 1903, a small band of revolutionaries succeeded in capturing the Macedonian mountain town of Kruševo from the Ottoman Empire. Immediately, the Republic of Kruševo declared itself as an independent state, with Nikola Karev as its president. But the freedom was fleeting. Within ten days, the Ottomans had sent an overwhelming force into the hills and brutally crushed the uprising.

The Republic of Kruševo didn’t last long, but it plays an starring role in the historical identity of...