page_title: World War II in Yugoslav Macedonia
section_title: Final operations for the liberation of Macedonia
hierarchical_section_title: World War II in Yugoslav Macedonia / 1944 and aftermath / Final operations for the liberation of Macedonia
caption_attribution_description: Македонски: Серијал фотографии направени по ослободувањето на Скопје, маршеви, митинзи, говори. 1945 English: Series of photos taken after the liberation of Skopje, marches, rallies, speeches. 1945 This media file is produced by Wikipedian in Residence in Category:Wikipedian in Residence at DARM in 2016.
context_page_description: World War II in Yugoslav Macedonia started with the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941. Under the pressure of the Yugoslav Partisan movement, part of the Macedonian communists began in October 1941 a political and military campaign to resist the occupation of Vardar Macedonia. Officially, the area was called then Vardar Banovina, because the very name Macedonia was prohibited in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It was occupied mostly by Bulgarian, but also by German, Italian, and Albanian forces.
  Initially it was no organised resistance because the majority of the Macedonian Slavs were pro-Bulgarian oriented. It started to grow only in 1943 with the capitulation of Italy and the Soviet victories over Nazi Germany. The role of the Bulgarian communists, which avoided organizing mass armed resistance, was also a key factor. Their influence over the Macedonian Party organization remained dominant until 1943, when it became obvious that Germany and Bulgaria would be defeated.
  At that time Tito's special emissary Svetozar Vukmanović arrived in Macedonia. Vukmanović had to activate the struggle and give it a new ethnic Macedonian facade.
caption: Macedonians lauding the liberation of Skopje in December 1944. The inscription on the poster praises the unification with Yugoslavia.
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