# Bulgarian Constitutional Clubs

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Political party

Bulgarian Constitutional Clubs Съюз на българските конституционни клубове Leader Toma Karayovov Vladimir Rumenov Todor Lazarov Founded 7 September 1908 Dissolved 18 November 1909 Split from IMORO Headquarters Salonica Ideology Bulgarian interests

Constituent Assembly of UBCC in September 1908.

**Bulgarian Constitutional Clubs**, also known as **Union of the Bulgarian Constitutional Clubs** ([Bulgarian](/source/Bulgarian_language): Съюз на българските конституционни клубове), was an ethnic [Bulgarian](/source/Bulgarians) political party in the [Ottoman Empire](/source/Ottoman_Empire), created after the [Young Turk Revolution](/source/Young_Turk_Revolution), by members of the [Internal Macedonian Adrianople Revolutionary Organization](/source/Internal_Macedonian_Adrianople_Revolutionary_Organization). The party functioned for a little over a year - from September 1908 until November 1909. Its main political rival was the [Peoples' Federative Party (Bulgarian Section)](/source/Peoples'_Federative_Party_(Bulgarian_Section)).

## Inauguration, ideas and goals

The Constituent assembly of the party was held between 7 and 13 September 1908 in [Solun](/source/Thessaloniki). Attending the congress were 72 representatives of the [Macedonian-Bulgarian](/source/Macedonians_(Bulgarians)) middle class, but only two farmers, one craftsman and one worker. A statute and an agenda of the organization were soon established:

"The Bulgarian Constitutional Club has as its aim:

a) to give civic and political education of the Bulgarian people in the spirit of the constitutional freedoms in autonomous Macedonia and Adrianople;

b) to preserve and develop Bulgarian culture."

First Regular Congress of UBCC, Solun, 1909

[Toma Karayovov](/source/Toma_Karayovov), [Vladimir Rumenov](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vladimir_Rumenov&action=edit&redlink=1), [Todor Lazarov](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Todor_Lazarov&action=edit&redlink=1) were voted members of the Central Committee. Among the founders of the party were also [Georgi Kulishev](/source/Georgi_Kulishev), [Georgi Bazhdarov](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Georgi_Bazhdarov&action=edit&redlink=1), [Kiril Parlichev](/source/Kiril_Parlichev), [Andon Dimitrov](/source/Andon_Dimitrov), [Hristo Batandzhiev](/source/Hristo_Batandzhiev), [Simeon Radev](/source/Simeon_Radev) and others. [Hristo Tatarchev](/source/Hristo_Tatarchev) openly supported UBCC, although he never participated in the organization's affairs.

*Otechestvo* (*Fatherland* in Bulgarian) served as the party's newspaper. An article, dedicated to the [Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising](/source/Ilinden-Preobrazhenie_Uprising) and published in issue 43 of the newspaper from 18 July 1909, reads:

"The tenth of July (*Huriet*), is an epilogue of Ilinden: Ilinden is the most solemn act of the great Macedonian revolutionary struggle. Without Ilinden there would be no 10 July. The latter date is all-Ottoman. Ilinden belongs to us, the Bulgarians."

The Union of the Bulgarian Constitutional Clubs put emphasis on the collective rights of the non-Turkish peoples in the Ottoman Empire; agricultural and social reforms, aiming an improvement of the lives of Christians. The party concentrated efforts on the subject of autonomy for Macedonia and the region of [Adrianople](/source/Adrianople). It also believed in the important role of the [Bulgarian Exarchate](/source/Bulgarian_Exarchate) in unifying Bulgarians from those regions. The organization was a strong opponent to the colonization of the Macedonian land by [Muslim](/source/Muslim) settlers.

On 23 August 1909, the Ottoman parliament accepted a law banning national political organizations and parties, and the Bulgarian Constitutional Clubs was dissolved.

## References

- [UBCC is created, Bulgarian History](https://web.archive.org/web/20080915014229/http://www.bg-history.info/?p=calendar&statiaid=515) (in Bulgarian)

- [Agricultural Relations in Macedonia in the 19th century and beginnings of the 20th century, Hristo Hristov, Sofia, 1964](http://www.promacedonia.org/rami/h_hristov_agrarni_3.htm)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*] (in Bulgarian)

- [Macedonian Scientific Institute](https://web.archive.org/web/20071223180349/http://macedonia-science.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?45)

- [Georgi Bazhdarov, My Memories](http://www.promacedonia.org/gb/gb_3_1.html) (in Bulgarian)

- [Antoni Giza, The Balkan nations and the Macedonian question](http://www.promacedonia.org/ag/ag_2_9.html) (in Bulgarian)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bulgarian Constitutional Clubs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_Constitutional_Clubs) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_Constitutional_Clubs?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.
