Conclusion

Abstract

For those of us benefiting from hindsight, it seems obvious that the 1908 revolt resolved little. Not only was there a lack of uniform support for the new regime, as seen with Boletini’s stubborn loyalty to the sultan, but even putative “nationalist” Albanians, Greeks, Bulgarians, or Turks could not bridge parochial prejudices toward other Albanians, Greeks, and so on. One of the more important components to this transitional period that partially explains these incongruent actions was the impact that massive demographic shifts had on those who could have been and who would be community leaders. As we have seen, almost all those able to assert some influence on, and thus profit politically from, the transitions taking place throughout the 1860–1912 period had considerable leverage at different stages of interaction with the putative forces of modernity.