Present-day Macedonia becomes the centre of the ancient kingdom of Macedon, that under the reign of Alexander III ("the Great") develops in a empire that rules over most of Asia Minor, the Levant, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, and even parts of India. After Alexander's death in 323 BC the Macedon Empire gradually declined, until it was conquered in 168 BC by the Roman Empire and made a province of this empire in 148 BC. The area becomes part of the East Roman Empire in 370. During this period large groups of Slavic people migrate to the Balkan region. Between 976 and 1018 there was an independent Macedonian state. The Serbs, Bulgarians and East Romans fight for control of Macedonia until the late 14th century, when the territory is conquered by the Ottoman Empire.

After more than four centuries of rule, Ottoman power in the region begins to wane and by the middle of the 19th century, Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia are competing for influence in the territory. The latter half of the 19th century is marked by sporadic nationalist uprisings, culminating in the Ilinden Uprising of 1903. The the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the first Balkan War Macedonia leads to a second Balkan War between the victorious Balkan countries, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Greece. This war ends in 1913 by dividing the territory between Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia. Northern or Vardarian Macedonia (present-day Macedonia) becomes part of Serbia. With Serbia it becomes in 1918 part of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, named Yugoslavia since 1929.

The new kingdom is a parliamentary democratic state. It is dominated by ethnic parties, with the exception of the liberal Demokratska Stranka (Democratic Party, DS) and the left-wing parties (see Serbia and Montenegro. In 1928 King Alexander establishes a royal dictatorship During World War II Bulgaria and Italy occupy Macedonia. In 1943 Yugoslavia is reconstituted as Democratic Federative Yugoslavia and the war against the occupies continues. After the liberation Yugoslavia becomes a federal communist dictatorship in 1945 named Federative People's Republic of Yugoslavia led by Josip Broz Tito and his Komunisticka partija Jugoslavije (Communist Party of Yugoslavia, KPJ). Tito is prime minister from 1945 until 1953. That year he becomes president. The communists rename tge country in 1963 into the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. The communist party remains under the name Savez Komunista Jugoslavije (League of Yugoslav Communists, SKJ) the only allowed party. When Tito dies in 1980 he is succeeded by a collective presidency.

In 1989 riding a wave of nationalist sentiment, Serbian president Slobodan Milosević reimposes direct rule over the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina, prompting Albanians in Kosovo to agitate for separation from Serbia. As communism falls throughout eastern Europe in the late 20th century, Macedonia follows its other federation partners and declares its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. The new Republic of Macedonia becomes a parliamentary democracy. The first democratically elected coalition government is led by Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski of the Socijaldemokratska Partija na Makedonija (Social Democratic Party of Macedonia, SDSM) and includes the ethnic Albanian Partija za Demokratski Propperitet (Party for Democratic Prosperity, PDP). Kiro Gligorov became the first president of Macedonia. The United Nations recognizes the independence as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in 1993. Inside the countrty there is a instable relation between the Macedonian and Albanian populations of the country.

The SDSM and its allies win the 1994 elections, but in the 1998 elections, the SDSM loses its majority. A new coalition government emerged under prime minister Ljubco Georgievski of the Vnatresna Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizaija-Demokratska partija na Makedonsjo Nacionalno Edinstvo (Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party of Macedonian National Unity, VMRO). The initial coalition includes the ethnic Albanian Demokratska Partija na Albancite (Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA). Gligorov is succeeded in 1999 as president by Boris Trajkovski (VMRO). Ethnic minority grievances rapidly begins to gain political currency in late 2000, leading many in the ethnic Albanian community in Macedonia to question their minority protection under, and participation in, the government. Tensions lead to open hostilities in 2001. The insurgency spreads through northern and western Macedonia during the first half of 2001. Under international mediation, a cease-fire is brokered in 2001 and the government coalition is expanded to include the major opposition parties.

This expanded coalition signs the Ohrid Framework Agreement in August 2001, which brings an end to the fighting. This leads to constitutional changes and the grnad coalition disbands. Georgievski forms a coalion of the VMRO, the DPA and several smaller parties. The 2002 elections are won by a SDSM-led coalition and Branko Crvenkovski forms a coalition with the Albanian Demokratska Unija za Integracija (Democratic Union for Integration, DUI) and the Liberalno-Demokratska Partija (Liberal-Democratic Party, LDP). In 2004 president Trajkovski dies in a plane crash. Presidential elections will be held 14 april 2004.