Bulgaria

Bulgaria, officially called the Republic of Bulgaria is a country in south-eastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. It is bordered by North Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Romania and Serbia. 
==History==
===Pre-Cold War===
Bulgarians had a long history as people; until finally gaining their independence in the first years of the 20th century, when the modern Bulgarian nation-state was born. During World War, II Bulgaria said it was neutral and refused to join sides with either Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union, despite Bulgaria's military and economy having a close connection with Germany. Eventually, Bulgaria picked a side and joined the Axis Powers, but when they realized that the side they picked was a losing one, Bulgaria ithdrew from the Axis forces. The Soviets Bulgaria in September 1944, and a new pro-Soviet government took power in Sofia.
===Cold War and the Third World War===
thumb|250px|House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist PartyThe communist liberation of Bulgaria ended obviously - the Soviets turned Bulgaria into one of it's many puppet states, under their leader Todor Zhivkov, even being a part of the forces that invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968. Bulgaria was also a member of the COMECON. During this era, Zhivkov's Bulgaria was one of the most loyal members of the Warsaw Pact, Kremlin's lapdog, sometimes called the "16th Soviet Republic".
After the Third World War, Bulgaria was free from communism and became a democratic country; unfortunately the state's transition was a painful one - living standards fell, many citizens lost jobs, inflation started to grow out of control, filling the streets with beggars and orphanages with children, sometmies even newborn, as their parents were unable to afford raising them.
Category:Countries Category:Former Communist Countries