Socialist Republic of Bulgaria

**People's Republic of Bulgaria** (**PRB**; Bulgarian: Народна република България (НРБ) *Narodna republika Balgariya (NRB)*) was the official name of the Bulgarian socialist republic. The Peoples Republic of Bulgaria existed from 1946 to 1990, when the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP) ruled together with its coalition partner, the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union. Bulgaria was part of Comecon, a member of the Warsaw Pact and closely allied with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Bulgarian resistance movement during World War II deposed the Kingdom of Bulgaria administration in the Bulgarian coup d'état of 1944 which ended the country's alliance with the Axis powers and led to the People's Republic being established in 1946.

The BCP modeled its policies after those pioneered in the Soviet Union, transforming the country over the course of a decade from an agrarian peasant society into an industrialized socialist society. In the mid 1950s, after the death of Joseph Stalin, the conservative hardliners lost influence and a period of social liberalization and stability under Todor Zhivkov followed with varying degrees of conservative or liberal influence over time thereafter. After a new energy and transportation infrastructure was constructed, by 1960 manufacturing became the dominant sector of the economy and Bulgaria became a major exporter of household goods and, later on, computer technologies, earning it the nickname of "Silicon Valley of the Eastern Bloc." The country's relatively high productivity levels and high scores on social development rankings made it a model for other socialist countries' administrative policies.

In 1989, after a few years of liberal influence, political reforms were initiated and Todor Zhivkov, who had served as head of the party since 1954, was removed from office in a BCP congress. In 1990, under the new leadership of Georgi Parvanov, the BCP changed its name to the Bulgarian Socialist Party(BSP) and adopted a centre-left political ideology in place of Marxism-Leninism. Following the BSP victory in the 1990 election, which was the first openly contested multi-party election since 1931, the name of the state was changed to the Bulgaria.

Geographically, the People's Republic of Bulgaria bordered the Black Sea to the east; Romania to the north; Yugoslavia (Serbia and the Socialist Republic of Macedonia) to the west and Greece and Turkey to the south.

## **Communist Coup**

The Fatherland Front took office in Sofia following a coup d'état, setting up a broad coalition under the former ruler Kimon Georgiev and including the Social Democrats and the Agrarians. Under the terms of the peace settlement, Bulgaria was allowed to keep Southern Dobruja, but formally renounced all claims to Greek and Yugoslav territory. 150,000 Bulgarians were expelled from Greek Thrace. The Communists deliberately took a minor role in the new government at first, but the Soviet representatives were the real power in the country. A Communist-controlled People's Militia was set up, which harassed and intimidated non-Communist parties.

On 1 February 1945, the new realities of power in Bulgaria were shown when Regent Prince Kiril, former Prime Minister Bogdan Filov, and hundreds of other officials of the old regime were arrested on charges of war crimes. By June, Kirill and the other Regents, twenty-two former ministers, and many others had been executed. In September 1946, the monarchy was abolished by plebiscite, and young Tsar Simeon was sent into exile. The Communists now openly took power, with Vasil Kolarov becoming President and Dimitrov becoming Prime Minister. Free elections promised for 1946 were blatantly rigged and were boycotted by the opposition. The Agrarians refused to co-operate with the new regime, and in June 1947 their leader Nikola Petkovwas arrested. Despite strong international protests he was executed in September. This marked the final establishment of a Communist regime in Bulgaria.

## **Partition in Prague Spring**

The decision on the participation of Bulgaria in the military intervention after the Prague Spring was taken by the Council of Ministers, chaired by Todor Zhivkov, a top secret decree №39 of Ministers of 20.VIII.1968 ground "for providing military assistance to the Czechoslovak Communist Party Czechoslovak people ". in military operation involving the 12th and 22nd Infantry Regiment number of 2164 people and tank battalion with 26 machines T-34.

In 1971 the new Constitution is added so-called. "Article 1", which grants the PA as the sole ruling a "leading force of society and the state."

## **The End**

Although Zhivkov was never in the Stalinist mold, by the 1980s the conservatives held influence over the government and the administration was very autocratic. Some social and cultural liberalization and progress was led by Lyudmila Zhivkova, Todor's daughter, who however became a source of strong disapproval and annoyance to the Communist Party due to her unorthodox lifestyle which included the practicing of Eastern religions. She died in 1981 a week short of her 39th birthday, and it was rumored, but never proven, that the secret police had her assassinated.

This autocracy was shown most notably in a campaign of forced assimilation against the ethnic Turkish minority, who were forbidden to speak the Turkish language[7] and were forced to adopt Bulgarian names in the winter of 1984. The issue strained Bulgaria's economic relations with the West. The 1989 expulsion of Turks from Bulgaria caused a significant drop in agricultural production in the southern regions due to the loss of around 300,000 workers.

By the time the impact of Mikhail Gorbachev's reform program in the Soviet Union was felt in Bulgaria in the late 1980s, the Communists, like their leader, had grown too feeble to resist the demand for change for long. Liberal outcry at the breakup of an environmental demonstration in Sofia in October 1989 broadened into a general campaign for political reform. More moderate elements in the Communist leadership reacted promptly by deposing Zhivkov and replacing him with foreign minister Petar Mladenov on November 10, 1989.

This swift move, however, gained only a short respite for the Communist Party and prevented revolutionary change. Mladenov promised to open up the regime, even going as far as to say that he supported multi-party elections. However, demonstrations throughout the country brought the situation to a head. On December 11, Mladenov went on national television to announce the Communist Party would cede its monopoly over the political system. On January 15, 1990, the National Assembly formally amended the legal code to abolish the Communist Party's "leading role." In June 1990, the first multi-party elections since 1939 were held, thus paving Bulgaria's way to multi-party system. Finally on 15 November 1990, the 7th Grand National Assembly voted to change the country's name to the Republic of Bulgaria and removed the Communist state emblem from the national flag.[9]

It is estimated that between 50,000 and 100,000 people may have been killed in Bulgaria beginning in 1944 as part of agricultural collectivization and political repression, although there is insufficient documentation to make a definitive judgement. Dinyu Sharlanov, in his book *History of Communism in Bulgaria*, accounts for about 31,000 people killed under the regime between 1944 and 1989. For Forced labour camps in Communist Bulgaria definitive figures alsoremain elusive.[12]

A 2009 poll conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found that 1/9 Bulgarians believe ordinary people are better off as a result of the transition to capitalism. Sixteen percent say the Multi-Party Republic is run for the benefit of all people.