NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Kingdom of Bulgaria

The Treaty of San Stefano of March 3, 1878 provided for an independent Bulgarian state, which spanned over the geographical regions of Moesia, Thrace and Macedonia. Fearing the establishment of a large Russian client state on the Balkans, the other Great Powers, however, were not willing to agree with the treaty. Image File history File links Link titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleLink titleInsert non-formatted text hereInsert non-formatted text here Media:Example. ... The history of Bulgaria began in the 7th century AD with the arrival of the Bulgars in the Balkans. ... St Ivan of Rila, patron saint of Bulgaria The history of Bulgaria began in the 7th century CE with the arrival of the Bulgars in the Balkans. ... The history of Bulgaria began in the 7th century AD with the arrival of the Bulgars in the Balkans. ... // Early centuries of Ottoman rule Organisation of Ottoman Bulgaria The Ottomans reorganised the Bulgarian territories as the Beyerlik of Rumili, ruled by a Beylerbey at Sofia. ... Communist Bulgaria began as the Peoples Republic of Bulgaria (PRB) in 1944, and ended in 1991. ... By the time the impact of Mikhail Gorbachevs 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. ... Borders of Bulgaria according to the Treaty of San Stefano of March 3rd, 1878 The Treaty of San Stefano was a treaty between Russia and the Ottoman Empire at the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... In ancient geography, Moesia was a district inhabited chiefly by Thracian peoples. ... Thrace (Greek Î˜Ïá¾´ÎºÎ· ThrÃ¡kÄ“, Bulgarian Ð¢Ñ€Ð°ÐºÐ¸Ñ Trakija, Turkish Trakya) is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe spread over southern Bulgaria, northeastern Greece, and European Turkey. ... In the context of international relations and diplomacy, power (sometimes clarified as international power, national power, or state power) is the ability of one state to influence or control other states. ...

As a result, the Treaty of Berlin (1878), under the supervision of Otto von Bismarck of Germany and Benjamin Disraeli of Britain, revised the earlier treaty, and scaled back the proposed Bulgarian state. An autonomous Principality of Bulgaria was created, between the Danube and the Stara Planina range, with its seat at the old Bulgarian capital of Veliko Turnovo, and including Sofia. This state was to be under nominal Ottoman sovereignty but was to be ruled by a prince elected by a congress of Bulgarian notables and approved by the Powers. They insisted that the Prince could not be a Russian, but in a compromise Prince Alexander of Battenberg, a nephew of Tsar Alexander II, was chosen. An autonomous Ottoman province under the name of Eastern Rumelia was created south of the Stara Planina range, whereas Macedonia was returned under the sovereignty of the Sultan. The Treaty of Berlin was the final Act of the Congress of Berlin (June 13-July 13, 1878), by which the United Kingdom, Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and Turkey revised the Treaty of San Stefano signed on March 3 of the same year. ... 1878 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Count Otto von Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg (April 1, 1815 â€“ July 30, 1898) was one of the most prominent European aristocrats and statesmen of the nineteenth century. ... Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (December 21, 1804 - April 24, British Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and author. ... Stara Planina, Rhodope, Rila and Pirin Mountains The Stara Planina (Old Mountain) or Balkan mountain range is an extension of the Carpathian mountain range, separated from it by the Danube River. ... Veliko Turnovo(Cyrillic: Велико Търново, Great Turnovo) is a city of approximately 65,000 people in North-central Bulgaria, 240km north-east of Sofia. ... Alexander Joseph of Battenburg (April 5, 1857 _ November 17, 1893), the first prince of modern Bulgaria, reigned from April 29, 1879 to September 7, 1886). ... Alexander II (1818-1881) Alexander (Aleksandr) II (Russian: ÐÐ»ÐµÐºÑÐ°Ð½Ð´Ñ€ II ÐÐ¸ÐºÐ¾Ð»Ð°ÐµÐ²Ð¸Ñ‡) (April 17, 1818â€“March 13, 1881) was the Emperor (Czar) of Russia from March 2, 1855 until his assassination. ... Flag of Eastern Rumelia Eastern Rumelia was a province of the Ottoman Empire that achieved a semi-autonomous status under the 1878 Treaty of Berlin, which replaced the Treaty of San Stefano between Russia and the Ottomans a few months earlier. ... Stara Planina, Rhodope, Rila and Pirin Mountains The Stara Planina (Old Mountain) or Balkan mountain range is an extension of the Carpathian mountain range, separated from it by the Danube River. ...

Unification with Eastern Rumelia and war with Serbia

The Bulgarians adopted an advanced democratic constitution, and power soon passed to the Liberal Party led by Stefan Stambolov. Prince Alexander had conservative leanings, and at first opposed Stambolov's policies, but by 1885 he had become sufficiently sympathetic to his new country to change his mind, and supported the Liberals. He also supported the Unification of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia, which was brought about by a coup in Plovdiv in September 1885. The Powers did not intervene because of the power struggles between them. Shortly after, Serbia declared war on Bulgaria in the hope of grabbing territory while the Bulgarians were distracted. The Bulgarians defeated them at Slivnitsa and started pushing back the Serbian army into Serbia. However, the Great Powers wanted to preserve the balance of power on the Balkans and intervened to save Serbia. A statue of Stefan N. Stambolov in his birthplace Veliko Turnovo Stefan Nikolov Stambolov (Bulgarian: Ð¡Ñ‚ÐµÑ„Ð°Ð½ ÐÐ¸ÐºÐ¾Ð»Ð¾Ð² Ð¡Ñ‚Ð°Ð¼Ð±Ð¾Ð»Ð¾Ð²) (January 31, 1854 - July 6, 1895) was a Bulgarian revolutionary and statesman. ... 1885 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Unification of Bulgaria (Bulgarian language: Ð¡ÑŠÐµÐ´Ð¸Ð½ÐµÐ½Ð¸Ðµ Ð½Ð° Ð‘ÑŠÐ»Ð³Ð°Ñ€Ð¸Ñ, Suedinenie na Bulgariya) is the act of unification of the Principality of Bulgaria and the then-Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia in the autumn of 1885. ... 1885 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... On September 6, 1885, against the will of Russia and most of the other Great Powers, Bulgaria and the semi-autonomous Ottoman republic of Eastern Rumelia declared their unification in the city of Plovdiv. ... Called by historians the battle of the captains vs the generals, referring to the young Bulgarian army, whose highest rank went up to a captain, the battle of Slivnitza was a decisive factor in the victory of the Bulgarian army over the Serbians in 1885. ...

Ferdinand

These events made Alexander very popular in Bulgaria, but Russia was increasingly dissatisfied at his liberal tendencies. In August 1886 they fomented a coup, in the course of which Alexander was forced to abdicate and was exiled to Russia. Stambolov, however, acted quickly and the participants in the coup were forced to flee the country. Stambolov tried to reinstate Alexander, but strong Russian opposition forced the prince to abdicate again. In July 1887 the Bulgarians elected Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha as their new Prince. Ferdinand was the "Austrian candidate" and the Russians refused to recognise him. Ferdinand initially worked with Stambolov, but by 1894 their relationship worsened. Stambolov resigned and was assassinated in July 1895. Ferdinand then decided to restore relations with Russia, which meant returning to a conservative policy. This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... 1886 is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... Ferdinand Maximilan Charles Leopold Marie, Ferdinand of Bulgaria (February 26, 1861 - September 10, 1948) was monarch of Bulgaria as well as an author, botanist and philatelist. ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

There were many Bulgarians still living under Ottoman rule in Macedonia and Thrace. To complicate matters, Serbia and Greece also made claims over the same territories. Thus began a five-sided struggle for control of these areas which lasted until World War I. In 1903 there was a Bulgarian insurrection in Ottoman Macedonia and war seemed likely. In 1908 Ferdinand used the struggles between the Great Powers to declare Bulgaria a fully independent kingdom, with himself as Tsar. Clockwise from top: Trenches in frontline, a British Mark I Tank crossing a trench, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible sinking after striking a mine at the battle of the Dardanelles, a Vickers machine gun crew with gas masks and a Sopwith Camel biplane. ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The Balkan Wars

In 1911 the Nationalist Prime Minister, Ivan Geshov, set about forming an alliance with Greece and Serbia, and the three allies agreed to put aside their rivalries to plan a joint attack on the Ottomans. In February 1912 a secret treaty was signed between Bulgaria and Serbia, and in May 1912 a similar treaty was signed with Greece. Montenegro was also brought into the pact. The treaties provided for the partition of Macedonia and Thrace between the allies, although the lines of partition were left dangerously vague. After the Ottomans refused to implement reforms in the disputed areas, the First Balkan War broke out in October 1912. (See Balkan Wars for details.) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... Serbia and Montenegro â€“ Serbia â€“ Kosovo and Metohia (UN administration) â€“ Vojvodina â€“ Montenegro Official language Serbian Capital Podgorica Former Royal Capital Cetinje President Filip VujanoviÄ‡ Prime Minister Milo ÄukanoviÄ‡ Area â€“ Total â€“ % water 13,812 kmÂ² n/a Population â€“ Total (2003) â€“ Density 616,258 48. ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... The outcome as of April 1913 Boundaries on the Balkans after the First and the Second Balkan War (1912-1913) Distribution of races in the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor in 1923, Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd, New York (The map does not reflect the results of the 1923...

The allies had an astonishing success. The Bulgarian army inflicted several defeats on the Ottoman forces and advanced threateningly against Istanbul, while the Serbs and the Greeks took control of Macedonia. The Ottomans sued for peace in December. Negotiations broke down, and fighting resumed in February 1913. A second armistice followed in March, with the Ottomans losing all their European possessions west of the Midia-Enos line, not far from Istanbul. Bulgaria gained possession of most of Thrace, including Adrianople and the Aegean port of Dedeagach (today Alexandroupoli). Bulgaria also gained a slice of Macedonia, north and east of Thessaloniki (which went to Greece), but only some small areas along her western borders. Download high resolution version (1044x1471, 281 KB)Boundaries on the Balkans after the First and the Second Balkan War. ... Download high resolution version (1044x1471, 281 KB)Boundaries on the Balkans after the First and the Second Balkan War. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Aegean Sea. ... Alexandroupolis (Greek: Î‘Î»ÎµÎ¾Î±Î½Î´ÏÎ¿ÏÏ€Î¿Î»Î·, AlexandroÃºpoli) is a city of Greece and the capital of the Evros Prefecture in Thrace. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Bulgaria sustained the heaviest casualties of any of the allies, and felt entitled to the largest share of the spoils. The Serbs in particular did not see things this way, and refused to vacate any of the territory they had seized in northern Macedonia (that is, the territory roughly corresponding to the modern Republic of Macedonia). In June 1913 Serbia and Greece formed a new alliance, against Bulgaria. The Serbian Prime Minister, Nikola Pasic, told Greece it could have Thrace if Greece helped Serbia evict Bulgaria from Macedonia, and the Greek Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos agreed. Seeing this as a treachery and a violation of the pre-war agreements, Tsar Ferdinand declared war on Serbia and Greece and the Bulgarian army attacked on June 29. The Serbian and the Greek forces were on the retreat on the western border, but then Romania entered the war and attacked Bulgaria from the north. The Ottoman Empire also attacked from the south-east. The war soon turned against Bulgaria. It lost her shares of Macedonia to Serbia and Greece, while the revived Ottomans retook Adrianople. Romania was awarded southern Dobruja. Official languages MacedonianÂ¤ Capital Skopje President Branko Crvenkovski Prime Minister Vlado BuÄkovski Area â€“ Total â€“ % water Ranked 146th 25,333 kmÂ² 1. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Nikola Pašić (Serbian Никола Пашић, pronounced Pashich), (December 18, 1846- December 10, 1926) was a Serbian premier, who controlled Serbia from 1903 until his death. ... Eleftherios Venizelos Eleftherios Venizelos (Î•Î»ÎµÏ…Î¸ÎÏÎ¹Î¿Ï‚ Î’ÎµÎ½Î¹Î¶ÎÎ»Î¿Ï‚) (August 23, 1864 - March 18, 1936) was probably the most significant politician of modern Greece. ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... Southern Dobruja (Ð”Ð¾Ð±Ñ€ÑƒÐ´Ð¶Ð° in Bulgarian, Dobrogea de sud or Cadrilater in Romanian) is an area of north-eastern Bulgaria comprising the administrative districts named for its two principal cities of Dobrich and Silistra. ...

War and social conflict

World War I

In the aftermath of the Balkan Wars Bulgarian opinion turned against Russia and the western powers, whom the Bulgarians felt had done nothing to help them. The government of Vasil Radoslavov aligned Bulgaria with Germany and Austria-Hungary, even though this meant also becoming an ally of the Ottomans, Bulgaria's tradional enemy. But Bulgaria now had no claims against the Ottomans, whereas Serbia, Greece and Romania (allies of Britain and France) were all occupying Bulgarian lands. Bulgaria, recuperating from the Balkan Wars, sat out the first year of World War I, but when Germany promised to restore the boundaries of the Treaty of San Stefano, Bulgaria, which had the largest army in the Balkans, declared war on Serbia in October 1915. Britain, France and Italy then declared war on Bulgaria. Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Clockwise from top: Trenches in frontline, a British Mark I Tank crossing a trench, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Irresistible sinking after striking a mine at the battle of the Dardanelles, a Vickers machine gun crew with gas masks and a Sopwith Camel biplane. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Although Bulgaria, in alliance with Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottomans, won military victories against Serbia and Romania, occupying much of Macedonia (taking Skopje in October), advancing into Greek Macedonia, and taking Dobruja from the Romanians in September 1916, the war soon became unpopular with the majority of Bulgarian people, who suffered great economic hardship and also disliked fighting their fellow Orthodox Christians in alliance with the Muslim Ottomans. The Agrarian Party leader, Aleksandur Stamboliyski, was imprisoned for his opposition to the war. The Russian Revolution of February 1917 had a great effect in Bulgaria, speading antiwar and anti-monarchist sentiment among the troops and in the cities. In June Radoslavov's government resigned. Mutinies broke out in the army, Stamboliyski was released and a republic was proclaimed. Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Skopje (see also different names) is the capital city of the Republic of Macedonia. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... Aleksandar Stamboliyski (March 1, 1879_June 14, 1923) was the prime minister and virtual dictator of Bulgaria from 1918 until 1923. ... The February Revolution of 1917 in Russia was the first stage of the Russian Revolution of 1917. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ...

The interwar years

In September 1918 the Serbs, British, French and Greeks broke through on the Macedonian front and Tsar Ferdinand was forced to sue for peace. Stamboliyski favoured democratic reforms, not a revolution. In order to head off the revolutionaries, he persuaded Ferdinand to abdicate in favour of his son Boris III. The revolutionaries were suppressed and the army disbanded. Under the Treaty of Neuilly (November 1919), Bulgaria lost its Aegean coastline to Greece and nearly all of its Macedonian territory to the new state of Yugoslavia, and had to give Dobruja back to the Romanians (see also Dobruja, Western Outlands, Western Thrace). Elections in March 1920 gave the Agrarians a large majority, and Stamboliyski formed Bulgaria's first genuinely democratic government. 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria (January 30, 1894 â€“ August 28, 1943), originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver, son of Ferdinand I, came to the throne in 1918 upon the abdication of his father, following Bulgarias defeat in World War I. This was the countrys second... The Treaty of Neuilly, dealing with Bulgaria for its role as one of the Central Powers in World War I, was signed on the November 27, 1919 at Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in all south Slavic languages, in Cyrillic ÐˆÑƒÐ³Ð¾ÑÐ»Ð°Ð²Ð¸Ñ˜Ð°) is a term used for three separate but successive political entities that existed during most of the 20th century on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. ... Dobruja, or sometimes Dobrudja (Dobrogea in Romanian, Ð”Ð¾Ð±Ñ€ÑƒÐ´Ð¶Ð°â€”transliterated Dobrudzhaâ€”in Bulgarian, Dobruca in Turkish), is the territory between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, including the Danube Delta and the Romanian coast. ... The Western Outlands ( Западните покрайнини) is a region in southeastern Serbia along the border with Bulgaria, which comprises the Serbian municipalities of Tzaribrod (Dimitrovgrad) and Bosilegrad, as well as parts of the municipalities of Pirot, Babusnica and Surdulica. ... Western Thrace is the part of the region of Thrace located between the rivers Nestos (Mesta) and Evros (Maritza) in northeastern Greece (in the periphery of East Macedonia and Thrace) with an approximate area of 8,200 km², bordered by Bulgaria to the north, Turkey to the east, and the... 1920 (MCMXX) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ...

Stamboliski faced huge social problems in what was still a poor country inhabited mostly by peasant smallholders. Bulgaria was saddled with huge war reparations to Yugoslavia and Romania, and had to deal with a flood of refugees as Bulgarians were expelled from Yugoslav Macedonia. Nevertheless Stamboliyski was able to carry through many social reforms, although opposition from the Tsar, the landlords and the officers of the much-reduced but still influential army was powerful. Another bitter enemy was the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO), which favoured a war to regain Macedonia for Bulgaria. Faced with this array of enemies, Stamboliyski allied himself with the Bulgarian Communist Party and opened relations with the Soviet Union. The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (in Macedonian: VnatreÅ¡na Makedonska Revolucionerna Organizacija, Ð’Ð½Ð°Ñ‚Ñ€ÐµÑˆÐ½Ð° ÐœÐ°ÐºÐµÐ´Ð¾Ð½ÑÐºÐ° Ð ÐµÐ²Ð¾Ð»ÑƒÑ†Ð¸Ð¾Ð½ÐµÑ€Ð½Ð° ÐžÑ€Ð³Ð°Ð½Ð¸Ð·Ð°Ñ†Ð¸Ñ˜Ð°, in Bulgarian: Vatreshna Makedonska Revolyutsionna Organizatsiya, Ð’ÑŠÑ‚Ñ€ÐµÑˆÐ½Ð° Ð¼Ð°ÐºÐµÐ´Ð¾Ð½ÑÐºÐ° Ñ€ÐµÐ²Ð¾Ð»ÑŽÑ†Ð¸Ð¾Ð½Ð½Ð° Ð¾Ñ€Ð³Ð°Ð½Ð¸Ð·Ð°Ñ†Ð¸Ñ, Ð’ÐœÐ Ðž), commonly known in English as IMRO, was the name of a revolutionary political organization in the Macedonia and Thrace regions of the Ottoman Empire as well as in Bulgaria, and after 1913... The Bulgarian Communist Party was the ruling party of the Bulgaria from 1946 until 1990 when it ceased to be a Communist state. ...

In March 1923 Stamboliyski signed an agreement with Yugoslavia recognising the new border and agreeing to suppress VMRO. This triggered a nationalist reaction, and on June 9 there was a coup in which Stamboliykski was assassinated. A right wing government under Aleksandur Tsankov took power, backed by the Tsar, the army and the VMRO, who waged a White terror against the Agrarians and the Communists. The Communist leader Georgi Dimitrov fled to the Soviet Union. There was savage repression in 1925 following an attempt on the Tsar's life and a bomb attack on Sofia Cathedral. But in 1926 the Tsar persuaded Tsankov to resign and a more moderate government under Andrey Lyapchev took office. An amnesty was proclaimed, although the Communists remained banned. The Agrarians reorganised and won elections in 1931 under the leadership of Nikola Mushanov. 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... Historical origin and common usage The original White Terror took place in 1794 in the aftermath of the Reign of Terror. ... Georgi Dimitrov Georgi Mikhailov Dimitrov (Ð“ÐµÐ¾Ñ€Ð³Ð¸ Ð”Ð¸Ð¼Ð¸Ñ‚Ñ€Ð¾Ð², also known as Georgij Mikhailovich Dimitrov) (June 18, 1882 - July 2, 1949) was a Bulgarian Communist leader. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Just when political stability had been restored, the full effects of the Great Depression hit Bulgaria, and social tensions rose again. In May 1934 there was another coup, the Agrarians were again suppressed, and an authoritarian regime headed by Kimon Georgiev established with the backing of Tsar Boris. In April 1935 Boris took power himself, ruling through puppet Prime Ministers Georgi Kyoseivanov (1935-40) and Bogdan Filov (1940-43). The Tsar's regime banned all opposition parties and took Bulgaria into alliance with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Although the signing of the Balkan Pact of 1938 restored good relations with Yugoslavia and Greece, the territorial issue continued to simmer. The Great Depression was a massive global economic recession (or depression) that ran from 1929 to approximately 1939. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Kimon Georgiev (Stoyanov) (1882-1969) was a Bulgarian prime minister. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Bogdan Filov (1883 - 1945) was a powerful politician in Bulgaria during Germany and became a university professor and historian in Bulgaria. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler Fascism (in Italian, fascismo), capitalized, refers to the right-wing authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... The Balkan Pact was a treaty signed by Greece, Turkey, Romania, and Yugoslavia in 1934. ... -1...

World War II and after

Under Filov's government Bulgaria drifted into World War II, faced by an Invasion and bribed by the return of southern Dobruja from Romania, on the orders of Hitler (see Vienna Award), in September 1940. In March 1941 Bulgaria formally signed the Tripartite Pact, becoming a German ally, and German troops entered the country in preparation for the German invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia. When Yugoslavia and Greece were defeated, Bulgaria was allowed to occupy all of Greek Thrace and most of Macedonia. Bulgaria declared war on Britain and the United States, but resisted German pressure to declare war on the Soviet Union, fearful of pro-Russian sentiment in the country. This work is copyrighted. ... This work is copyrighted. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as the largest and deadliest... Dobruja, or sometimes Dobrudja (Dobrogea in Romanian, Ð”Ð¾Ð±Ñ€ÑƒÐ´Ð¶Ð°â€”transliterated Dobrudzhaâ€”in Bulgarian, Dobruca in Turkish), is the territory between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, including the Danube Delta and the Romanian coast. ... â–¶ (helpÂ· info) (April 20, 1889 â€“ April 30, 1945) was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 and FÃ¼hrer (Leader) of Germany from 1934 to his death by suicide. ... The two Vienna Awards or Vienna Arbitration Awards or Vienna Arbitral Awards or Vienna Diktats or Viennese Arbitrals is the name of two arbitral awards (1938 and 1940), by which arbiters of the National Socialist Germany and of Fascist Italy tried to enforce territorial claims of the Revisionist Hungary ruled... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Tripartite Pact, also called the Three-Power Pact, was signed in Berlin on September 27, 1940 by representatives of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and Japan. ...

In August 1943 Tsar Boris died suddenly after returning from Germany (possibly assassinated, although this has never been proved) and was succeeded by his six-year old son Simeon II. Power was held by a council of regents headed by the young Tsar's uncle, Prince Kirill. The new Prime Minister, Dobri Bozhilov, was in most respects a German puppet. 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha as Prime Minister of Bulgaria Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria (born June 16, 1937) was the last Tsar of Bulgaria from 1943 to 1946, and was Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2001 until August 2005. ... Dobri Bozhilov Dobri Bozhilov (June 13, 1884-February 1, 1945) was Prime Minister of Bulgaria during World War II. Born in Kotel, Bulgaria, Bozhilov attended the Higher Commercial School in Svishtov before starting work as a bookkeeper at the Bulgarian National Bank for the Kyustendil Banking Agency in 1902. ...

Resistance to the Germans and the Bulgarian regime was widespread by 1943, co-ordinated mainly by the Communists. Together with the Agrarians, now led by Nikola Petkov, the Social Democrats and even with many army officers they founded the Fatherland Front. Partisans operated in the mountainous west and south. By 1944 it was obvious that Germany was losing the war and the regime began to look for a way out. Bozhilov resigned in May, and his successor Ivan Bagrianov tried to arrange negotiations with the western Allies. 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... Fatherland Front (FF) was originally a Bulgarian political resistance movement during World War II. The Zveno movement, the communist Bulgarian Workers Party, a wing of the Agrarian Union and the Bulgarian Social Democratic Party where part of the FF. It was soon dominated by the Bulgarian Communist Party. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The communist coup

But it was the Soviet army which was rapidly advancing towards Bulgaria. In August Bulgaria unilaterally announced its withdrawal from the war and asked the German troops to leave: Bulgarian troops were hastily withdrawn from Greece and Yugoslavia. In September the Soviets crossed the northern border. The government, desperate to avoid a Soviet occupation, declared war on Germany, but the Soviets could not be put off, and on September 8 they declared war on Bulgaria - which thus found itself for a few days at war with both Germany and the Soviet Union. On September 16, the Soviet army entered Sofia. September 8 is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years). ... September 16 is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years). ...

The Fatherland Front took office in Sofia, 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. To prevent further disputes 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. Southern Dobruja (Ð”Ð¾Ð±Ñ€ÑƒÐ´Ð¶Ð° in Bulgarian, Dobrogea de sud or Cadrilater in Romanian) is an area of north-eastern Bulgaria comprising the administrative districts named for its two principal cities of Dobrich and Silistra. ...

In February 1945 the new realities of power in Bulgaria were shown when Prince Kirill and hundreds of other officials of the old regime were arrested on charges of war crimes. By June Kirill and the other regents, 22 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 Petkov was arrested. Despite strong international protests he was executed in September. This marked the final establishment of a Communist regime in Bulgaria. 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Vasil Petrov Kolarov (July 16, 1877 January 23, 1950) was a Bulgarian communist political leader. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Bulgaria and the Holocaust

Despite a series of anti-Jewish legislation starting in 1940 (Jews were excluded from public service, banned from certain areas, restricted economically, and not allowed to intermarry), Bulgaria was the only country beside Denmark to successfully resist the deportation of its Jewish population. Plans were made to deport Jews in 1943, and 20,000 were expelled from Sofia, but protests from political and clerical leaders stopped further cooperation, saving all of the 50,000 Jews in the country.

Bulgaria did, however, actively deport Jews in areas in conquered territories. In March 1943, Bulgarian authorities arrested all the Jews in Macedonia and Thrace. In total, Bulgaria deported over 11,000 Jews to German-held territory, most were killed in Treblinka extermination camp. Treblinka is a small village in the Mazowieckie voivodship (province) of Poland. ...

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