The first democratic elections in the country were held in June of that year. They were the first free elections since , and resulted in multiparty democracy. Since that time, Bulgaria has transitioned to a country run by a parliamentary republic that holds regular elections. Just like in the United States, there are three branches of government typified by separation of powers — judicial, executive, and legislative.
Communism has been abolished, and capitalism — with its inherent winners and losers, rich and poor — has become the dominant economic system in the country. Some view the changes positively, and are excited for the future, while others view it negatively, and long for the past. Additionally, after the fall of communism, international travel and emigration became possible; many people were finally able to leave the country for the first time since the country declared allegiance to Germany and the Soviet Union.
Others view the change as a negative move. Many of these symbols may have been initiated in the name propagandistic nationalism — as a deliberate effort to build allegiance to and pride in the communist version of Bulgaria, but the fact is that they worked.
Imagine if The Star-Spangled Banner — either the song or the flag itself — were replaced abruptly in the United States… These are mere symbols, and it could be argued that the United States would still be the United States, with all of its greatness and flaws intact… But they are symbols that mean a lot to a lot of people, and not everyone would accept their absence readily. Some buildings and monuments survived the fall of communism, however.
Most have come to disrepair, like Buzludzha above , left to crumble under the weight of time and the elements. In other cases, with the push towards more democratic, capitalist system, statues and buildings were destroyed. While in most cases these acts are not condoned by the Bulgarian government, it has not stopped people from acting. Some Bulgarians view this vandalism as an embarrassment, the sudden decrease in population from the opening of the borders as a dangerous loss, and increasing instability in the suddenly market-vulnerable economy as an unwelcome change.
This hurry to destroy the physical reminders of the past has slowed in the generation or so since the fall of communism. Some Bulgarians are now beginning to see the communist era as a time that was better, more prosperous, and more secure. For the majority, the regime was restrictive of political and economic freedoms, but provided security, and the plummeting living standards in the s contributed to this perception. The blanket criminalization of communist rule in Bulgaria is a failure.
This nostalgia for a time that seemed to offer more security, stability, and prosperity is the cause of recent shifts in the attitudes of many Bulgarians for the communist past. The Bulgaria of today is perceived as somewhat unstable due to factors like the massive brain drain , economic recession as a consequence of ties to the EU, and a government in the thralls of crony capitalism — all problems that have only become more pronounced over the past few decades, not less. Many Bulgarians are also searching for meaning and dignity in their new lives after the communist time, which emphasized unity and collective action for the majority.
Spreading outward from Russia across vast portions of the world, including dozens of countries on portions of four continents, communism adopted forms and imagery that became consistent and predictable across many nations.
Much like a formula or recipe, Soviet-style communism used the same techniques, encouraged the construction of similar looking buildings, and exported an artistic style known as Soviet realism for use in ostensibly nationalistic monuments such as those built to memorialize soldiers and workers who had sacrificed to advance the cause of communism.
Many of Communist leaders — from Russia to China , from Cuba to Nicaragua , were in close or constant communication, often deferring to wishes of Mother Russia, the first nation where a successful communist revolution had been carried out.
Figures like Marx and Lenin became icons across the Communist world, and a certain sameness can still be felt in the twenty-first century, decades after the fall of the Soviet Union. The two sculptures below are from Vietnam on the left, still ruled by a single party communist government and Bulgaria on the right.
Each statue has the same general Soviet realist style and are meant inspire similar feelings in the viewer — in this case, larger-than-life soldiers who still manage to be faceless and generic. They could be you. In September the communists at first neutral to the Tsankov regime co-organised an uprising against the military-backed government together with the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union and anarchists.
It was ruthlessly put down and the BKP was outlawed in Despite repressions, the BKP continued to participate in official political life, cooperating with legal organisations and running in parliamentary elections. At the same time some of their activists supported anti-regime terrorist activity. Over people were killed and over injured, but the Tsar survived. The change of government and policy liberalisation caused the communists to start preferring legal political actions.
In the government removed all its representatives from the National Assembly, and in the party was banned altogether. In a political crisis resulted in a bloodless military coup legalised by the Tsar, who soon organised another coup and took full power again.
In the communists, as part of a wider opposition bloc, gained 63 parliamentary seats. In the Bulgarian government rejected a Soviet proposal of mutual friendship and help, which would allow the Soviets to use Bulgarian military bases, in return granting Bulgaria some of its claimed territory occupied by Romania. It joined the Axis bloc in Consequently, the communist armed resistance was organised and spread throughout the country. Its unifying features were calls against the regime and the demand for democratisation as well as leaving the German-led Axis alliance.
The negotiations between the Bulgarian regime and the Western Allies ended in a fiasco. A wave of strikes and demonstration broke up and gradually transformed into an uprising. At the Moscow Conference in October , it was decided that Bulgaria would fall into the Soviet sphere of influence.
On 8 September , the Red Army crossed the Bulgarian border. The Communists and their allies, operating under the guise of the Fatherland Front, seized power with the support of partisan troops and the Soviet army to ultimately form the new Bulgarian government. Within a matter of months, the Communists were able to side-track the other political parties and become the dominating force in Bulgarian politics.
The OF was transformed from a coalition of a few political parties differing in social basis, ideology and programme into a monolithic organisation under the control of the communists.
Finally, the Communists liquidated all independent political activists and achieved a position of practically unchallenged power, using mainly occupying troops, Soviet terror, propaganda and a skilled tactic of dividing the opposition.
The door to political, economic and social soviet-pattern transformation was wide open. Bulgaria retained its borders, also maintaining control over Southern Dobruja in the process. Immediately after the coup the anti-communist underground resistance movement the so-called Goryani took up arms against the communist regime.
The movement was active across the entire country and enjoyed support across different parts of the population, though particularly with the peasantry.
They mainly opposed sovietisation, nationalisation, collectivisation, repressions and the communist ethnic policy the so-called Macedonisation. The movement was aggressively suppressed and its last fighters were killed in the late s. De-Stalinisation in Bulgaria was slow and limited, taking place without any participation of society. It brought changes chiefly at the highest level of government. Following this change in leadership, some the most notorious Soviet advisers, who had been overseeing the process of sovietisation, returned to Moscow.
In the following years Zhivkov cemented his position. There was no organised dissident movement in Bulgaria until the mids, because of the sheer scale of repressions and invigilation. Only then the partial liberalisation and crises created favourable conditions for forming an opposition. In November the Communists overthrew Zivkov. During mass demonstrations people demanded multi-party democracy.
In January the Round Table Talks started. Communists and the opposition representatives decided to hold democratic elections. In June the successor to the BKP won the first multi-party election. The Bulgarian policy of terror and intimidation was executed across the country. The mass purge organised by Bulgarian authorities was the most brutal among all USSR satellite countries. In autumn, between 20,, people were murdered without any trial.
They were, among others, members of local authorities, notables, teachers, Orthodox priests and traders.
Some of the officials associated with the previous government were arrested as soon as 9 September and deported to the USSR. About 10, people were accused, among them members of the ruling dynasty, royal councillors, most of the cabinet ministers of the government, members of parliament, officers, policemen, city mayors, businessmen, lawyers, judges, journalists, and so on. About 2, of them were sentenced to death, more than 1, to life imprisonment and about 1, to long-term imprisonment.
Another tool used to eliminate political opponents was the security apparatus. It was based on the Soviet pattern and supported by NKVD units and soviet military counterintelligence. Chervenkov stayed on as Prime Minister until April , when he was finally dismissed and replaced by Anton Yugov. In return for Party loyalty came a secure job, enough food, education, health care and the reputation of one of the most prosperous Eastern European countries at the time.
The uprisings in Poland and Hungary in did not spread to Bulgaria, but the Party placed firm limits and restraints on intellectuals to prevent any such outbreaks. In the s some economic reforms were adopted, which allowed the free sale of production that exceeded planned amounts. The country became the most popular tourist destination for the Eastern Bloc people.
Bulgaria also had a large production basis for commodities such as cigarettes and chocolate, which were hard to obtain in other socialist countries. Under Zhivkov, many monuments were built in memory of heroes of Bulgarian history who had helped to bring the country to its Communist success, and therefore had not died in vain. Minority groups such as the Roma Gypsy and Turkish populations were not so glorified, and beginning in the s were fully disregarded, denied access to basic services and forced to renounce their own names in favour of Bulgarian ones.
Those who refused to do so were further marginalised or even sent to concentration camps, and in a violent spark was ignited over the issue. History Vault. Communist Leaders. Recommended for you. Kennedy: Communism within the U. Russian Capitalism After Communism. How Are Socialism and Communism Different? Russia Timeline: From Invasions to Enlightenments to Upheavals From early Mongol invasions to tsarist regimes to ages of enlightenment and industrialization to revolutions and wars, Russia is known not just for its political rises of world power and upheaval, but for its cultural contributions think ballet, Tolstoy, Tchaikovsky, caviar and What Is Socialism?
Populism Has Been Courting U.
0コメント