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Bulgarian History
Bulgaria is the site of one of the world's oldest civilizations, and
the oldest known writing system (the Gradeshnitsa Tablets which date to at least 4000 BC).
In early classical times the territory of Bulgaria was
inhabited by the Thracians. The Thracians were divided into various tribes,
but eventually united as the Odrysian kingdom under King Teres in the 5th century BC.
The region was invaded by the Romans in 188 BC, and wars continued until 45 AD when
Thrace became a Roman province.
Beginning in the 2nd century AD, a semi-nomadic people, the Bulgars, began to
migrate towards the West from Central Asia. By the 4th century, the Bulgars had settled in the lands
to the North of the Black Sea, around the Sea of Azov, and by the 7th century had established a state
known as "Great Bulgaria" or "Onoghuria" in the region. Later in the 7th century, one tribe
of Bulgars moved West, defeated the Byzantine empire in a war, and were recognized
in the subsequent peace treaty with the Byzantines as an independent state in 681.
The First Bulgarian Empire was established under the warrior Khan Krum (802 to 814) who conquered
a number of lands in the Balkans. The empire eventually encompassed all of present day Romania, as well as
parts of Serbia, Macedonia, Albania and
Greece. It was during this period the Cyrillic
alphabet was adopted, and Christianity was introduced to the Bulgarians.
The Byzantine Empire ruled Bulgaria from 1018 to 1185, but after a revolt in 1185, a Second Bulgarian
Empire was established. However, this Empire was relatively short lived.
In 1354 the Ottoman Turks crossed into Europe,
and by 1396 had conquered the whole of Bulgaria.
After hundreds of years of Ottoman rule, Bulgaria began to experience a national
revival inspired by western ideas from the enlightment, and the Greek revolt against Ottoman rule.
In 1870, a Bulgarian Church ("Exarchate") was established, and in 1876 Bulgarians revolted
against Ottoman rule in the April Uprising. Russia declared war on the Ottomans in 1877,
and by 1878, most of Bulgaria was liberated from the Ottomans.
Additional Ottoman territories in Europe
were liberated in the First Balkan War
(1912 to
1913),
however Bulgaria was then defeated by the combinaton of
Serbia,
Greece,
Romania and
the Ottoman Empire in the Second Balkan War
(1913)
and lost a significant amount of territory as a result.
During World War I, Bulgaria was allied with
Germany, Austria-Hungary
and the Ottoman Empire, and was for a while successful in making territorial
gains. However, the war gradually became increasingly unpopular because of economic hardships, and because
the population did not wish to fight in alliance with the Muslim Ottoman Empire
against the Orthodox Christians of
Serbia and
Greece. As a result, mutinies
broke out in the army, the government resigned, and a republic was proclaimed.
During World War II, Bulgaria attempted to avoid involvement in
the war, and even managed to peacefully regain the territory of
Southern Dobruja from Romania as a result of the
1940
Treaty of Craiova. Ultimately however, in
1941,
Bulgaria had no choice but
to join the Axis when German troops passed through the country in order to invade
Greece.
After World War II, Bulgaria became officially known was the
People's Republic of Bulgaria, and was ruled by the Bulgarian Communist Party.
Communist rule ended in
1990,
when the Communists voluntarily gave up power and held the first free elections since
1931.
The transition from communism to capitalism has not been easy for Bulgaria;
living standards fell dramatically and the country even experienced a sharp decline
in population. However, since
1997,
the economy has been growing steadily, and in
2007,
Bulgaria joined the European Union.
Here are some books about the history of
Bulgaria:
By R. J. Crampton
Cambridge University Press
Paperback (310 pages)
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Richard Crampton presents a general introduction to Bulgaria at the cross-roads of Christendom and Islam. This concise history traces the country's growth from pre-history, through its days as the center of a powerful medieval empire and five centuries of Ottoman rule, to the political upheavals of the twentieth century which led to three wars. It highlights 1995 to 2004, a vital period during which Bulgaria endured financial meltdown, set itself seriously on the road to reform, elected its former King as prime minister, and finally secured membership in NATO and admission to the European Union. First Edition Hb (1997) 0-521-56183-3 First Edition Pb (1997) 0-521-56719-X |
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By Michael Bar-Zohar
Adams Media Corporation
Paperback (298 pages)
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During World War II, hundreds of thousands of Jews were deported from the Balkan states to labor and extermination camps in Germany and Poland. Bulgaria, with a Jewish population of only 50,000, sided with Hitler's government early on, its king having become convinced that only with German aid could he successfully press his territorial claims to land lost to Greece and Romania. Yet, in the face of constant German demands, Bulgaria's government refused to deport the nation's Jewish citizens. Instead, as the Bulgarian-born Israeli politician Michael Bar-Zohar writes in this fine contribution to Holocaust studies, "the Bulgarian Jews became the only Jewish community in the Nazi sphere of influence whose number increased during World War II." Bar-Zohar attributes the Bulgarian government's successful resistance to a general absence of anti- Semitism among the populace: most Bulgarian Jews were of the working class and had long since been culturally assimilated; even many of the ardent fascists in the government opposed their being murdered. To be sure, Bar-Zohar writes, the Jews of Bulgaria were persecuted--yet thanks to the efforts of leaders like the parliamentarian Dimiter Peshev and the cleric Metropolitan Stefan, they were spared the terrible fate of so many other Jews in the region. Bar-Zohar's book recounts an almost unknown episode of World War II history through a well-told, fast-paced narrative. --Gregory McNamee |
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By Jiri Rajlich
Osprey Publishing
Released: 2004-02-25
Paperback (96 pages)
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In 1939, Slovakia signed a protection agreement with the German Reich and joined the attack on Poland, where its Avia B-534-equipped fighter squadrons claimed their first kills. In October 1942, having made do with obsolete aircraft, the Slovaks were equipped with Bf 109Es and eventually acquired 43 Messerschmitt fighters. The Slovaks would claim over 215 kills. Although it supported German efforts in Yugoslavia and Greece, Bulgaria did not declare war on Russia. First seeing action in August 1943, Bulgarian fighter pilots used their Bf 109Gs to good effect. From late 1943 through to mid-1944, the Bulgarian pilots attempted to defend the country from American bombers, and Stoyanov and Bochev made ace during this period. |
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By Spencer A. Coil
Schiffer Publishing
Hardcover (336 pages)
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Examined in this book in the author's continuing series are the Austro-Hungarian Empire's machinegun, medical, artillery, infantry, cavalry and communication units. Other chapters cover distinguished branches, such as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine (Navy), Seeflieger (Naval Aviation), Generalstab (General Staff) and Beamten (Civil Servants). Also covered are the Bulgarian machinegun, medical, artillery, searchlight, communication and cavalry units. Further chapters cover Bulgarian and other countries medals, orders, and decorations worn by royalty and high ranking command as well by the frontline soldier. |
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By Tzvetan Todorov
Princeton University Press
Paperback (208 pages)
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With the exception of Denmark, Bulgaria was the only country allied with Nazi Germany that did not annihilate or turn over its Jewish population. Here a prominent French intellectual with Bulgarian roots accounts for this singularity. Tzvetan Todorov assembles and interprets for the first time key evidence from this episode of Bulgarian history, including letters, diaries, government reports, and memoirs--most never before translated into any language. Through these documents, he reconstructs what happened in Bulgaria during World War II and interrogates collective memories of that time. He recounts the actions of individuals and groups that, ultimately and collectively, spared Bulgaria's Jews the fate of most European Jews. The Bulgaria that emerges is not a heroic country dramatically different from those countries where Jews did perish. Todorov does find heroes, especially parliament deputy Dimitar Peshev, certain writers and clergy, and--most inspiring--public opinion. Yet he is forced to conclude that the "good" triumphed to the extent that it did because of a tenuous chain of events. Any break in that chain--one intellectual who didn't speak up as forcefully, a different composition in Orthodox Church leadership, a misstep by a particular politician, a less wily king--would have undone all of the other efforts with disastrous results for almost 50,000 people. The meaning Todorov settles on is this: Once evil is introduced into public view, it spreads easily, whereas goodness is temporary, difficult, rare, and fragile. And yet possible. |
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Pennsylvania State University Press
Hardcover (178 pages)
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By S. D. Dimitrova
Pensoft Pub
Paperback (260 pages)
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