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He concluded that the ultimate collapse of his system was due to his own failures to reform and modernise said system in the 1970s and 80s. [15], In the early 1970s, Zhivkov decided to update the country's Dimitrov Constitution, which led him to the creation of the so-called Zhivkov Constitution. [74][75][76], In 2019, the history textbooks of five major academic publishers in Bulgaria had described Zhivkov as a 'moderate ruler, whose policies were aimed at improving the welfare of the ordinary people' - drawing condemnation from a faculty member at the American University in Bulgaria and an investigative journalist. The latter was intended to boost the country's image without risking any instability. [4] The demands for democratic reform which swept Eastern Europe in 1989 led Zhivkov to resign. His former home in the town was then turned into a museum in his honour in 2002. [17] Two purposes of the grandiose revised plan were to keep Bulgaria in step with the Soviet bloc, all of whose members were embarking on plans for accelerated growth, and to quell internal party conflicts. Thus, within only two months of Zhivkov losing power, the Communist system he had helped to create, and which he had dominated for 35 years, was no more. Lyudmilla lived in poor health, ostensibly due to her unusual lifestyle, failed relationships and stress, dying abruptly at the age of 38 in 1981.[13][85][86]. By the 1970s, the focus switched to high technologies such as electronics and even space exploration: on 10 April 1979 Bulgaria launched the first of two kosmonavti (cosmonauts), Georgi Ivanov, aboard Soviet Soyuz spaceships and later launched its own space satellites. Zhivkov made this stability a model for the overall Balkan cooperation that was a centerpiece of his foreign policy in the 1980s. [54][55][56][57], On 8 June 1993 he was found innocent on indictment 5. One of the first mass HIV-testing programs was initiated under Zhivkov, and as of October 1989, some 2.5 million people in Bulgaria, including about 66,000 foreigners, had been tested for HIV, and 81 Bulgarians were diagnosed as HIV positive. He subsequently resigned from his post and was replaced by Martin Gunev. [17] Lack of skilled labour and materials made completion of projects at the prescribed pace impossible. The Soviet Bloc in the face of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (SEV, Comecon), the Warsaw Pact Organization and the USSR itself collapsed. He spoke of the socialist society in Bulgaria as being divided into two parts - the [societal] order, which he described as the basic societal organisation and ethos in country and the system, the practical structure of government, led by a Vanguard party. With the increasingly strengthening positions of Zhivkov as the country's and Communist party's leader, former partisan leaders and active military took a critical stance on what they viewed as the revisionist policies of Zhivkov's leadership. [citation needed], The Party House ( , Partiyniya dom) served as the headquarters of the Bulgarian Communist Party, located at the Largo. A study published by RC Trend pegged Zhivkov as one of the top 5 most approved of Bulgarian politicians of all time, alongside former prime ministers Petko Karavelov, Stefan Stambolov and Aleksandar Stamboliyski, while another by Gallup International Association found that 74% of Bulgarians believe the country to have been "ruined" by the politicians that took power after his resignation, most prominently blaming UDF leader Ivan Kostov (49% of respondents). [7] The exact date of Zhivkov's birth was in dispute within Zhivkov's family, as his mother insisted that he had been born on 20 September 1911. However, it is widely thought that incompetent and corrupt administration after 1989 had a much greater effect on the decline of the economy, as even successful industries declined. Their plan was to establish a pro-Chinese leadership in the country, based on Stalinist-Maoist principles. Zhivkov's son-in-law Ivan Slavkov became the chairman of Bulgaria's state television company and later became president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee, a position he would continue to hold until 2005. Congresses and national conferences adopt the program and statutes of the party, approve the accounts of the past periods, develop directives and decisions for further activity. He spoke positively of the first, describing it as proper, justified and prosperous. The party also began an investigation into what it considered Zhivkov's "high living". . On a Remote Mountain, the 'Sistine Chapel of Socialism' Awaits Its Fate In the 1970s, diplomatic crises with Sudan and Egypt were triggered by Bulgarian involvement in coup plots. She was described as undergoing unbearable pain and became bedridden. Denotes Regent People's Republic of Bulgaria (1946-1990) Status Denotes Acting Head of State General Secretaries of the Bulgarian Communist Party (1948-1990) Republic of Bulgaria (1990-present) Timeline from 1946 Head of state titles See also Politics of Bulgaria List of Bulgarian monarchs List of Bulgarian regents ", " , : , ", "ENTIDADES ESTRANGEIRAS AGRACIADAS COM ORDENS PORTUGUESAS - Pgina Oficial das Ordens Honorficas Portuguesas", "TODOR ZHIVKOV, BULGARIAN COMMUNIST DICTATOR, DIES AT 86", Collection of content related to Todor Zhivkov, General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Todor_Zhivkov&oldid=1165367004, Innocent of crimes against minorities; revival process not proven to be a crime; case reviewed multiple times, 2 - Overstepping authority in funding "leftist workers' organizations" ("Moscow Fund"), Bulgaria is developing well following Zhivkov's resignation, Prefer to go back in time and live in Zhivkov's Bulgaria, than continue living in the modern-day republic, The country was ruined following Zhivkov's resignation, This page was last edited on 14 July 2023, at 18:30. What Does Qin Gang's Removal Mean for China's Foreign Policy? But dissatisfaction was mounting with the country's longtime leader, communist dictator Todor Zhivkov, who had. Here Todor Zhivkov, the top boss of the Bulgarian Communist Party for nearly 40 years, is accepted not as Brezhnev's and Andropov's docile puppet, who at some point wanted to prove his loyalty by making Bulgaria the 16th Soviet republic. At the 8th Congress of the BCP in late 1962, Zhivkov accused Yugov of anti-Party activity, expelled him from the BCP and had him placed under house arrest. [37] Events such as the invasions of Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan automatically distanced Bulgaria from the West; then, in the early 1980s Soviet efforts to split NATO by cultivating Western Europe brought Bulgaria closer to France and West Germany - a position that continued through the 1980s. In a critical step, they convinced Defence Minister Dobri Dzhurov to support them. He is said to have coordinated partisan movements with those of pro-Soviet army units during the 9 September 1944 uprising. The BCP was organized on the basis of democratic centralism, a principle introduced by the Russian Marxist scholar and leader Vladimir Lenin, which entails democratic and open discussion on policy on the condition of unity in upholding the agreed upon policies. Bulgarian opinion at the time interpreted this as a self-preservation move by Chervenkov, since Zhivkov was a less well known figure in the party. It also lists the general secretaries of the Bulgarian Communist Party in 19481990. Zhivkov reiterated that he was asking about a potential membership of Bulgaria in the EEC, much to the Bavarian leader's surprise. [17] Following the Chinese model, all of Bulgarian society was to be propagandised and mobilised to meet the planning goals. The Lost World of Bulgarian Communism - Jacobin [42][43], While he was initially shown reverence in public upon removal, that had changed by 17 November, when he was sharply criticised in parliament. He was the last leader of the Bulgarian People's Republic from 1989 to 1990, and briefly the first President of the Bulgarian Republic in 1990. Zhivkov was born in the Bulgarian village of Pravets into a peasant family, to Hristo Todorov Zhivkov[6] and Maruza Gergova Zhivkova. The operation was successful, but the cancer was already late-stage. [50], As it turned out, this was the beginning of the end for the long-time leader. The Socialists' government, which had by then rejected MarxismLeninism in favour of social democracy under its new leader Andrey Lukanov, subsequently collapsed under its inability to deal with the crisis, narrowly losing the opposition in the 1991 Bulgarian parliamentary election. 1 regarded the 'Revival Process', Indictment 2 accused him of overstepping his authority in "funding the international communist movement", Indictment 3 accused him and 21 others of giving out high-risk loans to developing countries, Indictment 4 accused him of giving away apartments and cars worth a total of around $24 million (in 1990 dollars) to members of the security forces and indictment 5 accused him of involvement in labour camps. [17] Despite this, by 1960 the value produced by heavy industry matched that of light industry, and food processing for export grew rapidly. Balzs Szalontai, Political and Economic Relations between Communist States. He was buried after a large privately run procession, organised by the local Socialist Party branch. From fall 1944 to 1962, at least 23.531 persons were sent t prison camps; 478 persons were sentenced to death as "public enemies" during 1952-1985. List of heads of government of Bulgaria - Wikipedia [25] This last round of reforms by the Zhivkov regime confused rather than improved economic performance. Taken from the Free dictionary by Farlex. This party became the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1919, when it affiliated to Bolshevism and the Comintern. The party had dominated the Fatherland Front, a coalition that took power in 1944, late in World War II, after it led a coup against Bulgaria's tsarist regime in conjunction with the Red Army's crossing the border. Ten days into the conference, several Ecoglasnost activists and supporters were brutally beaten up by CSS and militia officerson orders from Zhivkov. [12][70][71][72] A second monument of Zhivkov was erected in the village of Odurne in 2013 by the local mayor, who had promised its sculpting as part of his electoral program. [5] Within a month of Zhivkov's ousting, communist rule in Bulgaria had effectively ended, and within a year the People's Republic of Bulgaria had formally ceased to exist. Mass tourism developed under Zhivkov's direction from the early 1960s onwards. However, this Bulgarian economy was exceptionally susceptible to Soviet largesse and Soviet-bloc markets. His father, a poor peasant, was a leather worker in Gabrovo. [33] Substantial historical and economic ties supplemented the ideological foundation of the relationship. They were met by the armed groups, which targeted them with molotov cocktails and improvised armaments, causing them to retreat. By 1989, Bulgaria's Communist Party Leader Todor Zhivkov had ruled the country for 35 years through a constitutionally sanctioned single-party government. In 1942 the broad Fatherland Front coalition was formed as the communists attempted to involve legal opposition groups in exerting antiwar pressure on the government. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [34] Yet, though Bulgarian migr dissident Georgi Markov wrote that "[Zhivkov] served the Soviet Union more ardently than the Soviet leaders themselves did," in many ways he can be said to have exploited the USSR for political purposes, with Bulgaria serving a buffer between the USSR and NATO. He criticised the ruling right-wing UDF government at the time, but reserved his harshest criticism for the former members of his party that had taken part in embezzlement of state assets following his departure. A handful of satirist dissidents such as Radoy Ralin enjoyed some prominence during Zhivkov's tenure, although Ralin was not favoured by the authorities due to his sharp satire. [20] By 1970 budget subsidies accounted for only 27% of investment funds, while bank credits jumped to 39%, and retained enterprise earnings reached 34%. She spent large sums of money in a highly visible campaign to support scholars, collect Bulgarian art, and sponsor cultural institutions. His sentence was subsequently reduced to 1 year and 8 months and finally overturned by the Supreme Court, which ruled him innocent. years, Vulko Chervenkov (1900-), formed the nucleusof Bulgarian Communist leadership residing by thewar's end in Moscow. The promotion of these new cadres, unaffiliated with cliques and untainted by corruption, served to create a loyal following of local leaders and administrators for Zhivkov, further increasing his control of the Communist party, whilst simultaneously increasing popular support for his government.[10][11]. Bulgaria - THE EARLY COMMUNIST ERA [55], The Porcupine, a fictional account of the trial of Stoyo Petkanov, a barely disguised Zhivkov, was written by Julian Barnes and published in Bulgarian and English in 1992.[58]. . Opposition leader Nikola Petkov was hanged on 23. Although the Zhivkov regime often advocated closer relations and multilateral cooperation with Yugoslavia, Turkey, the Kingdom of Greece, Albania, and Romania, a number of traditional issues barred significant improvement until the late 1980s. He remained in these positions for 35 years, until 1989, thus becoming the longest-serving leader of any European Eastern Bloc nation after World War II,[2] and one of the longest ruling non-royal leaders in modern history. Zhivkov took action against what he saw as a cults of personality - whether in relation to Stalin, Chervenkov or to other figures. Residential construction targets in the Five-Year Plans were regularly underfulfilled. Harvests were disastrously poor in the early 1960s; peasant unrest forced the government to raise food prices; and the urban dissatisfaction that resulted from higher prices compounded a crisis that broke in the summer of 1962. Shortly after that Bulgaria became the first and only Eastern Bloc country which locally produced Coca-Cola. As agriculture declined, tourism has emerged as almost the sole Zhivkov-era industrial survivor. Petar Mladenov - Wikipedia However, statistics on growth for 1986-88 still indicated a 5.5% annual rate, up from the 3.7% rate achieved during the previous five-year plan. Zhivkov resented the idea of himself being the subject of a cult and later, when the residents of his hometown of Pravets erected a monument bearing his likeness - he personally thanked them for their gesture, before ordering the statue be removed. ===== Moisei Uritsky - Bolshevik revolutionary leader in Russia. Petar Mladenov. After Joseph Stalin's death, an emphasis on shared leadership emerged. [45] To this end, Zhivkov attempted to counter this perceived threat by attempting to trigger a second Bulgarian National Revival through a series of policies collectively alluded to as the "Revival Process". [30] Housing remained one of the most serious shortcomings in the Bulgarian standard of living throughout Zhivkov's rule. Communism in Bulgaria | Communist Bulgaria | Communist Crimes For other uses, see, Changes to the country's national emblem during Zhivkov's tenure, showing an increase in the prominence of patriotic symbols, such as the addition of the year of the founding of the, The April Plenum and Zhivkov's ascendancy, Prime Minister (19621971) and Chairman of the State Council (19711989). Birthplace of Bulgaria'S Last Dictator | Vagabond Upon joining the Comintern the party was reorganised as the Communist Party of Bulgaria. [19] Corecom was established as a means to sell Western-made luxury goods to foreign tourists and Bulgarians that held special monetary certificates, thus acquiring western hard currency - which had been in short supply as many Western governments did not allow the exchange of their currencies for their Eastern Bloc equivalents. 11 January 2012. As prime minister, Zhivkov remained faithful to the Soviet Union, but adopted a more liberal stance than his predecessor by allowing some market reforms (such as allowing surplus agricultural goods to be sold for profit) and ending persecution of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. [24] Complexes or associations were given explicit freedom to sign their own contracts with suppliers and customers at home and abroad. [32] Without exception Zhivkov imitated or supported Soviet twists and turns such as Khrushchev's denunciation of Stalin in 1956 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. Todor Hristov Zhivkov ( Bulgarian: [tdor xristof ifkof]; 7 September 1911 - 5 August 1998) was a Bulgarian communist statesman who served as the de facto leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB) from 1954 until 1989 as General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party. Monuments considered as being part of such cults were taken down and many public places renamed - the most prominent of which were the return of "Mount Stalin" back to its prewar name of Mount Musala and that of the city of "Stalin" back to Varna. From 1956 to 1988, Bulgaria won an unprecedented 153 Olympic medals and numerous European and world competitions in sports as diverse as volleyball, rhythmic gymnastics and wrestling. [12], "Zhivkov" redirects here. The highest body of the BCP was the Party Congress, convened every fifth year. Maleeva was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1969, leading to a two year long and ultimately futile fight with the disease. In 1979 Zhivkov introduced a sweeping educational reform, claiming that Marxist teachings on educating youth were still not being applied completely. Qin . Subsequently, Zhivkov was associated with the "April Line," which had anti-Stalinist credentials. In 1932, he joined the BWP proper, later serving as secretary of its Second Borough Committee and as a member of its Sofia County Committee. Upon figuring out this ruse, the police arrested the group's main negotiator and stormed the village through the use of tear gas and water cannons. [41] In this powerful position, Zhivkova became extremely popular by promoting Bulgaria's separate national cultural heritage. In the events described as the "April Conspiracy" of 1965 or the "Plot of Gorunia," general Ivan Todorov-Gorunya, general Tsvyatko Anev ( ) and Tsolo Krastev ( ) organised a group of high-ranking military officers planning to overthrow the regime. Strauss expressed pessimism in the idea, telling him that, in his opinion, the system could not be reformed, only replaced. Available automobiles were primarily Soviet Fiats, some of which were manufactured in Bulgaria. [10][11][14], The April Plenum of the BCP endorsed Zhivkov's liberalisation, which was seen by many as a sign of deeper reform. The Bulgarian Communist Party ( Bulgarian: (), Romanised: Blgarska komunisticheska partiya; BKP) was the founding and ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 until 1989, when the country ceased to be a socialist state. Bulgarian Socialist Party - Wikipedia Thus, by 1985 . His popular nickname was "bai Tosho" (approximately "Ol' Uncle Tosho") or occasionally (and later) "Tato" (a dialectal word for "Dad" or "Pop"). The armed groups responded by first sending out their wives, which were hanging onto fake babies, while they stood behind them armed. [15], In the mid-1950s, Soviet-style centralised planning produced economic indicators showing that Bulgarians were returning to their prewar lifestyle in some respects: real wages increased 75%, consumption of meat, fruit, and vegetables increased markedly, medical facilities and doctors became available to more of the population, and in 1957 collective farm workers benefited from the first agricultural pension and welfare system in Eastern Europe. Home Geography & Travel Countries of the World The early communist era The consolidation of communist power in Bulgaria was carried out by 1948, coinciding with the completion of the peace treaty with the Allies and the presence of Soviet occupation forces. [47], The name changing campaign ended just a month after it began, but the "Revival process" persisted. After Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev took power in 1985, the BCP underwent political and economic liberalization, which promptly liquidated the party and dissolved the People's Republic of Bulgaria completely. This page was last edited on 28 May 2023, at 22:01. [19] In industry the "New System of Management" was introduced in 1964 and lasted until 1968. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. [20] The pilot enterprises did very well, earning profits that were double the norm. [53], Following his fall from power, the new regime brought Zhivkov to five separate trials - labelled trials No.1 through No. They began plotting to remove him, but had to move discreetly given the ubiquity of the CSS. A system of distribution was implemented, which gave priority to 'Active Fighters against Fascism' (those that had been part of the partisan struggle or fought against Nazi Germany in World War II), as well as eminent artists, scientists and "Heroes of Socialist Labour" (mostly collective farmers and shop-floor workers). Chervenkov joined the Bulgarian Workers' Party in 1919 and was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League (1920-25). Valchev's order was opposed by the Bulgarian Socialist Party, which accused him of historical revisionism, political interference in education and an undemocratic enforcement of a particular worldview. The first four were brought before the court immediately, while indictment 5 was brought before the court later. [citation needed], From 1954 until 1989 the party was led by Todor Zhivkov, who was very supportive of the Soviet Union and remained close to its leadership after Nikita Khrushchev was deposed by Leonid Brezhnev. In 1980 Zhivkov had improved his domestic position by appointing his daughter Lyudmila Zhivkova as chair of the commission on science, culture, and art. He is said to have coordinated partisan movements with those of pro-Soviet army units during the 9 September 1944 uprising. Consequently, groups began openly petitioning Zhivkov for further increases in the freedom of the press, cultural freedoms and subsequently, even some open protests formed, petitioning Zhivkov to take action against local party leaders that the protesters were unhappy with. Mr . Sociologic surveys have found that the average approval of Todor Zhivkov in the 2010s ranged from 41% to 55%, while disapproval ranged from 18% to 25%. Zhivkov was initially found guilty and sentenced to 7 years in prison. Todor Zhivkov himself was said to have altered his daily commute in order to avoid having to look at it, though he never scolded the sculptor for it. Todor Zhivkov, in full Todor Khristov Zhivkov, (born Sept. 7, 1911, Pravets, near Botevgrad, Bulg.died Aug. 5, 1998, Sofia, Bulg. He defended most of his actions while in power and explained his reasoning behind several of his policies, but reiterated his belief that "the order was good, but the system which ruled it was bad". An important motivation for friendship with Greece was to exploit NATO's Greek-Turkish split, which was based on the claims of the two countries in Cyprus. Zhivkov then asked what Bulgaria had to do in order to potentially join the European Economic Community (EEC), which Strauss initially thought was a misinterpretation, asking Zhivkov whether he meant closer cooperation between Bulgaria and Bavaria. [25], Even before Zhivkov, Bulgaria made significant progress in increasing life expectancy and decreasing infant mortality rates. However, Zhivkov would say in his memoirs that the Orthodox priest that was charged with keeping the records of new births at the time was found to be very drunk and forgot to write down the actual day of birth, instead writing in only the day of baptism. He disputed the court's verdict and appealed it. In 1928, he joined the Bulgarian Communist Youth Union (BCYU), an organisation closely linked with the Bulgarian Workers Party (BWP) later the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP). [21] However, some of the recentralisation measures, such as the creation of an agricultural-industrial complex, also received domestic criticism. His rule led to relative political stability and an increase in living standards. Learn about the leader of the Golden Age of Bulgaria when major changes were taking place. Todor Zhivkov - Wikipedia It would only be restored in 2001 - after Zhivkov had passed away. ", " . Zhivkov was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union in 1977. [33] The 1970s was a period of closeness between Brezhnev's USSR and Zhivkov's Bulgaria. Huge Sculpture to Replace Communist's Mausoleum in Sofia In the mid-1960s an economic reform package was introduced, which allowed for farmers to freely sell their over-planned production. Bulgaria's nuclear power station, AEC Kozloduy, was built in the 1970s, all six large reactors commissioned in under five years. Amid near-unanimous international condemnation, Mladenov, Lukanov and Atanasov decided that Zhivkov had to go. The Party House building was designed by a team under architect Petso Zlatev and was completed in 1955.[5]. On the other hand, after very significant reverses and difficulties in the 1940s and 1950s, the Bulgarian economy developed apace from the mid-1960s until the late 1970s. After a period of Stalinist repression under Vulko Chervenkov (prime minister, 1950-56), Todor Zhivkov completed his rise through the ranks of the Bulgarian Communist Party by becoming prime . Communist leader Todor Zhovkov was a tyrant to his country and benefactor to his village, Pravets. [23] In an effort to remedy the chronic distribution problems of the central economy, higher economic institutions became financially accountable for damage inflicted by their decisions on subordinate levels. The system united previously separate specialised middle schools in a single, twelve-grade program heavily emphasising technical subjects. [40] In the late 1970s, Zhivkov mended relations with the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Buzludzha monument - Wikipedia This approach intended to streamline economic units and make enterprise managers more responsible for performance. List of heads of the state of Bulgaria - Wikipedia On Tuesday, China officially replaced Qin with his predecessor, Wang Yi, who leads the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) foreign policy apparatus. The CSS was a feared tool of control, and overt opposition largely stayed underground until the late 1980s. Buzludzha was the pinnacle of Bulgaria's communist-era monuments and drew international visitors as a modern ruin. Zhivkov threatened to go to the European Court of Human Rights if not found innocent, accusing Bulgarian courts of accepting political orders. Suspected counter-revolutionaries were imprisoned. In the 1960s this small village was declared "an Urban Community," becoming a town a decade later. In 1938 the party merged with the Bulgarian Workers' Party and took the former party's name. Bulgaria - Communist Rule, Reforms, Transition | Britannica After 9 September 1944, Zhivkov became head of the Sofia police force, restyled as the Narodna Militsiya (People's Militia). Having been among the first nations to market electronic calculators (the ELKA brand, since 1973) and digital watches (Elektronika, since 1975), in 1982 the country launched its Pravets personal computer (a near-"Apple II clone") for business and domestic use. Starting in 1946 and lasting until 1990, Bulgaria was officially known as The People's Republic of Bulgaria. [69] Subsequently, the annual celebrations of the anniversary of Zhivkov's birthday on 7 September, gradually developed into a state-wide affair. Bulgaria Europe Page last updated: July 11, 2023 Photos of Bulgaria view 11 photos Introduction Background The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state.