When was bulgaria communist

Now, as they grow old, they find that is not the case. This is not the only way the communist state has shaped their lives. They were, for example, given jobs and homes in cities but encouraged to retain close ties with the villages of their ancestors.

More importantly, they could help bring in the crops from the fields - and take bags full of produce, such as chickens and eggs, bacon, cheese and canned goods, back to the city. This would include specialities not easily found in stores as well as staple foods, which often helped families in the city cope with ubiquitous supply shortages under the planned economy.

Women were fully integrated into the socialist workforce. Once they returned to work, their children were looked after in nurseries and kindergartens provided by the state. An early retirement age also meant that generations of grandparents could devote their time to looking after grandchildren — in exchange for the security of being looked after by adult children and grandchildren in old age.

Everything changed with the fall of communism and the onset of the transition era, which began in State-owned businesses closed or were sold off. In December Markov is awarded Bulgaria's highest honour, the Order of Stara Planina, for his contribution to Bulgarian literature and his opposition to the communist authorities.

Simeon becomes premier in July. Socialist Party leader Georgi Parvanov wins presidency in an election with the lowest turnout since the fall of communism. He vows to improve people's lives and to speed up EU and Nato entry. After weeks of wrangling the main parties sign a coalition deal under which he becomes prime minister.

In February parliament agrees to dispatch a non-combat guard unit. The six were found guilty of deliberately infecting Libyan children with the HIV virus. They are repatriated to Bulgaria under a deal with the European Union. Interior Minister Rumen Petkov resigns over police officers accused of passing state secrets to alleged crime bosses.

Government reshuffled in order to combat organised crime and wave of contract killings. Ambassador to Germany, Meglena Plugchieva, appointed deputy prime minister without portfolio to oversee use of EU funds. France and Germany block Bulgaria from joining the Schengen passport-free zone, saying it still needs to make "irreversible progress" in fight against corruption and organised crime.

Hezbollah itself denies the allegation. Prime Minister Borisov resigns after 14 people are injured in clashes with police at anti-austerity protests. Some 38 individuals, including Prince Kiril, were convicted of treason and sentenced to death on February 1, Some 2, individuals were executed by the government in and some 16, individuals were executed in The government ended martial law on November 9, Several thousand individuals, including 14, Bulgarian Jews, were killed during the crisis.

Opposition political parties had boycotted the parliamentary elections. The British government provided diplomatic assistance diplomatic recognition to the government on December 27, Prime Minister Georgiev formed a communist-dominated government on March 31, The British government imposed diplomatic sanctions diplomatic non-recognition against the government of Prime Minister Georgiev on April 2, A majority of Bulgarians voted to abolish the monarchy in a referendum on September 8, , and King Symeon II went into exile in Egypt on September 9, The Bulgarian Republic was proclaimed on September 15, Georgi Dimitrov formed a government on November 22, The Brityish government provided diplomatic assistance diplomatic recognition to the government of Prime Minister Dimitrov on February 12, Nikola Petkov was executed for treason on September 23, Prime Minister Dimitrov formed a communist-dominated government on December 11, Soviet Union government troops completed their withdrawal from Bulgaria on December 15, Local elections were held on May 15, , and the FF won 92 percent of the vote.

Traicho Kostov, a BCP official, was charged with treason on June 25, , and he was executed by the government on December 16, Parliamentary elections were held on December 18, , and the FF won 97 percent of the vote. Prime Minister Kolarov died on January 23, , and Vulko Chervenkov was appointed as prime minister on February 1, The U.

Some 92, individuals were expelled from the BCP in and Some , ethnic Turks were deported to emigrate to Turkey between August 16, and November 8, Some 40, Bulgarian Jews were deported to Israel between and Some , individuals were displaced during the crisis. Todor Shivkov was elected prime minister on November 19, The Soviet Union government provided economic assistance to the government between and Parliamentary elections were held on February 27, , and the FF won out of seats in the National Assembly Sobranje.

Some , ethnic Turks were allowed to emigrate to Turkey between and The BSP campaigned on a platform of democracy and socialism, declaring that the latter was not incompatible with a market economy. Throughout the campaign, the BSP proclaimed its intention to form a coalition government with opposition members.

On 10 and 17 June , Bulgaria became the only country in Eastern Europe to give a majority of the votes to the former Communist party in free, multiparty elections. The UDF derived its electoral strength from the young, urbanized intellectuals. For example, it won 24 of 26 seats in Sofia, all eight seats in each of the two next largest cities, and several seats in other cities RFE 13 July , 7.

The BSP won overwhelmingly in the rural areas and amongst the older voters, many of whom apparently voted for the BSP in order to retain their pensions and because the BSP advocated gradual economic reforms rather than "shock treatment" RFE 21 Sept. The general consensus of foreign observers is that the elections were fair, at least in the first round EIU c 3: In order to keep the party together until after the elections, the BSP did not carry through on its promise of "renewal"; i.

Its continued presence served to keep the local population "as fearful of the authorities as ever" Ibid. The UDF claimed that persons were dismissed from their jobs because of UDF activities, that food was redirected to villages to prove the largesse of the BSP, that people were promised apartments in return for voting for the BSP, and that the BSP was intimidating people by publishing material which threatened reprisals by the UDF if elected Law Group 31 May , There were also reports that local mayors and party secretaries "used direct threats and even bribes, in addition to their mere presence, to influence voters" RFE 29 June , 3.

Many of these reports were not substantiated, but the Human Rights Law Group was sufficiently impressed by their proliferation that it felt there might have been "a centrally directed campaign of intimidation" Law Group 31 May , Another factor in the BSP victory may be found in Bulgarian history. Bulgaria's Communist Party was the oldest in Europe and that fact, combined with the country's historic closeness to Russia, accounts for much of its acceptance in Bulgaria.

There had never been an independent political tradition in Bulgaria and most of the intelligentsia had either been co-opted by the Communists or destroyed in purges. Nor was there a viable dissident movement. Thus, many people genuinely believed in the idealism of communism. According to one sociologist, until recently "the majority of people saw communism as representing equality, brotherhood, freedom, democracy.

It was a pure concept" Ibid. Sixty percent of university graduates and 40 percent of high school graduates were Party members; 90 percent of lawyers, economists and sociologists were Communists. Despite its overwhelming majority, the BSP determined to form a government of national unity "with a broad power base and comprising well-qualified people" RFE 13 July , 8.