The history of Bulgaria. The “Sixteenth Republic” and its end. Lesson twelve.

All opponents of the new regime were eliminated within a short time, the royal family was expelled from the country, but on the whole the population welcomed the creation of a socialist republic. Varna was even renamed Stalin, and the city got its old name back only 13 years later. Another regional centre was renamed as well – the city of Dobrich was given the name Tolbukhin, and that name was used until 1989. And in 1963 the Bulgarian leadership even expressed a wish to make the country the sixteenth republic of the Soviet Union – the proposal was, however, politely declined.

In the eighties, large-scale reforms were carried out in Bulgaria that involved discrimination against the Turkish population. In particular, mass renamings were carried out, speaking Turkish was banned, the celebration of Muslim holidays was prohibited, and even the wearing of certain items of clothing.

This caused popular unrest and even riots: the instigators were sent to camps, for example to the notorious Belene camp, created specifically for political prisoners.

The reasons for these events are still not entirely clear: the pretext for restricting the rights of Bulgarian Turks was the terrorist attacks in Plovdiv and Varna in 1984, but preparations for the restrictive measures had been under way since the 1970s. There is a theory that in this way the authorities wanted to distract Bulgarians from the worsening economic situation. Soon, shortly before the change of regime in Bulgaria, many Turks were expelled from the country within a short period – some of them returned later, after the fall of Soviet power in Bulgaria.

The end of the people’s republic

When perestroika began in the USSR, reforms ensuring a transition to a free market were also carried out in Bulgaria. At the same time, quite a few organisations appeared in the country whose activities were aimed at overthrowing the regime. And in November 1989 Todor Zhivkov, who at that time was effectively the country’s sole ruler, was removed from office, and in April of the following year amendments were made to the constitution. Ten years later the communist regime in the country was recognised as criminal; today that period is commonly referred to as the totalitarian regime.

By the time the regime changed, the economic situation in Bulgaria had become much more difficult. Moreover, the country was hit hard by the changes in the USSR, since Bulgarian industry was oriented primarily towards cooperation with socialist countries. A hard period began in the life of the country, when enterprises closed and people were left without work and, accordingly, without money.

The resort legacy of socialism

Tourism developed actively in socialist Bulgaria. The authorities improved the old Bulgarian resorts, turning the country into a health resort for all the socialist countries of Eastern Europe. Names that were unpopular in a socialist country were changed in the process; for example, the resort of Saints Constantine and Helena was simply called “Druzhba”.

The Bulgarian party elite had its favourite resorts too. These were closed complexes that a person “off the street” could not enter — the prestigious sanatoriums were intended exclusively for senior officials. Such resorts include the “Sunny Day” complex, located on the territory of the modern resort of St. Constantine and Helena. Today this complex remains elite and closed, but it is now intended not for party functionaries but for anyone with substantial funds.

In 1965 a decree was adopted on the development of tourism in Bulgaria. It began with the construction of the resort of Albena between Varna and Balchik. Near the wide Bulgarian beaches, pioneer camps, holiday homes and sanatoriums, restaurants and cafés, various discos and sports facilities were built – that is, everything needed for a holiday. At the same time the development was not excessive; room remained for shady parks and quiet alleys.

Veliki Preslav — the second capital of Bulgaria

A landmark of Bulgaria – the Lovech Fortress

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