By this treaty a Bulgarian state was established on the lands of the Balkan peninsula inhabited by a predominantly Bulgarian population. Under the Treaty of Berlin, however, the countify was torn into three: the area from the Timok to the Black Sea and around Sofia formed the Principality of Bulgaria; Southern Bulgaria became Eastern Roumelia under the direct military and political rule of the Sultan and the rest remained under Turkish rule. The Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Roumelia were united in 1885 after a revolutionary uprising.
The development of ties with capitalist countries and the growth of the working class gave rise to socialist political consciousness. In 1891, the Bulgarian Social Democratic Party was founded which later became the Bulgarian Communist Party. The Bulgarian Agrarian Union was set up in 1899.
During 1912-1918 Bulgaria took part in the Balkan Wars and in World War I. Following parliamentary elections, an Agrarian government led by Alexander Stamboliiski came to power. It did not last very Jong. A military fascist coup d’etat was carried out on 9th June 1923 and in September 1923 the world’s first anti-fascist uprising broke out and was led by the Communist Party of Bulgaria. It was brutally suppressed. The period between 1924-1941 was marked by acute Glass and political struggles city tours istanbul. In 1941, the establishment consented to the Nazi forces entry into Bulgaria. Following Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, the Bulgarian Popular Front formed a resistance movement. Victory was achieved on 9th September 1944 with the assistance of the Soviet Army. In 1946, a referendum proclaimed Bulgaria a People’s Republic and a period of accelerated economic and cultural development ensued. The People’s Republic of Bulgaria is a socialist state governed by representatives of the working people, headed by the working class. The National Assembly is the supreme body of state power and the sole legislative body. It has 400 national representatives, elected for a term of five years.
Economy
Economy — Great changes have occurred over the last four decades: from a backward agricultural country with poorly developed industry, Bulgaria has become a modem industrial and agricultural state. Before World War II the ratio between industry and agriculture was 25:75, whilst in 1975 it had grown to 83:17. New industries have been developed which were non-existent in old Bulgaria: machine-building, metallurgy, chemical industry and power generation. The country’s national income has shown a 13-fold increase in the last 40 years, with industry accountmg for some 57%, closely followed by agriculture, construction and trade.
Industry A prominent feature of the country’s economic development is Its industrialization. Production in machine-building, chemical, metallurgical industries and power generation have grown at enormous rates. Bulgarian electric trucks, hoists, electronic calculators and automatic equipment have world-wide recognition. Vessels built by Bulgarian shipyards are sold to countries which themselves have also developed dynamically together with the chemical industry, petrochemical industry, plastics, artificial fertilizers and the pharmaceutical industry. Power generation is key to the country’s development; in 1939 the production was 266 million kwh whilst in 1983 it reached 4,300 million kwh. Numerous thermal and hydroelectric power stations have been built over the years and are now complemented by a nuclear power station in the whole of the Balkan peninsula.
Lilyana Andonova 