Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0060/00604.txt

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$Unique_ID{COW00604}
$Pretitle{368}
$Title{Bulgaria
Chapter 2C.   World War II}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Eugene K. Keefe//L}
$Affiliation{United States Government}
$Subject{bulgaria
war
bulgarian
soviet
communists
party
union
government
bulgaria's
country}
$Date{1974}
$Log{}
Country:     Bulgaria
Book:        Bulgaria, A Country Study
Author:      Eugene K. Keefe//L
Affiliation: United States Government
Date:        1974

Chapter 2C.   World War II

     Bulgaria's motives for entering World War II were once again based on
irredentism, coupled with almost total economic dependence on Germany. Once
more it hoped to regain the lands of  Thrace and Macedonia, which were lost
after the Treaty of San Stefano was reversed by the Congress of Berlin. The
lesson of the two subsequent Balkan wars and World War I had fallen on deaf
ears. Bulgaria was still estranged from its Balkan neighbors and once more was
being courted by the former ally of World War I, Germany. Germany, again
realizing Bulgaria's territorial aspirations, hoped to bribe the Bulgarian
leadership with southern Dobrudzha, which was eventually ceded to Bulgaria in
1940.

     In December 1941 Bulgaria placed herself squarely on the German side by
declaring war on Great Britain and the United States and joining the
Rome-Berlin Axis. This alignment, which derived primarily from Bulgaria's
irredentist policy, was given further force by dislike of the British, who
were held to blame by the Bulgarians for the loss of Macedonia to Yugoslavia
and Greece.

     Despite the declaration of war against Great Britain and the United
States, Bulgaria refused throughout World War II to declare war on the Soviet
Union. The Russians, unlike the British and Americans, were popular with the
Bulgarian people. They were still remembered for their assistance to the
Bulgarians in the past and were viewed by the people as their liberators from
Turkish rule. Not only did Bulgaria refuse to declare war on its former
liberator, but it also refused to make its army available to Adolf Hitler
for his eastern campaign. When Germany declared war on Russia, Bulgaria
continued to retain neutrality toward, and to maintain diplomatic relations
with, the Soviet Union.

     In the early stages of the war, before Bulgaria had declared war on the
Allies, it had already begun to regain some of the land lost during the Balkan
wars and World War I. Southern Dobrudzha, which had been ceded to Romania in
1913, reverted to Bulgaria by August 1940. In the spring of 1941, supporting
Germany against Yugoslavia and Greece, Bulgaria regained Macedonia and part of
Greek Thrace. When Bulgaria was rewarded with these lands by the Nazis,
Bulgarians perceived their gains as a "historical national unification." By
1941 Yugoslavia was overrun, and some of its territories were taken by Italy,
Hungary, and Bulgaria. Italy received Montenegro, Hungary took part of
northern Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria gained, in addition to the much-prized
Macedonia, the frontiers of southeastern Serbia. The Bulgarians at this point
were once again approaching the frontiers that had been established by the
Treaty of San Stefano.

     Internally, the country was in relatively good condition during the early
stages of the war. The economy, based primarily on active trade with the
Germans, was booming. The Bulgarian people perceived the fighting as
essentially a "paper war" and were generally apathetic regarding their role
in the war. There was little suffering within Bulgarian boundaries and little
expression of hatred toward Bulgaria's ostensible enemies. Despite Bulgaria's
alliance with the Nazis and Fascists, within the country Jews were for the
most part protected rather than persecuted.

     By 1943, however, the war began to change for the Bulgarians. Slowly the
Allies began to turn back German power. At this time Bulgaria was hit
frequently by British and United States air raids. Because of Bulgaria's
strategic significance and its declaration of war, albeit symbolic, against
Great Britain and the United States, Sofia and other major Bulgarian cities
became targets for American and British bombers. Sofia was reduced to little
more than rubble at one point, and over 30,000 casualties were suffered by the
Bulgarians.

     In 1943 Boris died and was succeeded by his six-year-old son, Simeon. In
fact, however, a three-man regency retained power, with Ivan Bagrianov as
premier. The regency was less actively pro-Axis in orientation than was the
late king; with its coming to power, thousands of political prisioners were
released from jail, and all persecution of Jews was terminated.

     By 1944, when Germany and its allies were clearly losing the war, the
Bulgarian leaders sought to reverse the earlier decision of the king and to
seek peace with the Allies as well as with the Greek and Yugoslav
governments-in-exile. Despite sub rosa attempts to release itself from
agreements with the Axis, Bulgaria was unable to extricate itself from the
alliance. On August 22, 1944, the Bulgarian government publicly announced that
it was ready for a peace agreement with the Allies.

     The war was ended for Bulgaria when, on September 4, 1944, the Soviets,
after taking over Romania, entered Bulgaria. The exact sequence of events has
been interpreted differently by various historians. There are, however, two
major interpretations. One suggests that, once the Soviets had occupied
Romania and declared war on Bulgaria, Bulgaria-under a hastily formed
anti-Axis coalition government-immediately quit the pact with the Axis and
declared war on its former ally, Germany. The other interpretation posits the
theory that, on August 26, the Bulgarian government had declared itself
neutral, thus withdrawing from the war. At this time it ordered German troops
on its soil to disarm. When Soviet troops arrived in Bulgaria, they found this
so-called neutrality unacceptable and insisted on a Bulgarian declaration of
war against Germany. This declaration was promptly carried out on the eve of
the day that it was requested.

     When the Soviets occupied the country in September 1944, the government
of the so-called Fatherland Front (Otechestven Front) seized power from the
existing government within five days of the occupation. On September 9, 1944,
the Fatherland Front-under the leadership of Georgiev-officially took control
of the country on what was then termed an interim basis. On October 28, 1944,
an armistice was signed between Bulgaria and the Soviet Union, which stated
that all territories gained by Bulgaria since 1941 would be surrendered. Only
southern Dobrudzha, taken from Romania in 1940, was to be retained. The
agreement also established the Allied Control Commission in Sofia under direct
Soviet control.

     The results of the war for Bulgaria were mixed. In terms of financial
burdens Bulgaria's position was relatively favorable compared with that of
other countries on the losing side. In terms of territorial losses, which
resulted in a legacy of bitterness and continued irredentism, its position was
poor. As Bulgaria had suffered over 30,000 casualties in the war, the Allies
imposed relatively light peace terms. The Soviet Union extracted no
reparations from Bulgaria, despite the fact that reparations were demanded
from Germany, Hungary, and Romania. Yugoslavia also canceled Bulgaria's debts.
Overall war damages to the country itself were generally moderate.

     In terms of losses, however, Bulgaria not only lost most of the
territories it had regained at the beginning of the war but also ultimately
lost its constitutional monarchy and became a Soviet satellite. Although it
was allowed to retain southern Dobrudzha, all the territories that were of
significance to Bulgaria's sense of nationhood were gone. Macedonia reverted
to Yugoslavia, and Thrace to Greece. The Treaty of Paris, signed in February
1947, confirmed Bulgaria's pre-1941 boundaries. Not only had Bulgaria lost
these prized territories, but her sovereignty as a nation was sev