Ottoman rule lasted nearly five centuries

Ottoman rule lasted nearly five centuries, impeding the development of the country. The Bulgarian people several times rose up against the oppressors, but their struggles were all drowned in blood. The period of Bulgaria’s National Revival, which set in during the 18th century, coincided with the stepping up of the national-liberation struggle. The monk Paissi of Hilendar is considered the forefather of the Bulgarian National Revival; in 1762 he wrote a Slav-Bulgarian History, which played an exceedingly important role in awakening the Bulgarian people’s national feeling. In the struggle for national liberation the figures of Georgi Rakovski, Lyuben Karavelov, Vassil Levski, Hristo Botev, etc., stand out. After the brutal crushing of the April 1876 Uprising, Russia declared war on Turkey and this war brought the freedom of the Bulgarian people. With the San Stefano treaty between Russia and Turkey on March 3, 1878, Bulgaria became a free state.

The Third Bulgarian State comprises a brief historical period of a little more than five decades, but very important developments took place in the country in that time. At the end of the 19th century Bulgaria embarked on the capitalist road of development. A socialist movement made its appearance in the country, and the Bulgarian Communist Party and the Agrarian Party were founded. In the period between 1912 and 1918 Bulgaria took part in the Balkan Wars and in the First World War. After the legislative elections in 1920, an agrarian government came to power headed by Alexander Stamboliiski. But his rule did not last long. On June 9, 1923 a military fascist coup was perpetrated. In September 1923, under the leadership of the Communist Party, the first anti-fascist uprising in the world broke out in the country.

It was defeated, however, and more than 30,000 loyal sons and daughters of the people were killed by the fascists. The period between 1924 and 1941 was marked by acute political struggles. The king, who had set up a personal dictatorship, in 1941 gave his consent for the nazi forces to invade the country. The armed struggle which was waged from 1941 to 1944 by the Bulgarian people under the leadership of the Bulgarian Communist Party was crowned with the people’s victory of September 9 daily ephesus tours, 1944, thanks to the decisive assistance of the Soviet Army, which was victoriously marching westward. After a referendum, held in 1946, Bulgaria was proclaimed a People’s Republic.

The Bulgarian Communist Party

A new Constitution was adopted by a referendum on May 16, 1971, replacing that of 1947. According to the new constitution, the People’s Republic of Bulgaria is a socialist state of the working people of town and country. The Bulgarian Communist Party is the leading force in the country. In the People’s Republic of Bulgaria power stems from the people and belongs to the people. Every Bulgarian citizen over the age of 18 has the right to elect and to be elected. The supreme representative body of state power is the National Assembly which is constituted for a period of four years. It issues laws, adopts the state budget, approves the economic plans, approves and releases the government, the Supreme Court and the Chief Public Prosecutor. The State Council is a supreme permanent operative organ of the National Assembly, uniting the legislative and executive power in the state, controlling the fulfilment of the decisions of the National Assembly, the activity of the Council of Ministers and other state bodies. It consists of a president, vice-presidents and members – national representatives. The local people’s councils are also elective organs of state power. In the country there are 28 districts, in which power is vested in the district people’s councils. The basic administrative unit in Bulgaria is the municipality, headed by a municipal (town or village) people’s council. The highest executive organ of state government is the Council of Ministers.

In Bulgaria there are two political parties: the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP) – with a membership of 700,000 – the universally acknowledged leading force in the country, and the Bulgarian Agrarian Party (BAP) – with a membership of 120,000.The largest mass political organization is the Fatherland Front. Besides it, there are the trade unions, the Dimitrov Young Communist League, as well as women’s, sports and other organizations,

Economically Bulgaria is an industrial and agricultural country with a highly developed industry and a streamlined system of cooperative farming. Hundreds of plants have been built in the various towns. Particularly great attention is devoted to engineering and to the chemical industry products of the ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, to power production, to the light and food and beverage industries.