Bulgaria - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Bulgaria

Bulgarian History and Ethnic Divisions

Capital: Sofia

Life Expect.: 68 yrs.

Growth rate: -1.14%

Religions: 85% Orthodox., 13% Muslim, 2% Others

Ethnic Makeup: 85% Bulgarian, 9% Turkish, 6% Roma,Macedonian, Russian, Armenian, Others.

Independence (modern): 1908

• Bulgaria is hundreds of years old
• Recognized as state in 681 A.D.
• Made up of Slavic and Central Asian peoples
• “Bulgar” means one of mixed nationality in Old Turkic language

• 1453 – Ottoman Turks rule country, better part of Balkans
• Next 425 years under control of Ottoman Empire

• Late 19th Century rebellion against Ottomans
• Fight and win independence, 1908
• Gain and then lose territory in Macedonia and Thrace through the Treaty of San Stefano and the Treaty of Berlin

• Bad Decisions:
• Leaders sided with losers in WWI and WWII
• Greatly weakened economy
• Becomes satellite state of USSR, becomes Communist
• Only Warsaw pact member that was Slavic and Orthodox, more support for USSR

• Ruled by Communist leaders up until 1991
• 1991 – People elect Democratic leader
• Under democracy:
• Still high unemployment, environmental problems from Communist leadership (command econ., industrial emphasis)

• Bulgarians/Orthodox vs. Turks/Muslims?
• Review of ethnic history and cleansing within Bulgaria
• Current situations

• 4th - 10th centuries
• Independence tolerated under Byzantine Empire
• 15th century – Ottoman Rule

• Many Bulgarians flourish under highly organized Ottoman Empire rule
• People in rural areas remembered the “old ways” and retained a sense of national Bulgarian pride

Shows anarchy within state, Bulgaria is beginning to slip from Ottoman grasp

• Mid – 17th century
• Ottoman Empire slowly declines
• Power shift within Empire – goes from central, organized and benevolent to regional control over many areas
• Regional dictators much less kind than central powers

• Increased hatred for Turks among Bulgarians
• Nationalistic feelings aroused by poor treatment
• Kurdzhaliistvo – anarchy spreads throughout many parts of Bulgaria
• Peasants flee to neighboring countries (Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, etc.)

• 1878 – Bulgarians in nearby countries and within Bulgaria try to overthrow of Ottoman rulers
• Revolts unorganized – crushed
• More than 30,000 Bulgarians killed

• Slaughter draws attention of int’l community
• Russian declares war on Ottoman Empire
• Russia wins, frees Bulgaria from Ottoman rule
• 1908 official date of independence

• Statement by Edmund Burke, British Vice Consul in Plovdiv at roughly turn of 19th century:
• “The Russian gov’t allows the Christians to take the law into their own hand and to visit the Turkish Community at large with present and indiscrim-inate bloodshed, rapine and pilage…the evil state of things now prevailing is of an incomparably more widespread, harsh, and barbarous type that which it is manifestl intended as a set off.”

• Overcompensation visited upon Turks?
• Bulgaria now defines border in terms of religion and language
• Turks treated as outsiders
• Pomaks – these are Bulgarian-speaking Muslims who are treated less harshly than Turks, yet are still discriminated against

• Oppression and cleansing of Turks lasted many years
• Attempt to rid country of stupid and backward (feeling of many Bulgarian and Greek people) remnants of Ottoman Empire
• Bulgaria becomes a Soviet Communist satellite state in 1945

• 1986 – Todor Zhivkov, last Communist leader, passes law stating that all Turks within Bulgaria must change names to Bulgarian sounding names
• Many refused – chased to Turkey, possessions confiscated, some even killed
• One famous of these relocated people was…

• Naim Suleymanoglu aka: ”Pocket Hercules”
• Trained as Bulgarian lifter, was a Turk, so left in 1987
• Turkey paid $1mil. in order for him to lift for them
• Gold medals in ’88, ’92 and ’96 Olympic Games

• 1991 – Bulgarians elect Democratic leader
• New ethnic ideals?
• Not really. Many nationalists still in the country.
• Attempted compensation for Bulgarian Turks results in huge protests, violence
• Positive: Bulg. Turks now have their own political party, gaining power in Parliament and voting

• Bulgarian Turks
• Have ~40% unemployment
• Mostly have middle-low class jobs
• Tend to live more in rural areas, not as many in the cities but have presence in some cities
• Scattered throughout country

• Stability, no outward aggressions
• Affects of siding with U.S. in Iraq war?
• Long term stability? E.U. – 2007 (possible), NATO - 2004 memberships
• Only time will tell…