Papers of BAS

Papers of BAS. Humanities and Social Sciences

Vol. 9, 2022, No. 2

Was there a fascist regime in Bulgaria?

Statement of Bulgarian historians

In the statement, 22 leading Bulgarian scholars recall the historical facts and point out that in the period before the Second World War:

1. No leading fascist party was created in Bulgaria with the capability of claiming political power. Although certain fascist formations numbered several tens of thousands of members, their election results were deplorable. The only exception was the National Social Movement (NSD), the party of Aleksandar Tsankov. However, the NSD was formed on the basis of the party masses and the structures of a certain fraction of the ruling party during the period 1923-1931 (Democratic Alliance).

2. Fascism never came to power in Bulgaria. Fascist organizations did not participate in the government of the country during the entire period from the 1920s to the autumn of 1944. The regime established after 1934 was not led by a fascist party, it did not emit a fascist leader. Moreover, it was in opposition to the fascist organizations.

3. The regime had no fascist ideology. Strangely enough, the regime did not create a systematized ideology at all.

4. The rule of the country from 1934 to 1944 was authoritarian, but not fascist. For the entire decade of its existence, the political regime remained entirely non-partisan (typologized, according to the criteria introduced by H. Linz as authoritarian).

Scholars supporting the statement:

Daniel Vatchkov - Institute for Historical Studies at Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS)

Nikolay Poppetrov - Institute for Historical Studies at BAS

Svetoslav Zhivkov - Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”

Georgi Georgiev - Institute for Historical Studies at BAS

Vesselin Yanchev - Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”

Naoum Kaytchev - Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”

Iliyana Marcheva - Institute for Historical Studies at BAS

Ivan Ilchev - Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”

Lachezar Stoyanov - New Bulgarian University

Angel Dimitrov - Institute for Historical Studies at BAS

Rositsa Lelyova - Institute for Historical Studies at BAS

Momchil Metodiev - New Bulgarian University

Vladimir Stanev - Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”

Ivaylo Znepolski - Institute for Studies of the Recent Past

Rumyana Chukova - Institute for Historical Studies at BAS

Milko Palangurski - St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo

Angel Dzhonev - Institute for Historical Studies at BAS

Rositsa Stoyanova - Institute for Historical Studies at BAS

Vladimir Zlatarski - Institute for Historical Studies at BAS

Dimitar Gyudurov - New Bulgarian University

Petar Stoyanovich - Institute for Historical Studies at BAS

Aleksandar Grebenarov - Institute for Historical Studies at BAS