1944 Bulgarian coup d'état

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1944 Bulgarian coup d'état
Деветосептемврийски преврат
Part of World War II

NOVA partisans entering Plovdiv, 9 September 1944
Date9 September 1944
Location
Kingdom of Bulgaria
Result Fatherland Front victory
Belligerents

 Bulgaria

Supported by:
 Germany

Fatherland Front

Supported by:
 Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Kingdom of Bulgaria Prince Kiril  Executed
Kingdom of Bulgaria Bogdan Filov  Executed
Kingdom of Bulgaria Nikola Mihov Executed
Kingdom of Bulgaria Konstantin Muraviev		 Georgi Dimitrov
Vasil Kolarov
Kimon Georgiev
Ivan Marinov [bg]
Damyan Velchev

The 1944 Bulgarian coup d'état, also known as the 9 September coup d'état (Bulgarian: Деветосептемврийски преврат, romanized: Devetoseptemvriyski prevrat), was a coup that overthrew the government of Kingdom of Bulgaria carried out on the eve of 9 September 1944. During the People's Republic of Bulgaria it was called using the propaganda term People's Uprising of 9 September – on the grounds of the broad unrest and Socialist Revolution – as it was a turning point politically and the beginning of radical reforms towards Soviet-style socialism.[1]

In brief

Bulgaria was in a precarious situation, still in the sphere of

Fatherland Front (FF) forces (without Red Army help) in Varna, Burgas
, etc.

The coup d'état was organized by the Fatherland Front political coalition (led by the

Bulgarian Army and the Bulgarian partisan forces of the People's Liberation Insurgent Army
(Народоосвободителна въстаническа армия, НОВА; Narodoosvoboditelna vastanicheska armiya, NOVA).

As a direct result the legal government of

People's Republic
.

Background

On 26 August 1944, the government of

Bulgarian Workers' Party
(BWP) proclaimed the assumption of power by means of a popular uprising to be its official task.

A government of the

guerrilla actions of the partisans did not cease, the alliance with Nazi Germany was not disbanded and no attempts were made to normalize the relations with Moscow
, forcing the Soviet Union to treat the new government with suspicion. On 5 September 1944, the Soviet Union declared war on Bulgaria.

The Central Committee of the BWP and the general staff of the People's Liberation Revolt Army commenced, on 5 September, planning of a coup d'état. The plan was further detailed on 8 September. According to the plan, the coordinated actions of the partisans, the BWP combat groups and the pro-Fatherland Front army detachments would assume power and effective control of government during the night of 9 September. The stated goal of the coup d'état was the "overthrowing of the fascist authorities and the establishment of popular-democratic power of the Fatherland Front".

Unrest began all around Bulgaria on 6 September and 7 September, with the strikes of the Pernik miners and the Sofia tram employees, as well as the general strikes in Plovdiv and Gabrovo. The prisons in Pleven, Varna and Sliven had their political prisoners released; 170 localities were entered by partisan detachments between 6 September and 8 September. In many cities and villages, the strikes and meetings grew into armed clashes with the police, with victims on both sides. On 8 September,[2] the Red Army entered Bulgaria meeting with no opposition on the order of the new Bulgarian government.

Coup d'état

On the eve of 9 September, army units together with Fatherland Front detachments captured key locations in Sofia, such as the

railway station. Early in the morning, the new Prime Minister
Kimon Georgiev informed the people on the radio of the shuffle:

With the complete awareness that it is a true and full voice of the popular will, the Fatherland Front assumes in that fateful hour and difficult conditions the government of the country in order to save it from destruction.

On 9 September, on the order of the

antifascists
seized the artillery barracks on 12 September, but suffered many casualties, as the negotiations with the commanding officers failed to reach a compromise.

As of 9 September, the Red Army had not reached Sofia but remained in northeastern Bulgaria, as the Bulgarian communists were capable of assuming power without any aid.

New government

The Fatherland Front government included representatives of the BWP, BANU "Pladne", the

Nikola Mihov, were executed in February. On 8 September 1946, a referendum about the further destiny of the monarchy was held. Based on the results of the referendum, Bulgaria was declared People's Republic
on 15 September 1946.

Aftermath

Vienna Offensive

After 9 September 1944, the

Bulgarian Army joined the Third Ukrainian Front and contributed to the defeat of Nazism in Europe, helping drive out the Germans from much of Yugoslavia and Hungary, reaching as far as Klagenfurt in Austria by April 1945. Although Bulgaria was not recognized as a true member of the Allies, it still managed to retain Southern Dobruja which it had acquired in 1940 per the Treaty of Craiova
.

The government of Kimon Georgiev established in December 1944 the People's Court according to the international obligation of Bulgaria to condemn the persons (ministers, etc.) guilty for World War II. It became one of the main propellers of the wave of terror in the country. Between 10,000 and 40,000 people were killed or missing in just the first four months after the communist regime overtook Bulgaria.

Bulgarian communists (their Workers' Party renamed to Communist Party) consolidated their leading role in the Fatherland Front coalition, reduced its members from 5 to 2 political parties (together with the Agrarian Union) and led the country consecutively and gradually on the pathway to socialism (after the Soviet model).

The Tarnovo Constitution was overthrown and replaced in 1947 by the new pro-communist republican Dimitrov Constitution[3] after the successful republic referendum in 1946.

See also

References

  1. S2CID 239730738
    . Retrieved 7 May 2023 – via brill.com.
  2. ^ History of Bulgaria, Petar Delev et al., 2001, p. 364
  3. ^ Konstantinov, Emil. Constitutional Foundation of Bulgaria (Historical Parallels) Archived 2016-04-01 at the Wayback Machine. Rigas Network, 2002.
  • Делев, Петър; et al. (2006). "51. България в годините на Втората световна война, 52. Преходният период на "народната демокрация" – 1944–1947 г.". История и цивилизация за 11 клас (in Bulgarian). Труд, Сирма.
  • "Социализъм. Натрапените мечти за "идеален строй"". Българите и България (in Bulgarian). Министерство на външните работи, Труд, Сирма. 2005.
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