Political and Economic Changes In Bulgaria
Over the course of the past two months, January and February 1997,
Bulgaria has undergone some sweeping political changes and its economy has deteriorated into further collapse. The following is an attempt to describe the events which took place in Bulgaria in January and February of 1997. This is somewhat of a difficult task given the current rate of political, economical and social changes which are occurring in Bulgaria. What follows is an account of the events which have taken place in Bulgaria over the last two months i.e.
January and February of 1997, subject to the news material which was available to me and to the time constraints of this project.
Bulgaria's economic crisis exploded into popular outrage at the beginning of January 1997, when previously quiescent Bulgarians poured into the streets to demand that the governing BSP, leave power now rather than when their four-year term expires at the end of 1998.
After a month of mostly peaceful daily protests that paralysed Sofia and brought much of the country's business to a halt, the Socialists, who lack the kind of fiercely loyal police and media that have sustained President Slobodan
Milosevic in neighbouring Serbia, submitted to the protesters demands on
Wednesday, February 5th 1997. They agreed to hand over power to a caretaker government until new elections in mid-April, which they are unlikely to win, when recent polls conclude that only 10% of the population currently support the
BSP. "We'd better celebrate now, because we have very hard days ahead," said
Ivan Kostov, leader of the opposition United Democratic Forces. ( Source : OMRI
Daily Digest, 18th February 1997. ).
The newly elected Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov named an interim cabinet headed by Sofia Mayor Stefan Sofianski to oversee the country and its collapsing economy until a new parliament is chosen in general elections scheduled for April 19. The appointment means that the mass protests forced the leaders of the Socialist majority in parliament to agree to a new ballot 20 months before the end of their elective term. Sofianski's caretaker cabinet includes strong critics of the BSP and has announced it will abolish the economic development portfolio created by them.
This new caretaker government has already begun to dismantle the large number of government Ministries which were set up by the former Communists, the
BSP. Literally thousands of Civil Servants are being made redundant, as the caretaker government attempts to pave the way for Administrative Reform in both the Central and Local Governments of Bulgaria.
Just before this project went to press, on Thursday, the 27th of
...t, John Pearce; Kaufman, Richard F. (1995), East-Central European Economies in Transition, M.E. Sharpe, ISBN 1-56324-612-013. The Aftermath of the Second World War." The Aftermath of the Second World War. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
Sell, Louis. Problems Of Post-Communism. 1999. ""Slobodan Milosevic." ." Academic Search Premier,, November : 6: 12.
Europe being on the brink of change at the turn of the 20th century is
...e State of Democracy 20 Years on: Domestic and External Factors’, Eastern European Politics and Societies, 27(1), 2013, 3-25
The Eastern European country chosen for discussion is Belarus. This paper will first discuss the transition from communism based on the experience of living under communist rule. Second, the significant historical factors from 1920-1991 that led to the fall of communism will be given and traced as to how they affected the process of the transition. Finally, the choices made by Belarus during and after the transition period will be traced back to historical and transitional factors that influenced them. Inarguable evidence will be noted throughout the paper to prove the need for transition from communism and the problems with the transition. The country of Belarus is still in transition. How do they compare? Most if not all of the other former Soviet Republics have reached a post-transition status.
Yugoslavia was a very diverse, ethnic, and peaceful place under communist rule ("Genocide in Bosnia--1992-1995"). For 40 years it stayed this way ("Genocide in Bosnia--1992-1995"). Provinces declared...
Historically, Russia’s relationship with the West has been shaky at best. From the Crimean War in the 1850’s to alienation following the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution all the way up to the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has been “under attack.” This has forced them to adopt a mentality that is based in self sufficiency and autarky. As Western nations attempt to strengthen democracy in Russia in the 21st century, Russia has responded negatively to these perceived “intrusions.” Therefore it is important to ask what role the West should play in Russia’s development and what is hindering this from happening? In her book Russia: Lost in Transition, Lilia Shevtsova outlines two different ways the West can approach development with Russia: let them figure it out themselves or patiently create an international environment that the Russians feel comfortable in. Shevtsova clearly favors the latter. The West’s involvement is hindered however by double standards, ideological differences, and negative perceptions of the West’s motives by the Russian people. These must first be analyzed before showing how a cautious, assertive approach is the best way for the West to assist in Russian development.
...osnia and Kosovo. The Journal of Social, Political and Economic Studies v. 25,( 2000): p. 489-510
The last two decades of the twentieth century gave rise to turbulent times for constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, eventually leading them to split apart. There were a number of damaging aspects of past history and of the political and economic circumstances that contributed to the breakup and eventually caused the situation to snowball into a deadly series of inter-ethnic conflicts. Yugoslavia was reunified at the end of the war when the communist forces of Josip Broz Tito liberated the country. Under Tito, Yugoslavia adopted a relatively liberal form of government in comparison to other East European communist states at the time and experienced a period of relative economic and political stability until Tito’s death in 1980. In addition to internal power struggles following the loss of their longtime leader, Yugoslavia faced an unprecedented economic crisis in the 1980’s. As other communist states began to fall in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, some former Communist leaders abandoned communism and founded or supported ethno-national parties, blaming the economic suffering on the flaws of communism and other ethnic groups. The ethnic violence that followed would not have been possible without the willingness of politicians from every side to promote ethno-nationalist symbols and myths through media blitzes, which were especially effective due to low levels of education in the former Yugoslavia. Shadows of the events of World War II gave these politicians, especially the Serbs, an opportunity to encourage the discussion and exaggeration of past atrocities later in the century. The ethnic violence in the former Yugoslavia can be traced back to a series of linked damaging factors such as the de...
Aleksov, B. (2011). Croatia since Independence: War, Politics, Society, Foreign Relations/Croatia after Tuđman: Encounters with the Consequences of Conflict and Authoritarianism. Europe-Asia Studies. Slavonic & East European Review, 89(4), 782-785.
Historically, Russia has repeatedly relied on rapid and drastic reforms to catch up to the modern Western world. Sometimes these reforms were successful, and sometimes they failed. Peter the Great’s reign is an example of successful reform, while Alexander II’s is an example of failed reform. The success of Peter’s reforms led to Russia’s rise as an imperial power, and player on the international stage, especially in Eastern Europe. On the other hand, the failure of Alexander II’s reforms eventually led to Tsarist Russia’s collapse, and the rise of the Soviet Union. Clearly, Russian reforms had an impact on world history, and must be studied as a result. This paper will seek to explain why Alexander II’s reforms failed. This will be done
The Status of Women in the Work Force After the Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe
Food shortages, high inflation rates, protest, and violence: one sees these headlines in a Google search of Venezuela today. All around the country, there are long lines to buy simple necessities, like bread and milk. High inflation rates lead to shortages of food supplies, which increase frustration leading to protests in the streets and, sadly, an increase of violence. The protests and violence result from the inability of Venezuelans to provide the most basic human needs for their families. Sky-rocketing inflation rates in Venezuela are the result of Hugo Chavez, the former socialist and revolutionary leader of the country, and his administration. While in power, Chavez was so consumed with fixing the social issues in Venezuela, that other aspects of the country were ignored – like the economy. In 2014, Venezuela is left with a destroyed economy, angry people, and a government that is trying to fix the many issues the country currently faces; although the government is committed to finding solutions, the people of Venezuela do not feel the government is fixing the problems fast enough.
As a result, with the passing of the years Chavez created an atmosphere of division, violence and unrest within the population. Thus, created a marked difference between the supporters and opponents of his policies, a situation that President Hugo Chavez took advantage of for his own purposes, deploying a communist regime disguised as a socialist. In other words, Chavez tricked Venezuela’s people, offering the establishment of a socialism that was nothing more than a dictatorship adapted to their own purposes, becoming the most recognized leader of the left worldwide. Throughout the fourteen years that he remained in power, Chávez followed a strategy of introducing a socialist government in Venezuela in stages. According to Enrique Standish in the article titled “Venezuela Finally Turns Communist” it happened in four stages.
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