A Concise History of Bulgaria | R. J. Crampton

R.J. Crampton’s A Concise History of Bulgaria has been widely acclaimed as the best short treatment of the subject available today.

This book traces the history of the Bulgarian land and people from pre-history to contemporary times, passing thorough the first and second Bulgarian kingdoms, five centuries of Ottoman rule, national revival and liberation, Bulgaria under the monarchy, the years of Communist rule, and the challenges of post-Communist reform. It is particularly rich in coverage of the 20th century, which is the author’s specialty.

The 2nd edition includes updated analysis of post-Communist Bulgaria bringing events up to date as of 2004. Illustrations, maps and text charts add to the appeal and utility of the book.

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A Concise History of Bulgaria

Table of Contents

List of illustrations
Preface
Preface to the second edition
Note on transliteration

1 THE BULGARIAN LANDS FROM PREHISTORY TO THE ARRIVAL OF THE BULGARIANS

2 MEDIAEVAL BULGARIA (681–1393)

Bulgaria under the Khans (681–852)
The reign of Boris I (852–888) and the conversion to Christianity
The reign of Simeon the Great (893–927)
The end of the first empire (896–1018)
Bulgaria under Byzantine rule (1018–1185)
The second Bulgarian empire (1185–1393)

3 OTTOMAN RULE IN THE BULGARIAN LANDS

Ottoman society and administration
The Bulgarian population under Ottoman rule
The Bulgarian church under Ottoman rule
Protest against Ottoman power
The decline of the Ottoman empire

4 THE NATIONAL REVIVAL AND THE LIBERATION

The Awakeners
Economic, social and political change in the Ottoman empire
The background to the Bulgarian cultural revival
The cultural revival: education, literacy and literature
The struggle for a separate Bulgarian church
The struggle for political independence and the liberation of 1878

5 THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE BULGARIAN STATE (1878–1896)

The Constituent Assembly and the Turnovo constitution
Constitutional conflicts (1879–1883)
The national question and union with Rumelia (1884–1885)
The war with Serbia and the deposition of Alexander Battenberg (1885–1886)
The regency and the election of Prince Ferdinand (1886–1887)
The Stambolovshtina (1887–1894)
The recognition of Prince Ferdinand
Ethnic and social change after the liberation

6 FERDINAND’S PERSONAL RULE (1896–1918)

Stoilov’s programme for modernisation
The establishment of Ferdinand’s personal rule
Social crisis and the emergence of the agrarian movement (1895–1908)
The Macedonian crisis and the declaration of independence (1900–1908)
Balkan diplomacy and the Balkan wars (1908–1913)
Bulgaria and the first world war

7 BULGARIA (1918–1944)

The peace settlement of 1919
Agrarian rule (1919–1923)
The Rule of the Democratic Alliance (1923–1931)
The rule of the devetnaiseti May 1934–January 1935
The personal rule of King Boris (1934–1941)
Bulgaria and the second world war (1941–1944)

8 BULGARIA UNDER COMMUNIST RULE (1944–1989)

The communist takeover (1944–1947)
Destalinisation and the rise of Todor Zhivkov (1953–1965)
The zhivkovshtina (1965–1981)
The decline and fall of Todor Zhivkov (1981–1989)

9 POST- COMMUNIST BULGARIA

Part 1 Incomplete transition (1989–1997)
Dismantling the apparatus of totalitarianism, November 1989–December 1990
Constructing the apparatus of democracy, December 1990–October 1991
The UDF government, October 1991–October 1992
The Berov government, December 1992–September 1994
The failure of economic reform, 1989–1994
The Videnov government and the catastrophe of 1996

Part 11 Real transition, 1997–2004
The Kostov government and the attainment of stability, April 1997–June 2001
The government of ‘the king’; the road to the EU and NATO

CONCLUSION

Appendix 1 Bulgarian monarchs
Appendix 2 Prime ministers of Bulgaria (1879–2004)
Suggestions for further reading
Index