Bulgaria: “Tomorrow They Will Leave”

On Monday, October 5, we continue our series of sessions dedicated to the history of resistance movements in the countries of the socialist bloc.

This session will focus on the history of Bulgaria, exploring both the tragedies and achievements of its protest movement:

• The Bulgarian Communist Party (BKP) becomes the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). Nikola Geshev’s grim prophecy: “Even fifty years from now, I will still be ruling.”
• The fall of Todor Zhivkov: party intrigue and popular mobilization.
• When a country rises: the removal of Petar Mladenov.
• Dissident president Zhelyu Zhelev: “Communism is more terrifying than fascism.”
• Iliya Minev: “What good have you done for Bulgaria today?”
• 1990: the beginning of reforms.
• Dimitar Popov: “Brothers, don’t buy anything!”
• 1991: dismantling the communist regime.
• Filip Dimitrov: “Little by little, but forever!”
• The chaos and transition of the 1990s.
• Stabilization and the move toward Europe in the 2000s.
• Boyko Borisov: the phenomenon and the era.
• The mafia and immortality.
• The turbulence and political crises of the current five-year period.
• A free generation: on the threshold of change.

Join us to explore the history of resistance in Bulgaria in greater depth.

The session will be led by Vadim Lifshits — journalist, historian, and participant in the dissident movement in the USSR.