1940s in Bulgaria explained

The 1940s in the Kingdom of Bulgaria (until 1946) and the People's Republic of Bulgaria (from 1946).

Incumbents

Kingdom of Bulgaria

• Tsar of Bulgaria:
  • Boris III (1918–1943)
  • Simeon II (1943–1946)
• Regent:
  • Kiril, Prince of Preslav (1943–1944)
  • Bogdan Filov (1943–1944)
  • Nikola Mihov (1943–1944)
  • Todor Pavlov (1944–1946)
  • Venelin Ganev (1944–1946)
  • Tsvetko Boboshevski (1944–1946)
• Prime Minister of Bulgaria:
  • Georgi Kyoseivanov (1935–1940)
  • Bogdan Filiov (1940–1943)
  • Petar Gabrovski (acting, 1943)
  • Dobri Bozhilov (1943–1944)
  • Ivan Bagrianov (1944)
  • Konstantin Muraviev (1944)
  • Kimon Georgiev (1944–1946)

People's Republic of Bulgaria

• General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party:
  • Georgi Dimitrov (1948–1949)
  • Valko Chervenkov (1949–1954)
• Chairman of the Provisional Presidency: Vasil Kolarov (1946–1947)
• Chairman of the Presidium: Mincho Neychev (1947–1950)
• Prime Minister of Bulgaria:
  • Kimon Georgiev (1946)
  • Georgi Dimitrov (1946–1949)
  • Vasil Kolarov (1949–1950)

Events

1940

• 7 September – Bulgaria regained control of Southern Dobruja under the Treaty of Craiova.^[1]
• 14 December – Shipwreck of the Salvador, a ship carrying Jewish refugees to Palestine, in the Sea of Marmara. 230 of the 326 passengers died in the wreck.^[2]
• 24 December – The Law for the Protection of the Nation, an anti-Jewish racial law which included banning Jews from having Bulgarian citizenship, was ratified.

1941

• March 1 – Bulgaria joined the Axis.^[3]

1942

• June 5 – The United States declared war on Bulgaria following the latter's joined of the Axis bloc the previous year.^[4]

1943

• December 10 – The allies conduct bombing raids over Sofia.^[5]

1944

• August 26 – Bulgaria officially withdraws from World War II.^[6]
• September 8 - Soviet forces cross the border. They occupy the north-eastern part of Bulgaria along with the key port cities of Varna and Burgas by the next day. By order of the government, the Bulgarian Army offers no resistance.^{[7] [8] [9]}

1945

• 18 November – Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria.^[10]
• 21 July – The University of Ruse was founded.

1946

• 8 September – A referendum was held in Bulgaria on whether to become a republic. The result were unanimously in favour of the change, with 95.6% supporting and with 91.7% voter turnout.^{[11] [12] [13]}
• 31 December – The 1946 Bulgarian census.^[14]

1947

• Bulgaria's second constitution, the Dimitrov Constitution, came into effect. It was later replaced by the Zhivkov Constitution in 1971.^{[15] [16]}

1948

• 6 January – Balkantourist (the oldest still running Bulgarian tour operator) is established.^{[17] [18]}

1949

• 18 December – Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria.^[19]

Births

• 1940
  • 2 July – Georgi Ivan Ivanov, first Bulgarian in space.^[20]
  • 8 December – Alexander Yossifov, composer and conductor.^[21]

Deaths

• 1940
  • 23 March – Dimitar Stanchov, 15th Prime Minister of Bulgaria (b. 1863)^[22]
  • 10 September – Nikola Ivanov, Bulgarian general (b. 1861)^[23]
  • 23 December – Mariyka Popova, actress (b. 1866).

See also

• Bulgaria during World War II
• History of Bulgaria
• Timeline of Bulgarian history

Notes and References

1. Web site: World War II – The Balkan campaigns Britannica . 2023-02-22 . www.britannica.com . en.
2. Web site: 2017-03-19 . Contrasting Destinies : The Plight of Bulgarian Jews and the Jews in Bulgarian-occupied Greek and Yugoslav Territories during World War Two Sciences Po Mass Violence and Resistance – Research Network . 2023-02-22 . www.sciencespo.fr . en.
3. Web site: Timeline Bulgaria . 2020-07-08 . www.timelines.ws.
4. Web site: Timeline Bulgaria . 2020-07-08 . www.timelines.ws.
5. Web site: Timeline Bulgaria . 2020-07-08 . www.timelines.ws.
6. Web site: Timeline Bulgaria . 2020-07-08 . www.timelines.ws.
7. R. J. Crampton. A Concise History of Bulgaria. Cambridge University Press, 1997. p. 181
8. Marietta Stankova. Bulgaria in British Foreign Policy, 1943–1949. Anthem Press, 2015. pp. 63-64
9. Robert Bideleux, Ian Jeffries. The Balkans: A Post-Communist History. Routledge, 2007. p. 84
10. [Dieter Nohlen]
11. [Dieter Nohlen]
12. Nohlen & Stöver, p375
13. Nohlen & Stöver, p355
14. Web site: "Population by place of residence, sex and ethnic group" .
15. Web site: 2016-04-01 . CONSTITUTIONAL FOUNDATION IN BULGARIA . https://web.archive.org/web/20160401040356/http://www.cecl.gr/RigasNetwork/databank/REPORTS/r1/Bu_R1_konstantinov.htm . 2016-04-01 . 2020-07-07.
16. Web site: Bulgaria – The early communist era . 2020-07-07 . Encyclopedia Britannica . en.
17. Web site: MyHoliday.bg – Портал за ваканция и свободно време . 2020-07-07 . www.myholiday.bg.
18. Web site: 2009-03-07 . Юбилей – Плащаме борч с чехкини на плажа – Стандарт . https://web.archive.org/web/20090307154253/http://paper.standartnews.com/bg/article.php?d=2008-01-08&article=217125 . 2009-03-07 . 2020-07-07.
19. [Dieter Nohlen]
20. Web site: Timeline Bulgaria . 2020-07-08 . www.timelines.ws.
21. Web site: 2018-03-19 . Yossifov Alexander . 2023-02-22 . Union of Bulgarian Composers . en-US.
22. Mari Agop Firkatian, Diplomats and Dreamers: The Stancioff Family in Bulgarian History, University Press of America, 2008, pp. 13–14
23. Book: Hall, R.C. . The Balkan Wars 1912–1913: Prelude to the First World War . Taylor & Francis . 2002 . 978-1-134-58363-8 . Warfare and History.