Bulgaria - past, present and future
Filed in:
history
This page is
dedicated to Bulgaria, her past, present and most
importantly, her future. For all my English
speaking friends - this is your crash course in
Bulgarian history. Spare 45 minutes of your time
and acquaint yourself with the basic facts. I
realize we're all busy. But, hey, you got this far,
why not go all the way?
HISTORY TIMELINE
First Bulgarian Kingdom (7 A.D. - 11 A.D.)
The original Bulgarian tribes were horse-riders who came from the planes of Central Asia in the 7th centry A.D. and mixed with the Slavic people of SouthEast Europe. In the 9th century A.D. Bulgaria's king Boris I established Eastern Orthodox Christianity as a state religion. Having gone through various oppressions and struggles for survival, the Bulgarian people have learned how to be self-reliant in times of hardship. At one time Bulgaria the largest kingdom on the Balkans, the nation was unable to maintain her leadership for long periods of time. Bulgarians gave the world the Cyrillic alphabet , which is the foundation of many of the contemporary Slavic based languages, including Russian.
In 11 A.D. Bulgaria fell under Byzantine domination.
Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12 A.D. - 14 A.D.)
For two centuries Bulgaria was again a power to reckon with on the Balkan scene. This didn't last too long before the advance of the Ottomans from the East.
Ottoman period (14 A.D. - 19 A.D.)
Bulgaria was a "milaet", or province of the Ottoman Empire between the 14th and the 19th century. She was liberated from Ottoman rule as a result of the Russian-Turkish war at the end of the 19th century. Ever since that time Bulgarians have always had a strong leaning toward Russian dependency.
Third Bulgarian Kingdom (1908 - 1944)
The post-Ottoman history of Bulgaria is full of uncertainties, war conflicts and bloodshed. Bulgaria was a monarchy and her royal family was from the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ducal family line. Bulgaria was part of the Central Powers alliance in World War I and and again an Axis Powers ally in World War II although no Bulgarian soldiers fought in the war. Bulgaria is known for having saved close to 50,000 Jews from sending them to Germany's concentration camps.
Communist regime (1944 - 1989)
Bulgaria was called "the 16th Soviet Republic". She was never officially part of the USSR but her ruling communist dictatorships were one of the most obedient members of the Communist Block states. The Bulgarian Communists built concentration camps where they deported dissidents who voiced disagreements with the regime.
Watch this 26 minute video to find out more about the impact Communism had on Bulgaria.
Get all the raw country facts here.
Bulgaria photos and more at the National Geographic page.
One advise from me - don't trust Wikipedia in general and certainly not the info on Bulgaria. Use Britannica for your serious encyclopedic studies.
PRESENT
On January 1, 2007 Bulgaria joined the European Union together with Romania. It's the EU member state with the largest number of muslims and the lowest standard of living among member states. Bulgaria is in need of a new spiritual and social foundation. Justice and the rule of law are sorely needed in a society, discouraged by the results of the last 17 years of transition from Communism to free market economy and democracy. Between 700,000 and 1 million people have left the country since the fall of the communist regime in 1989. To live and work overseas continues to be the goal of many more who feel trapped and abused by a corrupt state system.
FUTURE
How can we shift the nation? Some believe it only takes money and well functioning economy. I believe it takes more than that. In the words of the Rabbi from Nazareth: "Man shall not live by bread alone". Read my document: Roadmap to national transformation
HISTORY TIMELINE
First Bulgarian Kingdom (7 A.D. - 11 A.D.)
The original Bulgarian tribes were horse-riders who came from the planes of Central Asia in the 7th centry A.D. and mixed with the Slavic people of SouthEast Europe. In the 9th century A.D. Bulgaria's king Boris I established Eastern Orthodox Christianity as a state religion. Having gone through various oppressions and struggles for survival, the Bulgarian people have learned how to be self-reliant in times of hardship. At one time Bulgaria the largest kingdom on the Balkans, the nation was unable to maintain her leadership for long periods of time. Bulgarians gave the world the Cyrillic alphabet , which is the foundation of many of the contemporary Slavic based languages, including Russian.
In 11 A.D. Bulgaria fell under Byzantine domination.
Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12 A.D. - 14 A.D.)
For two centuries Bulgaria was again a power to reckon with on the Balkan scene. This didn't last too long before the advance of the Ottomans from the East.
Ottoman period (14 A.D. - 19 A.D.)
Bulgaria was a "milaet", or province of the Ottoman Empire between the 14th and the 19th century. She was liberated from Ottoman rule as a result of the Russian-Turkish war at the end of the 19th century. Ever since that time Bulgarians have always had a strong leaning toward Russian dependency.
Third Bulgarian Kingdom (1908 - 1944)
The post-Ottoman history of Bulgaria is full of uncertainties, war conflicts and bloodshed. Bulgaria was a monarchy and her royal family was from the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ducal family line. Bulgaria was part of the Central Powers alliance in World War I and and again an Axis Powers ally in World War II although no Bulgarian soldiers fought in the war. Bulgaria is known for having saved close to 50,000 Jews from sending them to Germany's concentration camps.
Communist regime (1944 - 1989)
Bulgaria was called "the 16th Soviet Republic". She was never officially part of the USSR but her ruling communist dictatorships were one of the most obedient members of the Communist Block states. The Bulgarian Communists built concentration camps where they deported dissidents who voiced disagreements with the regime.
Watch this 26 minute video to find out more about the impact Communism had on Bulgaria.
Get all the raw country facts here.
Bulgaria photos and more at the National Geographic page.
One advise from me - don't trust Wikipedia in general and certainly not the info on Bulgaria. Use Britannica for your serious encyclopedic studies.
PRESENT
On January 1, 2007 Bulgaria joined the European Union together with Romania. It's the EU member state with the largest number of muslims and the lowest standard of living among member states. Bulgaria is in need of a new spiritual and social foundation. Justice and the rule of law are sorely needed in a society, discouraged by the results of the last 17 years of transition from Communism to free market economy and democracy. Between 700,000 and 1 million people have left the country since the fall of the communist regime in 1989. To live and work overseas continues to be the goal of many more who feel trapped and abused by a corrupt state system.
FUTURE
How can we shift the nation? Some believe it only takes money and well functioning economy. I believe it takes more than that. In the words of the Rabbi from Nazareth: "Man shall not live by bread alone". Read my document: Roadmap to national transformation
The roadmap to national transformation
Filed in:
solutions
There are those who would like us to believe
that a nation can be changed only by introducing
democracy, the rule of law and free market economy.
That everything is up to people and what they
create with their own hands. While this is
generally true and democracy is a must for any
progressive society in the 21st century, the true
transformation of any people has to be
comprehensive. It has to have spiritual and moral
implications on individual level. If we are to see
a true national transformation in any country, it
has to start with the change of man’s nature. All
corruption and injustice in the world are rooted in
the corrupt nature of sinful humanity, regardless
of race and nationality. Read
More...