Background Information
In 1914, on the eve of The Great War, with several low-scale conflicts leading up to a major worldwide war, Bulgaria stood precariously. The government, led by Prime Minister Vasil Radoslavov, was extremely weak economically and demoralized due to the Balkan Wars, which sapped at the country’s resources. Bulgaria attempted to stall its connection to the war as much as possible, until it was decidedly impossible to remain uninvolved. On the 11th of October, 1914, the country declared war on Serbia and claimed to support the Central Powers, although its position on the war was hesitant. The Central Powers included Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which were major trade partners to Bulgaria, but even still, the government stated that it does not necessarily believe in the same ideals as its allies. Over 10% of Bulgaria’s population went to war, leading the 90,000 deaths on the Bulgarian side of the fighting.
Even after war ended with Bulgaria’s signing of the Armistice of Thessalonica, the problems created by the war did not. Due to the removement of soldiers from Bulgaria’s allies during the conflict with Macedonia, the people started to doubt the trustworthiness of the government, and several mutinies and discontentment led to the demoralization and end of the conflict. The newly founded post-war government was incredibly unstable and got knocked down by a coup d’etat quickly. Bulgaria simply was not able to stabilize itself, and as soon as it did start the process, the Great Depression came about, leading to another wave of negativity and declines in its history.
Even after war ended with Bulgaria’s signing of the Armistice of Thessalonica, the problems created by the war did not. Due to the removement of soldiers from Bulgaria’s allies during the conflict with Macedonia, the people started to doubt the trustworthiness of the government, and several mutinies and discontentment led to the demoralization and end of the conflict. The newly founded post-war government was incredibly unstable and got knocked down by a coup d’etat quickly. Bulgaria simply was not able to stabilize itself, and as soon as it did start the process, the Great Depression came about, leading to another wave of negativity and declines in its history.