Bulgaria and the fall of the Bloc

We visited the Socialist Art Museum and the Museum of National History in Sofia, both small museums. They are on opposite sides of the city, about 7 kilometers apart. We traversed the distance by city bus, scanning our credit cards to pay the fare. The Sofia we saw on the route is not pretty, unlike the city center where we are staying with its some sparkling monumental buildings, parks and public art. The center has a large pedestrian area lined with upscale shops, mostly ones I have never heard of unlike much of the rest of Europe where brands predominate. But here there’s only the dreary architecture of Communist era concrete block apartment buildings erected in response to the housing shortage in the lousy economy that characterized that era, and smaller, older and generally neglected housing.

First we went to the Socialist Art Museum. We assumed It would display the poster art we were familiar with, like the ones we saw in St.Petersburg, Russia, for example. Instead there are paintings, good ones too, mostly in oil, celebrating the life of working men and women.

There is also a very long propaganda film touting the communist regime’s achievements. Everyone is smiling, there are lots of ceremonies with appearances by high government officials, a visit to the hometown of one of the Communist party heads complete with reconstructed humble home. Outside are dozens of statues, many of Lenin, as well as other big wigs and odes to the common man.

The Communist Party lost power in November 1989 when party head Zhivkov resigned and Bulgaria began the transition to a parliamentary democracy. In the Bulgarian History Museum, however, history ended in 1946. It’s not like people are afraid to talk about it. The one guide we met spoke about it freely on the way to Ploviv. He recounted how his father bought a new car. There was one car dealer, the government. He had to make a 50% down payment. Eleven years later his car was delivered. He ordered a red car. He was provided with a black one and had no choice in the matter. As was the case throughout the Eastern block, consumer goods were scarce, expensive and often of poor quality. There was no competition providing incentives. This sort of discussion is openly held, not a secret. And there are people who think things were better under that government, and they are not afraid to say so.

The first election in June 1990 was won by the Bulgarian Socialist Party, just a re-branding of the Communist party. Conditions remained difficult, as was the case in most countries of the Soviet block. After 2001 conditions improved greatly. Bulgaria became a member of NATO, joined the European Union and the single market in 2007. It’s orientation to western Europe followed not only the long period of Soviet domination, it also marked a change in attitude that went back to the 19th century. While the 1878 treaty gave the country its freedom from 500 years of domination by the Ottoman Turks, Bulgaria was angered by the Berlin treaty of 1887. That treaty lopped off a significant number of native Bulgarians from the 1878 principality. As a result of its anger toward the western European powers, Bulgaria backed Germany in both world wars. It handed over many of the country’s Jews but a popular outcry saved about 27,000 lives at the end.

These days the Bulgarians are struggling with democracy. They form coalition governments, and since 2021 there have been seven elections. My sense is that they very much appreciate their independence, whatever else they disagree about. There is no great desire to be part of any other country. Whatever it means that the National History Museum stops in 1946, it does not mean a desire to go back to the old days of Russian domination.