This section investigates Bulgarian history under Cold War conditions and subsequent globalization by going into greater detail to topics of how the Communist regime was established, developed and collapsed and Transition to democracy that followed altogether since the second half of ХХ c. to the beginnings of ХХІ c.
The section came into existence in 1972 on proposal by Senior First-grade research associate Mito Isusov under the name History of Bulgaria under Socialism. It works out all aspects of instituting the Communist regime in 1944-1948 in Bulgaria as part of the Soviet sphere of influence in the beginnings of the Cold War on the basis of accessible archive and documentary sources and by applying the positivist method.
After 1989 the section tackles the whole period when the Communist party was in power under Cold war conditions. Thanks to archive revolution and large access to new methodology the scope of research has been significantly broaden both chronologically and thematically. The object of study is the political system of the Communist regime (its crises of Stalinization and de-Stalinization as well as the role performed by the long-time leader Todor Zhivkov); policies for economic and social transformation in society from agrarian to industrial one (collectivization, industrialization, modernization); cultural and scientific policies and intellectual resistance against the regime (the so-called dissidence); foreign politics of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria non only towards Europe, the USSR, the USA but also towards the Arab World and East Asia.
After 2007 the Section started also investigating the history of the Bulgarian Transition towards parliamentary democracy, market economy and new foreign politics in the context of globalization and country’s efforts to enter NATO and the EU.
Section heads were successively: Senior First-grade Research Associate DSc. (later academy fellow) Mito Isusov (1972-1989), Senior First-grade Research Associate DSc. Vesela Chichovska (1989-1993), Senior Second-grade Research Associate Gospodinka Nikova (1993-1995), Senior Second-grade Research Associate Stoyan Pintev (1995-2000); Senior Second-grade Research Associate Rumyana Todorova (2000-2011) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Iliana Marcheva (since 2011)
STAFF:
prof. Iliyana Martcheva-Atanasova, PhD (supervisor)
assoc. prof. Evgeni Kandilarov, PhD
assoc. prof. Nadya Filipova, PhD
chief assist. prof. Irina Grigorova, PhD
chief. assist. prof. Irina Yakimova, PhD
assist. prof. Mirena Mitova, PhD
Former members:
Sashka Milanova, assoc. prof. PhD