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| 1944 Bulgarian coup d'état Деветосептемврийски преврат | |||||||
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| Part ofWorld War II andBulgarian resistance | |||||||
 NOVA partisans enteringPlovdiv, 9 September 1944 | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
Supported by: Germany | Supported by: Soviet Union | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Prince Kiril  Bogdan Filov Nikola Mihov Konstantin Muraviev |  Georgi DimitrovVasil KolarovKimon GeorgievIvan MarinovDamyan Velchev | ||||||
The1944 Bulgarian coup d'état, also known as the9 September coup d'état (Bulgarian:Деветосептемврийски преврат,romanized: Devetoseptemvriyski prevrat), was a coup that overthrew the government ofKingdom of Bulgaria on the eve of 9 September 1944. During thePeople's Republic of Bulgaria it was called using the propaganda termPeople's Uprising of 9 September - on the grounds of the broad unrest andSocialist Revolution - as it was a turning point politically and the beginning of radical reforms towards Soviet-stylesocialism.[1]
Bulgaria was in a precarious situation, still in the sphere ofNazi Germany's influence (as a former member of theAxis powers, with German troops in the country despite the declared Bulgarian neutrality 15 days earlier), but under threat of war with the leading military power of that time, the Soviet Union. The USSR had declared war on the Kingdom of Bulgaria 4 days earlier and units of itsThird Russian Front of theRed Army had entered Bulgaria 3 days after. Demonstrations, strikes, revolts broke out in many cities and villages (6 - 7 September) and local government power had been taken by BulgarianFatherland Front (FF) forces (without Red Army help) inVarna,Burgas, and other locations.
The coup d'état was organized by the Fatherland Front political coalition (led by theBulgarian Communists) and performed by pro-FF units of theBulgarian Army and theBulgarian partisan forces of thePeople's Liberation Insurgent Army (Народоосвободителна въстаническа армия,НОВА; Narodoosvoboditelna vastanicheska armiya, NOVA).
As a direct result, the government ofPrime MinisterKonstantin Muraviev was overthrown and replaced with a government of the FF led byKimon Georgiev. Bulgaria immediately joined the anti-Axis coalition of theAllies of World War II and took part in World War II. The Kingdom of Bulgaria became arepublic after theBulgarian republic referendum in 1946. Large-scale political, economic and social changes were introduced to the country. The coup resulted in Bulgaria entering into theSoviet sphere of influence and the beginning of Bulgaria's 45-year-longPeople's Republic.
On 26 August 1944, the government ofIvan Bagryanov had verbally declared Bulgaria's neutrality in the war under the threat of the Red Army's offensive in neighbouringRomania. At the same time, inEgypt the government had entered separate peace talks with the United Kingdom and the United States, hoping to secure the dispatch of British and American troops in Bulgaria. On the same day, the Central Committee of theBulgarian Workers' Party (BWP) proclaimed the assumption of power by means of a popular uprising to be its official task.
A government of theBulgarian Agrarian National Union (BANU) "Vrabcha 1", until then in opposition, was formed on 2 September 1944, headed by Konstantin Muraviev. It continued the peace talks, declared its support for democratic reforms and ordered the withdrawal ofGerman Army troops from Bulgaria. At the same time, theguerrilla actions of thepartisans did not cease, the alliance withNazi Germany was not disbanded and no attempts were made to normalize the relations withMoscow, forcing the Soviet Union to treat the new government with suspicion. On 5 September 1944, the Soviet Union declared war on Bulgaria.
The Central Committee of the BWP and the general staff of the People's Liberation Revolt Army commenced, on 5 September, planning of a coup d'état. The plan was further detailed on 8 September. According to the plan, the coordinated actions of the partisans, the BWP combat groups and the pro-Fatherland Front army detachments would assume power and effective control of government during the night of 9 September. The stated goal of the coup d'état was the "overthrowing of thefascist authorities and the establishment of popular-democratic power of the Fatherland Front".
Unrest began all around Bulgaria on 6 September and 7 September, with the strikes of thePernik miners and theSofia tram employees, as well as the general strikes inPlovdiv andGabrovo. The prisons inPleven,Varna andSliven had their political prisoners released; 170 localities were entered by partisan detachments between 6 September and 8 September. In many cities and villages, the strikes and meetings grew into armed clashes with the police, with victims on both sides. On 8 September,[2] theRed Army entered Bulgaria meeting with no opposition on the order of the new Bulgarian government.
26 August 1944 - Under threat of the advancing Soviet front, PremierIvan Bagryanov’s government proclaims Bulgarian neutrality and orders German troops to withdraw. The Communist Party’s Central Committee immediately calls for an armed uprising to seize power. (On 30 Aug,Stalin announced theUSSR would no longer recognize Bulgaria’s neutrality, raising the stakes.)
2 September 1944 - A new government of the Agrarian “Vrabcha 1” coalition is formed under Prime MinisterKonstantin Muraviev. It resumes peace talks with theAllies and ordersGerman forces to leave Bulgaria, but theFatherland Front (dominated by Communists) withholds support and continues partisan operations. Soviet distrust grows as guerrilla actions persist.
5 September 1944 - TheSoviet Union officially declares war on Bulgaria (catching the Western Allies by surprise) and on that day Communist leaders begin planning a coup. TheBulgarian Workers’ Party (Communists) and partisan command finalize a plan to overthrow Muraviev’s government during the night of 8-9 September.
6-7 September 1944 - Mass unrest erupts nationwide in anticipation of change. Key examples include a general strike byPernik miners, a tramworkers’ strike inSofia, and general strikes inPlovdiv andGabrovo. Partisan detachments flood over 170 localities by 8 September, freeing political prisoners inPleven,Varna andSliven. Many demonstrations turn violent as FF-organized militias clash with police.
8 September 1944 - By this date Bulgaria has formally broken with theAxis (declaring war onGermany) but is simultaneously at war withBritain, theUSA and theUSSR. Soviet3rd Ukrainian Front forces cross into northeastern Bulgaria (Varna,Burgas, etc.) unopposed - on government orders theBulgarian Army offers no resistance. Fatherland Front militias and partisans by now control many regional governments.
Night of 8-9 September 1944 - In Sofia thecoup is launched. In the early hours (about 2:00 AM)Zveno-affiliated officers and War MinisterGeneral Ivan Marinov seize the War Ministry and other key installations. First Infantry Division and reserve schools obey Marinov’s orders to join the coup. Within four hours the FF-aligned troops and partisan guerrillas control Sofia’s government, police HQ and communication hubs.
9 September 1944 (morning) - At6:25 AMKimon Georgiev (leader of theZveno coup group, nowFatherland Front premier) broadcasts a proclamation over Radio Sofia announcing that theFatherland Front has assumed power “in order to save the country”. Under orders ofNOVA partisan commanderDobri Terpeshev all guerrilla units stream down from the mountains to occupy towns and villages. InSofia,Plovdiv,Pernik and other regions, remaining loyalist army and police forces either stand down or are defeated in skirmishes. By mid‐day theMuraviev government is overthrown and a Fatherland Front coalition cabinet (Communists, Zveno, Agrarians, Social Democrats) is proclaimed.Prime Minister Muraviev and the three royal Regents (HRH Prince Kiril,Bogdan Filov,Nikola Mihov) are arrested. (TheBTA confirms the regents were immediately removed and new Soviet-backed regents installed.)Kimon Georgiev is approved as Prime Minister, and Bulgaria nominally remains a monarchy under the7‑year-old HRH Tsar Simeon II (albeit without real power).
9 September 1944 (evening) - Soviet-Bulgarian hostilities formally end. On the evening of the coup a high-level Bulgarian delegation (General Stanchev and others) meetsMarshal Tolbukhin, commander of the3rd Ukrainian Front. Late that night (about 10:00 PM) Stalin orders Soviet forces to halt all offensive operations in Bulgaria. Effectively, Bulgarian troops have ceased fighting the Soviets (orders forbade any resistance). The swift, bloodless victory of the Fatherland Front over pro-German elements sends a clear signal that the USSR is now the dominant power in Bulgarian affairs.
10 September 1944 - The new government moves quickly to dismantle former regime institutions. The old Interior Ministry police are abolished; a new People’s Militia of former partisans is organized to maintain order. Over 8,130 political prisoners are released from jails, and the concentration camps of the old regime (e.g. Gonda voda, Krasto pole) are closed. All fascist organizations and publications are banned. Local Antifascist Committees (FCs) take charge in towns and villages. The Fatherland Front cabinet begins appointing loyal officers to command the army and police.
12 September 1944 - Pockets of military resistance are overcome. In thePernik area and atShumen insurgent forces rout remaining loyalist units. AtHaskovo partisans storm the large artillery barracks on 12 Sept (suffering heavy losses) to eliminate a final island of government control. That same day the new regime issues a legal decree authorizing the arrest of all wartime cabinet ministers (1941-44), members of the old parliament and high-ranking officers. This official decree gives retroactive legitimacy to mass arrests that are now sweeping the country - in the following weeks thousands (civil servants, landowners, intellectuals, Social Democrats, Agrarians and others) are detained by the militia and FC cadres on flimsy charges.
17 September 1944 - Prime Minister Georgiev publicly outlines the Fatherland Front’s program. At a rally in Sofia’s Palace of Justice he promises democratic reforms, anti-fascist justice and sweeping social change. (Zveno, now an official party again, holds a national conference on 1 Oct, but its role is increasingly overshadowed by the Communists.)
10 October 1944 - Under Soviet pressure, the Fatherland Front orders the Bulgarian Army to withdraw from territories in Greek and Yugoslav Macedonia and Thrace (occupied since 1941). This fulfills a key Allied demand and isolates Bulgarian forces to the pre-1941 border.
28 October 1944 - Bulgaria signs theMoscow Armistice with the Allied Powers. Foreign Minister Petko Staynov, MinistersNikola Petkov,Dobri Terpeshev andPetko Stoyanov sign on behalf of Bulgaria (represented by Gen. Gammell for the Allies andMarshal Tolbukhin for the USSR). The armistice terms acknowledge that Bulgaria “ceased hostilities with the USSR on September 9” and agrees to disarm remaining German forces. Bulgaria commits to cede the care of its troops to the Allied (Soviet) command and to withdraw from Greek/Yugoslav territory. Crucially, Bulgaria must tolerate Soviet occupation of its territory and submit to an Allied Control Commission (dominated by the USSR). In effect, Bulgaria is now firmly in the Soviet camp and must immediately “make available” its army for Soviet-directed operations against Germany.
3 December 1944 - A sharp political clash occurs over remnants of the old military. Acting on a proposal by nationalist GeneralDamyan Velchev, the Council of Ministers decrees that officers charged under the forthcomingPeople’s Court law may be sent to the front; if they “show bravery,” they can earn discharge. This measure (intended to rally the armed forces by mercy) is immediately denounced by the Communists as “counter-revolutionary.”
6 December 1944 - The Soviet Allied Control Commission intervenes. MarshalSergey Biryuzov, Soviet head of the Commission, insists that the 3 Dec decree be revoked. Reluctantly, the Georgiev government cancels its own decree, fearing a breakdown in relations with Moscow. In the aftermath, Communists take direct control of the military and security apparatus. Communist cadres assume top posts in the General Staff and DS intelligence, while Dr. Georgiev (as War Minister) and Col. GeneralDamyan Velchev (Defense) are sidelined.
December 1944 - The new regime formalizes its system of reprisals. The Council of Ministers issues a decree establishing thePeople’s Court (Naroden sad) - a special tribunal to try “fascist” officials and wartime collaborators. (Hearings will begin in early 1945.) This paves the way for a nationwide purge. During these months thousands of former officials are tried, and many are summarily executed or sentenced to death. In parallel, extra-judicial killings of “class enemies” surge, particularly in Sofia, where Communist security forces eliminate real and imagined opponents. In short order, virtually all political opposition outside the Fatherland Front is crushed and monarchy is rendered obsolete. (King Simeon II remains a child ruler in theory, but in practice the monarchy’s regents are deposed and Bulgarian governance is now guided by Soviet-backed communist leadership.)
On the eve of 9 September, army units together with Fatherland Front detachments captured key locations in Sofia, such as theMinistry of War, theMinistry of Internal Affairs, thepost, the telegraph, theradio, and therailway station. Early in the morning, the newPrime Minister Kimon Georgiev informed the people on the radio of the shuffle:
With the complete awareness that it is a true and full voice of the popular will, the Fatherland Front assumes in that fateful hour and difficult conditions the government of the country in order to save it from destruction.
On 9 September, on the order of theNOVA commander-in-chiefDobri Terpeshev, all partisan units descended from the mountains and took over villages and cities' governments. In most places, this was not met with much resistance, but in other cases army and police units loyal to the old government put up violent resistance to the Fatherland Front forces. In Sofia, Plovdiv, the region of Pernik,Shumen andHaskovo the old regime's supporters were defeated by military action with the army coming under the effective control of the Fatherland Front. The establishment of the new leadership happened at the latest in Haskovo, where partisans and otherantifascists seized the artillery barracks on 12 September, but suffered many casualties, as the negotiations with the commanding officers failed to reach a compromise.
As of 9 September, the Red Army had not reached Sofia but remained in northeastern Bulgaria, as the Bulgarian communists were capable of assuming power without any aid.
The Fatherland Front government included representatives of the BWP, BANU "Pladne", theBulgarian Social Democratic Workers' Party (Broad Socialists) andZveno. The former Prime Minister Konstantin Muraviev was arrested, as wereTsarSimeon II's regents, members of the former government, and some army detachment heads. On 10 September, the police was abolished and replaced with a popularmilitia consisting mainly of recent partisans; 8,130 political prisoners were released from the prisons, and theconcentration camps of the former regime (e.g. Gonda voda, Krasto pole, Lebane) were closed down. The fascist organizations were banned, as were their publications. The former regents,Prince Kiril,Bogdan Filov, andNikola Mihov, were executed on 1 February 1945. On 8 September 1946, areferendum about the further destiny of the monarchy was held. Based on the results of the referendum, Bulgaria was declaredPeople's Republic on 15 September 1946.
After 9 September 1944, theBulgarian Army joined the Third Ukrainian Front and contributed to the defeat of Nazism inEurope, helping drive out the Germans from much ofYugoslavia andHungary, reaching as far asKlagenfurt inAustria by April 1945. Although Bulgaria was not recognized as a true member of the Allies, it still managed to retainSouthern Dobruja which it had acquired in 1940 per theTreaty of Craiova.
The government ofKimon Georgiev established in December 1944 thePeople's Court according to the international obligation of Bulgaria to condemn the persons (ministers, etc.) guilty for World War II. It became one of the main propellers of the wave of terror in the country. Between 10,000 and 40,000 people were killed or missing in just the first four months after the communist regime overtook Bulgaria.
Bulgarian communists (their Workers' Party renamed toCommunist Party) consolidated their leading role in the Fatherland Front coalition, reduced its members from 5 to 2 political parties (together with the Agrarian Union) and led the country consecutively and gradually on the pathway to socialism (after the Soviet model).
TheTarnovo Constitution was overthrown and replaced in 1947 by the new pro-communist republicanDimitrov Constitution[3] after the successful republic referendum in 1946.
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