1940s in Bulgaria

The 1940s in the Kingdom of Bulgaria (until 1946) and the People's Republic of Bulgaria (from 1946).

Incumbents

Kingdom of Bulgaria

• Tsar of Bulgaria:
• Boris III (1918–1943)
• Simeon II (1943–1946)
• Regent:
• Kiril, Prince of Preslav (1943–1944)
• Bogdan Filov (1943–1944)
• Nikola Mihov (1943–1944)
• Todor Pavlov (1944–1946)
• Venelin Ganev (1944–1946)
• Tsvetko Boboshevski (1944–1946)
• Prime Minister of Bulgaria:
• Georgi Kyoseivanov (1935–1940)
• Bogdan Filiov (1940–1943)
• Petar Gabrovski (acting, 1943)
• Dobri Bozhilov (1943–1944)
• Ivan Bagrianov (1944)
• Konstantin Muraviev (1944)
• Kimon Georgiev (1944–1946)

People's Republic of Bulgaria

• General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party:
• Georgi Dimitrov (1948–1949)
• Valko Chervenkov (1949–1954)
• Chairman of the Provisional Presidency: Vasil Kolarov (1946–1947)
• Chairman of the Presidium: Mincho Neychev (1947–1950)
• Prime Minister of Bulgaria:
• Kimon Georgiev (1946)
• Georgi Dimitrov (1946–1949)
• Vasil Kolarov (1949–1950)

Events

1940

• 7 September – Bulgaria regained control of Southern Dobruja under the Treaty of Craiova.
• 14 December – Shipwreck of the Salvador, a ship carrying Jewish refugees to Palestine, in the Sea of Marmara. 230 of the 326 passengers died in the wreck.
• 24 December – The Law for the Protection of the Nation, an anti-Jewish racial law which included banning Jews from having Bulgarian citizenship, was ratified.

1941

• March 1 – Bulgaria joined the Axis.

1942

• June 5 – The United States declared war on Bulgaria following the latter's joined of the Axis bloc the previous year.

1943

• December 10 – The allies conduct bombing raids over Sofia.

1944

• August 26 – Bulgaria officially withdraws from World War II.

• September 8 - Soviet forces cross the border. They occupy the north-eastern part of Bulgaria along with the key port cities of Varna and Burgas by the next day. By order of the government, the Bulgarian Army offers no resistance.

1945

• 18 November – Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria.
• 21 July – The University of Ruse was founded.

1946

• 8 September – A referendum was held in Bulgaria on whether to become a republic. The result were unanimously in favour of the change, with 95.6% supporting and with 91.7% voter turnout.
• 31 December – The 1946 Bulgarian census.

1947

• Bulgaria's second constitution, the Dimitrov Constitution, came into effect. It was later replaced by the Zhivkov Constitution in 1971.

1948

• 6 January – Balkantourist (the oldest still running Bulgarian tour operator) is established.

1949

• 18 December – Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria.

Births

• 1940
• 2 July – Georgi Ivan Ivanov, first Bulgarian in space.
• 8 December – Alexander Yossifov, composer and conductor.

Deaths

• 1940
• 23 March – Dimitar Stanchov, 15th Prime Minister of Bulgaria (b. 1863)
• 10 September – Nikola Ivanov, Bulgarian general (b. 1861)
• 23 December – Mariyka Popova, actress (b. 1866).

See also

• Bulgaria during World War II
• History of Bulgaria
• Timeline of Bulgarian history

References