A readable overview of historical Bulgaria, from the early days when it was one of the significant European cultures to the modern era where it ended as a minor player.
The modern story seems to be one of being frozen in time, sidetracked, treading water. The Ottoman period was a period of stagnation in most areas of Bulgarian life - there was some industrial development, but most of the economy and society remained static. Then there were the Balkan Wars, where the focus was on territory and borders, not development. Next there was the 1st World War on the wrong side, followed by the next war, also on the losing side. Finally, there was the the Communist Bloc, and the low quality, unsustainable industrial development of the Soviet period that did not keep pace with modern technological and economic developments. Today, there is the leap into the mysteries, vagaries and sharks of modern western capitalism. A sad story...
I am also intrigued by this issue of Macedonia - the battle amongst Balkan powers for control of the territory, and also the Macedonian's long struggle for independence. Where did this struggle come from? How did it originate?
This Macedonian obsession seems to have sidetracked Balkan regimes from more significant developments and issues for decades.
To find:
something on the Macedonian independence struggle
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