80 Facts About Todor Zhivkov

Todor Hristov Zhivkov was a Bulgarian communist statesman who served as the de facto leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1954 until 1989 as General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party.

Todor Zhivkov was the longest-serving leader in the Eastern Bloc, the longest-serving leader within the Warsaw Pact and the longest-serving non-royal ruler in Bulgarian history.

Todor Zhivkov is said to have coordinated partisan movements with those of pro-Soviet army units during the 9 September 1944 uprising.

Todor Zhivkov became First Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1954, served as Prime Minister from 1962 to 1971 and from 1971 onwards as Chairman of the State Council, concurrently with his post as First Secretary.

Todor Zhivkov remained in these positions for 35 years, until 1989, thus becoming the longest-serving leader of any European Eastern Bloc nation after World War II, and one of the longest ruling non-royal leaders in modern history.

Todor Zhivkov's rule marked a period of unprecedented political and economic stability for Bulgaria, marked both by complete submission of Bulgaria to the Soviet Union and a desire to expand ties with the West.

Todor Zhivkov resigned on 10 November 1989, under pressure by senior BCP members due to his refusal to recognise problems and deal with public protests.

The exact date of Todor Zhivkov's birth was in dispute within Todor Zhivkov's family, as his mother insisted that he had been born on 20 September 1911.

Todor Zhivkov had apparently been able to verify this as his real date of birth, though he continued to jokingly argue with his mother about the incident for years on end.

Todor Zhivkov is said to have coordinated partisan movements with those of pro-Soviet army units during the 9 September 1944 uprising.

Todor Zhivkov was elected to the BCP Central Committee as a candidate member in 1945 and a full member in 1948.

In 1950, Todor Zhivkov became a candidate member of the BCP Politburo, then led by Valko Chervenkov, leading to a full membership in 1951.

Bulgarian opinion at the time interpreted this as a self-preservation move by Chervenkov, since Todor Zhivkov was a less well known figure in the party.

At that plenum, Todor Zhivkov criticised Chervenkov as a disciple of Stalin, had him demoted from prime minister to a cabinet post, and promoted former Committee for State Security head Anton Yugov to the post of prime minister.

Subsequently, Todor Zhivkov carried out a policy of relative sociopolitical liberalisation and de-Stalinization in Bulgaria, similar to the Khrushchev Thaw in the Soviet Union.

Todor Zhivkov took action against what he saw as a cults of personality - whether in relation to Stalin, Chervenkov or to other figures.

Todor Zhivkov resented the idea of himself being the subject of a cult and later, when the residents of his hometown of Pravets erected a monument bearing his likeness - he personally thanked them for their gesture, before ordering the statue be removed.

Todor Zhivkov discontinued many "excesses", removed monopolies on art and culture and vastly restrained, though not fully abolished, the practice of penal labour.

Todor Zhivkov reacted by sacking and punishing those local and regional leaders whose policies had led to local dissatisfaction and unrest, instead beginning a program of promoting younger and more ambitious cadres to fill their roles.

At the 8th Congress of the BCP in late 1962, Todor Zhivkov accused Yugov of anti-Party activity, expelled him from the BCP and had him placed under house arrest.

The Todor Zhivkov constitution separated party and state organs, empowering Bulgaria's National Assembly, giving the right of legislative initiative to labour unions and youth groups, as well as creating a collective head of state in the institution of the State Council, appointed by the National Assembly.

Todor Zhivkov further wished to distance his country from the image of a one-party state, thus the Todor Zhivkov constitution explicitly mentioned that political power in the country was to be shared "cooperatively" between the Communist Party and the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union, the communists' coalition partner.

Subsequently, Todor Zhivkov resigned from his post as prime minister and was instead made Chairman of the State Council, making him the titular head of the collective Bulgarian Presidency.

Already by 1960 Todor Zhivkov had been forced to redefine the impossible goals of his theses.

In 1983 Todor Zhivkov harshly criticised all of Bulgarian industry and agriculture in a major speech, but the reforms generated by his speech did nothing to improve the situation.

In 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev visited Bulgaria and reportedly pressured Todor Zhivkov to make the country more competitive economically.

In 1979 Todor Zhivkov introduced a sweeping educational reform, claiming that Marxist teachings on educating youth were still not being applied completely.

Todor Zhivkov therefore created Unified Secondary Polytechnical Schools, in which all students would receive the same general education.

Todor Zhivkov was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union in 1977.

Yet, though Bulgarian emigre dissident Georgi Markov wrote that "[Todor Zhivkov] served the Soviet Union more ardently than the Soviet leaders themselves did," in many ways he can be said to have exploited the USSR for political purposes, with Bulgaria serving a buffer between the USSR and NATO.

Todor Zhivkov made this stability a model for the overall Balkan cooperation that was a centerpiece of his foreign policy in the 1980s.

In late summer 1988, Todor Zhivkov was visited by a Bavarian delegation on headed by Franz Josef Strauss.

Todor Zhivkov then asked what Bulgaria had to do in order to potentially join the European Economic Community, which Strauss initially thought was a misinterpretation, asking Todor Zhivkov whether he meant closer cooperation between Bulgaria and Bavaria.

Todor Zhivkov reiterated that he was asking about a potential membership of Bulgaria in the EEC, much to the Bavarian leader's surprise.

Until the late 1980s, Todor Zhivkov successfully prevented unrest in the Bulgarian intellectual community.

Markov tells a story of how Todor Zhivkov reproached a popular newspaper cartoonist for modifying his signature to resemble a pig's tail, yet did not persecute him.

Todor Zhivkov softened organised opposition by restoring symbols of the Bulgarian cultural past that had been cast aside in the postwar campaign to consolidate Soviet-style party control.

Todor Zhivkov spent large sums of money in a highly visible campaign to support scholars, collect Bulgarian art, and sponsor cultural institutions.

When Mikhail Gorbachev announced his reform program, Todor Zhivkov made a show of copying it, believing that Gorbachev wasn't really serious about glasnost or perestroika.

Todor Zhivkov had long since benefitted from restoring and promoting Bulgarian national symbols, such as those on the country's national emblem, thus creating a sort of patriotic national communism, which proved to increase Todor Zhivkov's popularity.

In May 1989, Todor Zhivkov declared that all persons that felt not at home in Bulgaria would be free to leave the country to go live in Turkey.

Todor Zhivkov underestimated the opposition he had generated within the ranks of the Bulgarian Turks and over 360,000 people left the country, some of which reportedly feeling as though they had few other options.

Gorbachev already did not think much of Todor Zhivkov; he had lumped Todor Zhivkov in with a group of inflexible hardliners that included East Germany's Erich Honecker, Czechoslovakia's Gustav Husak and Romania's Nicolae Ceausescu.

Todor Zhivkov invited an independent group of Bulgarian environmental activists, Ecoglasnost, to participate.

Todor Zhivkov was taken by surprise and tried to marshal support, to no avail.

Todor Zhivkov pled not guilty to all counts on all indictments, but was initially found guilty of one of the four indictments at that point, Indictment 4, and was sentenced to seven years in prison.

The chairman of the court stated that if Todor Zhivkov was still unsatisfied with his verdict, he could only appeal to then-President Zhelyu Zhelev for a pardon.

Todor Zhivkov adamantly refused to ask for a pardon and stated that even if given one he would not accept it, as he opined that pardons are only given to guilty people and he did not consider himself guilty.

Todor Zhivkov continued to assert his innocence and on 15 September 1995, the Supreme Court of Bulgaria agreed to hear his plea and reconsidered his verdict.

Todor Zhivkov threatened to go to the European Court of Human Rights if not found innocent, accusing Bulgarian courts of accepting political orders.

Todor Zhivkov subsequently resigned from his post and was replaced by Martin Gunev.

Todor Zhivkov left Sofia and moved to Pazardzhik, where he lived with a low state pension until his death in 2013.

The Porcupine, a fictional account of the trial of Stoyo Petkanov, a barely disguised Todor Zhivkov, was written by Julian Barnes and published in Bulgarian and English in 1992.

Todor Zhivkov was released, giving frequent interviews to foreign journalists and writing his memoirs in the final years of his life.

Todor Zhivkov spoke of the socialist society in Bulgaria as being divided into two parts - the [societal] order, which he described as the basic societal organisation and ethos in country and the system, the practical structure of government, led by a Vanguard party.

Todor Zhivkov spoke positively of the first, describing it as proper, justified and prosperous.

Todor Zhivkov blamed the collapse of socialism, instead, on the latter.

Todor Zhivkov stated that he had not changed his political views and remained a committed Marxist, but had come to realise that the system was overly bureaucratic, inflexible and ultimately failed, bringing the order down with it.

Todor Zhivkov concluded that the ultimate collapse of his system was due to his own failures to reform and modernise said system in the 1970s and 80s.

Todor Zhivkov opined that socialism would ultimately triumph regardless, but that this would be a new form of socialism and would be led by a new, younger generation, which he hoped would be "better in every way from ours" and would lead to a "more prosperous, more just and more democratic Bulgaria".

Todor Zhivkov criticised the ruling right-wing UDF government at the time, but reserved his harshest criticism for the former members of his party that had taken part in embezzlement of state assets following his departure.

Todor Zhivkov blamed them for betraying their values and for leading the country into economic ruin and expressed his unwillingness to both re-join his former party and to join the communist splinter party.

Todor Zhivkov maintained that he still believed in socialism, but added that he had made friends with many people across many parties, including the UDF.

Todor Zhivkov defended most of his actions while in power and explained his reasoning behind several of his policies, but reiterated his belief that "the order was good, but the system which ruled it was bad".

In early 1998, a shifting power balance within the Bulgarian Socialist Party led to Todor Zhivkov re-joining it, leading to a round of ovation by party members during a rally.

Todor Zhivkov died from complications of bronchial pneumonia as a free man on 5 August 1998, at the age of 86.

Todor Zhivkov was buried after a large privately run procession, organised by the local Socialist Party branch.

In modern times, Todor Zhivkov is regarded as popular and his government widely viewed with nostalgia from many sectors of Bulgarian society.

The growing academic nostalgia for Todor Zhivkov's rule was not appreciated by Bulgaria's ruling center-right GERB party and in particular the education minister Krasimir Valchev - who ordered the textbooks changed to condemn what he dubbed "bloody communism".

However, shortly after falling from power, Todor Zhivkov was expelled from the communist party and subsequently arrested by his former comrades.

The country's political ideology and foreign policies of Todor Zhivkov's era have thus been reversed.

Maleeva reportedly did not wish to undergo surgery, but Todor Zhivkov insistently convinced her to go.

Todor Zhivkov was described as undergoing unbearable pain and became bedridden.

Todor Zhivkov died of the disease on 23 October 1971.

Todor Zhivkov respected his wife's wishes during her life, but reconsidered his position following her death and was later convinced to appoint Lyudmilla, who was popular among artists and the intelligentsia, as the vice-chairperson on the consultative committee for friendship and cultural diplomacy.

Todor Zhivkov juggled Bulgarian National Revival themes with postmodernism, puzzling many observers.

Todor Zhivkov nevertheless allowed her to advise him on cultural matters and agreed on an idea she had presented alongside several artists, for the creation of a grand monument in commemoration of the 1300th Anniversary of the Bulgarian State.

Todor Zhivkov had proposed the granting to an avant-garde sculptor, Valentin Starchev, full creative freedom in designing the monument.

Todor Zhivkov himself was said to have altered his daily commute in order to avoid having to look at it, though he never scolded the sculptor for it.

Todor Zhivkov reserved a special attention for his birthplace of Pravets.