Bulgaria, which is very sparsely populated considering the climate and soil conditions, can certainly support 20 million and likely still be a food exporter. 50 million and especially 100 million would likely be too much and in the later case would utterly ruin the environment.Scenario 3:
With a pod in communist Bulgaria following WW2. What could be the largest population Bulgaria could have? What policies could encourage population growth?
Could Bulgaria reach
- 20 million
- 50 million
- 100 million
?
I would say that forcing Serbia to surrender Macedonia (or at least most of it) immediately might persuade the Bulgarian leadership. Or alternatively the war is going worse for the Central Powers and Bulgaria is willing to enter for less.What kind of offer do you think the Entente could have offered Bulgaria to convince Bulgaria's leadership? What guarantees? How might such a war between Bulgaria and the Ottomans paly out? How would Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, Romania cooperate?
More dam building? In OTL dam building was certainly emphasized and it had substantial effects on the hydrology of many rivers (for example, the Maritsa ceased being navigable). More dams and some river might be at risk of running dry.Well, absent of communist rule, there may be a lot more dam building as the Balkan nations turn to hydroelectricity to meet the raising demand for electricity their growing economies would create. I am not sure how that would impact agriculture, but it would certainly alter the natural environment of the Balkans during TTL's twentieth century compared to ours.
Can't happen. You need both countries to be Communist.Challenge 4
Have Bulgaria become part of the kingdom of Yugoslavia(KY). What would the borders of this Bulgaria ATL be like?
The Stalin-Tito split would need to be avoided. Bulgaria would have its OTL borders, except for the Blagoevgrad Province (which would probably be called something else, since I can't imagine the Yugoslav Communists naming a city in Macedonia after Blagoev) which would be part of SR Macedonia, while the Western Outlands would be returned to Bulgaria.Challenge 5
Have Bulgaria be part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia(SFRY). What would the borders of this ATL Bulgaria be like?
A far worse break-up of Yugoslavia would be needed. Perhaps the Milosevic regime decides to persecute the Bulgarian minority, which is rather unlikely.Challenge 6
Following the breakup of OTL Yugoslavia have FYROM and the Bulgarian ethnic area of Serbia and Kosovo reunify with OTL Bulgaria.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarians_in_Serbia
Almost impossible. Perhaps Milosevic decides to start a violent movement to keep Macedonia from seceding (very unlikely, since Macedonia was friendly and there were hardly any Serbs there) and Bulgaria intervenes to help the Macedonians. After the war pro-Bulgarian feelings in Macedonia are very strong and Macedonia joins Bulgaria in some form of federation or confederation.
Bulgaria, which is very sparsely populated considering the climate and soil conditions, can certainly support 20 million and likely still be a food exporter. 50 million and especially 100 million would likely be too much and in the later case would utterly ruin the environment.
The problem is how to reach 20 million by 2018. By 1945 the birth rates were far too low to make this realistic. I think Bulgaria would need the social and living conditions of Albania (which experienced similar growth in the same period) to achieve this.