Aleksandar Stamboliyski’s Bulgarian Revolution:
Bulgaria had been allied to Germany and Austria-Hungary during the Great War. Bulgaria hoped to gain North Macedonia from Serbia during the Great War. At the end of the Great War was the pro-German Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria forced to abdicate in favour of his son Boris. Tsar Ferdinand was exiled from Bulgaria and went into exile in Germany. On October 1 1919 (October 14 1919) became Aleksandar Stamboliyski, the leader of the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union, the Minister-President of Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Agrarian National Union was an agrarian socialist party. Aleksandar Stamboliyski had opposed Bulgarian participation in the Great War and was pro-Russian.
On November 14 1919 (November 27 1919) concluded Bulgaria the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine with its enemies during the Great War. Bulgaria must return all areas it conquered during the Great War and from its pre-war territory Bulgaria must cede Western Thrace, in which Bulgarians were the largest ethnic group, to Greece.
The Stamboliyski government redistributed agricultural land and limited the amount of agricultural land a landowner was allowed to own. The Narrow Socialist Party, a revolutionary socialist party in Bulgaria, supported the Stamboliyski government. The Stamboliyski government tried to limit the power of the bourgeoisie in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Agrarian National Union founded the Orange Guard, a peasant militia supporting the Stamboliyski government.
Stamboliyski was opposed to Bulgarian irredentism and didn’t try to regain North Macedonia from Yugoslavia.
In the election of the Bulgarian Sobranie (parliament) on April 9 1923 (April 22 1923) got the Bul-garian Agrarian National Union 53,8 % of the votes and the Narrow Socialist Party got 19,3 % of the votes.
On May 27 1923 (June 9 1923) occurred a right-wing military coup in Bulgaria. A right-wing government with Aleksandar Tsankov as Minister-President took power in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Tsar Boris supported the coup and named Aleksandar Tsankov Minister-President of Bulgaria. Stamboliyski escaped from Sofia to his home village Slavovitsa. Stamboliyski rallied the Orange Guard against the coup and the Narrow Socialist Party joined Stamboliyski’s resistance against the coup. The Orange Guard and the military organization of the Narrow Socialist Party put up strong armed resistance to the coup, and the Bulgarian army suffered mass desertions to Stamboliyski’s movement. On June 1 1923 (June 14 1923) entered Stamboliyski’s rebel army Sofia. Stamboliyski’s soldiers shot and killed Tsar Boris in his palace and shot and killed Aleksandar Tsankov. Stamboliyski’s soldiers shot princess Evdokiya, the sister of Tsar Boris, who acted as First Lady of Bulgaria, because Tsar Boris was unmarried. Tsar Boris was childless too when he was killed. On June 1 1923 (June 14 1923) declared Stamboliyski Bulgaria a republic with himself as provisional President.
After the defeat of the coup began massive purges of the supporters of the coup. Most leaders of the coup were liquidated by Stamboliyski’s soldiers. Stamboliyski banned all political parties in Bulgaria except for the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union and the Narrow Socialist Party. Most prominent right-wing politicians in Bulgaria were imprisoned or exiled. Prince Kirill, the brother of Tsar Boris, and Nadezhda, the sister of Tsar Boris, were exiled from Bulgaria and went into exile in Germany. The Bulgarian army were dissolved and replaced with the Bulgarian People’s Army, which were composed of members of the Orange Guard, members of the military organization of the Narrow Socialist Party and by officers of the old Bulgarian army, which supported Stamboliyski’s government or were politically neutral. The Bulgarian navy and the Bulgarian air force weren’t merged with the Orange Guard or the military organization of the Narrow Socialist Party, but the Bulgarian navy and the Bulgarian air force were still purged of opponents of Stamboliyski’s government and the vacant positions were filled with supporters of Stamboliyski’s government or politically neutrals. The police, the courts and the civil service were purged of opponents of Stamboliyski’s government and the vacant positions were filled with supporters of Stamboliyski’s government or politically neutrals. All right-wing newspapers in Bulgaria were closed and strict censorship of the press was introduced in Bulgaria.
The Stamboliyski government nationalized after the coup all banks, all industrial companies and all supermarkets in Bulgaria without compensation. The Stamboliyski government supported continued private ownership of agricultural land.
On October 1 1923 (October 14 1923), the 4-year anniversary of Stamboliyski’s ascent to power in Bulgaria, voted 99,9 % of the Bulgarians in a referendum for a new constitution of Bulgaria, which made Bulgaria a presidential republic, where the President of Bulgaria would be both head of state and head of government. The President of Bulgaria was elected for a 4-year term and could be re-elected indefinitely. The President of Bulgaria would be elected by universal and equal suffrage for both men and women. Both men and women could be elected President of Bulgaria.
The Sobranie of Bulgaria would be unicameral and elected for a 4-year term by universal and equal suffrage for both men and women. Both men and women could be elected member of the Sobranie of Bulgaria. The members of the Sobranie of Bulgaria could be reelected indefinitely.
The Bulgarian People’s Front, an alliance of the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union and the Narrow Socialist Party, would become the sole legal political organization in Bulgaria and would get a monopoly on nominating candidates to the Sobranie of Bulgaria.
The official name of Bulgaria would become the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. The new constitution of Bulgaria prohibited titles of nobility, which the pre-revolutionary constitution of Bulgaria also did.
The new constitution of Bulgaria made the Bulgarian Orthodox Church the state church of Bulgaria but granted full freedom of religion in Bulgaria. The new constitution of Bulgaria recognized the right to own private property and the right of inheritance, but allowed expropriation of private companies without compensation.
On November 5 1923 (November 18 1923) was Stamboliyski elected President of Bulgaria with 99,9 % of the votes.