In search of a homogeneous nation: the assimilation of Bulgaria's Turkish minority, 1984-1985
This article analyses the causes of the most extreme nationalist undertaking in Eastern Europe in the 1980s - the Bulgarian government's attempt to change the names of nearly one million Turks in the space of a few weeks in 1984-1985. The article argues that the assimilation campaign emerged as...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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European Centre for Minority Issues
2000-01-01
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| Series: | Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/downloads/publications/JEMIE/JEMIE01Dimitrov10-07-01.pdf |
| _version_ | 1798031313683349504 |
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| author | Vesselin Dimitrov |
| author_facet | Vesselin Dimitrov |
| author_sort | Vesselin Dimitrov |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article analyses the causes of the most extreme nationalist undertaking in Eastern Europe in the 1980s - the Bulgarian government's attempt to change the names of nearly one million Turks in the space of a few weeks in 1984-1985. The article argues that the assimilation campaign emerged as a result of a combination of threats and opportunities on a number of levels. Domestically, the failure of alternative strategies of dealing with the ethnic minorities created a temptation to resort to a radical solution, whilst the political and economic resources which the communist leadership commanded and which reached their high point in the mid-1980s gave it the means to undertake such a policy. Internationally, the Soviet Union, Bulgaria's main strategic ally, was powerful enough to protect it against possible Turkish and Western reprisals, but not strong enough to impose its own more tolerant nationalities policy on Bulgaria. Turkey, Bulgaria's historical enemy and the perceived patron of the Turkish minority, was seen as both posing a threat to Bulgaria after the invasion of Cyprus, and as suffering from weaknesses which would prevent it from undertaking serious counteractions. There thus existed in 1984-1985 a false 'window of opportunity' which encouraged the Bulgarian communist leadership to obliterate once and for all the problem of ethnic diversity with which they were increasingly unable to deal by other means. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:55:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0f618a82173842d89ac2a2041cd5fc0a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1617-5247 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:55:28Z |
| publishDate | 2000-01-01 |
| publisher | European Centre for Minority Issues |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe |
| spelling | doaj.art-0f618a82173842d89ac2a2041cd5fc0a2022-12-22T04:06:03ZengEuropean Centre for Minority IssuesJournal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe1617-52472000-01-0114121In search of a homogeneous nation: the assimilation of Bulgaria's Turkish minority, 1984-1985Vesselin DimitrovThis article analyses the causes of the most extreme nationalist undertaking in Eastern Europe in the 1980s - the Bulgarian government's attempt to change the names of nearly one million Turks in the space of a few weeks in 1984-1985. The article argues that the assimilation campaign emerged as a result of a combination of threats and opportunities on a number of levels. Domestically, the failure of alternative strategies of dealing with the ethnic minorities created a temptation to resort to a radical solution, whilst the political and economic resources which the communist leadership commanded and which reached their high point in the mid-1980s gave it the means to undertake such a policy. Internationally, the Soviet Union, Bulgaria's main strategic ally, was powerful enough to protect it against possible Turkish and Western reprisals, but not strong enough to impose its own more tolerant nationalities policy on Bulgaria. Turkey, Bulgaria's historical enemy and the perceived patron of the Turkish minority, was seen as both posing a threat to Bulgaria after the invasion of Cyprus, and as suffering from weaknesses which would prevent it from undertaking serious counteractions. There thus existed in 1984-1985 a false 'window of opportunity' which encouraged the Bulgarian communist leadership to obliterate once and for all the problem of ethnic diversity with which they were increasingly unable to deal by other means.http://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/downloads/publications/JEMIE/JEMIE01Dimitrov10-07-01.pdfBulgariaassimilationTurkish minoritydomestic policyinternational factorsSoviet UnionTurkeynationalism |
| spellingShingle | Vesselin Dimitrov In search of a homogeneous nation: the assimilation of Bulgaria's Turkish minority, 1984-1985 Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe Bulgaria assimilation Turkish minority domestic policy international factors Soviet Union Turkey nationalism |
| title | In search of a homogeneous nation: the assimilation of Bulgaria's Turkish minority, 1984-1985 |
| title_full | In search of a homogeneous nation: the assimilation of Bulgaria's Turkish minority, 1984-1985 |
| title_fullStr | In search of a homogeneous nation: the assimilation of Bulgaria's Turkish minority, 1984-1985 |
| title_full_unstemmed | In search of a homogeneous nation: the assimilation of Bulgaria's Turkish minority, 1984-1985 |
| title_short | In search of a homogeneous nation: the assimilation of Bulgaria's Turkish minority, 1984-1985 |
| title_sort | in search of a homogeneous nation the assimilation of bulgaria s turkish minority 1984 1985 |
| topic | Bulgaria assimilation Turkish minority domestic policy international factors Soviet Union Turkey nationalism |
| url | http://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/downloads/publications/JEMIE/JEMIE01Dimitrov10-07-01.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT vesselindimitrov insearchofahomogeneousnationtheassimilationofbulgariasturkishminority19841985 |