Vesselin Dimitrov, Bulgaria: The Uneven Transition, London: Routledge,
2001. 127 pp., 80 USD, ISBN 0415267293 (hardcover)
Emil Giatzidis, An Introduction to Post-Communist Bulgaria: Political, Economic and Social Transformation, Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press, 2002. 180 pp., 24.95 USD, 0719060958 (paperback) ,
74.95USD, ISBN 071906094X (hardcover).
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Reviewed by Dimitar Bechev (St Antony�s College, University of Oxford)
Email: Dimitar.Bechev@sant.ox.ac.uk
It is no exaggeration that Bulgaria remains one of the least studied transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe.  Lagging behind the Visegrad frontrunners in the reform race, yet avoiding interethnic violence of the kind that followed the breakup of its western neighbour Yugoslavia, Bulgaria rarely made it to the world news headlines in the 1990s. That is reflected by the comparatively small number of English-language publications on its history, politics and society. The two recently published books under review seek to bridge that gap and provide an account of the political and socio-economic developments since the end of communism in 1989. Both Vesselin Dimitrov, lecturer in politics at the London School of Economics, and Emil Giatzidis,  PhD graduate from the University of Sheffield, undertake to assess Bulgarian transition�s successes and failures.As a consequence, the two studies are organised in a similar way. An overview of  Bulgaria�s history, focusing particularly on the period since its emancipation from the Ottomans in 1878, is followed by thematic chapters dealing with the emergence of a multi-party democracy, the process of market reforms, and Sofia�s foreign policy in the 1990s.
 From the outset, the discussion of Bulgarian past shows important differences between the two accounts. Giatzidis is clearly more interested in the social trends underlining the development of the modern state, and he contends that the progress towards democracy in the 1990s had few roots in the country�s history. For instance, in his eyes the multiparty political system of the pre-1912 period as  �based on a restricted popular participation and strongly centralized state controlled by a few notable families and professional politicians� (p. 13). Unlike Dimitrov, Giatzidis tends to ignore important elements underpinning the modernization process such as the advancement of education providing channels for upward mobility in a society characterized by widespread egalitarian attitudes. Not much is made of the indigenous traditions of self-government and activism illustrated by phenomena as diverse as the Bulgarian national mobilization in the 19th century and the cooperative movement since the 1890s either. Overall, Dimitrov�s account of the years up to 1944 is superior, not the least because it pays attention with key issues as Bulgarian nationalism and its impact on the state�s domestic and foreign policy. Finally, there are some inaccuracies in Giatzidis: misdating the 1934 coup and claiming that King Boris inspired it, while in fact it was staged by army officers with republican leanings, gives no credit to the book (p.16).
Dimitrov�s treatment of the communist period, however, is little more than a sketch; Giatzidis does a better job in exploring the main trend of the time: the process of rapid industrialization and urbanization thanks to which Bulgaria saw its peasant population plunging to 20% in the 1980s from around 70% in the 1940s. He also emphasizes the challenge of the socialist developmental model�s gradual collapse since the mid-1970s, resulting in a profound social crisis in the eve of the palace coup deposing Todor Zhivkov after four decades at the party and state top. Yet, Giatzidis� strong bias towards the economy implies a sort of a tradeoff as it obscures certain themes as significant as the �nationalisation� of Bulgarian communism finding its most notorious expression in the campaign of forced Bulgarianization of the Turkish ethnic minority. When it comes to identity politics, Dimitrov shows greater insight, which also gives authority to his account the inclusion of the Bulgarian Turks in the country�s political life after 1989.
The authors� views on the 1990s political transformations lead in different directions too. Dimitrov offers two competing explanations why the Bulgarian democracy survived through thick and thin all through the decade despite the heavy burden put by the reforms on ordinary people. The first is grounded on the fact that transition has chiefly been an elite business and the stability of the system was upheld by recurrent deals struck by the chief political actors with vested interest, the post-communist Bulgarian Socialist Party and the pro-reform Union of Democratic Forces (UDF). The prevailing distrust in political parties and the corresponding decrease of political participation, ironically sustained the constitutional arrangement (p. 66-7). However, Dimitrov seems to tilt towards the view is that political parties and electorates have been involved in a complex learning process whereby the former have recognized that long-term credibility is more important that electioneering, while the latter have matured for the idea that radical reform has no alternative. Giatzidis, too, subscribes to the opinion that democratic institutions have succeeded to gain ground, yet he claims that political culture and the level civic participation are the proper yardsticks for measuring the success of regime consolidation. Indeed that contention traverses the contents of his book, whose introduction casts Bulgaria as a case study to contribute to the debates in democratization theory. This prompts Giatzidisto look at, unlike Dimitrov,   Bulgaria�s civil society and political system in two separate chapters. It is unfortunate that both accounts are now outdated as they do not cover the period after the 2001 sweeping election victory of the NMSS, the party headed by Bulgaria�s former king Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Simeon�s appearance on the political stage was a blow to the party system, but it is accepted that the party itself has done little to redefine the post-1989 rules of the political game. This seems to corroborate the stability of institutions thesis, but widespread disillusionment with the King�s government poses the question of the existing gap between elites and public, on which each one of the two authors has a different take.
The respective chapters on Bulgarian economy trace the uneasy progress with market reforms in the mid-1990s leading to the collapse of 1996-97 as well as the macroeconomic stabilization and radical reformist policies under the UDF government headed by Ivan Kostov. According to Giatzidis, there were four reasons why Bulgaria has been much less successful than other transition countries: less favourable initial conditions, inconsistent stabilisation efforts, weak structural reform policies in key areas like privatization and finance, conflicts in the immediate neighbourhood deterring foreign investors. (pp. 104-105) Written from the perspective of 2000, his study shows a degree of skepticism as to the prospects of market reform (and by extension of the democratic regime) due to the weakness of the institutions underpinning the market and the great social cost of belated restructuring. Although Dimitrov agrees with Giatzidis�s diagnosis,  his attitude is, again, more positive. He sees 1997 as the threshold year and praises Kostov for the introduction of the currency board that curbed effectively hyperinflation, retuning industrial policy and pushing privatization. He, furthermore, acknowledges the prospects for EU membership as a principle anchor of for the reforms, though conceding that the transfer of the acquis communautaire has been largely a legalistic exercise with little impact on the ground (pp. 86-88).
The question of Bulgaria�s relations with the EU and the West is, understandably, dominates the analysis of the country�s foreign policy in the post-communist period. It has become a cliché to say that the end of bipolar divisions posed a number of challenges for the countries in Central and Eastern Europe, but in the case of Bulgaria that statement is not far from the truth. Joining the West and its institutions, dealing with the negative fallout of regional instability and redefining ties with Russia have been the principle aims of Bulgarian diplomacy. While the relations with the EU and NATO are given the most attention, there are differences in both authors� focus. In the respective chapter, which is relatively succinct, Dimitrov allocates some extra pages to the discussion of Bulgaria�s links with the major Western countries (USA, UK, France, Germany) and includes a section on the impact of the institutional setup on foreign-policy making, which adds much value to his account. Giatzidis, on the other hand, examines in greater detail the development of its relationship with the EU as well as its Balkan policy. Dimitrov, however sketchy in his writing, is often able to go one step forward. For example, what is missing in Giatzidis is the outcome of Bulgaria�s staunchly pro-Western position during the Kosovo crisis. His view that Kosovo was a draw between NATO and Russia, which forces Bulgaria to maintain an uneasy balance, is questionable (pp. 147-148). With that said, there is little disagreement on the successes of Bulgarian foreign policy: the gradual progress in its relations with the neighbours and the inclusion in the EU and NATO eastern enlargement.
To sum up, Dimitrov is more suitable to be a general introduction to Bulgarian politics and society, while Gatzidis is more authoritative on the issue of democratic consolidation and, therefore, may be of interest for a broader audience. On the whole, it is fair to say that both studies, whatever their shortcomings, fulfill their task and enhance our understanding of Bulgaria�s transition. One may hope that there will be some more titles to either update or introduce the English-language reader to specific aspects of contemporary Bulgarian politics, economics and society.
This an earlier book reviews are available at: www.seep.ceu.hu/balkans (as the website is awaiting a major revamping, this and recent reviews have not be included yet)