Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Νεώτερη και Σύγχρονη Ελληνική ΙστορίαLibrary of the School of Philosophy
Author:
Lygkouris Spyridon-Emmanouil
Supervisors info:
Σπυρίδων Γ. Πλουμίδης, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας της Φιλοσοφικής Σχολής Αθηνών, ΕΚΠΑ
Ευάνθης Χατζηβασιλείου, Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας της Φιλοσοφικής Σχολής Αθηνών, ΕΚΠΑ
Ευάγγελος Καραμανωλάκης, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Αρχαιολογίας της Φιλοσοφικής Σχολής Αθηνών, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Ενάντια στις λογικές του “από Βορράν κινδύνου”: Ο πολιτικός λόγος της ΕΔΑ απέναντι στη Λαϊκή Δημοκρατία της Βουλγαρίας και τις ελληνοβουλγαρικές σχέσεις (1951-1964)
Translated title:
Against the rationale of the "northern threat": The political discourse of EDA towards the Popular Republic of Bulgaria and the Greek-Bulgarian relations (1951-1964)
Summary:
The present bachelor thesis aims to study the political discourse of the party of the EDA, as it was articulated during the period 1951-1964, about the Popular Democracy of Bulgaria. What is the reasons behind the massive reference and engagement of the Greek Left with the socialist regime of Sofia? Is it related to the immediate historical background of the area and the postwar views of the greek urban people? If yes, did the pleading of the “New Bulgaria” had to do with the internal political agenda of the oblivion and the obviation of the postmenopausal palinodes? How does EDA express itself abreast the targets of Sofia and how does it criticize its purposes concerning the future of the Greek-Bulgarian coexistence? Respectively, what does it believe about the official external politics of the greek postwar governments abreast Bulgaria and how much it considers them helpful for the solution of the problem ? Finally, how does it place itself towards historical phenomena such as the sections of the Greek-Bulgarian diplomatic communication (1953-54 and 1963-64)?
At a first level, we present the historical background of the Greek-Bulgarian confrontation during the newer era (1870-1953) till the death of Joseph Stalin (1953) . We present the causes and the appearances of the bilateral rivalry and the main historical events which ranked the geopolitical conflict between Athens and Sofia as one of the principal regional confrontations of the European system. The geographical and historical conflicts between Athens and Sofia (Macedonian struggle, Balkan Wars, World War I and II) will get a new enriched face through their accession to both geopolitical and ideological poles of the Cold War. The course of the two countries to both coalitions was not a simplifying process as it was interdependent with the gradual collapse of the antifascist ally and with the begin of Cold War. Those issues constitute the interest of the first chapter which has as termination point the year of 1962, when we have simultaneously two phenomena: the consolidation of the organic accession of Greece to West (connection with Common Market, 1961-1962) and the stabilization of Todor Zirkov to the internal field of the Popular Democracy of Bulgaria.
In direct communication with the first capital, is the content of the second capital stock, which concerns the course of diplomacy relations Athens- Sofia, from the cool relationship (before 1953), till the complete smoothing and restoration of bilateral contacts (1975-76). The narration of this content will roll through presentation of spots of this bilateral relationship, which essentially concern three historical times: a) 1953-54, b) 1963-64, c) 1974-76. Basic idea of this content , ( which is based on Bibliobiography findings of this period) is that the reality and the logic of the Cold War led to an old regional confrontation in its incorporation into the new data and finally in its overcoming.
The main part of this Degree is located in the third content. The political speech of (EDA) here comes to step over to what they have been stating at the previous contents. It’s true that the historical memory and the geographic data consist factors, which shaped the perceptions and the targeting of the protagonists of the internal political field, therefore the argument of EDA must find ways to respond substantially. Due to the wide range of the historical material, the flow of capital had to be based on categorization and in recording the most important themes that have been developed. What stays at the end, is the finding that the references in the Public Democracy of Bulgaria at the speech of EDA remain important ιn number and militancy throughout the examined period.
Main subject category:
History of foreign relations
Keywords:
Greek-Bulgarian relations, Cold War, Popular Republic of Bulgaria, Greek Left
Number of references:
500
