Bulgaria: The Uneven Transition FROM THE PUBLISHER
Post-communist States and Nations The communist regime in Bulgaria was perhaps the most stable in Eastern Europe, and its demise was brought about only by the general collapse of the Soviet bloc. In the light of this, what is surprising about the country's transition to democracy and a market economy is not that it has been uneven but that it has proceeded without fundamental disruptions and is now showing some signs of consolidation. The two-party system that emerged from the round table negotiations in 1990 has survived remarkably intact although the parties within it have undergone considerable transformations. The institutions of democracy have often been misused but have shown their ability to survive in crisis situations. After a dismal record of macroeconomic mismanagement, the establishment of a currency board has brought stability to the country's economy, and the long-delayed structural reform is finally off the ground. Having survived the trials of transition, Bulgaria is now faced with the more difficult task of adapting.
FROM THE CRITICS
Richard Crampton
Dimitrov writes with great authority and acumen. His book clearly shows the underlying continuities in Bulgarian history. Many of these have received little or no attention in previous western scholarship. ... He argues forcibly that it was not until the fall of communism that Bulgaria was forced to move towards a society and economy based on individual, self-reliant enterprise. Dimitrov provides a cool, dispassionate and at times critical survey of Bulgarian foreign policy but he is at his best when analyzing the process by which the post-communist system came into being and how that process of evolution has affected developments down to the first year of the twenty-first century.
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