As Tsar Boris tightens his grip on Bulgaria internally, it becomes more and more clear that events in Europe are outpacing his efforts. While Bulgaria remains committed to neutrality, the tides of war seem poised to sweep the country in whichever direction they desire and there's very little Tsar Boris, or anyone, can do about it.

Major Characters in this Episode:

Tsar Boris III

Adolf Hitler

Prime Minister Koisseivanov

Prime Minister Bogdan Filov

Peter Grabrowsky

Timeline

• 1939, Nov 30th - The Soviet Union attacks Finland, beginning the Winter War.

• 1939, Dec 24th - 1940, Jan 28th - New elections are held for the 25th National Assembly and are won by the government. The opposition wins just 20 seats (10 Communists, 5 Pladne Agrarians, 2 Tsankovists, the democrat Nikola Mushanov, the populist Professor Petko Staynov, and the Vrabchivist Agrarian Dimitar Iliev.)

• 1940, Jan 5th - A three year trade and navigation agreement is signed with the USSR.

• 1940, Feb 16th - A new non-party cabinet is appointed, headed by Bogdan Filov as the new Prime Minister. The anti-semetic Petus Gabrovski is made Minister of Interior.

• 1940, Feb 24th - The 25th National Assembly begins. Tsar Boris gives a speech reinforcing the country’s neutral stance.

• 1940, Feb - The Balkan Pact offers Bulgaria membership, but the country refuses. Crampton, 165.

• 1940, Mar 5th - The Katyn massacre sees the Soviet Union murder tens of thousands of members of the Polish intelligentsia.

• 1940, Mar 12th - The Soviet Union and Finland sign a peace treaty ending the Winter War.

• 1940, Apr 9th - Operation Weserübung begins as Germany invades Norway and Denmark.

• 1940, Apr 23rd - The National Assembly passes the Civil Mobilization Act, prohibiting strikes and placing industrial production under state control.

• 1940, May 1st - Muted May Day celebrations

• 1940, May 10th - Germany invades France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

• 1940, May 26th - The British begin evacuating their expeditionary force at Dunkirk.

• 1940, Jun 1-26th - About 30,000 workers go on strike demanding wage increases. The government eventually negotiates a 15% increase with them to end the strike.

• 1940, Jun 8th -Bulgarian and Romanian communists sign a declaration in Constanta to guarantee the territorial integrity of Romania, explicitly opposing the return of Southern Dobrudja to Bulgaria.

• 1940, Jun 10th - Germany completed the occupation of Norway.

• 1940, Jun 14th - The Soviet Union issues an ultimatum to Lithuania demanding the establishment of a “people’s government” and the entry of the Red Army. The country is occupied the next day.

• 1940, Jun 17th - The Soviet Union occupies Latvia and Estonia.

• 1940 Jun 22nd - France surrenders.

• 1940, Jun 28th - The Soviet Union begins occupying and annexing Bessarabia and northern Bukovina from Romania.

• 1940, Jul 10th - The Battle of Britain begins.

• 1940, Jul 21st - The Baltic states become part of the Soviet Union after rigged parliamentary votes.

  
  

Sources:

• История на България в Дати by Vasil Katsunov, Plamen Mitev, Valeri Kolev, Evgenia Kalinova, and Iskra Baeva

• The Rose of the Balkans by Ivan Ilchev

• The Bulgarian Communist Party from Blagoev to Zhivkov by John D. Bell

• Crown of Thorns by Stephane Groueff

• History of the Balkans: Twentieth Century by Barbara Jelavich

• Bulgaria During the Second World War by Marshall E. Miller

• Bulgaria 1879-1946: The Challenge of Choice by Tatiana Kostadinova