Todor Zhivkov
Former General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party · Bulgaria · On the map · Politicians · Lived 1911 to 1998 · aged 86
He held Bulgaria for 35 years - longer than any other Eastern Bloc leader after the war. A former partisan who rose through the Communist Party, Todor Zhivkov kept the country locked to Moscow while the economy shifted from fields to factories, until protests and party pressure finally broke his grip in 1989.
Todor Zhivkov is read about 542 times a day, in 60 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 11 November 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 400 days, one point a day.
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Todor Zhivkov , eerste secretaris Communistische Partij en president van Bulgari, Bestanddeelnr 924-8077 (cropped).jpg?width=1200)
012.La invitatia lui Todor Jivkov, prim-secretar al C.C. al P.C.Bulgar, presedintele Consiliului de Stat(cleaned)
012.La invitatia lui Todor Jivkov, prim-secretar al C.C. al P.C.Bulgar, presedintele Consiliului de Stat
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1987-0529-029, Berlin, Tagung Warschauer Pakt, Gruppenfoto
6 July 1966 summit.jpg?width=1200)
66-021 Sofia Bulgaria 1966 (51193149510).jpg?width=1200)
Bulgaria 1978 Plovdiv city at Plovdiv Roman Stadium (cropped)In their own words 2
, Now every day, every hour, everywhere there is mat'rial (material) for meeting demonstrations!
Competition principle does not mean a competitive edge, comrades.
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About this person
Todor Zhivkov fought in Bulgaria's wartime resistance, organizing the Chavdar Partisan Brigade in 1943 and coordinating with pro-Soviet forces during the September 1944 uprising. He became First Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1954, then Prime Minister in 1962, and Chairman of the State Council in 1971 - holding power for 35 years, the longest tenure of any Warsaw Pact leader. Under his rule Bulgaria submitted entirely to Soviet direction while pursuing closer ties with the West, and the country industrialized rapidly: in 1948 eighty percent of the population worked in agriculture; by 1988 fewer than one in five did. The 1980s brought stagnation, corruption, and a deteriorating international image. On 10 November 1989, senior party members forced him out after he refused to acknowledge mounting problems and public protests. Within a month communist rule collapsed, and within a year the People's Republic ceased to exist.
