Word: zhivkov
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Protests also took place in at least eight East German cities yesterday and in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. As in Prague, the demonstrators demanded democratic reforms but also punishment of recently ousted leaders--Todor Zhivkov in Bulgaria and Erich Honecker in East Germany...
...East Germany probably can be added, along with Poland and Hungary, to the list of East European states that are trying to abandon orthodox Communism for some as-yet-nebulous form of social democracy. The next to be engulfed by the tides of change appears to be Bulgaria; Todor Zhivkov, 78, its longtime, hard-line boss, unexpectedly resigned at week's end. Outlining the urgent need for "restructuring," his successor, Petar Mladenov, said, "This implies complex and far from foreseeable processes. But there is no alternative." In all of what used to be called the Soviet bloc, Zhivkov's departure...
Trnski's speech was the first harsh public criticism of Zhivkov, 78, who gained power shortly after Josef Stalin's death with the aid of the Soviet dictator's supporters, and ran the country in a rigid, Stalinist fashion. The attack also came during the first-ever live television broadcast of a Bulgarian Parliament session...
Trnski accused the former leader of having led the country into deep economic crisis while leading a "flamboyant lifestyle." He called for the "real truth" to come out about Zhivkov, who he said owned 30 homes around the country and had retained power through a policy of "divide and rule...
Stoyan Mihailov, a reformer who was removed from the Central Committee and stripped of his ideology portfolio under Zhivkov last year, was made minister of eduction and culture. Some observers say that post could prove to be important as Mladenov seeks to garner support from intellectuals in carrying out reforms...