De-Stalinization – the dilemma of a controversial decade

(1953-1964)

The exhibition "De-Stalinization - the dilemma of a controversial decade (1953-1964)" was prepared by two Bulgarian archival institutions - Commission on the Files of the Communist Secret Services and the Archives State Agency. It is the first of its kind and  attempts to present the changes in power and their impact on the political, economic, social and cultural life in the years after the death of Soviet leader Stalin. In this period the first attempts for open resistance against the communist regime in the countries of the Eastern Bloc appeared. These were the years associated with the real hope of many to reject the Soviet model of governance.

In Bulgaria, the process began timidly following the footsteps of "the big brother" from the East. The cult of personality of the Bulgarian communist leader Valko Tchervenkov was condemned, but only a few years later, in the same "controversial" decade, its transformation into a new cult - this time of Todor Zhivkov, was clearly evident.

One of the first measures of the government in Sofia, that was a direct reflection of the actions of the Kremlin after the death of the Soviet dictator, was the pardon of political prisoners and the closing of 11 prisons and the camp in Belene in 1953. Prominent politicians from the period prior to September 9, 1944, activists of the opposition Agricultural Union, "royal army officers", and communist party officials who were detained on false charges in the period 1949 - 1952, were released from prison within the next two years. At the same time all released persons continued to be regarded as potentially dangerous persons and the Secret Service continued its control over them.

1956 was a milestone for the whole of Eastern Europe, which attempted to awaken from the force and repression imposed by the Stalin model of socialism. The armed anti-communist uprising in Hungary gave the Bulgarian authorities the justification to reopen the repressions and ended the hopes for political reforms in the country. The camp in Belene was re-opened, campaign interning and forced relocation of "hostile elements" started in order to  protect "the people's power" from potential "counter-revolutionary activities".

From today's point of view the attempts of some members of the intelligentsia, workers of culture and artists, to exit Communist dogma may seem naive, but they proved that not all was completely lost. These attempts, however, received quick retribution from the official, i.e. from the party authorities: editors of central newspapers were fired (Vladimir Topenacharov and Vasil Akyov), theater spectacles were suspended ("Improvisation" by Radon Ralin and Valery Petrov), creative teams were destroyed (Burgas theater), movies were suspended before their premiere ("Life flows quietly" by Binka Zhelyazkova and Hristo Ganev) or right after their premiere ("On the Small Island" written by Valeri Petrov and "Amazing story" by Radoi Ralin). Some artists and writers were expelled from the party, from the respective creative unions, exhibitions were stopped, poetry books were not published.

The exhibition presents little known and previously unused archival documents, photographs and film footage, which represent the events of the 50s and the 60s of the 20th century, and trace the domestic and international aspects of the process, popular with the term "de-Stalinization" not only in Bulgaria, but also in Eastern Europe.