Zveno
Encyclopedia
Zveno was a Bulgaria
n military and political organization, founded in 1927 by army officers. It was associated with a newspaper
of that name.
The Zveno members were not Fascists
, but they advocated an etatist
and corporative
economy, and were against political parties and the terror of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), the Macedonian
liberation movement. Zveno was also closely linked to the so-called Military League, the organization behind a coup in 1923, responsible for killing Prime Minister Aleksandar Stamboliyski
.
In 1934 pro-Zveno officers like Colonel Damyan Velchev
and Colonel Kimon Georgiev
seized power and established an authoritarian regime. Georgiev became Prime Minister. They dissolved all parties and trade union
s, and they openly attacked the IMRO. Their government introduced a corporatist economy, similar to that of in Benito Mussolini
's Italy
. King Boris III, an opponent of Zveno, orchestrated a coup through a monarchist Zveno member, General Pencho Zlatev, who became Prime Minister (January 1935). In April 1935, he was replaced by a civilian, Andrei Toshev, also a monarchist.
In 1943 Zveno joined the Anti-Axis
resistance movement, the Fatherland Front
. In September 1944 the Fatherland Front engineered a coup d'état, accompanied by an uprising, led by the Communists
. Georgiev became Prime Minister and Vechev Minister of Defense, and they managed to sign a ceasefire
agreement with the Soviet Union
.
In 1946, Velchev resigned in protest against the Bulgarian Communist Party
's actions, while Georgiev was succeeded by the communist leader Georgi Dimitrov
, though he remained in government until 1962. Zveno continued to exist within the Fatherland Front, but it was by then a puppet organization. It was finally dissolved in 1949.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n military and political organization, founded in 1927 by army officers. It was associated with a newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
of that name.
The Zveno members were not Fascists
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
, but they advocated an etatist
Statism
Statism is a term usually describing a political philosophy, whether of the right or the left, that emphasises the role of the state in politics or supports the use of the state to achieve economic, military or social goals...
and corporative
Corporatism
Corporatism, also known as corporativism, is a system of economic, political, or social organization that involves association of the people of society into corporate groups, such as agricultural, business, ethnic, labor, military, patronage, or scientific affiliations, on the basis of common...
economy, and were against political parties and the terror of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), the Macedonian
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
liberation movement. Zveno was also closely linked to the so-called Military League, the organization behind a coup in 1923, responsible for killing Prime Minister Aleksandar Stamboliyski
Aleksandar Stamboliyski
Aleksandar Stamboliyski was the prime minister of Bulgaria from 1919 until 1923. Stamboliyski was a member of the Agrarian Union, an agrarian peasant movement which was not allied to the monarchy, and edited their newspaper...
.
In 1934 pro-Zveno officers like Colonel Damyan Velchev
Damyan Velchev
Damian Velchev was a Bulgarian politician and military man.In 1930, he became a member of a pro-Zveno group. In 1934, he was the leader of the pro-Zveno coup, but did not become a minister and stayed in the background. After the counter-coup in 1935, Velchev fled abroad, but later slipped back...
and Colonel Kimon Georgiev
Kimon Georgiev
Colonel General Kimon Georgiev Stoyanov was a Bulgarian general and prime minister.Born at Pazardzhik, Kimon Georgiev graduated from the Sofia military academy in 1902. He participated in the Balkan Wars as a company commander and in the First World War as a commander of a battalion. In 1916 he...
seized power and established an authoritarian regime. Georgiev became Prime Minister. They dissolved all parties and trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s, and they openly attacked the IMRO. Their government introduced a corporatist economy, similar to that of in Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. King Boris III, an opponent of Zveno, orchestrated a coup through a monarchist Zveno member, General Pencho Zlatev, who became Prime Minister (January 1935). In April 1935, he was replaced by a civilian, Andrei Toshev, also a monarchist.
In 1943 Zveno joined the Anti-Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
resistance movement, the Fatherland Front
Fatherland Front (Bulgaria)
The Fatherland Front was originally a Bulgarian political resistance movement during World War II. The Zveno movement, the communist Bulgarian Workers Party, a wing of the Agrarian Union and the Bulgarian Social Democratic Workers Party, were all part of the FF...
. In September 1944 the Fatherland Front engineered a coup d'état, accompanied by an uprising, led by the Communists
Bulgarian Communist Party
The Bulgarian Communist Party was the communist and Marxist-Leninist ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 until 1990 when the country ceased to be a communist state...
. Georgiev became Prime Minister and Vechev Minister of Defense, and they managed to sign a ceasefire
Ceasefire
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
agreement with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
In 1946, Velchev resigned in protest against the Bulgarian Communist Party
Bulgarian Communist Party
The Bulgarian Communist Party was the communist and Marxist-Leninist ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 until 1990 when the country ceased to be a communist state...
's actions, while Georgiev was succeeded by the communist leader Georgi Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov Mikhaylov , also known as Georgi Mikhaylovich Dimitrov , was a Bulgarian Communist politician...
, though he remained in government until 1962. Zveno continued to exist within the Fatherland Front, but it was by then a puppet organization. It was finally dissolved in 1949.