Change and continuity in the foreign policy of Bulgaria : a case study in Bulgaria's relations with Russia (1878-1915)
Author
Kalaycı, Burcu
Advisor
Meekin, Sean Mc
Date
2005Publisher
Bilkent University
Language
English
Type
ThesisItem Usage Stats
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Abstract
This thesis will analyze the change and continuity in Bulgaria’s foreign
policy regarding relations with Russia, from the establishment as a principality
under the suzerainty of Ottoman Empire in 1878, to Bulgaria’s entry into the
First World War in 1915. After the establishment of the Bulgarian principality
in the Berlin Treaty of 1878, the focal point in Bulgaria’s foreign policy was
relations with Russia. In contrast to expectations, Bulgaria did not turn into a
vassal state of Russia but instead pursued a national policy to create a ‘Greater
Bulgaria’, the borders of which had been drawn in the Yeşilköy Treaty of
1878. Russia’s insistence on interference in Bulgarian internal affairs and its
inconsistent policies further deteriorated relations between the two states. After
the catastrophic result of the Balkan Wars, Bulgaria even became the enemy of
Russia by joining the Central Powers in the First World War. Bulgaria’s
decision in 1915 denoted the failure of Russian diplomacy in Bulgaria.