The Agrarians make a push to gain a majority in the National Assembly, but even before that election they begin to implement their major reform program to reshape Bulgaria into a 'Model Agricultural State.'

Major Characters in this Episode:

Prime Minister Alexander Stamboliiski

Mihail Takev

Timeline for this episode:

• 1920, Jan 5th - The National Assembly ratifies the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine. An agreement for the transfer of Bulgarians and Greeks from their respective territories is also signed,

• 1920, Jan 10th - The first meeting of the League of Nations is held in London.

• 1920, Jan 21st - The Paris Peace Conference ends.

• 1920, Jan 24th - Prominent Democratic politician Mihail Takev is assassinated by an anarcho-communist with ties to the Agrarian government.

• 1920, Jan - The Housing Crisis Relief Act passes, regulating rents and forcing private homeowners to accommodate tenants.

• 1920, Feb 15th - Bulgarians living in Dobrudja submit a memorandum to the Romanian government requesting minority rights, the end of the government’s confiscation of land, the return of confiscated church property, and the opening of the border with Bulgaria.

• 1920, Feb 21st - Tsar Boris III dissolves the National Assembly.

• 1920, Feb 22nd - A law is introduced allowing local populations to demand plebiscites to appoint or remove schoolteachers.

• 1920, Mar 3rd - As a white Russian immigrant named Peter Ries gave a lecture at the Odeon theater, local anarchists detonate a bomb.

• 1920, Mar 4th - The UK and France agree on the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire.

• 1920, Mar 16th - Allied troops occupy Istanbul. A new Turkish state is established with its capital in Ankara

• 1920, Mar 27th - Leaders of right-wing parties are arrested during the night.

• 1920, Mar 28th - Elections for the 19th National Assembly (110 seats, BKP 50, Democratic party 24, National party 14, Progressive Liberal Party 9, Socialists 9, Radical Democratic Party 8, People’s Liberal Party 3, other People’s Liberal Party 3.

• 1920, Apr 15th - The National Assembly opens its first session. In the first few weeks, 13 opposition deputies (9 communists, 3 democrats, 1 progressive liberal) are ejected, giving the Agrarians an outright majority.

• 1920 Apr 29-26th - Western Thrace is formally given over to Greece, triggering a new wave of refugees to Bulgaria.

• 1920, Apr 21st - Fighting between Poland and the Soviet Union begins.

• 1920, Apr 22nd - The Russian and Ukrainian governments issue a note of protest over the arming of White Guard units in Bulgaria (under Entente pressure) and for the existence of a Russian royal legation in Sofia. The government decides to return Russian POWs to Russia.

• 1920, May 21st - An Agrarian government under Stamboliiski is formed.

• 1920, May 28th - A law is adopted which obligates community service (12 months for those over 20, 6 months for women over 16. This labor is to last for 3-28 days a year for men between 20 and 50 years old. You cannot transfer this responsibility or pay your way out of it. Reserve officers in the military will manage the program. Bulgaria’s neighbors are upset about the program.

• 1920, May 28th - Greek troops begin occupying western Thrace.

• 1920, Jun 4th - The Treaty of Trianon reshapes central Europe.

• 1920, Jun 30th - An income tax is voted into law with rates ranging from 2-35% depending on income level. Unmarried men between 30 and 50 are taxed an additional 10%.

• 1920, Jul 17th - A law is passed enabling the government to take control of private buildings for public needs.

• 1920, Jul 28th - The Sofia Theological Seminary is moved from its building in Sofia to the Rila Monastery. The building is handed over to the Sofia University Faculty of Agronomy. The church threatens the cabinet and Agrarian party with excommunication.

• 1920 Aug 6th - A law is passed giving preferential treatment to cooperatives over traditional banks and insurance companies. At the same time a new law is passed creating mobile justices of the peace.

• 1920, Aug 9th - The Entente ratifies the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine.

• 1920, Aug 10th - The Treaty of Sèvres is signed between the Ottomans and the Allies.

• 1920 Aug 16th - A law is passed nationalizing land held by municipalities, churches, monasteries, and unused land.

• 1920 Aug 20th - Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia form the “Little Entente” defense pact. A year later, Romania will join to combat possible Hungarian revisionism.

• 1920 Sep 12th - The heir to the Ottoman throne Abdulmejid II is arrested attempting to flee Ankara. He is subsequently kept under house arrest at the Dolmabahçe Palace.

Sources used in this episode:

• История на България в Дати by Vasil Katsunov, Plamen Mitev, Valeri Kolev, Evgenia Kalinova, and Iskra Baeva

• Crown of Thorns: The Reign of King Boris III of Bulgaria 1918-1943 by Stephane Groueff

• Aleksandur Stamboliiski by R.J. Crampton

• Peasants in Power by John D. Bell

• The Bulgarian Communist Party from Blagoev to Zhivkov by John D. Bell

• Българската държава и кемалисткото движение в Тракия by Kemal Rashid