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- Title
BULGARIAN POLICY TOWARDS THE MUSLIMS IN WESTERN THRACE DURING WORLD WAR II.
- Authors
Petrov, Bisser
- Abstract
On 20 April 1942 Bulgarian troops occupied Eastern Macedonia and Western Thrace. The Bulgarian government established permanent prefectures in the new territories, which were headed by a Bulgarian administration. The administrative regime was similar to the one inland. However, the new Bulgarian prefectures were faced with a variety of unique challenges, as the ethnic picture in the Western Thrace territories was very heterogeneous. The new Bulgarian administration had a markedly different approach toward the Turkish Muslim and the Pomak populations. On the one hand it was supportive of Turkish educational and administrative structures, showed respect for religious freedoms, and generally abided by its international commitments toward the Turkish, mainly because Bulgaria feared Turkish aggression. On the other hand, the Bulgarian government wanted to ensure its long-lasting presence in the region by claiming the Pomak population as Bulgarian Muslims. However, the Bulgarian government's strategy for territorial enlargement was short-lived, as the Axis lost World War II, which resulted in Bulgaria's loss of Western Thrace.
- Subjects
THRACE, Western (Greece); BULGARIA; GREECE; BULGARIAN history, 1878-1944; WORLD War II; MUSLIMS; POMAKS
- Publication
Balkan Studies / Études Balkaniques, 2009, Vol 45, Issue 2, p3
- ISSN
0324-1645
- Publication type
Article