SOVIET PROPAGANDA & THE CLASSROOM: A unique, rare and never before published collection of Bulgarian socialist-era educational resources.

By Jonathan R. P. Taylor

SOVIET PROPAGANDA & THE CLASSROOM is a unique, rare and never before published collection of Bulgarian socialist-era educational resources. The photographs contained here were all taken by the author as found over many, many years (this whilst sharing his wife's passion for Urban Exploring). ‘‘Whilst she had a penchant for decaying buildings and architecture, mine was for bygone history and story-telling. What you see here was all discovered in place within Bulgaria's abandoned school buildings’’. Includes George Orwell’s classic work: 'Animal Farm'. Two books for the price of one!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9781312033573

Book preview

BRITTUNCULI RECORDS & BOOKS: 2023

SOVIET PROPAGANDA & THE CLASSROOM

Imprint Lulu - ISBN: 978-1-312-03357-3

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. An orphan work is a copyright-protected work for which rightsholders are positively indeterminate or uncontactable. A work can become orphaned through rightsholders being unaware of their holding, or by their demise. These images are orphaned works as comprehensively diligent research has failed to determine any authors, and/or creators of these original images due to the constitutional demise of the Bulgarian Communist Party as the original commissioner. Whilst the publisher does not claim ownership of these works as presented here, mechanical copyright of the photographs of these original images most certainly exists. They must not be copied without the direct consent of the publisher.

This Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This publication may not be resold or given away to other people without the express consent of the publisher. If you would like to share this publication with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased or supplied for your use only, you should return it to the publisher and purchase your own copy. Please understand that this title is the painstaking conclusion of many, many years of dedicated selfless hard work, accordingly this author will and without exception enforce any breach of these terms and conditions. Thank you for your understanding and support.

TIMELINE

1941: On March 1, 1941, Bulgaria’s previous neutrality is abandoned. It forms an

alliance with the Axis Powers of Nazi Germany.

1941: On 13 December, Bulgaria declares war on Great Britain & United States.

1944: Stalin declares war on Bulgaria on the 5 September. The Red Army enter Bulgaria on the 8 September. On 9 September, Bulgaria’s government is deposed by a Soviet-backed coup. Bulgaria declares war on Germany.

1944: In October the British Prime Minister (Churchill) consigns Bulgaria to Soviet

control through his percentages discussion with Joseph Stalin.

1945: In February, Bulgaria’s three regents and eminent journalists along with members of the last three governments, it’s parliamentary deputies and heads of military are executed.

1945: Great Britain & the United States decry proposed electoral laws as undemocratic. November’s election returns a substantial majority for the communists and their allies. On November 4, Georgi Dimitrov returns (after 22 years of exile) and is appointed as prime minister.

1946: September’s referendum returns with a 93 percent majority. Bulgaria is proclaimed a republic. Tsar Simeon II and the queen mother are exiled. He was nine years old. His father, Boris III of Bulgaria, died under suspicious circumstances in Berlin:1943.

1946: On October 27, elections for the new ‘Grand Assembly’ return a 28 percent vote for the non-Communist Agrarians as led by Nikola Petkov. He, and his parliamentary associates, are accused of an anti-Communist conspiracy and removed from the new assembly.

1947: February. The United Kingdom under Churchill extend diplomatic recognition to the new regime.

1947: In June, the opposition leader, Nikola Petkov is arrested. He is executed on September 23. The following week, the United States joins Great Britain and extends its own diplomatic recognition.

1947: December 4 sees the new Grand National Assembly establish the Dimitrov Constitution in law. It is closely modelled on the 1936 Soviet constitution.

1948: In August the remaining Socialist opposition parties are brutally repressed and most agree to become absorbed into the Bulgarian Communist party. Georgi Traikov repudiates his party’s traditional Agrarian ideology and agrees to work alongside the communists. The remaining smaller political parties announce their self-liquidation. The consolidation of communist power in Bulgaria is completed.

FOREWORD

The law is not a moral compass. Those who hid Anne Frank, and her family, were criminals, those that betrayed them acted in accordance with the law. In presenting this collection I must start by offering my wholehearted respect and admiration to all anti-fascist freedom fighters. This book is presented as an accurate record of an ideology within the classroom, I make no judgements. I get it, I understand it, I like to believe that had I been born at the time, I too would have unhesitatingly joined the resistance. The conditions of the agrarian peasant working class and the cruelty and brutality of its sovereign against them created the conditions for revolution. In understanding these conditions, unsurprisingly, the Red Army was welcomed. The crimes against humanity and the oppression of political freedoms thereafter sits solely at the feet of totalitarianism, not socialism. Communism did not kill anybody, but ‘Communist’s’ most certainly did. For that they must take responsibility and held accountable. Hitler arrested Jews who owned shops, Stalin arrested shop- owners who were Jewish: Two sides of the same coin.

Soviet propagandisation of Bulgaria’s Partisan history is probably the greatest of all thefts. The Partisans were freedom fighters, they were anti-fascists and supported by the Allied powers of WW2. Many were communists, many were socialists, many were agrarians, and many were just extremely brave people who wanted to live in a better world free of tyranny and totalitarianism. The Soviet’s will re-write their history and present them, post 1944, as Leninists, of allegiance to the Red Army, and as devotees of Stalin and the Soviet Union. This is not true. Post democracy, 1991, they would then be labelled as terrorists, as collaborators to the Communist regime. This is also untrue. All anti-fascists deserve our greatest of respect. This topic will be considered in further detail in my separate title: ‘‘Bulgaria’s Stolen Revolution’’.

We can all view life through our own ethnic-centric spectacles and history will always be written by the victor. All societies have used propaganda within the classroom to model and shape the desired, ideal citizen. During the late 70s my school walls were adorned with portraits of British monarchs, yet I was not a royalist. Corridor’s contained Christian imagery, my R.E lessons would start with a need to recite the names, in order, of the books contained of the Holy Bible, yet I was not a Christian. The crimes of colonial Britain are known and documented. No society is innocent. It is essential that I present this collection purely as I intend, a study of history during the socialist era classroom. I hope I have done so fairly, impartially, and a-politically.

Jonathan R. P. Taylor.

B.A (Hons) Community Studies. P.G.C.E (P.C.E.T), Ad. Prof. Dip. Mentoring, Dip

H.E (J.N.C) Youth & Community Work.

A picture containing text, clothing, poster, person Description automatically generated

www.lulu.com/spotlight/brittunculi

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jonathan R. P. Taylor is an award-winning British singer/songwriter (If Only – The Falling Man). 'Odd Jonathan, despite the name, offers one of the most lucid narratives folk music has produced this year, fluidly foiled by an intricate fiddle descant.' Academia (Best Folk Song Dec. 2015). His work was described by the late Tony Benn (British Politician, Author & Anti-War Activist) accordingly; 'Jonathan who has real talent has identified the crimes that are committed in our name. The songs are beautiful and the cause a worthy one'. Jonathan I'Anson, BBC Radio Leeds said; 'This song (The Holocaust Denier) was magic, In the right way the gravitas of it is completely delivered.' PM at the time, Gordon Brown wrote to thank him for it. And Andrew Liddle, Halifax Evening Courier (Victoria Theatre Concert Review) commented; 'a rare talent indeed', 'the possessor of a marvellous dusty, dusky voice full of resonance and beauty' 'writes awe-inspiring songs, both lyrics and melody' - 'deeply moving', 'iconic' and 'profound'

‘Taylor’s lyrics remain consistent in theme, his overwhelming need to lend his voice to those who remain without. Whether they’re victims of the Bulgarian Communist Regime (Izvinavi) or an elegy to those lost in 9/11 (‘If Only’) and the messages they left behind. Again and again, he returns to his subject… You begin to get the feeling Taylor needs this kind of connection to the past and a large helping of tragedy for both sustenance and creativity. Taylor’s music urges us to question why atrocities happen, whether they are individual or collective. He takes tragedy, seemingly internalising the pain and then slowly from his depths comes something beautiful, skilful, deeply memorable and strangely- immensely listenable’ - Curtsy Hoppe (Freelance) 2012.

This title ‘Soviet Propaganda & The Classroom’ is Jonathan’s twelfth literary work; however, beyond his ‘songbook’ (a collection of his lyrics and discussion of his SpLD) he considers this to be his first non-fiction title. You will find it to be presented with all the accuracy, love, and fine attention to detail as applied to his music. His first ten books are available worldwide as self-published, his eleventh ‘One Lump Or Two, Mister Hitler?’ has been held back for the perusal of prospective literary agents.

The posters and artworks found here were exclusive to the education system, the classroom, and the paintings, specific to the individual school. It is a deliberate choice not to publish external photographs of the building structures and or information pertaining to their location: Whilst the wider community of Urban Explorers leave nothing but their enthusiasm and footprints, others, sadly, have more sinister reasons for their visit. The principle is clear: Do no harm, take nothing belonging to others, and collate history with the respect and dignity it deserves.

ABOUT THIS COLLECTION

This work stared in 2005, this as the Soviet Union had collapsed just 14 years previously, and the year that Bulgaria was certain to join the European Union: 2006. It was in 2005 that Jonathan and his wife, Nicola, gambled on this prospect and purchased a rural village property in northcentral Bulgaria. A home rich in its own tapestry of history, a former WW2 ‘hide-out’ for Partisans and resistance fighters. After painfully renovating the property which had been empty and neglected for 26 years, and had changed hands no less than 11 times, they left the security and comfort of the UK and their teaching positions, permanently relocating in 2011. Jonathan holds a vast collection of Socialist era memorabilia, and Nicola, a vast collection of photographs.

Buzludzha (the former Communist House and Communist Party icon) has been the central theme in inspiring them both to record and document history as it decays over time. Buzludzha is Bulgaria’s largest ideological monument to Communism. Over 6,000 workers were involved in its seven-year construction, this number including 20 leading Bulgarian artists who worked solidly for 18 months on the interior decoration alone. Designed by architect Géorgi Stoilov, it is undoubtedly one of the most impressive architectural buildings I have ever seen. I can liken it only to a flying saucer that has somehow unexpectedly just landed there. You will find images of it on Jonathan’s book covers: Page 6.

The construction was funded by a small (but expected) donation from every citizen in the country. This voluntary donation of one leva (30 pence) formed the largest portion of funds required to build this most impressive structure. Buzludzha was finally unveiled in 1981 on what was the 1300th anniversary of the foundation of the Bulgarian state. The monument was built on the mountain peak by the Bulgarian communist regime to commemorate events of 1891 when the socialists led by Dimitar Blagoev met in secret at the site in order to form an organised socialist movement.

Since the collapse of the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1991, it is no longer maintained by the Bulgarian government and has fallen into disrepair. It is now found to be abandoned, vandalised, and internally devastated. To this day, buried in the monument’s concrete structure is a time capsule explaining the significance of the building. Bulgaria’s bloodless revolution (1989) ended with the disbandment of the Party. Ownership of the monument was ceded to the state and with no further interest or use for it, it was left to ruin and decay. It stands today as an iconic monument to a now abandoned political ideology. Every year Bulgarian Socialists still gather at Buzludzha to mark the founding of the Bulgarian Social Democratic Party. You can read more about Buzludzha on page 114.

If you are imaging abandoned Bulgarian schools to be in pristine condition then let me enlighten you, they are anything but. Many have been raised to the ground due to arson, others, window and roofless. Vandalism and weathering have resulted in their destruction. And; overtime, this decay has ensured that most of what was the classroom of socialist ideology, pre-1991, no longer exists. Today, these abandoned rural Bulgarian schools are used as nothing less than a playground for mischievous teenagers, for criminality, and as housing for cattle, sheep, and goats. This collection is unique and never published elsewhere. Whilst it is correct to acknowledge that many of the photographs contained would have been published in pro-Soviet newspapers and magazines of their time, beyond the former iron curtain, it is all but certain to say that they have not been seen before.

It is hard to know where to stop, with both text and images, so I have had to restrain myself considerably. The following introductory texts should be viewed as contextual only in providing a wider understanding of why this propaganda was used in the Communist Party classrooms of Bulgarian schools in promoting an ideology. It is not a history of communism; any such portrayal would be beyond the scope of this publication. Text exists only to place the object as found into its wider context. There are also countless images and documents I could add, my collection is huge, but as these were not found in the schools they are not included for the purpose of maintained authenticity.

On page 17 - I include an explanation of Pioneering from a dear friend, Prof. Stanimir Stanev, co-author of the book ‘‘289 Days Near Shumen (An album of the WW2 Shumen POW Camp)’’. The POW camp housed Allied military captured on Bulgarian territory. It was co-written with the son of a former American POW, Mark e. Lascotte. Published by Konstantin Preslavsky University Press Shumen (2012). ISBN: 978-954-577-570. Born in 1948 and celebrating his 75th birthday this year, June 2023, Stan was asked to recollect on his memories and emotions upon reflecting through these images and first reading of a draft copy: ‘‘Soviet Propaganda in The Classroom’’. He says; ‘‘As for my emotions, I really believed from my early age that socialism was a better choice for mankind. The reality became different.’’

A NEW APPROACH

Today, we find that the educational authority of Sofia (the capital) is proposing the use of their new propaganda-free high-school history books. Unsurprisingly in what is considered to be a polarised society: Controversy ensues. Many believe that crimes against humanity committed in the name of Communism by totalitarian regimes remains whitewashed, others believe that statistics relating to mass murder are grossly exaggerated. For many, loyalties still remain to Russia. The political suppression of Todor Zhivkov, the last representative member, and his predecessors of a repressive regime was ruthless. Zhivkov, a hard-line communist who held on to power for 35 years. The political coup of November 10, 1989, ousted him from governance and control over Bulgaria. Referred to as the ‘palace revolution’ the Bulgarian Communist Party found its demise to start just one day after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The new proposed curriculum requires that students learn propaganda-free truths about what really happened under communist rule from 1944 to 1989. The history textbooks used over the last 30 years have failed to do so, the realities of Bulgaria's totalitarian era have not been addressed yet. Five publishers responded to this need for curriculum changes which was approved by the Education Ministry in 2018 but these works were argued to normalise Zhivkov, statements enclosed in the new works have outraged political scientists, teachers, and human rights ativists alike, who cite glaring omissions. Fear, oppression, and desperation are omitted and a clear understanding of the rule of the communists remains distorted. To quote one such textbook: ‘‘Todor Zhivkov had a moderate style of governing without severe repression’’. In another: ‘‘Zhivkov's policies aimed to improve the welfare of the population.’’ These are books that still refer to the mistruth of rising living standards as compared to the West, and not to the reality.

Zhivkov ruthlessly utilised his secret police for abhorrent and vicious punishment of political dissent, especially against those he considered to be the opposition of the intelligentsia, thousands of dissenters were imprisoned, and free open debate of any overt political opposition was forced underground. Historically; the 9 September left-wing coup d'état of 1944 led to the abolition of Bulgaria’s monarchy. On the lowest scale: An estimated 1,000 - 3,000 dissidents (alongside war criminals and the former royal elite) were executed. Some anti-Communist historians cite the figure to be as high as 30,000, though most former-Communists would suggest this figure to be ‘fantastically inaccurate.’ During Georgi Dimitar’s tenure as head of state it is also suggested that c.5,000-10,000 peasants died of starvation through confiscation of land in heading toward state-controlled collective farming, however; it is impossible to gain an accurate figure.

In the article Consolidation of Power by John D. Bell, Philip Dimitrov & Loring Danforth as Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, they sum it up as follows; ‘‘Exploiting the popular feeling that those who were responsible for Bulgaria’s involvement in the war should be punished, the regime established people’s courts to prosecute the political leaders of the wartime period. The first mass trial (December 20, 1944–February 1, 1945) resulted in death sentences for more than 100 top officials. By the time sentencing was completed in April 1945, the courts had tried 11,122 people, of whom 2,730 were condemned to death, 1,305 to life imprisonment, and 5,119 to terms of up to 20 years. (Unofficial estimates suggested that as many as 30,000 political opponents of the new regime, including anti-Nazi activists, were killed without trial). When the army returned following the