Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

100 years since the 9 June coup d'état

Vazrazhdane recalls the events of 1923 and warns Bulgaria may be facing a new national catastrophe

Alexander Stamboliiski

Vazrazhdane MP Ivelin Parvanov recalled the dark events related to the military coup of June 9, 1923, when the government of Alexander Stamboliiski was ousted from power. Parvanov pointed out that the reason for the coup was Stamboliiski's idea to hold accountable the politicians responsible for the national catastrophe after World War I and the signing of the nation-destroying Treaty of Neuilly. 

In the early hours of 9 June 1923, a military coup was carried out in Bulgaria against the government of Alexander Stamboliiski, who was captured and killed in a particularly cruel manner by representatives of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation (IMRO). The coup was carried out with the backing of the Tsar, the opposition, the officers and IMRO.  

At the head of the country stood prof. Alexander Tsankov, known by his nickname "The Bloody Professor". He is responsible for the deaths of many journalists, progressive-minded writers and public figures, including poet-publicist Geo Milev and journalist Joseph Herbst, who exposed the political repression following the coup and the subsequent communist uprising in Bulgaria in 1923, known as the September Uprising. 

The brutal political persecution of opponents of the Bloody Professor's rule became the occasion for many foreign observers to describe Tsankov's cabinet as "the most terrible and unscrupulous government in Europe".

In the words of Ivelin Parvanov it was then that a cruel civil war began in Bulgaria, which caused the death of tens of thousands of Bulgarians. Parvanov warned that the current rulers are capable of pushing Bulgaria towards a similar situation, which will inevitably lead to a new national catastrophe.




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgarians across the country take out the cross on Epiphany

On January 6, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is marking Epiphany. According to the Bible, on this day John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. Traditionally, a festive Epiphany liturgy is held in churches, water is blessed, and then..

published on 1/6/25 6:10 PM

147 years since the liberation of Sofia

The fighting for Sofia within the framework of the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) began on December 25, 1877. On January 3, 1878, the city's commandant Osman Nuri Pasha began to withdraw from Sofia.  His plans to set the city on fire were thwarted..

published on 1/4/25 6:30 AM

Regional History Museum - Sofia presents video stories of iconic buildings

In its latest digital section “Buildings Tell a Story”, the Regional History Museum – Sofia presents the stories of iconic buildings in the center of the Bulgarian capital city, as well as of the people who once lived in them. The video initiative..

published on 12/28/24 7:20 AM