Bulgarian Transition to Democracy - Why was it so difficult?
Author
Kanev, Georgi Krasenov
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-07-12
Pages
41
Abstract
Specialet undersøger, hvorfor Bulgariens overgang til demokrati efter 1989 var så vanskelig. Med afsæt i demokratilitteraturen, især Linz og Stepan samt Huntington og Fukuyama, gennemføres et teoristyret, kvalitativt casestudie af de tidlige overgangsår. Analysen kombinerer teori og litteraturgennemgang og fokuserer på politiske institutioner, den politiske elites beslutninger og de økonomiske omstillinger, sætter udviklingen i en regional og international kontekst, sammenholder med Ungarn for at skabe kontrast og diskuterer EU’s rolle og København-kriterierne. Fundene ligger i forlængelse af Linz og Stepan: Forløbet blev formet af både indenlandske elitevalg og ydre påvirkninger; Sovjetunionens tilbagegang og Vestens tiltrækning påvirkede banen for alle lande i Central- og Østeuropa, herunder Bulgarien. I den bulgarske case var beslutningskraften koncentreret hos eliterne, mens samfundets rolle var mindre end ofte antaget, og EU-medlemskab har ikke i sig selv sikret fuldt stabile, velfungerende institutioner. Vedvarende problemer med korruption, organiseret kriminalitet og retsstatsudfordringer, som også er fremhævet i EU-rapportering, peger på en ufuldstændig konsolidering. Samlet bekræfter studiet, at demokratisering er vanskelig, og at Bulgariens forløb er et tydeligt eksempel på dette.
This thesis investigates why Bulgaria’s post-1989 transition to democracy proved so difficult. Drawing on the democratization literature—especially Linz and Stepan, as well as Huntington and Fukuyama—it employs a theory-led qualitative case study of the early transition years. The approach combines theory with a literature review, focusing on political institutions, elite decision-making, and economic transformation, situating Bulgaria’s path within broader regional and international dynamics, contrasting it with Hungary, and considering the role of the European Union and the Copenhagen criteria. The findings align with Linz and Stepan’s framework: outcomes were shaped by both domestic elite choices and external pressures; the decline of the USSR and the pull of the West influenced trajectories across Central and Eastern Europe, including Bulgaria. In the Bulgarian case, decision-making was concentrated in the hands of the political elite, while societal influence was more limited than often assumed, and EU membership did not by itself guarantee fully stable, effective institutions. Persistent corruption, organized crime, and rule-of-law challenges noted in EU reporting point to incomplete consolidation. Overall, the study underscores that democratization is inherently difficult, and Bulgaria exemplifies these challenges.
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