September Uprising
Encyclopedia
The September Uprising was an armed insurgency staged in September 1923 by the Bulgarian Communist Party
(BCP) under Comintern
pressure, as an attempt to overthrow the Democratic Accord government of Bulgaria
that had come to power with the coup d'état of June 9. Besides its communist
base, the uprising was also supported by agrarians
and anarchists
. The uprising's goal was the "establishment of a government of workers and peasants" in Bulgaria, not the conversion of the country's socioeconomic system to communism.
because it regarded what was happening in the country as "struggle for power between the urban and rural bourgeoisie
". This position was provoked by the belief of the party's older leaders, headed by Dimitar Blagoev
and Todor Lukanov, that there were no ripe conditions for a revolution in Bulgaria yet.
At the same time, a number of party organizations in the country proclaimed their support for counteraction to the coup d'état, with some even joining the June Uprising. Bulgarian Comintern General Secretary Vasil Kolarov
sent a telegram to the BCP (Narrow Socialists) leadership, advising them to "act in determination, even together with Stamboliyski
". However, no common BCP measures in support of the June Uprising were taken in the long run.
In early August 1923, a plenary session of the BCP (Narrow Socialists) Central Committee was called. During the session, the young and radical party activists, headed by Georgi Dimitrov
and Vasil Kolarov, backed by the Comintern, prevailed in support of the organization of a new uprising.
The government took precautions to prevent the uprising, arresting more than 2,000 noted BCP activists on 12 September 1923. As a reaction to the arrests, the uprising broke out without plan in isolated areas, initially around Kazanlak
. On 20 September, a BCP Central Committee meeting was held, during which a decision was reached to proclaim the uprising on the eve of 23 September, despite opposition by the supporters of legal activity. The plan involved a mass uprising around Vratsa
followed by the formation of an organized militia which would capture the capital Sofia
.
near Kazanlak on the eve of 14 September. Their actions were backed by the BCP branch in Golyamo Dryanovo. The rebels seized the two villages, but received no support from the neighbouring branches, which decided to wait until the official proclamation of the uprising. Several hours after the outbreak in Maglizh, they withdrew into the mountains.
On 12 September, a campaign committee was set up in Stara Zagora
, which reached a decision that the region should be stirred up to revolt on the eve of 20 September. The uprising broke out in Stara Zagora at the arranged time, but was quickly suppressed by government forces.
Nova Zagora
revolted at the same time, with the city and the whole region being quickly seized by the rebels. The villages around Chirpan
also revolted on the eve of 20 September and an unsuccessful attempt to capture the city was undertaken. The lack of an organized uprising around Burgas
allowed the government to mobilize strong forces and crush the uprising around Stara Zagora. Particularly hard battles were fought at Maglizh, Enina and Shipka.
's government, not enjoying wide popular support but relying on the army, declared a martial law
on 22 September and mobilized sizable forces to suppress the uprising. Groups of volunteers organized in shpitskomandi (paramilitary formations) also fought against the rebels.
In support of the cavalry platoon in Lom, which was encircled by the rebels, the government sent relief from Vidin
. The rebel forces were aided by one cannon operated by Father Andrey, but it failed to tip the balance in their advantage. After three days of small-scale urban warfare
, the government restored control over Lom.
At the morning of 25 September, rebels under Gavril Genov attacked the government troops heading to Ferdinand
at Boychinovtsi
and defeated them following a bitter fight. The victory raised their morale and they advanced to Vratsa, but were driven back. Rebel forces were also routed at Brusartsi
by troops garrisoned at Vidin. The resistance of the rebels in the Petrohan Pass
was also broken around the same time, and numerous heavily-armed military units advanced to Ferdinand and Berkovitsa
. In order to save the rebels from total extermination, the leaders issued an order to retreat to Yugoslavia
. On 27 September, the government forces entered Ferdinand. On 28 September and 29 September, there were only occasional fights between the retreating rebels and the army.
and the vicinity, an uprising practically did not break out. Only a handful of villages revolted around Pazardzhik
, among which Muhovo
and Lesichevo. On 24 September, the rebels attempted an unsuccessful attack of Saranbey
.
Following the departure of Dimitrov and Kolarov for the northwest, there were no preparations for the uprising in Sofia. The reason was that the Sofia branch of the BCP was dominated by supporters of legal action against Tsankov's government. Ultimately, a revolutionary committee was set up, consisting of Anton Ivanov, Dimitar Ginchev and Todor Atanasov, but it was uncovered and its members were arrested as early as 21 September. The lack of an uprising in Sofia allowed the government to use its best military units from Sofia to crush the uprising in other parts of the country.
There was small-scale insurrection around Ihtiman
and Samokov
, as well as in individual villages in the vicinity of Sofia and Pirdop
. Ihtiman and Kostenets
were captured, but the rebels were quickly crushed by government detachments from Sofia.
Before the beginning of the uprising, BCP and the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) concluded an agreement, according to which BCP would not stir up the population in Pirin
whereas IMRO would not obstruct the uprising's organization in other parts of the country. In practice, however, neither side respected the agreement, as the area around Razlog
revolted and IMRO joined the conflict on the side of the government. Following short fights, the rebels withdrew in the mountains.
Individual villages around Veliko Tarnovo
, Shumen
and Burgas also joined the uprising.
Following the suppression, the government, shpitskomandi and IMRO detachments committed mass outrages against the civil population in the regions that revolted, with particularly large atrocities around the town of Ferdinand. Active communists and agrarians were massacre
d, including some which did not take part in the September Uprising. Casualties among the civil population amount to more than 2,000 . According to the Bulgarian historiography during the communist rule of Bulgaria, they were around 30,000 , but these are considerably overestimated figures.
After the crushing of the uprising, its leaders Georgi Dimitrov and Vasil Kolarov fled to Yugoslavia and then to the Soviet Union
. Some of the rebels remained in the country and acted as isolated militia in the mountains, other emigrated to Yugoslavia.
In the Bulgarian communist historiography, Tsankov's government was regarded fascist and the September Uprising was called "the first anti-fascist uprising". After 10 November 1989, most Bulgarian historians reject the identification of Tsankov's regime with fascism.
The September Uprising and the atrocities during its suppression provoked a powerful reaction among the Bulgarian intellectuals of the time. Among the more famous works dedicated to the uprising are the poem Septemvri by Geo Milev
, the novel Horo by Anton Strashimirov
and the painting Septemvri 1923 by Ivan Milev
. Others include the books of poetry Proleten vyatar (Spring Wind) by Nikola Furnadzhiev and Zhertveni kladi (Sacrificial Stakes) by Asen Raztsvetnikov. The latter, together with Angel Karaliychev, author of the book Razh (Rye), were later classed as the "September generation of writers".
Between 1944 and 1979, memorials of the uprising were erected in a number of places, the locals of which participated in it.
Bulgarian Communist Party
The Bulgarian Communist Party was the communist and Marxist-Leninist ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 until 1990 when the country ceased to be a communist state...
(BCP) under Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
pressure, as an attempt to overthrow the Democratic Accord government of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
that had come to power with the coup d'état of June 9. Besides its communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
base, the uprising was also supported by agrarians
Bulgarian Agrarian National Union
Bulgarian Agrarian National Union also tiranslated to English as Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union is a political party devoted to representing the causes of the Bulgarian peasantry. It was most powerful between 1900 and 1923. In practice, it was an agrarian movement...
and anarchists
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
. The uprising's goal was the "establishment of a government of workers and peasants" in Bulgaria, not the conversion of the country's socioeconomic system to communism.
Background and organization
The Bulgarian Communist Party leaders took up a neutral position on the 9 June coup d'état and the subsequent June UprisingBulgarian coup d'état of 1923
The Bulgarian coup d'état of 1923, also known as the 9 June coup d'état , was a coup d'état in Bulgaria implemented by armed forces under General Ivan Valkov's Military Union on the eve of 9 June 1923...
because it regarded what was happening in the country as "struggle for power between the urban and rural bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
". This position was provoked by the belief of the party's older leaders, headed by Dimitar Blagoev
Dimitar Blagoev
Dimitar Blagoev Nikolov ; was a Bulgarian political leader, the founder of Bulgarian socialism and of the first social democratic party in the Balkans.-Biography:...
and Todor Lukanov, that there were no ripe conditions for a revolution in Bulgaria yet.
At the same time, a number of party organizations in the country proclaimed their support for counteraction to the coup d'état, with some even joining the June Uprising. Bulgarian Comintern General Secretary Vasil Kolarov
Vasil Kolarov
Vasil Petrov Kolarov was a Bulgarian communist political leader and leading functionary in the Communist International.-Early years:Kolarov was born in Shumen, Bulgaria on 16 July 1877, the son of a shoemaker...
sent a telegram to the BCP (Narrow Socialists) leadership, advising them to "act in determination, even together with Stamboliyski
Aleksandar Stamboliyski
Aleksandar Stamboliyski was the prime minister of Bulgaria from 1919 until 1923. Stamboliyski was a member of the Agrarian Union, an agrarian peasant movement which was not allied to the monarchy, and edited their newspaper...
". However, no common BCP measures in support of the June Uprising were taken in the long run.
In early August 1923, a plenary session of the BCP (Narrow Socialists) Central Committee was called. During the session, the young and radical party activists, headed by Georgi Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov Mikhaylov , also known as Georgi Mikhaylovich Dimitrov , was a Bulgarian Communist politician...
and Vasil Kolarov, backed by the Comintern, prevailed in support of the organization of a new uprising.
The government took precautions to prevent the uprising, arresting more than 2,000 noted BCP activists on 12 September 1923. As a reaction to the arrests, the uprising broke out without plan in isolated areas, initially around Kazanlak
Kazanlak
Kazanlak, formerly Kazanlık is a Bulgarian town in Stara Zagora Province, located in the middle of the plain of the same name, at the foot of the Balkan mountain range, at the eastern end of the Rose Valley...
. On 20 September, a BCP Central Committee meeting was held, during which a decision was reached to proclaim the uprising on the eve of 23 September, despite opposition by the supporters of legal activity. The plan involved a mass uprising around Vratsa
Vratsa
Vratsa is a city in northwestern Bulgaria, at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Vratsa Province. As of February 2011, the town has a population of 60,482 inhabitants....
followed by the formation of an organized militia which would capture the capital Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
.
Outbreak
Insurrectionary activity was first started by the communists in the village of MaglizhMaglizh
Maglizh is a town in Stara Zagora Province, South-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Maglizh Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 3,426 inhabitants.-Honour:...
near Kazanlak on the eve of 14 September. Their actions were backed by the BCP branch in Golyamo Dryanovo. The rebels seized the two villages, but received no support from the neighbouring branches, which decided to wait until the official proclamation of the uprising. Several hours after the outbreak in Maglizh, they withdrew into the mountains.
On 12 September, a campaign committee was set up in Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, and a nationally important economic center. Located in Southern Bulgaria, it is the administrative capital of the homonymous Stara Zagora Province...
, which reached a decision that the region should be stirred up to revolt on the eve of 20 September. The uprising broke out in Stara Zagora at the arranged time, but was quickly suppressed by government forces.
Nova Zagora
Nova Zagora
Nova Zagora is a town located in the southeastern plains of Bulgaria in Sliven Province. It is the administrative centre of Nova Zagora Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 23,625 inhabitants , while the entire municipality has a population of 45,111. The first traces...
revolted at the same time, with the city and the whole region being quickly seized by the rebels. The villages around Chirpan
Chirpan
Chirpan is a town on the Tekirska River in Stara Zagora Province, South-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Chirpan Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 16,355 inhabitants....
also revolted on the eve of 20 September and an unsuccessful attempt to capture the city was undertaken. The lack of an organized uprising around Burgas
Burgas
-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...
allowed the government to mobilize strong forces and crush the uprising around Stara Zagora. Particularly hard battles were fought at Maglizh, Enina and Shipka.
Uprising in northwestern Bulgaria
Aleksandar TsankovAleksandar Tsankov
Aleksander Tsolov Tsankov was a leading Bulgarian right wing politician between the two World Wars.-Biography:...
's government, not enjoying wide popular support but relying on the army, declared a martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
on 22 September and mobilized sizable forces to suppress the uprising. Groups of volunteers organized in shpitskomandi (paramilitary formations) also fought against the rebels.
In support of the cavalry platoon in Lom, which was encircled by the rebels, the government sent relief from Vidin
Vidin
Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
. The rebel forces were aided by one cannon operated by Father Andrey, but it failed to tip the balance in their advantage. After three days of small-scale urban warfare
Urban warfare
Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat is very different from combat in the open at both the operational and tactical level...
, the government restored control over Lom.
At the morning of 25 September, rebels under Gavril Genov attacked the government troops heading to Ferdinand
Montana, Bulgaria
- Elite High Scools :*Foreign Language HS "Petar Bogdan". Emphasis on English and German language proficiency. Recognized and praised for its scholars' academic accomplishments worldwide. http://gpchemont.com/sitegpche/...
at Boychinovtsi
Boychinovtsi
Boychinovtsi is a town in northwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Boychinovtsi Municipality , Montana Province . It is near the city of Montana. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 1,648 inhabitants....
and defeated them following a bitter fight. The victory raised their morale and they advanced to Vratsa, but were driven back. Rebel forces were also routed at Brusartsi
Brusartsi
Brusartsi is a town in Northwestern Bulgaria. It is located in Montana Province and is 23 km away from the town of Lom. The town is the administrative center of the homonymous Brusartsi Municipality. As of December 2009, Brusartsi has a population of 1,302 inhabitants.Main train lines...
by troops garrisoned at Vidin. The resistance of the rebels in the Petrohan Pass
Petrohan Pass
Petrohan Pass is a mountain pass in the Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria. It connects Sofia and Montana....
was also broken around the same time, and numerous heavily-armed military units advanced to Ferdinand and Berkovitsa
Berkovitsa
Berkovitsa is a town and ski resort in northwestern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Berkovitsa Municipality, Montana Province and is close to the town of Varshets...
. In order to save the rebels from total extermination, the leaders issued an order to retreat to Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. On 27 September, the government forces entered Ferdinand. On 28 September and 29 September, there were only occasional fights between the retreating rebels and the army.
Uprising elsewhere
In PlovdivPlovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
and the vicinity, an uprising practically did not break out. Only a handful of villages revolted around Pazardzhik
Pazardzhik
Pazardzhik is a city situated along the banks of the Maritsa river, Southern Bulgaria. It is the capital of Pazardzhik Province and centre for the homonymous Pazardzhik Municipality...
, among which Muhovo
Muhovo
Muhovo is a village in the Sofia Province, western Bulgaria with a population of 138. It is situated in the municipality of Ihtiman.- Geography :...
and Lesichevo. On 24 September, the rebels attempted an unsuccessful attack of Saranbey
Septemvri
Septemvri is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, located at the western end of the Upper Thracian Lowland, away to the west from the city of Pazardzhik. It is the administrative centre of homonymous Septemvri Municipality...
.
Following the departure of Dimitrov and Kolarov for the northwest, there were no preparations for the uprising in Sofia. The reason was that the Sofia branch of the BCP was dominated by supporters of legal action against Tsankov's government. Ultimately, a revolutionary committee was set up, consisting of Anton Ivanov, Dimitar Ginchev and Todor Atanasov, but it was uncovered and its members were arrested as early as 21 September. The lack of an uprising in Sofia allowed the government to use its best military units from Sofia to crush the uprising in other parts of the country.
There was small-scale insurrection around Ihtiman
Ihtiman
Ihtiman is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located in the Ihtimanska Sredna Gora mountains and lies in a valley 48 km from Sofia and 95 km from Plovdiv, close to Trakiya motorway....
and Samokov
Samokov
Samokov is a town in Sofia Province in the southwest of Bulgaria. It is situated in a kettle between the mountains Rila and Vitosha, 55 kilometres from the capital Sofia...
, as well as in individual villages in the vicinity of Sofia and Pirdop
Pirdop
Pirdop is a town located in South-West Bulgaria of Sofia Province in the southeastern part of the Zlatitsa - Pirdop Valley at 670 m above sea level. It is surrounded by the Balkan Range to the north, Sredna Gora Mountain to the south, and Koznitsa and Galabets saddles to the east and west,...
. Ihtiman and Kostenets
Kostenets
Kostenets is a village in the Sofia Province southwestern Bulgaria, located in the Kostenets Municipality . As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 4,201...
were captured, but the rebels were quickly crushed by government detachments from Sofia.
Before the beginning of the uprising, BCP and the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) concluded an agreement, according to which BCP would not stir up the population in Pirin
Blagoevgrad Province
Blagoevgrad Province , also known as Pirin Macedonia , is a province of southwestern Bulgaria. It borders four other Bulgarian provinces to the north and east, Greece to the south, and the Republic of Macedonia to the west. The province has 14 municipalities with 12 towns...
whereas IMRO would not obstruct the uprising's organization in other parts of the country. In practice, however, neither side respected the agreement, as the area around Razlog
Razlog
Razlog is a town and ski resort in Razlog Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It is situated in the Razlog Valley and was first mentioned during the reign of Byzantine emperor Basil II....
revolted and IMRO joined the conflict on the side of the government. Following short fights, the rebels withdrew in the mountains.
Individual villages around Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred to as the "City of the Tsars", Veliko Tarnovo is located on the Yantra River and is famous as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, attracting many tourists...
, Shumen
Shumen
Shumen is the tenth-largest city in Bulgaria and capital of Shumen Province. In the period 1950–1965 it was called Kolarovgrad, after the name of the communist leader Vasil Kolarov...
and Burgas also joined the uprising.
Consequences
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
d, including some which did not take part in the September Uprising. Casualties among the civil population amount to more than 2,000 . According to the Bulgarian historiography during the communist rule of Bulgaria, they were around 30,000 , but these are considerably overestimated figures.
After the crushing of the uprising, its leaders Georgi Dimitrov and Vasil Kolarov fled to Yugoslavia and then to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Some of the rebels remained in the country and acted as isolated militia in the mountains, other emigrated to Yugoslavia.
In the Bulgarian communist historiography, Tsankov's government was regarded fascist and the September Uprising was called "the first anti-fascist uprising". After 10 November 1989, most Bulgarian historians reject the identification of Tsankov's regime with fascism.
In art
Geo Milev
Geo Milev , born Georgi Milev Kasabov , was a Bulgarian poet.-Life:Geo Milev studied in Sofia and later in Leipzig where he was introduced to German Expressionism. His university thesis was on Richard Dehmel. Beginning in 1916 he fought in the World War I, where he was severely injured...
, the novel Horo by Anton Strashimirov
Anton Strashimirov
Anton Strashimirov was a Bulgarian author....
and the painting Septemvri 1923 by Ivan Milev
Ivan Milev
Ivan Milev Lalev was a Bulgarian painter and scenographer regarded as the founder of the Bulgarian Secession and a representative of Bulgarian modernism, combining symbolism, Art Nouveau and expressionism in his work....
. Others include the books of poetry Proleten vyatar (Spring Wind) by Nikola Furnadzhiev and Zhertveni kladi (Sacrificial Stakes) by Asen Raztsvetnikov. The latter, together with Angel Karaliychev, author of the book Razh (Rye), were later classed as the "September generation of writers".
Between 1944 and 1979, memorials of the uprising were erected in a number of places, the locals of which participated in it.