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Located at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula, Bulgaria serves as a natural stepping stone to the Straits, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. Its geo-strategic position has frequently attracted foreign powers – including Great Britain and the Soviet Union – with an array of regional and global interests. [NP] A succession of Great Power influences in the Balkans both shaped Bulgaria’s international place and marked its domestic policy. This book explores Britain’s involvement in Bulgaria between 1943 and 1949, providing a new understanding of the origins of the Cold War in the region. Divided into three parts, the book examines the priorities of Britain during and after World War II, investigates the practical integration of strategic and ideological objectives in British foreign policy, and maps Britain’s diminishing interest in the country alongside the parallel consolidation of communist power and the increasing Soviet presence. Using recently released sources from the Bulgarian and Soviet communist parties and foreign ministries, the author revisits the question of British attitudes towards Eastern Europe. This book offers a new approach to understanding the origins of the Cold War in Bulgaria and bridges significant gaps in the treatment of the country in English-language literature.

Bulgaria in British Foreign Policy, 1943–1949