Todor Zhivkov
| Todor Zhivkov | |
|---|---|
 |
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| General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party | |
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In office March 4, 1954 – November 10, 1989 |
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| Preceded by | Valko Chervenkov |
| Succeeded by | Petar Mladenov |
| 1st Chairman of the State Council | |
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In office 7 July 1971 – 17 November 1989 |
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| Preceded by | Georgi Traykov (as Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly) |
| Succeeded by | Petar Mladenov |
| 36th Prime Minister of Bulgaria | |
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In office 19 November 1962 – 7 July 1971 |
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| Preceded by | Anton Yugov |
| Succeeded by | Stanko Todorov |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Todor Hristov Zhivkov 7 September 1911 Pravets, Kingdom of Bulgaria |
| Died | 5 August 1998 (aged 86) Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Nationality | Bulgarian |
| Political party | Bulgarian Communist Party (1932-1990) |
| Spouse(s) | Mara Maleeva (1911-1971) |
| Children |
Lyudmila (1942-1981) Vladimir (1952-) |
Todor Hristov Zhivkov (Тато), (Бай Тошо), (Тошо) (Bulgarian: Тодор Христов Живков, tr. Todor Hristov Živkov; IPA: [ˈtɔdɔr ˈxristɔf ˈʒifkɔf]; 7 September 1911 – 5 August 1998), was the Communist leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB) from March 4, 1954 until November 10, 1989.
He became First Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1954 and remained on this position for 35 years, until 1989, thus becoming the longest-serving leader of any Eastern Bloc nation after the World War II, and one of the longest ruling non-royal leaders in modern history. His rule marked a period of unprecedented political and economic stability for Bulgaria, marked both by complete submission of Bulgaria to Soviet directives and a desire for expanding ties with the West. His rule remained unchallenged until the deterioration of East-West relations in the 1980s, when a stagnating economic situation, a worsening international image and growing careerism and corruption in the BCP weakened his positions. He resigned on November 10, 1989, under pressure by senior BCP members due to his refusal to recognize problems and deal with public protests. Within a month of Zhivkov's ouster, Communist rule in Bulgaria had effectively ended, and within another month the People's Republic of Bulgaria had formally ceased to exist.
Zhivkov was born in the Bulgarian village of Pravets into a peasant family. In 1928, he joined the Bulgarian Communist Youth Union (BCYU), an organisation closely linked with the Bulgarian Workers Party (BWP) – later the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP). The following year he obtained a post at the Darzhavna pechatnitsa, the official government publisher in Sofia. In 1932, he joined the BWP proper, later serving as secretary of its Second Borough Committee and as a member of its Sofia County Committee. Although the BWP was banned along with all other political parties after the uprising of 19 May 1934, it continued fielding a handful of non-party National Assembly Deputies and Zhivkov retained his posts at its Sofia structure.
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