Do you know Bulgaria’s political history before 1989?
How did the Communist Party control society?
Chavdarcheta, Pioneers, Komsomol – what do these words mean?
Do the youth brigades of the era have anything to do with today’s brigades?
See what everyday life was like for people…what was allowed and what was prohibited.
The answers to these questions and the stories about this time are among the themes in the first series of educational materials for teaching the history of communism in Bulgaria, created and shared free of charge by the Sofia Platform Foundation with the support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation.Reflecting on and understanding the communist past in Bulgaria, as well as in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, is a top priority of the Sofia Platform. As they state in the introduction to the textbook, “What Happened Before 1989? A historical compilation on communism in Bulgaria.” The textbook takes a holistic approach to the history of the period before 1989, covering both historical sources as well as literature, art, music, films, and personal stories of eyewitnesses.
The Sofia Platform also issues a free guide for teachers to assist in teaching the history of the recent past. The main obstacle in teaching the history of Bulgarian communism is the lack of adequate courses on modern methods for teachers, especially about the recent past which many teachers directly witnessed. The publication is intended primarily for high-school history teachers, but can be used in all disciplines that include civic education.
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