On June12 and 13 at the American Research Center in Sofia an international conference on the 25th anniversary of the collapse of communism was held. The conference was entitled “Living after the Fall” and gathered experts from 10 countries: those from the region, as well as Germany and the USA. We learn more from one of the participant in the forum - Prof. Iskra Baeva of the St. Kliment Ohridski University. 
 
How appropriate for the study of changes in Southeast Europe is a period of 25 years?

“It is quite an appropriate period of time as I deal with modern history and believe that historians have the right, even the duty to analyze contemporary events. A very good example was given to us by historian Thucydides, who described events, in which he had personally taken part, in his work ‘History of the Peloponnesian War’. He did not even live to see the end of this war, but still wrote the best analytical study of it. So 25 years is a good period because attempts to seek any conclusions about the state of Bulgarian society today through our memories will be directed towards today’s reality and not the past.”

"Both reactions exist and it is quite natural. It is no coincidence that the American Research Center addresses this issue, as we live in this reality and it is more difficult for us to assess the periods. Therefore, a foreign look on the events is much calmer and it is not affected by the political passions of the time. As a researcher, I made the following conclusion: today's reality is in many ways better than socialism, but not in every way. If there is nostalgia for that time it does not mean that people actually would like to return to it. Most of them do not want to live in socialism, maybe with the exception of some elderly people. But, as the focus of my research is the younger generation, I do not think there is a young person who wishes to live in the times of socialism. Today's youth want to improve our reality by using some of the advantages of socialism, such as social security, employment and others but keeping all the advantages of our era.”

 
What were the main changes in Bulgarian society during this period? 
 
"Without any doubt, the most positive change is political pluralism and the ability to choose our government. We know that there is great disappointment in this respect, but it's is still better than the one-party system we used to live in. Major changes have taken place in the economy. Free market mechanisms were introduced, which made the Bulgarian market diverse. However, in the years of transition industry and large-scale farming suffered negative effects. Now the market offers everything one needs, but many people just cannot afford to buy these things. But the opportunities, especially for the younger generation, to travel study and work abroad are without doubt a great benefit to the Bulgarian society.”

"The concerns are many. They are related to the acute political crisis that has been going on for a year and a half and the economic problems caused by the global crisis that began in the U.S. and reached to Bulgaria. These problems are related to what applies to all Eastern European countries: the resurgence of populism, nationalism, questions whether ethnic communities in Europe are an advantage or disadvantage to nation states. Benefits are yet to come, but overall we have to say that our path during the past 25 years led us to freedom of political action. As a historian I can say that I never had such freedom and opportunities for research before. That's a big positive step and we have no reasons to turn back. We all want to improve our lives in all of its aspects and make Europe truly the best place to live in."

English: Alexander Markov