Abstract

This paper looks at the event in Czechoslovakia in 1968—Prague Spring—and its effect upon the political and social life in Bulgaria in the summer of the same year. The author offers a closer look into the motives behind the official reaction of the Bulgarian communist party’s elite in comparison to the unofficial reaction of the common people. The official reaction condemns the Czechoslovakian reforms while the unofficial reaction supports them and hopes for their success. The research is based on a set of documents from previously closed archives. The analysis and critical assessment of the records reveal the complexity and contradictions of the political and social realities in Bulgaria, affected by the country’s position as a state without independent foreign policy. The research results and conclusions contribute to a better understanding of the realities in a highly controlled totalitarian society.