Abstract
The aim of this article is to describe Bulgaria's policies towards its Turkish minority in the 1970s and 1980s, analyzing its causes and consequences. The text is based upon the author's study of unpublished sources and published editions of documents from the Bulgarian archives, as well of secondary literature of Bulgarian and Western provenience.
In the first subchapter, Bulgaria's minority policies in 1956-1971 are introduced because they are important for contextualizing later developments. The main part of the study is composed of two related texts that analyze the assimilationist character of Bulgaria's policy for its Turkish minority, which reached its high-water mark in the so-called "renewal process".
These subchapters analyze the measures undertaken by Zhivkov's administration in detail, and then examine reactions by members of the Turkish minority and the impact of the repressive policy on bilateral relations between Sofia and Ankara. In conclusion, the author attempts to evaluate the intentions behind these measures within the context of their time, and to answer the question of whether or not the initiative fulfilled its authors' expectations.