Посредници и пазарни микроструктури в търговията с черноморско зърно. Предварителни наблюдения от Варна (средата на XIX – началото на XX в.)

Author(s): Andreas Lyberatos / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2020

The paper explores the role of intermediaries and market microstructures in Black Sea Grain Trade through the example of the case of Varna and the wider region of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It focuses particularly on the transition from the late Ottoman, largely unregulated, regional grain markets to the period of autonomous Bulgaria (1878-1908), when international and domestic, economic and social pressures invited the Bulgarian authorities to intervene in local economies and try to regulate the grain markets and the sales of grain from the hinterland to the port-cities. The case of Varna shows that these efforts for institutional change corresponded to – and were largely provoked in the framework of – struggles for control of the processes of agricultural surplus extraction in the hinterland of the port outlets, struggles, which had a discernible ethnic dimension.

Търговия и интеграционни процеси в средновековна Ливония през XIII в. Основни тенденции и исторически паралели

Author(s): Ivelin A. Ivanov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

The article dwells on the role that trade played in the annexation of land along the southeastern coast of the Baltic Sea after a series of crusades and mass Christianization of local tribes during the late 12th and early 13th c. The author analyzes the development of urban life and communications in Livonia, emphasizing the crucial role that commercial activity and the development of trade routes played in the integration of these lands and population into the Christian European world. Afterwards, the author takes a comparative research approach by drawing parallels between the Mediterranean area and the Black Sea basin during the 13th c. It is stressed that, unlike the merchants of the Hanseatic League, who established a solid cartel, which allowed them to monopolize trade in the Baltic Sea, the Italian merchants could not afford such a course of action. Also, the article focuses on the significance of winter routes along the frozen rivers and lakes in Livonia in comparison to Southern and Southeastern Europe. In conclusion, it is stated that the commercial activity in Livonian lands during the 13th c. can be considered in the context of integration processes but it cannot be considered the only and primary way to integration. For instance, based on the comparison with Genoese trade in the Mediterranean Sea, the Back Sea and the Sea of Azov a conclusion can be drawn that the longer routes of the Genoese involved more risk factors. In this aspect, Livonia was in control of relatively shorter and more easily accessible routes, with summer and winter options. This contributed to the flourishing of trade in that region as well as the fostering of international and domestic integration over the following centuries.

Социологически профил на българските текстилни фабриканти, 1834–1912 г.

Author(s): Martin Ivanov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

Drawing from a large number of sources I have been able to identify 196 industrialists with relatively complete biographical data. The following bioindicators have been collected: the years (and, when possible, the dates) of birth and death, family origin (father's profession and assessment of his property), education, position in the factory, previous or parallel economic activity, participation in the revolutionary movement (in including IMRO), membership in cultural, educational or professional organizations, party membership, high administrative positions and family ties. The generalized factory sociology is presented in tabular and narrative form and along with the general picture a focus is given on the first founding fathers from the classical Grunder period between 1880 and 1899.

Поземлената собственост и аграрното развитие на България 1879–1912 г.

Author(s): Pencho D. Penchev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

During the period 1879 – 1912 in Bulgaria the security of private land ownership was very conditional. The rule of law also was not a well-established practice. The paper identifies laws whose provisions were not implemented, normative acts, which, although considered as necessary, were not adopted for a longtime, and laws, the application of which generates instability and uncertainty regarding land property. The described institutional disorders and the lack of state capacity contribute to retention of agriculture at a low level with primitive equipment, weak market affiliation and limited productivity.

Личността, обществото и държавата като движещи елементи за следосвобожденския икономически напредък на България, отразени в списание „Промишленост“ 1887–1890 г.

Author(s): Margarita Marinova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

The article presents the research papers dedicated to Bulgaria’s economic development in the 1880s selected by the Editorial Board of and published in the journal Industry printed in the town of Svishtov in the period 1887–1890. It puts an emphasis on the policy of openness and freedom adopted by the state, which,along with each individual citizen and the society as a whole are regarded the key drives for development. The paper discusses the various opinions regarding the achievements in each economic sector, the problems they face, and the causes for the slower rates of economic development. The journal regards the prosperity of the country as a function of free-market entrepreneurship and household savings as a source of capital investment rather than a return to protectionist policies and the accelerated integration of Bulgaria into the civilized world through harmonization of the relations between man and society.

Икономическите възгледи на Либералната (Радославистка) партия (края на XIX – началото на XX в.)

Author(s): Milko Palangurski / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

At the end of the 19th century, the Bulgarian party structure was established, and through the mechanisms of the constitutional system, took over the government of the country and its political and economic modernization. The Liberal Party led by Dr. Vasil Radoslavov is one of the parties governing the country. Like the other parties, it kept its focus mainly on the political and not economic sphere. In their program, the liberals concretize their practical ideas. Their views on the protection and defense of agriculture, livestock, industry, trade and the introduction of a modern tax system are in line with the latest ideas of their time and fully meet the interests of the economic change of the state and the society.

Вторият държавен съд (1910 – 1914 г.) и обвиненията срещу бившия военен министър Михаил Савов (1903 – 1907 г.)

Author(s): Evgeni Kostov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

The Institute for constitutional Ministerial criminal liability in Bulgaria is based on article 155–159 from the Constitution of the Bulgarian Principality, adopted in 1879. It provides for a specific procedure through which the members of the government to be judged outside of the civil courts. From 1880 to 1923, under this procedure four trials were held. In this case, we focus on the work of the Second State Court (1910 – 1914). It explores potential law violations committed by ministers from People`s Liberal Party of Bulgaria, during the period of 1903–1908. Later on, in 1913, the indictment was published. This paper analyzes the crimes of former Minister of War Mikhail Savov that are subject to an indictment. The author comes to the conclusion that most of the allegations were unfounded. In 1914, as a result of political reasons, the decision of the Parliament was made to remove the criminal responsibility of the ministries.

Политиката на Светия синод за организирането на манастирските земи в стопанства в периода 1913–1923 г.

Author(s): Nikolay Atanasov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

The study traces the formation and development of the Church-Economic Department at the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The newly created structure aims to organize the monastery lands into efficient farms. With this purpose, a department was created, which monitors the work of monastery forests and one, which takes care of the fruits and vineyard distribution. In order to provide material support of the newly created structure, a Church-Monastery Fund was also created, which is filled up by surpluses of the church and monastery funds. Some distinct experts were involved in the Church-Monastery Department, who help in formation of its structures and in reaching high yields and quality of the cultivating seedlings and crops. The successful development of the Church-Economic Department is hindered by the state policy. Alexander Stamboliyski’s regime brings in action the Law on Labor Land Ownership, which requires confiscation of uncultivated lands and its distribution to the needy population. The article of the law also applies to monastic lands. This policy has two irreversible consequences. One is connected to the gradual withdrawal of leading and specialized personnel out of the Church-Economic Department, and second is related to increasing the negative reaction of part of Synod elders and some abbots. The Church’s internal disagreements regarding the economic policy are caused by the centralization process and regulation of the economic activity and the exhaustion of the monastery funds, from which about 1/3are being allocated for the benefit of different church funds.

Приемственост и промени в стопанската политика на българската държава по време на световната стопанска криза 1929–1934 г.

Author(s): Marko Dimitrov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

The predominant opinion in Bulgarian historiography on the consequences of the 19th of May 1934 coup d’état is that there was a significant change in the nature, directions and content of politico-economic life in Bulgaria. This dramatic change is considered a result of the new governmental policies. To some extent, this is correct statement for certain aspects of Bulgaria's development during the second half of the 1930s, and until 1944. However, there are areas of public life in which there is clear continuity between the pre-coup anti-crisis policy of the Popular Block (Naroden blok) and that of the post-coup government led by Kimon Georgiev. Among areas of continuity is the economic policy aimed to overcome the negative effects of the Great Depression on Bulgarian economy. The problem of continuity in economic policy of Bulgaria during the 1930s has not been developed so far in Bulgarian historiography. This article aims to reveal the existence of continuity between the governments that ruled the country during the Great Depression and, to raise the general issue of continuity during the Third Bulgarian State.

Българският „капитализъм“ и митническата политика през 20-те и 30-те години на XX в.

Author(s): Petar Stoyanov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

Bulgaria in the period between the two world wars was one of the countries that make extensive use of customs and customs policy as a powerful instrument for influencing trade, production and public finances. In this sense, this report aims at presenting trends, developmental features and clarifying the main factors responsible for the problematic status of customs duties and the customs regime. The customs policy is a very good barometer of the state of national capital and one of the important tools supporting its formation, also revealing very well the actual specifics of the ruling socio-economic system. For this reason, with the present publication the author aims also to pay attention to the problems related to the adequacy of the terminology used to describe the economic system during that period.

Entrepreneurial Networks in the Ottoman Empire: The Case of Osman Inayet

Author(s): Dilek Kaya / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

This article analyzes the dynamics of an entrepreneurial activity, mine exploitation, at the end of the nineteenth century in Salonica through the economic activities of an entrepreneur, Osman Inayet and proposes an evaluation of the complex relationships he created with other entrepreneurs through mining activities. Legal transformations concerning mining activities coupled with the economic growth due to the commercial expansion especially in port-cities such as Salonica in this period paved the way for an increase in the interest in mining activities. The mining activities of Osman Inayet, one of the entrepreneurs engaged in this sector, serve to analyze the components of the economic network he formed around this activity and lead us to enrich our comprehension about the nature of economic relations in Salonica at the end of the nineteenth century. Focusing on an individual case provides a more comprehensive picture of individual choices, decisions, and experiences. Furthermore, this analysis, based on archival documents on mine concessions, provides new perspectives to our understanding of the inner mechanisms entrepreneurial activities.

Стопанска характеристика и развитие на пазарните отношения в Севлиево (Серви/Селви) и в каза Хоталич през XVI–XVII в. (по данни на османски регистри от периода)

Author(s): Krasimira Mutafova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

On the basis of partially published Ottoman register material from the 16th and 17th centuries and the published legislative acts of the Ottoman sultans – canuns and canunnames (laws and legislations), and etc., regulating the system of market duties and taxes in the Ottoman Empire, the author makes an attempt tooutline the economic characteristics of the settlements – a total of 43 – from the nahi / kaza of Hotalich and the formation of market relations within its scope. The diverse and compact information contained in the selected for the purposes of the study mufassal (detailed, nominal) defters from 1516–1517, 1541–1545, 1613–1614 and 1642–1646 allows us to follow: the establishment of Servi/Selvi as the administrative center of the nahi/kaza Hotalich; to look for indications of its urban status; the formation of a separate market, as indicated by the inscribed market bac by Servi itself (bac-i bazar nefs-i Servi), and its transformation into a market center for the region. It is the commercial bac fee, which as a rule accompanies every transaction on the local city market (except for the purchase and sale of real estate – vineyards, gardens, mills, houses, shops) and is an important part of the system of market duties and taxes is a definite indicator of market activity in the studied settlements. Although it is difficult to reconstruct the picture of the city market only on the basis of the records in the mufassal defteris, which register only the volume of this activity, the applied deductive, conditionally speaking, and inductive method to the entered taxes and fees, reveal not only the whole set of cultivated crops and specific livelihoods of the population, but also provide an opportunity to highlight those industries in the general production characteristics of the settlements of the nahi Hotalich, oriented to the market.

Между двата центъра на властта – Търново и Цариград. Историята на една делегация от 50-те години на XIX в.

Author(s): Stanimir Dimitrov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

In the 1840s and 1850s, a conflict broke out in the Tarnovo region between two warring parties. One was supporting the Metropolitan of Tarnovo, and the other – his opponent. Of course, this case cannot be separated from the main processes taking place in the Ottoman Empire. The Tanzimat reforms are considered to remain only on paper, but they gave a new spirit among the Bulgarian population in search of their identity against the old and difficult to reform Orthodox Church with the center of Constantinople. The appearance of rich and influential Bulgarians such as Hadzhi Mincho Hadzhi Tsachev and his interests affected by the Metropolitan of Tarnovo Neofit are the basis of our article. Each of the two warring parties sought support not only from the local population, but also from government and church circles. A supporter of Metropolitan Neofit in Constantinople is Nikomidias, a person who has not been the subject of research. The representative of supreme Ottoman government in the person of Stefan Bogoridi also turned out to be a supporter of Neofit. Letters from the fund of Georgi Popsimenov (National Library – Sofia), a vekil of Tarnovska Kaza, who represented a delegation in defense of the Tarnovo Metropolitan Neophyte and their wandering in the labyrinth of bureaucratic Constantinople, are studied.

Социално-икономическо развитие на Карловска околия след Освобождението

Author(s): Aleksandar Zlatanov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

For the most part of the 19th century Karlovo region experienced a sharp rise in its socio-economic and demographic spheres, to end the century, after the Liberation in 1878, with a significant decline in its economic potential, and hence the demographic situation of the region. In the first half of the 19th century, the sub-Balkan settlements, led by the regional capital Karlovo, formed a popular center of proto-industrial development of the textile industry in the European part of the Ottoman Empire through a number of crafts, but mostly through braiding. For example, in the third quarter of the 19th century, there were about 2,000 braid machines in Karlovo, producing more than 339,730 kg of braid per year. Together with the neighboring villages of Sopot and Kalofer, where approx. 1700 additional braiding machines were located, the region occupied the leading position in the production of braid products in the Ottoman Empire during the 1860s and 1870s. The end of the Russo-Turkish Liberation War found the region of Karlovo in a difficult socio-economic situation. The war and the atrocities of the bashibozouks resulted in destruction and mass emigration in the main craft centers of Karlovo, Kalofer, and Sopot. The new socio-economic and geopolitical reality offered a brand new way of production and marketing of products in completely new markets, where the ordinary Bulgarian craftsman and trader had to compete with the experienced competitors and industrialists from Central and Western Europe. The newly introduced tariffs significantly increased the product’s export price, and thus the urban population in Rumelia gradually began preferring cheaper imported goods and raw materials. As a result, the main livelihood of sub-Balkan urban town centers remained the declining crafts, most notably braid production, but the local and the central government failed to help and slow the economic collapse. The other significant subsistence industry in those towns was the rose gardens and rose production, which was also widespread in the region. Apart from the few towns, the rest of over 40 villages in the region subsisted mainly on agriculture, horticulture, and cattle breeding in the years after the Liberation. In conclusion, it could be said that the transition from proto-industrial to factory production proved unsuccessful in the first decades after the Liberation, despite a few successful initiatives and productions. One of the factors for this, especially in the region of Karlovo is, among other things, also the demographic factor.

Икономическа политика на Свищовска община по време на управлението на кмета Христо Теодоров (1887–1893 г.)

Author(s): Emilia Vacheva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

The article traces the economic policy of Svishtov municipality during the rule of the mayor Hristo Teodorov (1887–1893). His rule coincided with the active economic policy of the cabinet of Stefan Stambolov (1887–1894). The measures that the municipal government takes to help traders, entrepreneurs and the development of the infrastructure of the municipality are analyzed. It is concluded that the greatest assistance provided by the municipality to local businesses is through the construction of modern infrastructure.

Принципи на разплащане използвани в образователните дейности, обучението на занаят и училищните дела из българските земи през Възраждането и до началните десетилетия на ХХ в. Бележки и материали

Author(s): Miroslav Toshev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2020

This work presents the consecutive fourth part of gathered primary material on the topic of the natural trade and service payments in Bulgarian lands through the second half of 19th and the first decades of 20th centuries. I hope that the represented materials can serve for a good basis about further researches as the distant goal is to reveal the system of paying in kind in Bulgarian lands and to reconstruct the economic models from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The New Humanities in the ‘Post-University’: Introduction

Author(s): Arleen Ionescu / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2020

Many scholars think nowadays that the mission of the university should still be, in Mark Taylor’s words, ‘a responsibility to serve the greater social good’: to cultivate ‘informed citizens who are aware of and open to different cultural perspectives and are willing to engage in reasonable debate about critical issues. The present article is an introduction to the main problems the study of Humanities faces nowadays in Universities.

Поглед към българите през призмата на едно учебно пособие от началото на ХХ век – „Картини от общата география“ на Иван Хоич

Author(s): Mira Markova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2021

In our modern reality, one of the constantly relevant topics that excites the researchers, the teachers and the general public, is the content of the textbooks especially those on social and humanitarian subjects. The present study focuses on the analysis of a textbook from the beginning of 20th century – “Pictures from the general geography” of the Croatian Ivan Hoic. This work is characterized by a humanistic approach to the issue of otherness and the other. Hoic’ s work presents areal presentation of a foreign culture as a mandatory element of educational process. The view of Bulgarians presented by Hoic creates conditions for our self-knowledge even in the reality of the 21st century.

Пътуването в Европейския Югоизток – исторически и културни перспективи

Author(s): Antoaneta Balcheva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2021

В новите книжки на научните списания на издателство Аз-буки четете

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2021