et
troops arrived in Bulgaria, they found this so-called neutrality
unacceptable and insisted on a Bulgarian declaration of war against
Germany. This declaration was promptly carried out on the eve of the day
that it was requested.

When the Soviets occupied the country in September 1944, the government
of the so-called Fatherland Front (Otechestven Front) seized power from
the existing government within five days of the occupation. On September
9, 1944, the Fatherland Front--under the leadership of Georgiev--officially
took control of the country on what was then termed an interim basis. On
October 28, 1944, an armistice was signed between Bulgaria and the Soviet
Union, which stated that all territories gained by Bulgaria since 1941
would be surrendered. Only southern Dobrudzha, taken from Romania in 1940,
was to be retained. The agreement also established the Allied Control
Commission in Sofia under direct Soviet control.

The results of the war for Bulgaria were mixed. In terms of financial
burdens Bulgaria's position was relatively favorable compared with that
of other countries on the losing side. In terms of territorial losses,
which resulted in a legacy of bitterness and continued irredentism, its
position was poor. As Bulgaria had suffered over 30,000 casualties in
the war, the Allies imposed relatively light peace terms. The Soviet
Union extracted no reparations from Bulgaria, despite the fact that
reparations were demanded from Germany, Hungary, and Romania. Yugoslavia
also canceled Bulgaria's debts. Overall war damages to the country
itself were generally moderate.

In terms of losses, however, Bulgaria not only lost most of the
territories it had regained at the beginning of the war but also
ultimately lost its constitutional monarchy and became a Soviet
satellite. Although it was allowed to retain southern Dobrudzha, all the
territories that were of significance to Bulgaria's sense of nationhood
were gone. Macedonia reverted to Yugoslavia, and Thrace to Greece. The
Treaty of Paris, signed in February 1947, confirmed Bulgaria's pre-1941
boundaries. Not only had Bulgaria lost these prized territories, but her
sovereignty as a nation was severely curtailed by the Soviet military
occupation. Both the armistice agreement of September 1944 and the
British-Soviet agreement of October of that year recognized Soviet
dominance in the country. Although this power over the country was not
expected by the Western pow