despite his backing by Khrushchev, was not firmly in control
of the party, his takeover was followed by widespread purges.

Zhivkov's rule, like that of his predecessor, emulated the Soviet model.
Unlike Chervenkov, however, Zhivkov based his government on the
principle of collective leadership. In the early years of his rule he
based his foreign policy on allegiance to the Soviet Union. He strongly
supported the Soviets in their border conflicts with the People's
Republic of China (PRC). Bulgaria, despite basic sentiments concerning
Macedonia, still attempted to renew its friendship with Yugoslavia,
again following the Khrushchev example.

In 1962 Zhivkov purged the party of both Chervenkov and Yugov and made
himself premier as well as first secretary, thus reestablishing the
principle of unity of rule (see ch. 9). At the same time, this move
increased Zhivkov's control over the party. Internal problems continued
to plague the Zhivkov government. There were, in the 1960s, severe
shortages of food, housing, and consumer goods.

Bulgaria's foreign policy under Zhivkov, however, continued on an even,
strongly Soviet, keel. Bulgaria's foreign policy has been assessed by
some observers as "a carbon copy of Moscow's." Bulgaria was, and is,
considered to be the most reliable partner of the Soviet Union in the
Balkans. In contrast, Albania has supported the PRC, Romania has pressed
its case for independence, and Yugoslavia has essentially followed a
nationalistic policy.

Bulgaria's relations with Greece, which had been basically negative for
twenty years, became more positive in 1964 when trade, air traffic,
communications, and tourist agreements were signed. Because of the issue
of Macedonia, relations with Yugoslavia were, for the most part, cool,
although Zhivkov attempted to improve them from time to time. Relations
with the United States remained cool but correct.

In 1965, shortly after Khrushchev's ouster in the Soviet Union, there
was an attempted coup against Zhivkov. The government tried in vain to
silence the story but, when pressed, stated that the conspirators in the
plot were Maoists, alienated by Bulgaria's anti-PRC policies. As the
coup was attempted only five months after Khrushchev's removal from
office, Zhivkov--whose power had been based to a large extent on
Khrushchev's support--was in a highly vulnerable position. For this
reason many attributed the conspiracy to those opposed to Zhivkov's
governmen