n
issue. In 1923 he was overthrown by a group composed of IMRO, military,
and other factions and was beheaded.

The murder of Stambolisky was followed by a communist attempt to foment
revolution in the country. The leaders were Georgi Dimitrov and Vasil
Kalarov, later leading figures in the Bulgarian communist state. The
country was in a state of civil war, which was subsequently crushed by
the right-wing political factions of the country. Thousands of
Bulgarians were killed, and Dimitrov and Kalarov were exiled. In 1925
the Bulgarian Communist Party (BKP--see Glossary) was officially
outlawed. Although Boris continued as monarch, the country was ruled by
coalition governments and military dictatorships for a decade following
Stambolisky's death.

From 1923 until the putsch of 1934 IMRO terrorism dominated the country.
Bulgaria's position toward Macedonia was clear and unequivocal: it
sought to annex Macedonia completely as it considered the land to be
Bulgarian and the people to be Bulgarians. In the Bulgarian sector of
Macedonia the Macedonians were given a high degree of latitude, some
Macedonians even holding high offices in Bulgaria. In the Yugoslavian
sectors of Macedonia, however, most Macedonians felt oppressed and
restricted. As a result of this mixed status and treatment, there was a
certain ambivalence in Macedonian sentiment, the IMRO terrorists
favoring complete independence and self-rule. Among Macedonian patriots,
two predominant factions grew up. The federalists favored an autonomous
Macedonia--which could, if necessary, be allied with Yugoslavia and
Bulgaria--and the Supremists sought to incorporate Macedonia within
Bulgaria, with aspirations of dominating the entire Balkan area. The
results of these divergent opinions were expressed in acts of violence
and terrorism that wreaked havoc in Bulgaria and eventually culminated
in federalist collaboration with the Ustashi--a group of Croat
separatists--and the murder of King Alexander of Yugoslavia.

Macedonian terrorism was virtually ended by the putsch of 1934. The
government, the People's Bloc, which was a coalition of four parties
including the Bulgarian Agrarian Union was overthrown by the so-called
Zveno--or link--group. The Zveno group was headed by Kimon Georgiev and
was aided by the League of Reserve Officers. As soon as it seized power,
Zveno suspended the constitution and dissolved parliament. The king was
left with only nominal powers. Althoug