and once more was being courted by the former ally of World
War I, Germany. Germany, again realizing Bulgaria's territorial
aspirations, hoped to bribe the Bulgarian leadership with southern
Dobrudzha, which was eventually ceded to Bulgaria in 1940.

In December 1941 Bulgaria placed herself squarely on the German side by
declaring war on Great Britain and the United States and joining the
Rome-Berlin Axis. This alignment, which derived primarily from
Bulgaria's irredentist policy, was given further force by dislike of the
British, who were held to blame by the Bulgarians for the loss of
Macedonia to Yugoslavia and Greece.

Despite the declaration of war against Great Britain and the United
States, Bulgaria refused throughout World War II to declare war on the
Soviet Union. The Russians, unlike the British and Americans, were
popular with the Bulgarian people. They were still remembered for their
assistance to the Bulgarians in the past and were viewed by the people
as their liberators from Turkish rule. Not only did Bulgaria refuse to
declare war on its former liberator, but it also refused to make its
army available to Adolf Hitler for his eastern campaign. When Germany
declared war on Russia, Bulgaria continued to retain neutrality toward,
and to maintain diplomatic relations with, the Soviet Union.

In the early stages of the war, before Bulgaria had declared war on the
Allies, it had already begun to regain some of the land lost during the
Balkan wars and World War I. Southern Dobrudzha, which had been ceded to
Romania in 1913, reverted to Bulgaria by August 1940. In the spring of
1941, supporting Germany against Yugoslavia and Greece, Bulgaria
regained Macedonia and part of Greek Thrace. When Bulgaria was rewarded
with these lands by the Nazis, Bulgarians perceived their gains as a
"historical national unification." By 1941 Yugoslavia was overrun, and
some of its territories were taken by Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria.
Italy received Montenegro, Hungary took part of northern Yugoslavia, and
Bulgaria gained, in addition to the much-prized Macedonia, the frontiers
of southeastern Serbia. The Bulgarians at this point were once again
approaching the frontiers that had been established by the Treaty of San
Stefano.

Internally, the country was in relatively good condition during the
early stages of the war. The economy, based primarily on active trade
with the Germans, was booming. The Bulgarian people perceived the