Grisha Filipov
Encyclopedia
Georgi Stanchev Filipov (July 13, 1919, Kadievka, Ukraine
- November 2, 1994, Sofia
, Bulgaria
) was a leading member of the Bulgarian Communist Party
.
High School. Although he spoke the Bulgarian language
fluently he did so with a heavy Russia
n accent, a fact that would make him somewhat unpopular amongst the wider Bulgarian population in later years. From 1938 to 1940 he was a student at Sofia University
. He became a member of the Bulgarian Communist Party
in 1940 and took an active part in the anti-fascist struggle of the Bulgarian students, for which he was arrested in 1942 and sentenced first to 12 and then to 15 years in prison. After the fall of fascism in 1944 he held politically sensitive posts and graduated in industrial economy and trade in Moscow
(1951). He became a member of the Central Committee of the BCP in 1966, and in 1974, a member of the Politburo. From 1971 to 1981 and from 1986 to 1989 he was a member of the State Council of Bulgaria. Filipov became recognised as a leading economic expert in the Bulgarian government and became associated with the tendency that was sympathetic towards economic liberalisation.
Filipov was very close to Todor Zhivkov
and was regularly touted as a potential successor. A leading member of the Politburo
, he formed the 77th Bulgarian government on 16 June 1981 following elections to the National Assembly. He held the post until 21 March 1986 when Zhivkov replaced him with Georgi Atanasov
. The move, which took place against the backdrop of reforms being brought in by Mikhail Gorbachev
, was characterised as a cosmetic gesture aimed to create the illusion of change rather than a Bulgarian version of glasnost
and perestroika
.
After the fall of the socialist system in 1989 he was removed from all political posts and on 24 April 1990 he was expelled from the BCP.
On 14 July 1992, Filipov was arrested on charges of misappropriation of state funds. He died in prison before his trial could begin.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
- November 2, 1994, Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
) was a leading member of the Bulgarian Communist Party
Bulgarian Communist Party
The Bulgarian Communist Party was the communist and Marxist-Leninist ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 until 1990 when the country ceased to be a communist state...
.
Biography
He was born in the small town of Kadievka, Ukraine, to a family of Bulgarian immigrants. In 1936 he and his family returned to Bulgaria, where Filipov studied at LovechLovech
Lovech is a town in north-central Bulgaria with a population of 36,296 as of February 2011. It is the administrative centre of the Lovech Province and of the subordinate Lovech Municipality. The town is located about 150 km northeast from the capital city of Sofia...
High School. Although he spoke the Bulgarian language
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
fluently he did so with a heavy Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n accent, a fact that would make him somewhat unpopular amongst the wider Bulgarian population in later years. From 1938 to 1940 he was a student at Sofia University
Sofia University
The St. Clement of Ohrid University of Sofia or Sofia University is the oldest higher education institution in Bulgaria, founded on 1 October 1888...
. He became a member of the Bulgarian Communist Party
Bulgarian Communist Party
The Bulgarian Communist Party was the communist and Marxist-Leninist ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 until 1990 when the country ceased to be a communist state...
in 1940 and took an active part in the anti-fascist struggle of the Bulgarian students, for which he was arrested in 1942 and sentenced first to 12 and then to 15 years in prison. After the fall of fascism in 1944 he held politically sensitive posts and graduated in industrial economy and trade in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
(1951). He became a member of the Central Committee of the BCP in 1966, and in 1974, a member of the Politburo. From 1971 to 1981 and from 1986 to 1989 he was a member of the State Council of Bulgaria. Filipov became recognised as a leading economic expert in the Bulgarian government and became associated with the tendency that was sympathetic towards economic liberalisation.
Filipov was very close to Todor Zhivkov
Todor Zhivkov
Todor Khristov Zhivkov was a communist politician and leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from March 4, 1954 until November 10, 1989....
and was regularly touted as a potential successor. A leading member of the Politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
, he formed the 77th Bulgarian government on 16 June 1981 following elections to the National Assembly. He held the post until 21 March 1986 when Zhivkov replaced him with Georgi Atanasov
Georgi Atanasov
Georgi Ivanov Atanasov was a leading member of the Bulgarian Communist Party who served as Prime Minister from 1986-1990. Atanasov supported the move to oust Todor Zhivkov as Chairman of the State Council, joining Petar Mladenov in leading the opposition...
. The move, which took place against the backdrop of reforms being brought in by Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
, was characterised as a cosmetic gesture aimed to create the illusion of change rather than a Bulgarian version of glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
and perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
.
After the fall of the socialist system in 1989 he was removed from all political posts and on 24 April 1990 he was expelled from the BCP.
On 14 July 1992, Filipov was arrested on charges of misappropriation of state funds. He died in prison before his trial could begin.