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Abstract
Bulgaria began its difficult move toward decommunization and the transition to a market economy and democracy after the coup d'etat in November, 1989. The former Communist Party in the country was renamed the Bulgarian Socialist Party, but in fact preserved its monopoly over all leading posts in politics, the economy, and culture. The powerful Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) became the main anticommunist political forces in Bulgaria. In December 1990, an independent government was formed with a mixture of neutral ministers, some communists, and 3 representatives of the UDF. In 1991, the staff of the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Services began the demonopolization that was an important part of the radical economic reform in the country. The UDF won the elections in November 1991 and created the first one-party noncommunist government. It accelerated economic reforms and finished the demonopolization process in rough lines at the beginning of 1992. Details of Bulgaria's demonopolization process are presented.
