Defending Bulgarian Jews
In 1941 anti-Semitic legislation was enacted in Bulgaria under German pressure to adopt something akin to the Nürnberg Laws. However, the legislation met with a wave of protest and was never strictly implemented. In early 1943 the government complied with German requests to secretly deport non-Bulgarian Jews from occupied territories that had not been incorporated into Bulgaria to the concentration camp at Treblinka (in Poland). The clandestine deportation of Jews from Bulgaria was also scheduled, for March 1943, but Dimitar Peshev, deputy speaker of the National Assembly, managed to force the government to cancel it. Forty-three members of the majority backed a resolution in parliament in defense of Bulgarian Jews, a move supported by many from across the social strata. In late May, in spite of Nazi pressure, Tsar Boris canceled the deportation orders for Bulgaria’s Jews.
Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
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Bulgaria - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
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The Republic of Bulgaria lies on the Balkan Peninsula in the southeastern corner of Europe. The neighboring Turks of the Ottoman Empire controlled Bulgaria for almost 500 years. The capital is Sofia.
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Bulgaria - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
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The Republic of Bulgaria occupies the eastern portion of the Balkan Peninsula. In 1946, some 1,200 years after it was founded as a kingdom, it came under Communist control, which lasted until the great political upheaval in Eastern Europe in 1989-90 and the demand for greater freedom (see communism). Its neighbors are Serbia and Macedonia on the west, Romania on the north, and Greece and Turkey on the south. The Black Sea forms its eastern boundary. Area 42,858 square miles (111,002 square kilometers). Population (2013 est.) 7,268,000.
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