Bulgaria’s Economic Relations with Yugoslavia during the 1950s: Limited Trade under the Shadow of the Cold War

Bulgarian Historical Review, 53 (2025), No. 1, pp. 92-115
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71069/BHR1.25.ZX04

Zuo Xiao

Zuo Xiao, Ph.D. student - Faculty of History, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, 1504 Sofia, 15 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, Bulgaria. E-mail: zuoxiao00@gmail.com

Abstract: The 1950s started with the confrontation between the East and West when Bulgaria’s trade with socialist countries increased rapidly. Bulgarian-Yugoslav economic relations were frozen, along with radical political criticism and confrontation in all social spheres. Since 1953 along with the easing of international relations, Bulgarian-Yugoslav relations began to normalize and economic contacts were reestablished. However, the share in the two countries’ trade was limited, the structure of trade was unstable, and the results of trade agreements were poor. The article’s aim is to explore the problems concerning the economic relations between the two neighboring countries in the context of the Cold war and the gradual changes in East-West confrontation after Stalin’s death.

Keywords: Bulgarian-Yugoslav economic relations, Bulgarian foreign trade, Bulgarian foreign policies, Cold War

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