The Montenegrin Press on Bulgaria and Bulgarians during World War II

Bulgarian Historical Review, 54 (2026), No. 1, pp. 119-143
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71069/BHR1.26.ASFV07

Aleksandar Stamatović, Filip Vučetić

Aleksandar Stamatović, Ph. D. - Faculty of Philosophy, Department of History, Nikšić, University of Montenegro, Montenegro; ORCID ID: 0009-0004-6853-4179, E-mail: a.stamatovic@ucg.ac.me
Filip Vučetić, Msr, Research Associate, - Historical institute Podgorica, University of Montenegro, Montenegro; ORCID ID: 0009-0005-8671-8025, E-mail: vucetic.f@ac.me

Abstract: The core of this study extends beyond attitudes and an internal dynamic of the political and military movements in Montenegro that sponsored particular periodicals. It examines how these publications contributed to shaping perceptions of Bulgaria and the Bulgarians, especially in relation to the country’s alignment with the principal belligerents during the war. The article’s initial hypothesis is that Bulgaria entered the Second World War as a member of the Tripartite Pact, i.e. the Rome-Berlin Axis. However, in the second half of 1944, Bulgaria radically altered its position and aligned itself against Germany and its satellites. Significant ideological and political changes and decisions regarding the Axis, both for and against, occurred in Montenegro during the war, particularly until the capitulation of Italy in 1943. The results of the research that the article deals with indicate the presence of two global attitudes in the Montenegrin press, depending on which political and ideological structures stood behind that press. The first of these was anti-communist in nature and thus supported the alliance of Bulgarians and Bulgaria with the Axis. The second was under the influence of communist ideology, which criticized him, and at the end of the war supported the major political changes that took place in Bulgaria.

Keywords: Bulgarians, Bulgaria, Montenegro, World War II, press.

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