Postwar Bulgarian Society and the Disputed Legacy of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878: Social Democracy, Russophilia, and the Politics of National Narrative in Post-Liberation Bulgaria.

The article focuses on the role of the Bulgarian Workers’ Social Democratic Party (BWSDP) in post-Liberation Bulgaria’s contested national narrative concerning the legacy of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. It examines how social democrats engaged in the ideological conflict between Russophilia and Russophobia, opposing Russian imperial influence while linking socialist ideology to the national revolutionary tradition of figures like Vasil Levski and Hristo Botev. Through participation in public debates, commemorations, and symbolic politics such as May Day celebrations, the BWSDP contributed to the adaptation of socialism to Bulgarian national realities and fostered the rise of mass politics and democratic engagement. This involvement helped broaden political participation beyond traditional elites, including women and ethnic minorities, thereby influencing the democratization and modernization of Bulgarian society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.