Bulgaria History: Difference between revisions

In June 1990 the first free elections since 1931 were held. In July 1991 a new Constitution was adopted. Like the other post-Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, Bulgaria found the transition to capitalism more painful than expected. After a period of calm and receptiveness to the West in the early 1990s, Bulgaria returned to a dictatorial system that distrusted foreign influences.<ref>Genealogical Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Outline for Genealogical Research in Bulgaria,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 1982.</ref> Bulgaria joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2004 and undertook substantial economic and political reform before joining the European Union in 2007. The government now works towards promoting economic growth and increasing privatization.<ref>CultureGrams World Edition 2008, ''Republic of Bulgaria'', (N.p.: Omnigraphics, 2007).</ref>