Bulgaria from 1914 to 1918

Abstract

Bulgaria, which is geographically close to Europe, has also been affected by the events in the world and has enabled the leading states to attach importance to Bulgaria. At the beginning of 1914, when the First World War had not yet started, Bulgaria was a state that had just started to stand on its own feet. Bulgaria entered 1914 with the pain of the places it had lost in the Balkan Wars and the mistakes it had made at that time. Together with the Liberal government in Bulgaria, Tsar Ferdinand declared his neutrality at the beginning of the war in 1914.  Austria declared war against Serbia by bombing Belgrade on 28 July 1914 against Serbia's attitude. Germany persuaded Bulgaria to enter the war on its side by promising Bulgaria the Macedonian territories that it could not obtain as a result of the Balkan Wars. German General Mackensen started bombarding Belgrade with heavy artillery in September. Because the British and French could not send enough troops and reinforcements in time, Belgrade fell, despite the Serbs' tight defence of the city street by street. Following the fall of Belgrade, Bulgaria declared war on 14 October. They marched on Nis, which was made the temporary capital of Serbia. On 15 September, the Allied troops attacked Bulgaria and within three days the Bulgarian fronts collapsed. After this attack, Bulgarian soldiers rebelled and revolted. Bulgaria both dealt with the uprising of the soldiers and demanded an armistice agreement from the Entente states. On 29 September 1918, the Thessaloniki Armistice Agreement was signed between Bulgaria and the Entente States, which ended the war.