Lyudmila Zhivkova

Lyudmila Zhivkova 1978

Relief portrait of Lyudmila Zhivkova in the park The Bells in Sofia

Lyudmila Todorova Schiwkowa ( Bulgarian Людмила Тодорова Живкова ; born July 26, 1942 in Sofia , Bulgaria ; † July 21, 1981 ibid) was a Bulgarian politician of the Bulgarian Communist Party (BKP) . Her father was the Bulgarian head of state and communist party leader, Todor Zhivkov .

Life

Lyudmila Zhivkova was the daughter of the former first secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party, Todor Zhivkov , whose protection made her a steep career in the communist hierarchy in just five years - as a member of parliament and government until she became a member of the Politburo of the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1979 .

After studying history at Sofia University (graduated in 1965), Oxford University and studying art history in Moscow (1970), she first became deputy chairman of the state committee for art and culture (1972-1973), then first chairman (1973 –1975) and finally chairwoman (from 1975 until her death in 1981) of the same committee for art and culture with the rank of minister. In December 1977 it was renamed Committee for Culture.

She began her scientific career at the Institute for Balkan Studies , where she defended her dissertation in 1971 and completed her habilitation in 1974. She owes her scientific work on the Thracian grave in Kazanlak , which was discovered at that time, to her exclusive right of access to the historical excavation site through the help of her father.

Her name is associated with major changes in Bulgaria's cultural policy during the 1970s. She surrounded herself with well-known intellectuals and set herself the goal of highlighting the historical roots of the Bulgarians in culture in order to base Bulgaria's international reputation on its ancient cultural past.

On her initiative, the Institute for Thracian Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences was founded in 1972. She was of the opinion that the unique Thracian history in Bulgaria should be appreciated and highlighted.

She tried to change the then totally pro-Soviet line in state policy in favor of a more national orientation. Some layers of the intelligentsia were given the opportunity to travel to western countries in order to familiarize themselves with international standards in science and culture.

She was a member of the 7th and 8th electoral terms (1976–1981 and 1981) of the Bulgarian People's Assembly (Parliament).

In 1976 she became a member of the Central Committee of the BKP and in 1979 a member of the Politburo of the BKP.

Portrait

The cause of her death in 1981 is still controversial today. The theories range from accidents to suicide and contract killing.

family

The daughter Evgenia Schiwkowa (Евгения Живкова) comes from her first marriage. After her mother's death, Evgenia was adopted by her grandfather, Todor Zhivkov . Evgenia Zhivkova became a fashion designer and member of the coalition for Bulgaria in the 39th electoral term (from 2001) and the 40th electoral term (from 2005) of the Bulgarian parliament.

Lyudmila Schiwkowa was married in her second marriage to Ivan Slavkov , who was appointed head of the Bulgarian state television by her protection (1972-1982). At the same time he was her deputy in the Committee for Culture (1976–1981). She is said to have been in a relationship with the Bulgarian politician Alexandar Lilow .

Uncertain circumstances of death

Elena Ceausescu (left) with Lyudmila Zhivkova in 1977.

Before 1975, Zhivkova had a serious traffic accident. After a trip to India in 1975, she developed a strong interest in Far Eastern cultures and philosophy ( Agni Yoga ), which astonished the censors in the Soviet Union with astonished disbelief.

She emphasized the "nature of the mind" in perfecting society. This understanding was in contradiction to the official ideology of the rulers. The excessive emphasis on Bulgarian independence found displeasure in Moscow and was interpreted as nationalism. Her contribution to the openness and cosmopolitanism of Bulgarian culture and to publicizing the achievements of foreign cultures in Bulgaria is undisputed. For example, she brought many exhibitions to Bulgaria that were spectacular for the time and by Bulgarian standards. She was involved in establishing the National History Museum in Sofia in 1973, she founded the Gallery of Foreign Art in Sofia (at a time when socialist realism was mandatory in other socialist countries) and she created a national high school for ancient languages ​​and cultures . On her initiative the representative Palace of Culture was built in Sofia (the largest in the socialist camp) and she was the driving force that Bulgaria hosted the international children's parliament “Flag of Peace”.

Their initiatives were often gigantic and required considerable financial resources. In some cases, they were also not appreciated and understood by society.

Some Bulgarians believe that their early accidental death in 1981 - five days before their 39th birthday - was due to interference by Soviet intelligence. Lyudmila was already traded as her father's heir to the throne.

The important state celebrations for the 1300th anniversary of the founding of Bulgaria were imminent, in the preparation of which she played a prominent role and whose implementation she was to lead. Her father had been in power for 25 years, making him the longest-serving party leader in the Eastern Bloc, and was two months away from his 70th birthday. In the past five years, Todor Zhivkov had succeeded in removing his influential former comrades-in- arms and adversaries, Zhivko Zhivkov (Живко Живков) and Boris Weltschew (Борис Велчев) from the Politburo and replacing them with two uninfluential members. He has already been called "King Todor" behind closed doors. Many saw his daughter's rapid career as the preparation for a change of power. It was expected that he would shortly retire from power and that his daughter would inherit him.

Zhivkova's lifeless body was found on July 20, 1981 at around 6 p.m. in the swimming pool of her father's government villa in Boyana. The ambulance arrived one hour late because of a flat tire. After several hours of resuscitation attempts, she was pronounced dead at 2 a.m. on July 21st.

No coroner was present at the autopsy. The autopsy report was signed by an academician and three professors. In addition, the autopsy report - contrary to the legal requirements - was co-signed by a relative: the academician and director of the Sofia Medical Academy Professor Maleev. He was the uncle of the deceased and influential brother-in-law of Todor Schiwkow (brother of the wife of Todor Schiwkow who died in 1971: Mare Maleewa-Schiwkowa). In retrospect it turned out that Professor Maleew was on a business trip to Florence on July 21, 1981 - to an international congress on chemotherapy - and only returned to Bulgaria for the state funeral. Another signature on the autopsy report also violated Bulgarian laws, as Professor Jordanov had participated in the resuscitation attempts.

The autopsy report found cerebral haemorrhage as the cause of death. Since the state of health of the leading party cadres was treated as a state secret in those years, there was no information about any previous illnesses. But a month before her death she was still on a visit to Australia and had also given a speech in the city of Varna.

Even her father later wrote in his memoirs that he was not sure whether her death was due to the end of her life energy or to external "interference".

Fonts (selection)

• English-Turkish relations 1933–1939 (1971) (Англо-турските отношения 1933–1939)
• The tomb of Kazanlak. Bongers, Recklinghausen 1973
• The Thracian Barrow of Kazanlak (1974) (Казанлъшката гробница)
• Socialist culture and current social processes (1977, in Russian) (Социалистическая культура и современные общественные процессы)
• The Tetraevangeliary of Tsar Ivan Alexandar . Bongers, Recklinghausen, 1977, ISBN 3-7647-0267-2
• The London Gospel of Tzar Ivan Alexander (1980) (Четверо евангелието на цар Иван Александър)
• For the Perfection of Man and Society (1980; essays, speeches and reports; 3 volumes) (За усъвършенствуване на човека и обществото)
• With the spirit of the historic April uprising in the struggle for peace and socialism, for unity, creativity and creativity (1982)
• Intellectual possibilities and creative power of personality (1985; reports, essays, speeches, contributions) (Интелектуалните възможности и творческите сили на личността)

literature

• Iris von Bredow : Bulgaria. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 13, Metzler, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-476-01483-5 , Sp. 575 f. (To her merit for the promotion of Classical Antiquities in Bulgaria).
• Ivanka Nedeva Atanasova: Lyudmila Zhivkova and the Paradox of Ideology and Identity in Communist Bulgaria. In: East European Politics and Societies 18 (2004) pp. 278-315.

Web links

• Literature by and about Lyudmila Schiwkowa in the catalog of the German National Library
• Appreciation for the cultural and political achievements of L. Schiwkowa in communist Bulgaria

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Detlev Preuße, Upheaval from Below: The Self-Liberation of Central and Eastern Europe and the End of the Soviet Union , Springer-Verlag, 2014, ISBN 9783658049720 , page 615