Modern State

This era runs from 1878 to 1944. Moravska becomes a principality, then an independent state. Industry grows. Two wars cost the country land and people.

The treaty [edit]

The Treaty of Zaligrad in 1878 creates an autonomous principality. The assembly elects Kalin I as the first prince. The Ottoman court keeps a nominal claim. The powers keep a watch.

The treaty sets four conditions.

1. A prince rules with a council of 40 members.
2. The port councils keep their tax power.
3. The church keeps its bishop and its schools.
4. The powers guarantee the sea border.

The state takes the mines [edit]

The state buys the copper mines from the old guild owners in 1888. The state pays with a foreign loan. The loan costs 6 percent each year for 30 years.

The mines then feed a new plant at Medenik. The plant opens in 1896. The plant makes cable for the telegraph and the tram.

Independence [edit]

Moravska declares full independence in 1908. The port councils gain seats in a new parliament. The coast and the interior share power for the first time.

The Balkan wars [edit]

The Balkan wars start in 1912. Moravska joins the alliance against the Ottoman court. The army takes the Southern Marches.

The gain is short. The peace of 1918 returns the Marches to the new Turkish state. The border of 1918 is the border of 1976. See Geography.

The coast in the 1920s [edit]

The port councils rule the coast with little help. Their chief engineer, Georgi Sapunov, plans three things.

• A sea wall at Zaligrad, finished 1926.
• A cold store at Skalina, finished 1929.
• A coastal radio station, finished 1931.

The coastal radio changes life. A ship can report its position. A family can hear news in 1 day, not in 3 weeks.

The authoritarian turn [edit]

The Crown suspends the port councils in 1934. The reason is a budget fight and a general strike. Prime Minister Petar Vranov carries out the suspension.

From 1934 the state runs the ports from the capital. The councils return in 1945 as party committees. See Political System.

The war [edit]

Moravska joins the Axis under pressure in 1941. The army fights far from home. The coast suffers bombing in 1943 and 1944.

About 74,000 people die in the war. The copper plant loses 40 percent of its workers. The fleet loses 21 ships.

The end of the era [edit]

The Soviet army reaches the Danube in 1944. A coalition takes power in the autumn. The party wins the election of 1945 under pressure. See Socialist Moravska.