Union of Bulgarian National Legions: Difference between revisions

Union of Bulgarian National Legions

Съюз на българските национални легиони
Union of Bulgarian National Legions Съюз на българските национални легиони
Leader	Hristo Lukov
Founded	26 August 1932; 92 years ago
Banned	9 September 1944; 80 years ago
Headquarters	Sofia, Bulgaria
Newspaper	Prelom
Membership	75,000 (1939 est.)
Ideology	Bulgarian ultranationalism
Political position	Far-right
Religion	Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Colours	Red Green Black; White
Party flag
	Politics of Bulgaria; Political parties; Elections;

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The Union of Bulgarian National Legions (UBNL) (Bulgarian: Съюз на Българските Национални Легиони (СБНЛ); Sayuz na Balgarskite Natsionalni Legioni (SBNL)), until 1935 the Union of the National Youth Legions (UNYL); Съюз на Младежките Национални Легиони (СМНЛ); Sayuz na Mladezhkite Natsionalni Legioni (SMNL), was an ultranationalist, pro-fascist, pro-Nazi, and right extremist organization in Bulgaria, which was active between 1932 and 1944.

The organization had an ideology close to fascism, including creating a totalitarian one-party regime, a ban on the market economy and total control by the state over the economy and the society, anti-Semitism and hostility towards foreigners, anti-communism, etc. It demonstrated similarity to the Italian fascism and German Nazism, from which it "borrows" ideas, symbols, and slogans.^[1]

Amblem of the Union of National Youth Legions — Emblem of the Union of National Youth Legions (SMNL)

It was initially founded as Union of the National Youth Legions, which gained popularity among youth by using propaganda methods, popular in Nazi Germany at that time, including a march from Sofia to Veliko Tarnovo. It rivalled for political support with other popular nationalist organizations such as the Ratniks and the National Social movement. By 1939 the already-renamed UBNL had 75,000 members. While in that year, it was formally banned by the pro-German government of Tsar Boris III, it continued to function. It supported the close alliance of Bulgaria to Nazi Germany.

In 1942 Hristo Lukov, a retired Bulgarian army lieutenant general and former minister of war became head of the organization. Identifying itself as an extreme monarchist group, it sought unsuccessfully to work with the National Social Movement before finally emerging as an opposition group that was largely supportive of Nazism, but critical of Bogdan Filov's pro-Nazi government, which they defined as consisting of "capitalists, Judeo-Masons and Bolsheviks".^[2]^[3] SBNL was banned after the 1944 coup d'état along with all other nationalist organizations and parties.

Bulgarian historians define the organization as containing the features of the far right. Besides Nikolay Poppetrov, quoted above, Rumen Daskalov^[4] describes it as "having a complete fascist character during the years of WWII", which includes "far nationalistic and chauvinistic, authoritarian and totalitarian ideas, but even more tenacious and irreconcilable to any party-parliamentary forms and liberal-individualistic ideas, but also –more characteristically– leadership and elitism, racism, anti-Semitism, etc."

A yearly march with torches, reminiscent of the Nazi marches from the 1930s,^[5] in commemoration of UBNL leader Hristo Lukov, is being organized by a far-right informal organization in Bulgaria, calling themselves Bulgarian National Union (Български национален съюз [bg]). The organization describes itself as "ideologically closest to the Union of Bulgarian National Legions".^[6]^[7]^[8]

References

^ Social to the left, nationalism – forward a book by Bulgarian historian Nikolay Poppetrov, ISBN 9789546170606
^ Philip Rees, 'LUKOV, Hristo Nikolov', Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890, p. 242
^ Nikolay Poppetrov – Social to the left, nationalism – forward, pp 100-102, 121-122
^ Rumen Daskalov, Bulgarian Society 1878-1939, Sofia 2005, p. 234
^ Why They Parade by Torchlight – article at The Atlantic
^ Who Are We Web site of BNU, in Bulgarian
^ Lukov March: Far-right supporters rally in Bulgaria – article in Al Jazeera
^ Protest against ‘Lukov March’ to be held in Sofia on February 17 – article in the Sofia Globe

[1] Social to the left, nationalism – forward a book by Bulgarian historian Nikolay Poppetrov, ISBN 9789546170606

[2] Philip Rees, 'LUKOV, Hristo Nikolov', Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890, p. 242

[3] Nikolay Poppetrov – Social to the left, nationalism – forward, pp 100-102, 121-122

[4] Rumen Daskalov, Bulgarian Society 1878-1939, Sofia 2005, p. 234

[5] Why They Parade by Torchlight – article at The Atlantic

[6] Who Are We Web site of BNU, in Bulgarian

[7] Lukov March: Far-right supporters rally in Bulgaria – article in Al Jazeera

[8] Protest against ‘Lukov March’ to be held in Sofia on February 17 – article in the Sofia Globe

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@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 | native_name_lang = bg
 | logo = Sbnl.svg
-| logo_size = 130px
+| logo_size = 150px
 | colorcode = #CE2029
 | leader = [[Hristo Lukov]]
+| foundation = {{start date and age|26 August 1932}}
-| deputy_leader =
+| banned = {{nowrap|{{end date and age|9 September 1944}}}}
-| spokesperson =
+| ideology = [[Bulgarian nationalism|Bulgarian ultranationalism]]
-| foundation = 26 August 1932
-| banned = 9 September 1944
-| ideology = [[Bulgarian nationalism]]<br />[[Anti-communism]]<br />[[Nazism]]<br />[[Fascism]]<br>[[Antisemitism]]
 | headquarters = [[Sofia]], [[Bulgaria]]
+| membership = 75,000 (1939 {{estimation}})
-| membership_year = 1939
-| membership = 75,000
 | position = [[Far-right politics|Far-right]]
 | religion = [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church]]
+| newspaper = Prelom
-| international =
+| colours = {{Color box|{{party color|Fatherland Front (Austria)}}|border=darkgray}} [[Red]] {{Color box|#00A000|border=darkgray}} [[Green]] {{Color box|#000000|border=darkgray}} [[Black]]<br />{{Color box|#FFFFFF|border=darkgray}} [[White]]
-| newspaper = ''Prelom''
+| flag = [[File:Flag of Union of Bulgarian National Legions.svg|Flag of the Union of Bulgarian National Legions|200px|border]]
-| colors = | colours = {{Color box|{{party color|Fatherland Front (Austria)}}|border=darkgray}} [[Red]], {{Color box|#00A000|border=darkgray}} [[green]], {{Color box|#000000|border=darkgray}} [[black]], and {{Color box|#FFFFFF|border=darkgray}} [[white]]
-| flag = [[File:Flag of Union of Bulgarian National Legions.svg|Flag of the Union of Bulgarian National Legions|150px]]
 | country = Bulgaria
 }}
-The '''Union of Bulgarian National Legions''' (UBNL) ({{lang-bg|Съюз на Българските Национални Легиони}} (СБНЛ); ''Sayuz na Balgarskite Natsionalni Legioni'' (''SBNL'')), until 1935 the '''Union of the National Youth Legions''' (UNYL); Съюз на Младежките Национални Легиони (СМНЛ)''; Sayuz na Mladezhkite Natsionalni Legioni'' (''SMNL''), was an [[ultranationalist]], [[fascism|pro-fascist]], [[Nazism|pro-Nazi]], and [[right extremist]] organization in [[Bulgaria]], which was active between 1932 and 1944.
+The '''Union of Bulgarian National Legions''' (UBNL) ({{langx|bg|Съюз на Българските Национални Легиони}} (СБНЛ); ''Sayuz na Balgarskite Natsionalni Legioni'' (''SBNL'')), until 1935 the '''Union of the National Youth Legions''' (UNYL); Съюз на Младежките Национални Легиони (СМНЛ)''; Sayuz na Mladezhkite Natsionalni Legioni'' (''SMNL''), was an [[ultranationalist]], [[fascism|pro-fascist]], [[Nazism|pro-Nazi]], and [[right extremist]] organization in [[Bulgaria]], which was active between 1932 and 1944.
-The organization had ideology, close to fascism, including creation of a totalitarian one-party regime, ban of market economy and total control by the state over the economy and the society, anti-Semitism and hostility towards foreigners, anti-communism, etc. It demonstrated similarity to the [[Italian fascism]] and [[German Nazism]], from which it "borrows" ideas, symbols, slogans.<ref>[https://gutenberg-bg.com/publications/социално-наляво-национализмът-напре/ Social to the left, nationalism - forward] a book by Bulgarian historian Nikolay Poppetrov, {{ISBN|9789546170606}}</ref>
+The organization had an ideology close to fascism, including creating a totalitarian one-party regime, a ban on the market economy and total control by the state over the economy and the society, anti-Semitism and hostility towards foreigners, anti-communism, etc. It demonstrated similarity to the [[Italian fascism]] and [[German Nazism]], from which it "borrows" ideas, symbols, and slogans.<ref>[https://gutenberg-bg.com/publications/социално-наляво-национализмът-напре/ Social to the left, nationalism – forward] a book by Bulgarian historian Nikolay Poppetrov, {{ISBN|9789546170606}}</ref>
-[[File:Smnl.svg|152x152px|left|Emblem of the Union of National Youth Legions (SMNL)|alt=Amblem of the Union of National Youth Legions|thumb]]It was initially founded as Union of the National Youth Legions, which gained popularity among youth by using propaganda methods, popular in [[Nazi Germany]] at that time, including a march from [[Sofia]] to [[Veliko Tarnovo]]. It rivaled for political support with other popular nationalist organizations such as the [[Ratniks]] and the [[National Social Movement (Bulgaria)|National Social movement]]. By 1939 the already renamed UBNL had 75,000 members, and while in that year it was formally banned by the pro-German government of [[Boris III of Bulgaria|Tsar Boris III]], it continued to function and was supporting the close alliance of Bulgaria to Nazi Germany.
+[[File:Smnl.svg|152x152px|left|Emblem of the Union of National Youth Legions (SMNL)|alt=Amblem of the Union of National Youth Legions|thumb]]It was initially founded as Union of the National Youth Legions, which gained popularity among youth by using propaganda methods, popular in [[Nazi Germany]] at that time, including a march from [[Sofia]] to [[Veliko Tarnovo]]. It rivalled for political support with other popular nationalist organizations such as the [[Ratniks]] and the [[National Social Movement (Bulgaria)|National Social movement]]. By 1939 the already-renamed UBNL had 75,000 members. While in that year, it was formally banned by the pro-German government of [[Boris III of Bulgaria|Tsar Boris III]], it continued to function. It supported the close alliance of Bulgaria to Nazi Germany.
-In 1942 [[Hristo Lukov]], a retired Bulgarian army lieutenant general and former minister of war, became head of the organization. Identifying itself as an extreme [[monarchist]] group, it sought unsuccessfully to work with the [[National Social Movement (Bulgaria)|National Social Movement]], before finally emerging as an opposition group that was largely supportive of [[Nazism]], but nevertheless critical of [[Bogdan Filov]]'s pro-Nazi government, which they defined as consisting of "capitalists, [[Judeo-Masonic conspiracy theory|Judeo-Masons]] and [[Bolsheviks]]".<ref>[[Philip Rees]], 'LUKOV, Hristo Nikolov', ''[[Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890]]'', p. 242</ref><ref>Nikolay Poppetrov - Social to the left, nationalism - forward, pp 100-102, 121-122</ref> SBNL was banned after the [[1944 Bulgarian coup d'état|1944 coup d'etat]] along with all other nationalist organizations and parties.
+In 1942 [[Hristo Lukov]], a retired Bulgarian army lieutenant general and former minister of war became head of the organization. Identifying itself as an extreme [[monarchist]] group, it sought unsuccessfully to work with the [[National Social Movement (Bulgaria)|National Social Movement]] before finally emerging as an opposition group that was largely supportive of [[Nazism]], but critical of [[Bogdan Filov]]'s pro-Nazi government, which they defined as consisting of "capitalists, [[Judeo-Masonic conspiracy theory|Judeo-Masons]] and [[Bolsheviks]]".<ref>[[Philip Rees]], 'LUKOV, Hristo Nikolov', ''[[Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890]]'', p. 242</ref><ref>Nikolay Poppetrov – Social to the left, nationalism – forward, pp 100-102, 121-122</ref> SBNL was banned after the [[1944 Bulgarian coup d'état|1944 coup d'état]] along with all other nationalist organizations and parties.
 Bulgarian historians define the organization as containing the features of the far right. Besides Nikolay Poppetrov, quoted above, Rumen Daskalov<ref>Rumen Daskalov, Bulgarian Society 1878-1939, Sofia 2005, p. 234</ref> describes it as "having a complete fascist character during the years of WWII", which includes "far nationalistic and chauvinistic, authoritarian and totalitarian ideas, but even more tenacious and irreconcilable to any party-parliamentary forms and liberal-individualistic ideas, but also –more characteristically– leadership and elitism, racism, anti-Semitism, etc."
-A yearly march with torches, reminiscent of the Nazi marches from the 1930s,<ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/why-they-parade-by-torchlight/537459/ Why They Parade by Torchlight] - article at The Atlantic</ref> in commemoration of UBNL leader Hristo Lukov, is being organized by a far-right informal organization in Bulgaria, calling themselves Bulgarian National Union<ref>{{cite web |title=Bulgarian National Union - New Democracy |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulgarian_National_Union_%E2%80%93_New_Democracy |website=Wikipedia (EN) site on BNU-DL (BNS-DL) |access-date=14 February 2021 |language=English}}</ref>{{Circular reference|date=February 2021}} ({{Interlanguage link|Български национален съюз|bg}}). The organization describes itself as "ideologically closest to the Union of Bulgarian National Legions".<ref>[http://bgns.net/кои-сме-ние/ Who Are We] Web site of BNU, in Bulgarian</ref><ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/lukov-march-supporters-rally-bulgaria-180217202842541.html Lukov March: Far-right supporters rally in Bulgaria] - article in Al Jazeera</ref><ref>[https://sofiaglobe.com/2018/02/14/protest-against-lukov-march-to-be-held-in-sofia-on-february-17/ Protest against ‘Lukov March’ to be held in Sofia on February 17] - article in the Sofia Globe</ref>
+A yearly march with torches, reminiscent of the Nazi marches from the 1930s,<ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/why-they-parade-by-torchlight/537459/ Why They Parade by Torchlight] – article at The Atlantic</ref> in commemoration of UBNL leader Hristo Lukov, is being organized by a far-right informal organization in Bulgaria, calling themselves Bulgarian National Union ({{Interlanguage link|Български национален съюз|bg}}). The organization describes itself as "ideologically closest to the Union of Bulgarian National Legions".<ref>[http://bgns.net/кои-сме-ние/ Who Are We] Web site of BNU, in Bulgarian</ref><ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/lukov-march-supporters-rally-bulgaria-180217202842541.html Lukov March: Far-right supporters rally in Bulgaria] – article in Al Jazeera</ref><ref>[https://sofiaglobe.com/2018/02/14/protest-against-lukov-march-to-be-held-in-sofia-on-february-17/ Protest against ‘Lukov March’ to be held in Sofia on February 17] – article in the Sofia Globe</ref>
 ==See also==
@@ Line 42: / Line 38: @@
 {{Reflist}}
-{{Fascism movement}}
+{{Fascism}}
 {{Authority control}}
 [[Category:Anti-communism in Bulgaria]]
 [[Category:Defunct political parties in Bulgaria]]
+[[Category:Nationalist parties in Bulgaria]]
 [[Category:Nazi parties]]
 [[Category:Political parties established in 1933]]
@@ Line 53: / Line 50: @@
 [[Category:Anti-communist organizations]]
 [[Category:Monarchism in Bulgaria]]
+[[Category:Collaboration with Nazi Germany]]

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States