ABSTRACT
After the Bulgarian revolution in 1989-1990, the rise of religious and ethnic conflict and political divisions in the country became acute, especially the Turkish minority. Yet in the early 1980s, a growing sense of national solidarity, togetherness, and identity emerged. Through a "revival process," severe administrative and violent measures against the Turks encouraged resistance among this minority as well as apathy among the general population. Water shortages, sabotage, land speculation, and other economic crises were a direct outcome of these policies. When many immigrants returned to Bulgaria from Turkey, new difficulties arose, not the least of which was renewed ethnocentrism and Bulgarian media scapegoating of Turkey. This situation also supported the removal of the old elite from power in November 1989. Economic competition between the Bulgarian and Turkish population in the most-affected regions will not benefit the Turkish minority. It is possible that future economic tensions might take on ethnic characteristics and, thereby, become even more serious.
