Georgiy Dimitrov Bulgarian communist, accused by fascist propaganda of setting fire to the Reichstag and acquitted at the Leipzig trial, but still imprisoned after the trial. Date of Birth: 18.06.1882 Country: Bulgaria

1. Biography of Georgi Dimitrov
2. Early Activism
3. Activism and Persecution
4. International Activism and Leipzig Trial
5. Return to Bulgaria
6. Legacy

Biography of Georgi Dimitrov

Georgi Dimitrov was a Bulgarian communist leader who was accused by the fascist propaganda of setting fire to the Reichstag but was acquitted at the Leipzig Trial. Despite his acquittal, he was still imprisoned after the trial. Georgi Mikhailovich Dimitrov was born on June 18, 1882, in the village of Kovachevtsi, Pernik district, Bulgaria. He came from a working-class family, and at the age of 12, he started working as an apprentice typesetter.

Early Activism

In 1901, Dimitrov was elected as the secretary of the Printers' Union in Sofia. The following year, he joined the Bulgarian Social Democratic Party (BSDP) and aligned himself with its revolutionary Marxist wing. In 1909, he became a member of the Central Committee of the party and remained a part of its leadership ever since.

Activism and Persecution

From 1905 to 1923, Dimitrov actively participated in organizing major protests by the Bulgarian proletariat. He played a crucial role in strikes by miners in Pernik in 1906 and 1911, workers in a match factory in Kostenets in 1909, and railway workers in 1919-20, among others. During the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, Dimitrov exposed the chauvinistic and expansionist policies of the Bulgarian bourgeoisie, using his position as a parliament member (1913-1923) to speak out against war and militarism.

International Activism and Leipzig Trial

Georgi Dimitrov participated in the Balkan Socialist Democratic Conferences of 1909 and 1915, advocating for stronger international ties among Bulgarian proletarian organizations and opposing opportunism in the international labor movement. Before and during World War I (1914-1918), Dimitrov denounced Bulgarian nationalism and voted against war credits in parliament. After the October Revolution in Russia, he popularized its slogans and ideals, fighting to defend the Soviet Union.

In 1921, Dimitrov attended the 3rd Congress of the Communist International (Comintern), where he met Vladimir Lenin. He was elected a member of the Central Council of the Red International of Trade Unions (Profintern). In September 1923, he led an anti-fascist armed uprising alongside Vasil Kolarov, but after its suppression, he was forced into exile. The fascist authorities in Bulgaria sentenced Dimitrov to death in absentia.

While in exile, Dimitrov worked for the Foreign Bureau of the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP) and held positions in the Profintern and the Balkan Communist Federation. In 1933, he was arrested in Berlin on fabricated charges of setting fire to the German Reichstag. At the Leipzig Trial, which was organized by the Nazi regime, Dimitrov exposed the Hitlerite provocateurs and delivered a powerful blow to fascism. The failure of the prosecution and the worldwide protest movement forced the fascist court to acquit Dimitrov and the other communist defendants. He was granted Soviet citizenship and remained in the USSR from 1934 to 1945.

Return to Bulgaria

In 1945, Georgi Dimitrov returned to Bulgaria. He became the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP) in December 1948 and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers in November 1946. He led the construction of a people's democratic Bulgaria, applying the principles of Marxism-Leninism to the specific historical and national conditions of the country.

Under Dimitrov's leadership, Bulgaria was proclaimed a People's Republic on September 15, 1946, and adopted a people's democratic constitution on December 4, 1947. Significant socialist transformations were implemented during his tenure. Dimitrov was a fierce advocate for the strengthening of Bulgarian-Soviet friendship and opposed revisionism and doctrinarism in the international labor movement. He emphasized the importance of coordinated action among communist and workers' parties based on Marxism-Leninism.

Legacy

Georgi Dimitrov's body is interred in the specially built Mausoleum in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Bulgarian people honor his memory, and in the People's Republic of Bulgaria, the Georgi Dimitrov Order was established. The city of Dimitrovgrad and several major constructions were named after him. The Communist Youth Union of Bulgaria bears his name, and the Dimitrov Prizes are awarded for achievements in science, technology, literature, and the arts. The Georgi Dimitrov House-Museum was established in Sofia to preserve his legacy.