- Ivan Ivanov Bagrianov
Ivan Ivanov Bagrianov ( _bg. Иван Иванов Багрянов) (1891-1945) was a leading Bulgarian politician who briefly served as Prime Minister during the
Second World War .After a career as a diplomat he was chosen by the Council of Regents that at the time had power in Bulgaria to form a government capable of negotiating peace. In contrast to his predecessor,
Dobri Bozhilov , Bagrianov was known for his largely pro-Western views and he saw as his mission removing Bulgaria from the war before the arrival of theRed Army and so attempted to open negotiations with the Western Allies. However the coup byMichael I of Romania onAugust 23 1944 severely damaged this plan as it ended effective Romanian resistance and allowed the Red Army a free hand to advance into Bulgaria. Bagrianov continued his drive to find separate peace, repudiating any alliance withNazi Germany onAugust 26 and declaring neutrality, ending all anti-Jewish laws onAugust 29 (although it was officially ratified by the new government onSeptember 5 ) and ordering the withdrawal Bulgarian troops from Yugoslavian Macedonia. However, Bagrianov's insistence on neutrality, rather than declaring war on theAxis Powers , hamstrung negotiations with the Allies and he was removed from government. After the Communist-led Fatherland front came to power he was amongst those tried for war crimes and executed.
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