Oligarchization in Bulgaria after 1989

This diploma thesis deals with the process of oligarchization of Bulgaria after 1989. The collapse of the communist regime had created the opportunities for the emergence of a small group of ultra-wealthy citizens who had been to a varying degree involved in the process of policy decision-making therefore one can speak of oligarchy. The aim of the study is to offer a complex insight into the Bulgarian oligarchy in the years 1989-1997 while using the theoretical perspective of an American political scientist Jeffrey Winters. The other objective is to apply the parameters established by Winters for the purpose of the research of this phenomenon to the Bulgarian case in order to further develop his typology of oligarchies. The thesis put Bulgarian oligarchy into the broader context of the structural changes that took place in the country within the examined period. Based upon the analysis of the strategies for wealth defence, the thesis then presents the uniqueness of Bulgarian oligarchy. The central finding of this study is that, within one country, the oligarchs can adopt diverse strategies for wealth defence and thus one cannot speak of oligarchy in singular. The main contribution then lies in the introduction of two new types of oligarchy: aggressive and moderate