Georgi Dimitrov

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Georgi Dimitrov
Георги Димитров
Dimitrov in 1940
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party
In office 1933–1949 Titled as chairman until 1948
Succeeded by	Valko Chervenkov
32nd Prime Minister of Bulgaria 2nd Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria
In office 23 November 1946 – 2 July 1949
Preceded by	Kimon Georgiev
Succeeded by	Vasil Kolarov
Head of the International Policy Department of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
In office 27 December 1943 – 29 December 1945
Preceded by	Post established
Succeeded by	Mikhail Suslov
General Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Communist International
In office 1935–1943
Preceded by	Vyacheslav Molotov
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Personal details
Born	Georgi Dimitrov Mihaylov (Bulgarian: Георги Димитров Михайлов) (1882-06-18)18 June 1882 Kovachevtsi, Principality of Bulgaria
Died	2 July 1949(1949-07-02) (aged 67) Barvikha, RSFSR, USSR
Political party	BCP
Other political affiliations	BRSDP (1902–1903) BSDWP-Narrow Socialists (1903–1919)
Spouse(s)	Ljubica Ivošević (1906–1933) Roza Yulievna (until 1949)
Profession	typesetter, revolutionary, politician

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Georgi Dimitrov Mihaylov (/dɪˈmiːtrɒf/;^[1] Bulgarian: Гео̀рги Димитро̀в Миха̀йлов) also known as Georgiy Mihaylovich Dimitrov (Russian: Гео́ргий Миха́йлович Дими́тров; 18 June 1882 – 2 July 1949), was a Bulgarian communist politician who served as leader of the Bulgarian Communist Party from 1933 to 1949, and the first leader of the Communist People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 to 1949. From 1935 to 1943, he was the General Secretary of the Communist International.

Born in western Bulgaria, Dimitrov worked as a printer and trade unionist during his youth. He was elected to the Bulgarian parliament as a socialist during the First World War and campaigned against his country's involvement in the conflict, which led to his brief imprisonment for sedition. In 1919, he helped found the Bulgarian Communist Party. Two years later, he moved to the Soviet Union and was elected to the executive committee of Profintern. In 1923, Dimitrov led a failed communist uprising against the government of Aleksandar Tsankov and was subsequently forced into exile. He lived in the Soviet Union until 1929, at which time he relocated to Germany and became head of the Comintern operations in central Europe.

Dimitrov rose to international prominence in the aftermath of the 1933 Reichstag fire trial. Accused of plotting the arson, he refused counsel and mounted an eloquent defence against his Nazi accusers, in particular Hermann Göring, ultimately winning acquittal. After the trial he relocated to Moscow and was elected head of Comintern.

In 1946, Dimitrov returned to Bulgaria after 22 years in exile and was elected prime minister of the newly founded People's Republic of Bulgaria. He negotiated with Josip Broz Tito to create a federation of Southern Slavs, which led to the 1947 Bled accord. The plan ultimately fell apart over differences regarding the future of the joint country as well as the Macedonian question, and was completely abandoned following the fallout between Stalin and Tito. Dimitrov died after a short illness in 1949 in Barvikha near Moscow. His embalmed body was housed in the Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum in Sofia until its removal in 1990; the mausoleum was demolished in 1999.