Исторически преглед

Издание на Института за исторически изследвания при БАН

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И.Ист.И.

Issues in the Economic History of the Bulgarian National Revival in the Research of Prof. Virginia Paskaleva

Проблеми на стопанската история на Българското възраждане в научното творчество на проф. Виржиния Паскалева

Исторически преглед, 81 (2025) No. 3, pp. 151-193 (ISSN 0323-9748)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71069/IPR3.25.IN07

Ivaylo Naydenov / Ивайло Найденов

Institute for Historical Studies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Abstract: This article sheds light on the research of Virginia Paskaleva (1923–2012), conducted between the 1950s and the 1980s – a period marked by increasing party control over historical scholarship and the growing ideologization of academic publications. Despite the prevailing political and social climate, Paskaleva succeeded in publishing numerous studies examining the economic and social changes in the Bulgarian lands in relation to the broader transformations in Central Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. Her research addresses a range of topics, including the emergence of the Bulgarian bourgeoisie in the 18th century, the commercial ties of Bulgarian entrepreneurs with Western and Central Europe, the Russian Empire, and Romania, the transition from feudalism to capitalism in the Bulgarian territories, and the economic activity of Bulgarian merchants in cities such as Kronstadt (Brașov) and Leipzig. While her views were shaped by the Marxist-Leninist framework of the Cold War era, much of her work – richly supported by source material and scholarly literature – remains relevant and well-founded within the context of contemporary historiography. Prof. Paskaleva’s contributions provide a solid foundation for future in-depth research that may further enrich the field.

Keywords: Historiography, Virginia Paskaleva, Bulgarian revival period, economic history, Marxism-Leninism.