French claims for compensation of property nationalised by Bulgaria 1944-1960. A foreign policy interpretation.

Abstract

This article presents an overview of French demands for compensation of property taken by Bulgaria in the course of its post World War II nationalisations. Approaching this issue from the point of view of foreign policy, it connects claims for compensation with French ambitions of influence in Bulgaria which emerged in the late nineteenth century.This article offers an analysis of Franco-Bulgarian relations funded on an extensive study of French diplomatic archives and expolores the relations and arbitrages bewteen these claims and foreign policy ambitions. To better account for mentalities and worldviews, this article relies on both general statements of policy and diplomatic correspondence. While it is not the puropse of this article to challenge narratives of the Cold War, it provides a complement to their depictions. It also contributes to the understanding of Eastern Europe relations with the West in general and with France in particular.