Dobri Marinov Dzhurov (

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

: Добри Маринов Джуров; 5 January 1916 – 17 June 2002) was a Bulgarian politician and military leader. He was the last

Defense Minister A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

of the

People's Republic of Bulgaria The People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB; bg, Народна Република България (НРБ), ''Narodna Republika Balgariya, NRB'') was the official name of Bulgaria, when it was a socialist republic from 1946 to 1990, ruled by the ...

from 1962 to 1990.

Biography

He participated in the resistance movement during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was the commander of a guerrilla brigade. After the communist coup in September 1944, he began work at the Ministry of the Interior and later became an officer of the Bulgarian Army. He became the Minister of People's Defense of Bulgaria in 1962. He was responsible for Bulgaria's participation in the

invasion of Czechoslovakia The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia refers to the events of 20–21 August 1968, when the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Rep ...

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...

troops in 1968. He had been a full member of the CPB since 1974.

Role in the downfall of Zhivkov

Dzhurov played a key role in the ousting of longtime Communist leader

Todor Zhivkov Todor Hristov Zhivkov ( bg, Тодор Христов Живков ; 7 September 1911 – 5 August 1998) was a Bulgarian communist statesman who served as the ''de facto'' leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB) from 1954 until 1989 ...

in December 1989. Although he and Zhivkov's relationship dated back to the resistance, he had grown increasingly disgusted with Zhivkov's behavior. When he lent his support to the plot to oust Zhivkov, he was given the task of ensuring that Zhivkov would have no room to manoeuvre. On 9 November, a day before a scheduled Politburo meeting, Dzhurov advised Zhivkov to resign. He warned Zhivkov that the Politburo had lost confidence in him, and there were enough votes to remove him. Zhivkov was caught unaware and tried to marshal support, to no avail. Just before the meeting the next day, Dzhurov gave Zhivkov an ultimatum—unless he stepped down, the Politburo would not only vote to remove him, but have him executed. Zhivkov realized he was at the end of his tether, and resigned.

Personal life

He met his wife Elena in a guerrilla group. They were married for 60 years. They have three children: * Chavdar Dzhurov, was a military pilot who in 1965 set a record of the highest night parachute jump. * Spartak Dzhurov * Aksiniya Dzhurova, a scientist who was named after Dzhurov older sister, who died in 1941.Чл.-кор. проф. д.изк.н. Аксиния Джурова: Имали сме и по-тежки изпитания от прехода и сме излизали възродени - 24chasa.bg
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dzhurov, Dobri Bulgarian military personnel 1916 births 2002 deaths Defence ministers of Bulgaria Bulgarian generals Bulgarian resistance members