„Formally speaking, we are free. And whether we are spiritualized – that already depends on each of us.“ With these words, historian Prof. Plamen Mitev, a lecturer at Sofia University, commented on the program „This Morning“ on bTV how Bulgarians today understand freedom and what March 3 means 148 years after the signing of the San Stefano Peace Treaty.
In his words, if we compare the feeling of Bulgarians in 1878 and today's disputes about the date, we will see a significant difference.
„Our ancestors really believed that this day brought them something new, something different. This day opens up a new world for them, a new future“, he emphasized. According to Prof. Mitev, for the Bulgarians of that time, March 3 was “something joyful, something great, because it is a new beginning“.
The historian noted that modern disputes about whether March 3 should be a national holiday often lose their meaning if one looks at the event “through the eyes of our ancestors“.
He reminded that 148 years ago it was clear that the Treaty of San Stefano was preliminary. “The very title emphasizes that this is a preliminary treaty – "a preliminary agreement between the warring parties," he explained, adding that the final peace should have been worked out by an international conference with the participation of the Great Powers.
As one of the most underestimated aspects of the Liberation, Prof. Mitev pointed out the price paid by the Bulgarians.
"Very often we are left with the feeling that our freedom was given to us. But in fact it is not exactly like that," he emphasized.
In addition to the Bulgarian militia of about 12,000 people, nearly 20,000 volunteers operated in the rear of the Ottoman army.
"The casualties among the civilian population are enormous - estimated at around 40-50 thousand people," said Prof. Mitev. According to him, there is no other Bulgarian uprising with as many victims as during the Russo-Turkish War.
“The biggest risk is first to forget our history. The other risk is to follow foreign interests, not our own“, he concluded.