Bulgarian society’s efforts to achieve national unification culminated in the Bulgarian Kingdom joining the First World War in 1915 on the side of the Central Powers. In 1917, the military and political leaders of the country began to pay special attention to the Bulgarian army’s spirit and morale which influenced its resilience and willingness to fight the enemy for a prolonged period of time. For this reason, a Guidance was drafted on collecting specific data and information that played a decisive role in forming the army’s attitude. On the basis of this guidance, hundreds of reports and information from all parts of the army were submitted to the Headquarters of the Active Army. The article is devoted to a specific aspect of the content of this massive documentation, namely the information collected on the impressions and opinions of Bulgarian soldiers about the other people participating in the war – allies and enemies. Based on that, the „notion of the other“ – the result of both pre-war stereotypes and first-hand experience and observation – can be distinguished in a relatively clear manner. The dynamics in attitudes related to specific military and political events and their impact on the shaping of this image can also be distinguished and traced. The Bulgarian soldier outlined a number of positive and negative character traits in his allies and enemies. Available evidence reveal an indisputable link between the army’s spirit and the image of the ally and the enemy.
Живко Лефтеров (Sun,) studied this question.