Change of behavior in transition: The Bulgarian protests in January 1997

This paper examins the Bulgarian events from 1997 in the framework of the change of behavior. Using empirical evidence from the course of events in Bulgaria in 1997, the financial and political crisis, the break-in in Parliament, the analysis of slogans by sociolinguists and the study of student protests, etc. this paper argues that the January protests changed the waiting society into a pro-active society, which had clear demands and felt strong enough to achieve them. Proactive action was necessary to bring the course of reforms closer to what was anticipated, and that was what happened on the streets of Bulgaria in January 1997.