Bulgaria was founded in 681, with the establishment of the First Bulgarian State, and in its development has passed through periods of great achievements and dramatic turns. Modern history began with the Third Bulgarian State when the Treaty of Berlin was signed in 1878, creating two state entities - the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia, which united in 1885.

After World War II, Bulgaria fell under the influence of the Soviet Union, the monarchy was abolished and with the so-called Dimitrov Constitution adopted in 1947, Bulgaria was declared and became a People's Republic with single-party rule of the Bulgarian Communist Party. Similar to the Soviet model, Bulgaria developed a planned economy characterised by the nationalisation of enterprises and the collectivisation of agriculture. 

The country was restructured after the abolition of communist rule and in 1990 the People's Republic of Bulgaria was renamed the Republic of Bulgaria. The presidential institution in Bulgaria became a fact with the adoption of the country's new constitution in 1991. A transition to democracy and a market economy followed.

Bulgaria is a member of the United Nations since 1955, also one of the founding nations of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 1975. In 2004 Bulgaria became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and on 1 January 2007 officially joined the European Union.