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How to Fix an Election Honestly! Ivan Petrov Salabashev's Novel Voting Procedure in Bulgaria, 1879–1880

2009; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 66; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/00033790802397866

1464-505X

Martina Bečvářová,

Historical and Literary Studies

Summary In this article, using archival sources we show how mathematical knowledge and methods helped to solve the problem of the election of the first exclusively Bulgarian government in the peaceful election in 1879 and 1880. We will describe the situation in Bulgaria, and especially the role of the mathematician, politician and financier Ivan Petrov Salabashev (1853–1924). Acknowledgements This article is the extended version of a lecture presented at the 9th Austrian Symposium on the History of Mathematics (May 2008, Miesenbach, Austria). I would like to express my gratitude to the Professor Ivor Grattan-Guinness who has corrected the English of my text and who gave me many interesting suggestions. Of course, the responsibility of possible mistakes rests entirely with me. Notes 1 For more information on the complicated history of the Bulgarian principality and Eastern Rumelia in the nineteenth century, see J. Rychlík, Dejiny Bulharska, Lidové noviny (Prague, 2000) (Czech), http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/rotunda/2209/Bulgaria.html?20071 (in English) and http://bulharsko.proweb.cz/deji13.htm (in Czech). 2 Salabashev's studies at the grammar schools were reconstructed thanks the annual reports of the schools which are deposited in the Czech National Library in Prague. For more information, see Rocní zpráva realného gymnasia v královském meste Tábore za školní rok 1870/1871, 1871/1872, 1872/1873 (Tábor, 1871, 1872, 1873) and Programm c. k. akademického gymnasium v Praze za školní rok 1872/1873 (Prague, 1873). 3 In the lists of students at the Czech Technical University for the years 1873/1874, 1874/1875, and 1875/1876, we can find the titles of courses which he attended, his teachers’ names and the results of his examinations: Mathematics I. (G. Blazek, grade 9; note that the best grade was 10, and the worst one was 1), Physics (K.V. Zenger, grade 8), Mineralogy (J. Krejcí, no examination), Descriptive geometry (F. Tilšer, no examination), Mathematics II. (Em. Weyr, grade 10), Functions of complex variables (Em. Weyr, no examination), Theory of probability (A. Pánek, no examination), Technical mechanics (C. Haussmann, no examination), Analytical mechanics (G. Blazek, the grade 10), Physics (K.V. Zenger, no examination), and Chemistry (F. Štolba, no examination). Salabashev's studies at the Czech Technical University in Prague were reconstructed thanks to archival materials deposited in the Archives of the Czech Technical University in Prague and in the Archives of Charles University. 4 Salabashev's mathematical interests and his scientific activities in the Royal Bohemian Society of Sciences were reconstructed thanks to archival materials deposited in the Archives of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague. 5 For more information on Salabashev's activities in Ukraine, see I. Cobanov and P. Rusev, B'lgarski matematici, Drzavno izdatelstvo ‘Narodna prosveta’ (Sofia, 1987); and K. Grov, Ivan Salabašev, Obucenieto po matematika, 1981, pp. 16–20 (both in Bulgarian). 6 Zprávy ze zasedání Královské ceské Spolecnosti nauk (Reports on the Meetings of the Royal Bohemian Society of Sciences), 1875, pp. 66–70. 7 This mathematical exercise is a very good one for the students of secondary schools who are interested in mathematics. I recommend solving it by the application of classical methods of analytical and descriptive geometry, and then by the modern programme Cabri Geometry. Students will discover many new correlations. 8 The text of this mathematical brain-teaser was published under name Zadaca (Exercise) in the journal Svetlina (Illustration) 1892, nr. 2, and in I. Cobanov, P. Rusev, B'lgarski matematici, Drzavno izdatelstvo ‘Narodna prosveta’ (Sofia, 1987), pp. 29. 9 For more information on the role of Czech teachers in the Bulgarian principality and Eastern Rumelia, see Ja. Milušev, Ceski profili v obšcestvenoto razvitie na sledosvobozdenska B'lgarija, Akademicno izdatelstvo ‘Marin Drinov’ (Sofia, 2005) (in Bulgarian), J. Rychlík, Dejiny Bulharska, Lidové noviny (Prague, 2000) (in Czech) and http://bulharsko.proweb.cz/deji13.htm (in Czech). 10 We do not know the names of 10 deputies which were elected during the first election. Their motivation was very simple—to liberate Eastern Rumelia. Their ‘positions’ (in the Regional Chamber and in the government) were held without salary or wage. From 1878 up to 1879, A.D. Stolypin (1822–1899) was the Russian Civil Administrator of Eastern Rumelia; from 1879 up to 1884, the first Rumelian governor was the Bulgarian prince Alexander Stepanov Bogoridi, called ‘Aleko Pasha’ (1823–1910); and from 1884 to 1885, the second Rumelian governor was Gavril Baev Krstevich called ‘Gavril Pasha’ (1820–1898), a famous Bulgarian historian. 11 For more information on the Bulgarian elections in 1879 and 1880, see I. Cobanov, P. Rusev, B'lgarski matematici, Drzavno izdatelstvo ‘Narodna prosveta’ (Sofia, 1987) and K. Grov, Ivan Salabašev, Obucenieto po matematika, 1981, pp. 16–20 (both in Bulgarian). 12 Salabashev's political activities were reconstructed thanks to J. Rychlík, Dejiny Bulharska, Lidové noviny (Prague, 2000) and http://www.minfin.government.bg/bg/page/107. 13 Salabashev's non-political activities were reconstructed thanks to the annual reports of the societies, which are deposited in the Bulgarian National Library in Sofia and in the Library of the Bulgarian Academy of Science. For more information, see also I. Cobanov, P. Rusev, B'lgarski matematici, Drzavno izdatelstvo ‘Narodna prosveta’ (Sofia, 1987), K. Grov, Ivan Salabašev, Obucenieto po matematika (1981), pp. 16–20 and I. Juchnovski, B'lgarska akademija na naukite. Clenove i rkovodstvo 1869–2004. Spravocnik, B'lgarska akademija na naukite, Centralna biblioteka (Sofia, 2005) (all in Bulgarian). 14 For more information on Salabashev's activities in the Fiziko-matematiceskoto druzestvo, see I. Cobanov, P. Rusev, B'lgarski matematici, Drzavno izdatelstvo ‘Narodna prosveta’ (Sofia, 1987), K. Grov, Ivan Salabašev, Obucenieto po matematika, 1981, pp. 16–20 and S.N. Lafciev, Jubileen sbornik na fiziko-matematiceskoto druzestvo v Sofija po slucaj 40-godišnijamu jubilej, Fiziko-matematiceskoto druzestvo (Sofia, 1939) (all in Buglarian).