Editing Tripartite Pact (section)

===Bulgaria===
[[File:Protokol-1.03.1941.jpg|thumb|upright|Official protocol of Bulgaria's accession into the Tripartite Pact]]
The [[Tsardom of Bulgaria (1908–1946)|Tsardom of Bulgaria]] had been an ally of Germany and on the losing side in World War I. From the beginning, the Germans pressured Bulgaria to join the Tripartite Pact. On 17 November 1940, Tsar [[Boris III of Bulgaria|Boris III]] and Foreign Minister {{ill|Ivan Popov (diplomat)|lt=Ivan Popov|bg|Иван Попов (дипломат)}} met with Hitler in Germany. According to [[Hermann Neubacher]], Germany's special envoy to the Balkans, Bulgaria's relation to the Axis powers was completely settled at that meeting. On 23 November, however, the Bulgarian ambassador in Berlin, [[Peter Draganov]], informed the Germans that while Bulgaria had agreed in principle to join the pact, it wished to delay its signing for the time being.{{sfn|Miller|1975|p=33}}

The meeting with Hitler precipitated a visit to Bulgaria by the Soviet diplomat [[Arkady Sobolev]] on 25 November. He encouraged the Bulgarians to sign a mutual assistance pact that had first been discussed in October 1939. He offered Soviet recognition of Bulgarian claims in Greece and Turkey. The Bulgarian government, however, was disturbed by the subversive actions of the [[Bulgarian Communist Party]] in response to the talks, apparently at the Soviets' urging.{{sfn|Miller|1975|p=34}}

On 26 December 1940, the far-right politician [[Alexander Tsankov]] introduced a motion in the [[National Assembly (Bulgaria)|National Assembly]] urging the government to accede to the Tripartite Pact immediately, but it was voted down.{{sfn|Miller|1975|p=38}}

Bulgaria's hand was finally forced by Germany's desire to intervene in the [[Italo-Greek War]], which would require moving troops through Bulgaria. With no possibility of resisting Germany militarily, Prime Minister [[Bogdan Filov]] signed Bulgaria's accession to the pact in Vienna on 1 March 1941. He announced that it was done partly in gratitude for Germany's assistance to Bulgaria in obtaining the [[Treaty of Craiova]] with Romania and that it would not affect Bulgaria's relations with Turkey or the Soviet Union. Later that day, Ribbentrop promised Filov that after the fall of Greece, Bulgaria would obtain an [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]] coastline between the [[Struma (river)|Struma]] and [[Maritsa]] Rivers.{{sfn|Miller|1975|p=45}}

According to Article 17 of the [[Tarnovo Constitution]], treaties had to be ratified by the National Assembly. In the case of the Tripartite Pact, the government sought to have the treaty ratified without debate or discussion. Seventeen opposition deputies submitted an [[interpellation (politics)|interpellation]] and one, Ivan Petrov, asked why the National Assembly had not been consulted in advance and whether the pact involved Bulgaria in war. They were ignored. The pact was ratified by a vote of 140 to 20.{{sfn|Miller|1975|p=45}}