[1] In 1919 a group of officers led by Generals Ivan Valkov and Velizar Lazarov – and joined by Kimon Georgiev and Damyan Velchev – formed the Military League.

After the war Aleksandar Stamboliyski was released from prison in an effort to quell the civil unrest against the wartime government and Tsar Ferdinand.

The result had mixed success: Ferdinand abdicated in favor of his son, Boris III, and Stamboliyski became Prime Minister in 1919.

His new agrarian government brought about reforms which, although popular with the farmers who comprised over 80% of the population of Bulgaria (in 1920), were unpopular amongst the upper-middle class parties.

[2] Even more dangerous for Stamboliyski's government was that the armed forces were not allowed to nominate the Minister of Defence and had no representation in cabinet since the end of the war.

[2] In 1922, after gaining approval by a plebiscite, the government began trying and imprisoning leaders of opposition parties for their roles in previous wars.

The Military League, wanting to give an appearance of legality to the ouster of Stamboliyski, needed a civilian government to hand over power to.

After a six-hour meeting they convinced him to sign a decree legitimizing the new cabinet, on the condition the new government include agrarians and avoid repression.

The uprising was largely unorganized in its essence, lacking a common leadership – after the death of Stamboliyski – and a nationwide radius of action.

It was well supplied with arms by BCP followers within the barracks and, unlike the party of the agrarians, was already in the grip of the notorious communist iron discipline.