Todor Hristov Zhivkov was a Bulgarian communist politician who served as the de facto leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1954 until 1989. He held various titles, including General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party and Chairman of the State Council. His 35-year rule was the longest of any leader in the Soviet-era Eastern Bloc and was characterized by political stability alongside economic stagnation. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Zhivkov was ousted from power and placed under house arrest, later being convicted of embezzlement but acquitted by a higher court.