Аспекти на социалистическото всекидневие – организация, управление и практики в трудово-кооперативните земеделски стопанства (Брестовица, Пловдивско)
Aspects of the Socialist Everyday Life — Organization, Management and Practices in the Bulgarian Co-operative Farms (The Case of Brestovitza Village)

Summary/Abstract: The formation of co-operative farms in Bulgaria in the 50s and 60s of the 20th century and their mass expansion brought about fundamental changes in the social structure in Bulgarian villages. The co-operative farms became the main economic factor and a source of political impact. New ethical categories and behavioral models were imposed and legitimized by means of intense propaganda and undisguised psychological (and sometimes even physical) pressure. Their political goal was to tear the traditional society of petty landowners away from their patriarchal mentality and to attract them emotionally to the new political and social structures. The change of the peasants into co-operative farmers aimed not only to effect their social transformation, but also to shape their behaviour and value system. The present article offers an analysis of one of the most powerful sources of impact on the peasants’ mentality, attitudes and behaviour. These are the two main management structures of the socialist co-operative farms – the managing committee and the co-operative assembly of all members. The analysis of the functions and the character of these two structures is of crucial importance to the overall understanding of the “socialist reconstruction” of Bulgarian village. It provides information about the new social and political positions of the peasants and their relations with the new power structures. This is carried out through a content analysis of the annual reports of the managing committee and the records of the sessions of the members’ assembly of the co-operative farm in Brestovitsa village. They cover the period from 1948 to 1952. These documents make it possible to draw some conclusions about the relations between the farmers and their leaders, to get to know their motives, interests and strategies in defending their positions. This method reveals the social and political character of the co-operative farms as an arena of constant struggle for dominance, but also as a source of democratic principles.

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