erns have resulted in more social
transformations than at any time since the Turkish invasions in the
fifteenth century. Collectivization of agriculture, industrialization
and the consequent migration from rural to industrial areas, and a
widespread educational system have done much to transform the tribal
character of the society.

Although in 1970 the patriarchal system was still a way of life in the
countryside, especially in the highlands, the authority of the master of
the house had been considerably reduced. Marriage customs in particular
had changed. As a result, the position of the close-knit family had been
altered. Radical changes had occurred also in the life of women. Many of
them have had to work outside the home to compensate for the generally
low wages of their husbands. Day-care nurseries had been set up to make
it easier for mothers to work and also to give the regime an early
opportunity to indoctrinate the children.

Despite such transformation, however, the family was still the most
significant unit in the society. The allegiance given to the family,
coupled with the individualism characteristic of the people and the
traditions of political autonomy in local affairs, had made it difficult
for the regime to fully implement its policies for restructuring the
society in general and the family in particular.

Reflecting the influence of the standard Marxist-Leninist dogma, the
regime officially recognized only two classes--one composed of workers
and considered the leading class and the other consisting of the working
peasants, a third group usually being referred to as the people's
intelligentsia. Actually, a distinct new upper class, constituting less
than 10 percent of the total population, emerged under Communist rule to
replace the upper ruling and middle classes that existed before the
Communist takeover. This new upper class was composed of the top ruling
elite that controlled all facets of society and its supporting echelons,
made up of officials of the Party and state apparatus; mass
organizations; and professional and technical people, such as doctors,
lawyers, engineers, and managers of state enterprises.

Membership in the Party or sympathy toward communism was the chain that
linked this upper class together. All its segments had benefited from
the Communist system, having enjoyed considerable advantages over the
rest of the population; they formed practically the only social group
with a