onged.

Banding together for a common purpose, however, was far from alien to
Bulgarian culture; but social organizations and informal groupings that
emerged from such banding together usually were based on kinship or on
close personal ties. The most important formal traditional organization
was the _zadruga_ (see The Family, this ch.). In a less formal vein,
wool-cording and spinning bees were important features of rural social
life before collectivization. In fact, many agricultural activities,
such as hoeing and harvesting, were undertaken by groups of friends and
relatives who joined together to take turns working on each other's
land. This joining together for the accomplishment of necessary tasks
served an important social, as well as economic, function. While working
together in such groups, individuals exchanged ideas, passed on
information and, thereby, either reinforced each other's traditional
values and mores or helped develop new ones.

The cooperative farm of contemporary Bulgaria tries to derive the same
economic advantages from cooperation as did the traditional work groups.
The traditional groups, however, were based on a voluntary joining
together of friends and relatives, whereas the grouping on the
cooperative farm is forced and impersonal. The spirit of reciprocity,
which was so important in the former work groups, has also been lost on
the cooperative farm, where the peasant works land that, in his eyes,
does not belong to him but to an impersonal entity.

In keeping with communist practice, the government and the Bulgarian
Communist Party have introduced a network of mass organizations designed
to serve specific interest groups. Most prominent among them are the
trade unions, the youth organizations, the women's organizations, and
other member organizations of the Fatherland Front (see ch. 9). Some,
such as sports clubs, discussion groups, and cultural clubs of various
kinds, are organized on community or enterprise bases. Intended to cater
to specific interests of individuals, these groups attempt to attract a
large percentage of the population into formal organizations that can be
used to promote desired norms and values or undertake specific
activities. Major emphasis is placed on collectivism, that is, working
together as a group rather than as individuals. Structurally, the
organizations are usually divided into small groups that are intended to
act as focal social units. These units engage