site.btaMarch 12, 1946: Parliament Passes Law Enabling Communist-Era Farm Collectivization

On March 12, 1946, the Bulgarian Parliament passed the Earned Landed Property Act, ushering in a Soviet-style collectivization of agriculture under communism.

With this law, arable lands above certain size, depending on the location of the land and the occupation and family status of the owner, were expropriated and assigned to a State Land Fund. Land exceeding 20 hectares (30 hectares for the fertile and mostly grain-producing Dobruja region) was seized, adding up to a total of 56,400 hectares or 1.2% of the total arable land. Part of this land fund was distributed among 129,000 landless and small landowning farmers, and the rest was used to create state agricultural farms. The law came into effect on April 1, 1946. By the end of 1948, 86 state agricultural farms had been established, with a total arable area of 30,000 hectares. The rapid introduction of machines and technology in agriculture necessitated their consolidation in 1955 and 1957. From 1971, state agricultural farms were incorporated into agro-industrial complexes.

The collectivization process faced significant resistance, especially from wealthier peasants and landowners, many of whom were stripped of their land and property, leading to uprisings and protests in some areas. By the early 1950s, most of Bulgaria's agriculture had been collectivized, but the process was often marked by harsh repression, including the persecution of anyone seen as a "kulak" or class enemy.

The Earned Landed Property Act of 1946 had a key role in the broader political and economic transformation of Bulgaria under communism and marked a major step toward the country's full alignment with Soviet-style socialism.

On October 15, 1997, the Earned Landed Property Act was repealed by the 38th National Assembly.