The imposition of socialism after World War II led to profound political and economic changes in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Following the Soviet model and in line with their egalitarian ideology, the socialist regimes in CEE implemented comprehensive social reforms to create universal social security systems. However, during the socialist period, the social security systems in CEE differed considerably in terms of their inclusiveness, especially with regard to the social protection of the rural population. This contribution explores the development of social security for farmers in Bulgaria, a country that adopted egalitarian social security reforms early on in order to integrate the rural population into the general social security system. It examines the evolution of the generosity of social insurance and family allowances for farmers in the period from the imposition of socialism in the mid-1940s until 1975, when the social security rights of cooperative farmers were fully equalised with those of workers. Drawing on archival documents from the Bulgarian State Archives, it shows that national socio-economic factors, historical legacies and external pressures played a decisive role in expanding the generosity of public social security to the rural population.