Collectivization

1. Small farms belonging to peasants merged to form large collective farms jointly owned by peasants Supposed to be voluntary Reasons Against the principles of socialism Socialism – aims at achieving a classless society economically Cannot have private farmers making profits Collectivization

2. Control and transform the peasantry Peasants were not very supportive of the communists Ignorance led them to be preys of the kulaks and religious superstition Through collectivizing, hoped to educate and raise their cultural level Eradicate the kulaks

3. Solve the problem of food supply Peasants held the government hostage by withholding food supply By collectivizing them, government could control them Especially when the urban population needed to be fed – who were the supporters of the communists Most peasants grew enough for them because they did not gain much profits Farms too small to use modern methods By collectivizing, government could manage agriculture efficiently

4. Raise revenue for industrialization Modern large collectivized farms could increase production, that way they could sell it to buy machinery Destroy Political Rivalry In 1928, Stalin shared power with Bukharin, Tomsky and Rykov By implementing collectivization, he could defeat his rivals who supported the NEP Prove to the world That USSR had progressed by mechanizing

5. Methods of collectivizing Early Stage Confiscation of grain Urals-Siberian method in November 1928 – village meeting and poorer members point out the rich kulaks

6. Forced Collectivization In 1929, Stalin wanted collectivization to be completed by autumn 1930 Though it was supposed to be voluntary, this was not so Those who opposed were branded as kulaks Marxist theory, kulaks made up of 3% of the peasantry but this was not easy to identify

7. Reaction to forced collectivization Difficult to identify who a kulak was because of the integrated relationship League of Militant Godless destroyed churches or transformed churches and renamed religious days Government seen as antichrist Peasants protested – ate their animals or sold or killed them Fear that sowing would be halted, forced collectivization was slowed down in August 1930

8. 1930-1935 After the good harvest, collectivization resumed but there were new guidelines Farms were controlled by MTS – motor-tractor stations and each stations covered about 40 farms They could decide how much the farm could keep and how much farmers would have to pay. Also distributed grain seed and collected grain Farmers could also keep small plots and some of their animals

9. Outcome Showcase villages were given extra government help Most farmers were worse off than their forefathers 1932-33 – there was famine though the storerooms for grain had plenty Famine was the result of poor harvest, yet they was heavy procurements Some collective farms had nobody to work because the people left for cities Tractors were insufficient and expensive Peasants killed their livestock or sold them

10. Party laid down rules for the payment of kolkhnozniks Also on the relations between the kolkhoz and MTS Legalized plots of half hectare or less for each kolkhoz Allowed each household to own 1 cow, sow, four sheep and unrestricted poultry 1935

11. Outcome Private plots produced better yield Surplus, after sold to the government, could be sold on a restricted free market

12. Success? About 1 ¾ million tons of grain was exported Famine helped to break peasant resistance and rid of kulaks Government could get grain without haggling Kulaks could no longer hold the socialist state to ransom