COLLECTIVISATION

WHAT DO COMMUNISTS BELIEVE? Communists believe in economic planning. The government should organise the economy to meet the people's needs. This will avoid a rich/poor gap. AGRICULTURE was failing to produce enough to support INDUSTRIALISATION.

WHAT IS COLLECTIVISATION? The plan to merge all the small farms into COLLECTIVE farms. State-provided tractors and fertilisers and pooling or labour and resources would lead to greater efficiency.

The collectivisation campaign in the USSR, 1930s. The slogan reads: "We kolkhoz farmers, on the basis of complete collectivisation, will liquidate the kulaks as a class." (THINK: Who is likely to have organised such a demonstration?)

WHY COLLECTIVISATION? ECONOMIC: Poor harvests in 1927 and 1928 and Prices went up. This led to a drop in standard of living for URBAN workers. Also, there were no grain SURPLUSES to sell abroad. The poor harvests meant the KULAKS were making more money. (Stalin anger). Large farms = increased efficiency. Mechanisation (workers could then be moved to industry).

WHY COLLECTIVISATION? POLITICAL: Much more appealing than reliance on grain imports. Money should be spend on developing industry, not buying imports. Stalin believed he would simply be able to change agriculture by his strong leadership and determination. He said all peasants who did not cooperate were enemies of the people.

WHAT DID STALIN DO? rationing introduced to the cities. 1928: GRAIN REQUISITIONING. Huge resentment amongst the peasants over this policy. Kulaks were sent to labour camps. Mass Collectivisation began in DEKULAKISATION Stalin appealed to the poorest peasants to lead the way in DEKULAKISATION. BUT idea was unpopular. Rebellion and destruction of grain.

THE TWENTY-FIVE THOUSANDERS Issued a decree: 25,000 socially conscious industrial workers were sent to the countryside. Were supposed to offer technical help....but in reality they were used to enforce DEKULAKISATION

DIZZY WITH SUCCESS Human suffering. Kulaks sent to Siberia, many did not survive the journey. Forced labour camps ran by the secret police. Death by starvation and disease. Resistance had caused chaos. In Pravda an article DIZZY WITH SUCCESS: Stalin defended his policy. He never admitted the problems caused. Claimed local officials were overzealous, but the policy was a success. Stalin suspended the programme in 1930, claimed targets met.

FAMINE Collectivisation resumed in The pause was short-lived. Targets were set, when farmers failed they were accused of sabotage. Grain was seized. All grain confiscated. No official count of the dead was made....at least 10 million? Seized grain was taken to the cities or exported.

CONSEQUENCES? 10,000,000 people exiled. Those who remained endured hardship. Unrealistic targets. Anger and resentment towards the government. This led to a DROP in productivity. The Kulaks were hard-working/successful, but had been exiled. Production fell harvest was 9,000,000 tonnes less than that of Few farms acquired machinery. (too expensive). BUT......by 1941 all farms were collective.

INDUSTRIALISATION? Aim: to provide grain to export to raise funds for industrialisation. SUCCESS: more exported. Standard of living fell for industrial workers. FAILURE: urban workers no better off. Unity between the peasants and workers? FAILURE: urban workers (propaganda) anger at peasants. Growth of urban areas SUCCESS: Urban population in cities grew.

Year Number of collective farms Percent of farmsteads in collective farms Percent of sown area in collective use ,8000.8– , , , , , , , , – , , , – , PRODUCTION: Grain 1928 = 73.3 million tons 1934 = 67.6 million tons Cattle 1929 = 70.5 million 1934 = 42.4 million Pigs 1928 = 26 million 1934 = 22.6 million Sheep and goats 1928 = million 1934 = 51.9 million

POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES Surprisingly, the chaos united the Party behind their leader! Kulaks and peasants blamed for problems. Many even supported the hard line against the peasants. Stalin achieved his personal ambition...Russia was urbanised and grain procured was sold abroad. BUT collectivisation was ruthless.