Agriculture : An overview

Emancipation Alexander’s Emancipation promised many reforms, technically reversing a policy hundreds of years old, but in reality, little changed in terms of daily life Peasant life revolved around the Mir, or commune which remained The redemption payments introduced after Emancipation crippled many peasants and restricted individual enterprise Productivity was low, with famine a common feature, including the disastrous famine of 1891

Nicholas II In 1905, Stolypin attempted to solve the many problems on the land by encouraging land purchase The Mir had been abolished and peasants were free to migrate and merge holdings together to improve efficiency Lenin viewed this peasantry, who were loyal to the Tsar as a great risk

Post War The impacts of the war were great on peasantry, causing deaths and further falls in productivity The emergence of the Kulak, and declining influence on land caused many peasants to return to the commune The peasants wanted reliable land and a fair price for grain, something the Bolsheviks could promise them

The Bolsheviks Peasants had little in common with the urban Bolsheviks Their support was won by a decree redistributing land and by fears the Whites would restore the landlords Many peasants formed their own armies in the Civil War to protect their land from both sides

Bolshevik brutality The Bolsheviks proved ruthless in taking resources needed for war Resistance was met with violence, many farms were burnt as peasants defied requisition Lenin’s 1921 New Economic Policy reversed collectivisation and allowed peasants to farm for profit Poor investment meant land was still operating below its potential and many poor peasants resented richer neighbours still

Collectivisation The Bolsheviks saw the peasantry as an irritation and addressed few policies to help them Under Stalin, the growing divide between agricultural and industrial growth saw mass seizure of grain to sell in order to finance industry Violent resistance ensued, causing full scale, enforced Collectivisation.

The impacts of Collectivisation The greatest change in agriculture since serfdom but also “the greatest change imposed on any country in the history of the world” The repressive force of the Soviet state was used fully against the peasantry Red Army and Communist party activists, where resistance was met with repression Richer peasants were deported or killed Crops were burned and seizures of grain resulted in cannibalism All of Russian agriculture was in some way collectivised by 1935, causing an inwardness in Russian life which can be linked with the purges

World War Two Millions of peasants were drafted into the army and millions killed After the war, Stalin viewed his main policies of political repression, industrialisation and collectivised agriculture as a complete success as the USSR had been victorious The Russian peasantry now had to support the growing Soviet Empire

Khrushchev As a peasant born leader, much was expected from Khrushchev More freedoms were offered, but central planning remained dominant The virgin lands programme represented huge, yet misplaced investment in agriculture, resulting in Russian agriculture still being a thorn in the side of Russian government.