Collective farms

Definition

Collective farms were agricultural enterprises owned and operated collectively by groups of peasants or farmers, typically under the direction of the state. These farms were a key part of Stalin's agricultural policy during the late 1920s and 1930s, aimed at increasing agricultural productivity and eliminating private land ownership, particularly targeting the wealthier class of farmers known as kulaks.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Collective farms were established as part of the first Five-Year Plan starting in 1928, leading to a drastic change in agricultural practices across the Soviet Union.
2. The government mandated that individual farms be merged into large collective units, with peasants losing their private land and having to work on these state-owned collectives.
3. Many kulaks were dispossessed of their land and resources during collectivization, leading to widespread suffering and resistance, and many were executed or sent to labor camps.
4. Collective farms were expected to increase efficiency by utilizing machinery and shared labor, but they often faced significant challenges such as poor management and lack of incentives for workers.
5. The process of collectivization led to widespread famine in several regions, most notably the Holodomor in Ukraine, where millions died as a result of grain requisition policies.

Review Questions

• How did collective farms reflect the broader goals of Stalin's economic policies during the 1930s?
  • Collective farms were integral to Stalin's economic strategy aimed at transforming Soviet agriculture and boosting productivity. By consolidating small farms into larger collective units, the government sought to increase efficiency through mechanization and improve grain production for industrial needs. This approach was part of a larger plan to eliminate private landownership, particularly among kulaks, thereby aligning agricultural output with the state's industrial ambitions.
• Evaluate the impact of collectivization on the rural population in the Soviet Union, focusing on both positive and negative outcomes.
  • Collectivization had profound effects on the rural population in the Soviet Union. On one hand, it aimed to modernize agriculture by introducing new farming techniques and machinery that could potentially increase productivity. On the other hand, it resulted in severe disruptions as millions of peasants were displaced from their lands, faced brutal state repression, and suffered from famine due to grain requisitions. The negative consequences overshadowed any benefits, leading to social upheaval and loss of life.
• Assess how the policies surrounding collective farms contributed to the long-term agricultural challenges faced by the Soviet Union after Stalin's era.
  • The policies surrounding collective farms laid a foundation for many of the agricultural challenges that persisted in the Soviet Union long after Stalin's time. The forced collectivization created inefficiencies due to lack of motivation among workers, poor management practices, and an overreliance on state directives rather than local knowledge. This resulted in systemic issues such as low crop yields and inadequate food supplies that plagued Soviet agriculture throughout its later years, ultimately contributing to food shortages and economic problems leading up to the collapse of the USSR.

Related terms

Kulaks: Wealthier peasants in the Soviet Union who owned larger farms and were targeted during collectivization for their perceived resistance to state policies.

Five-Year Plans: State-directed economic plans introduced by Stalin aimed at rapidly industrializing the Soviet economy and increasing agricultural output through collectivization.

Agricultural Revolution: A significant transformation in agriculture that included the introduction of modern farming techniques and the establishment of collective farms, which aimed to boost production and efficiency.