Collectivisation Overview

Collectivisation: Recap

• Collectivisation was a process of changing agricultural practices.
• Key aspects of the process include what the process was, the reasons it was implemented, and the methods used for its implementation.

What? Three Facts about Collectivisation

• Collectivisation involved grouping small peasant farms into larger, collective farms.
•  Land, livestock and other resources were pooled within these collectivised farms.
•  The aim was to increase agricultural efficiency and production.

Why? Three Reasons for Collectivisation

• The Soviet government aimed to modernize agriculture and industrialize.
•  It sought to eliminate private land ownership to increase state control.
•  The regime believed it was the only way to improve agricultural output and feed the burgeoning cities.

How? Three Specific Methods of Collectivisation

• Physical force, threats and intimidation were used to push families into collectivization.
• Peasant rebellions were crushed and resistance met with violence and terror.
• Propaganda was used to garner support and paint the collectivization effort in a positive light.

How Was Collectivisation Carried Out?

• Force: The use of military and police to enforce collectivisation.
• Terror: Punishments and violence against those who resisted collectivisation.
• Propaganda: Government-controlled media used to promote the benefits of collectivisation.

Impact of Collectivisation

• Initially, the regime claimed collectivisation was successful (by February 1930 they asserted that half the peasant households had been collectivised.)
•  In reality, it caused widespread disruption and disaster with most efficient peasant farmers being killed or deported. This led to a major decline in agricultural production and the loss cattle, pigs and sheep.
• Peasant resistance was high and peasants were not willing to begin the subsequent sowing season.

Stalin Backtracks

• Recognizing that peasant resistance threatened grain production, Stalin reversed the collectivisation policy temporarily.
• The official reasoning given was that collectivisation efforts had been implemented too hastily creating the slogan 'dizzy with success'.
• Urban activists often pursued their collectivisation objectives with brutal enthusiasm.
• The central government struggled to control the intense collectivisation campaign.

Stalin Outmaneuvers the Peasants

• Stalin called for a return to voluntary collectivisation and an end to coercive measures.
• Many peasants left newly created collectives to farm independently.
• Shortly after the harvest, Stalin restarted the collectivisation campaign.
• Forced collectivisation resumed, and by 1931, over 50% of households were once again in collective farms.

The Famine of 1932-34

• Despite problems, the government continued to collect grain. By the end of 1931, 22.8 million tonnes of grain had been confiscated - exceeding what was necessary for city needs and exports. This was against the backdrop of declining farm yields.
• Agricultural production had significantly decreased.
• Farming knowledge, and the tools necessary to support it, were lacking for collectivised farms. Machinery, including tractors and animals to pull plows, were in short supply, often to the point of inadequacy.
• Drought exacerbated the situation.

The Famine of 1932-34: Extent and Impact

• A period of widespread famine across the USSR, beginning in spring of 1932 and lasting into 1934.
• Famine particularly affected Ukraine.
• An estimated 7 million deaths occurred in Ukraine.
• The death count was not accurately recorded by the Soviet government.
• Collectivisation was a major factor in the famine's cause.

The Famine of 1932-34: Response and Causes

•  The regime continued to export grain to other countries, despite its use to feed the population facing famine. Grain was routinely hidden or stashed away to obscure the extent of the famine.
• Severe laws were introduced to enforce the collection of grain. These laws were enforced with the use of requisitioning gangs in huge grain dumps, whilst people starved around them.
• Historians view the famine as deliberate, with the government's goal being to break peasant resistance.
•  The government’s implementation of policies and procedures were a crucial factor in the famine, however lack of farming knowledge played a crucial role in the failure to maximize agricultural output.

Collectivisation After 1934

• By the end of 1934, 70% of peasant households were in collectives, rising to 90% by 1936.
• Individual peasant farmland was progressively eliminated.
• Grain production began its slow recovery in 1935.
• Meat production also started recovering after 1955 but never surpassed pre-collectivisation levels.
• Grain procurement remained substantial.

Collectivisation After 1934: Problems and Resistance

• Lack of incentive for peasant farmers to work in the collectivised farms due to the lack of profit sharing.
• Passive resistance remained the primary method of dissent against collectivisation by neglecting farm duties, sabotage, and petty insubordination.
• The establishment of private plots on collectivised farms became crucial for generating income for peasants.
• Despite the lack of incentives, the State maintained forceful control over food production to ensure sufficient resources for the population and industries.

Collectivisation After 1934: State Control and Food Security

• The state continued its forceful collection of grain to feed urban populations.
• Private plots still provided a significant proportion of food.  
• Peasant resistance continued through various forms, but the system remained essentially in place.