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`Dekulakization'
For collectivization to succeed, the poor and middle peasants had to be convinced of the superiority of collective work of the soil, which would allow the wide-scale introduction of machinery. Furthermore, socialist industry had to be capable of producing the tractors and machines that would constitute the material support for collectivization. Finally, a correct attitude had to be defined for the kulaks, the irreconcilable adversaries of socialism in the countryside. This last problem led to significant discussions within the Party.
The question was posed as follows, just before the political changes in favor of the kolkhozy. Mikoyan said on March 1, 1929:
`In spite of the political authority of the party in the countryside the kulak in the economic sphere is more authoritative: his farm is better, his horse is better, his machines are better and he is listened to on economic matters .... the middle peasant leans towards the economic authority of the kulak. And his authority will be strong as long as we have no large kolkhozy.'
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- Kulak rumors and indoctrination
- What should be done with the kulaks?
- Struggle to the end
- The resolution on dekulakization
- The kulak offensive picks up strength
- Kautsky and the `kulak revolution'
Fri Aug 25 09:03:42 PDT 1995