Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-06


ton at the very moment great results
were being achieved suggests several ex-
plantations. One Is that 1t represents an
admission by the Communist party that
collectivization of land Is impracticabIe
and opens q way for @ retreat to petty
capitalism; o second is that the sue
cess OF the organizers has brought on
ar expansion Of the projects 50 rapidly
that time Is needed to consolidate the
gains and make them secure: and
third Interpretation is that Stain sees
the imminent unquestioned victory Of
collectivtzed farms and the total aboli-
ton Of private operation after the next
harvest, and has requested period Of
quiet to stop the activities Of the
enemies Of the scheme until 1t has been
proved a success and criticism will be
without force. Behind these nomentouS
developments lay the fundamental fac
tors of the Soviet agrarian situation
and the dramatic story Of its present
crisis.
Lenin's Pledge Attracts PrOIetariat.
Since Lenin first cried his pledge of
Peace, Bread and Land" and the war
depressed, hungry proletariat hocked to
his red banner without knowing or car
Ing for the details Of the plan that
RAONA4cC0 hICuI JLlC J1llIlBS IAlCy 04ICly
needed, the problem Of the peasant has
hung like q sword Of Damocles above
the head Of the Communist party. In
the stress Of the revolution they had to
act quickly. Peace was obtained with
Germany In fashion compatible with
the reds theory Of pacifiSm. But to
furnish both bread and land and still
keep strict and immediate faith with
the precepts Of Marxianism was impoS-
Sible. A program was adopted to attain
these ends that compromised the doc
trineS Of communism for the sake OF ex-
pediency and built up q situation that
ever since has threatened the life OF
pure collectivism In its stronghold
The peasant of Russia at the end OF
the war was only half century from a
serfdom that tied him to the soil. He
held only 80 per cent Of the land and
worked the remainder Of the giant
country for wealthy landlords. Under
q system little better than that Of the
feudal age the ignorant, superstitious
and vodka soaked serf lived In q dark
village and dreamed vague dreams OF
owning his farm.
Peasant Becomes Landholder.
Then the red sun 1eaped into mid
heaven without a dawn, and the peas
ant awakened from his stupor to md
himself a landholder-for by q decree
issued the second day after the SovletS
took the power the land was taken from
the old landlords, conf1scated and ap-
portioned among the peasants on the
basis Of about is acres to each member
of family.
The Soviets thus fulfilled their promise
of land and at the same time opened
way to secure bread and complete their
SCI 81 40
violated the fundamental principles OF
their. creed. The land act was revolu-
tionary, but not in any sense commu-
nistic. It created at one stroke OF the
men annore capitalists than Russia nae
ever had. For every single capitalist
landowner III CZarist days the SoViets
made hundreds.
Though the leaders Of Russia intend
ed that the scheme Of land Distribution
should be directed toward Communism
it daily took on more aspects Of capl,
talism. And the government vaclllateo
and avoided meeting the orninous issue
For If industry was to be put on pro
ductiye and Communistic basis, the
worker had to be fed while he was being
brought under the spell of the new pa
triotism. The new economic policy OF
1921, which permitted the renting OF
land along with private trading, gave
fresh impetus to capitalism on the
steppes, and the kulak emerged as an
arch capitalist in a theoretically So
cialized state.
Some Prosper, Others DeteriOrate.
Among the $4,000, 900 farmsteads held
by the peasants some grew large ana
prospered, others dwindled. The peo-
pie fell into strata defined by tnelr
wealth. The government stood Tor II
years, restraining where 1t could tnis
movement toward capitalism, but re-
framing from drastic action for fear OF
ieopardizing the nations food supply. .
BY the time the five-yeAr plan went
into effect in 1928 as the first vigorous
attempt to communize the farms, q wen
established petty capitalist class was
functioning. 1t is made up OF two
classes: the kulak, who in the current
meaning Of the term In Russia is a
| landowner who hires labor and tries to
sell his grain on the open market m
and the poor peasant who holds only a
minimum allotment Of land and works
It himself.
The small landholder with a farm OF
Is to 80 acres, though essentially an in
| dividualist, Is the material from which
the communes are being made. HIS
equipment Is usually primitive ana m
| eficient. AS an independent producer ne
seldom was able to raise more produce
than was required to feed himself and
| family and often he had to rely upon
employment on a neighbortng kulak
land for money with which TO purchase
boots and clothes. This made him an
unreliable source of supply for surplus
! grain to feed the cities.
Peasants Induced to Organize.
Peasants of this type were encouraged
BY the government to join together In
quasi communistic units called ortels
| In this loose organization cows, horses
plows and land are community-owned
but houses, pigs and poultry remain
private property. In such organizations
they could often get together sufficient
equipment to produce a crop that al
| lowed a surplus for sale over the needs
| of the group. These units formed az
! excellent nucleus for the wholly So
cialized communes.
| But the kulak, q rampant Individual
list with valuable property in his posses
sion, resists the government at ever!
turn and fights the establishment Of
collectivization as bitterly as he dares
! BY cunning and frequently fraudulent
| connivance he has avoided or violated
narrow limitations of the Soviet lane
laws and acquired substantial holdings
| that occasionally amount to 1000 acres
All q farmers income amounting Il
over $50 a year Is taxed as per cent Sc
the kulak either pays tremendous tai
or becomes a proficient tax dodger
These heavy penalties on his wealth
| a hiok afandapA ~ HNin6