The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-03-25

members of the collective farms 10
have the use of the best soil and the
best means OF production, and to rise
to the level Of the middle PEASANTS.
We have enabled the millions of Door
peasants, who formerly led starya-
ton existence, to become middle pea
SAINTS on the collective farms, to lead
secured existence. We have under
mined the differentiation of the peas
antry into poor PEASANTS and kulaks.
we have crushed the kula5, and we
have helped the poor peasants to be-
come the masters of their own work
on the collective farms. to advance
to middle peasants.
What was the state Of affairs be-
fore the development Of the couec-
tive farming program, four years ago?
The kulaks were getting richer, were
moving upwards. The poor peaaantry,
impoverished and ruined, bent under
the yoke Of the kulaks. They crept
slowly up to the level of the zulakS
and middle peasants, only to fall back
again, and to fill the ranks of the
poor peasantry again, amidst the de-
rision of the kulaks. It is not diff
cult to see that the kula.Ls were the
only people deriving any advantage
from this state of confusion. The
kulaks, and here and there q WeIl-to-
do peasant. Out Of every 100 farms,
there were four to five belonging to
kulaks, as many as ten belonging to
well-to-do peasantry, Is to SO middle
peasant farms, and IS poor peasant
farms. Consequently, at least 35 per
cent Of all peasant farms were in the
hands Of peasants forced to bear the
burden Of the kulak yoke. I need not
refer especially to the weaker stratum
OF the middle psas2ntry, compre-
hcnding more than one-half Of the
middle peasants, whose position diff
zered but little from that CT the poor
peasants, and who were directly de-
pendent on the kulaSs.
In developing the c~,>5tye farming
system, we swept away all this con-
fusion and injustice, we broke the
kulak yoke, gathered the whole Of
the poor peasantry into the collective
farms, gave them secure position
there, and raised them to the level
Of middle peasants, entitled to make
use-on the collectivized land-of the
privileges granted to the collective
farms, the tractors and agricultural
machinery.
And what does this mean?
1t means that over 20 millions of
the peasant population, over 20 mill
lions Of poor peasants have been saved
from poverty and ruin, have been
released from the yoke of the kulak,
and have been Transformed into
human beings secure of their position
in life, thanks to the collective farms.
This is a great achievement, com
rades, this is an achievement such
as the world has not yet known, such
es has never yet been attained by any
state in the world. These then are
the practical and tangible results Of
the collective farming system, the
results Of the adoption of the way of
the collective farm by the peasantry.
But this is only our first step, our
first achievement on the path to COL
lec5tve farming construction. 1t would
be wrong to suppo-e that we should
call halt after this first step has
been taken, this first achievement
gained. No, we cannot stop here. In
order to advance, and to consolidate
the collective farms effectively we
must take second step, and attain
a second achievement.
MUST BE
RAISED TO HIGH LEVEL
What is this second step?
BY this second step we must raise
Jhe collective peasants. the former
poor peasants and the former middle |
peasants, to still higher level. The
whole of the collective farm members |
must be raised to the stage of the |
wel-to-do, the prosperous peasant. |
Yes, comrades, prosperous. prolonged |
applauce)
Thanks to the collective farms, we |
we're able to raise the poor peasants |
TO the level of middle peasants. This |
IS excellent, but still too little. Now |
we must make another stride forward |
Ind raise the whole of the collective