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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.'
.
Davies,
op. cit.
, p. 62.
Fri Aug 25 09:03:42 PDT 1995