This article is about collectivization in Kazakhstan. This topic still causes heated debate among historians and economists, some of whom are of the opinion that the positive consequences of the new policy in the agrarian region of this republic prevail, while the other half consider the results of the transformations to be destructive.
There are also those who openly express an opinion on the clearly criminal property of such government actions. According to them, the excesses that were allowed during the implementation of the reforms caused a large-scale famine and escalated into a national tragedy.
This article will examine in depth both the causes and consequences of collectivization in Kazakhstan.
This phenomenon will be considered as one of the components of the new economic policy of the Soviet Union, undertaken by the leadership led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and subsequently continued by Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin.
Agricultural sphere of the country before and after the revolution
By the beginning of the 20th century, Russia was the largest grain supplier in the world. The share of its exports exceeded 20% of all crop sales in Europe and America. There were a number of shortcomings in this area, which were to be eliminated in the course of the planned reforms, for example, insufficient technical equipment for the work of grain growers, as well as large territories of undeveloped land spaces.
In 1906, in the process of modernizing agriculture, the results of numerous discoveries were introduced into this area, which contributed to improving the productivity of enterprises and facilitating labor.
Consequences of wars
In 1914, Russia was involved in a global armed conflict, which was called the First World War. We had to forget about the progress in the agricultural sector for three long years. The country needed significant financial resources to support the defense, in addition, a huge number of people of working age went to the front.
For this reason, by 16-17 years of the XX century in the livestock sector of agriculture, as well as in the agricultural industry, there was a sharp decline in productivity. After the Great October Revolution took place in October 1917, Russia emerged from the global armed conflict, but was engulfed in a civil war. For several years, the entire economy of the state functioned in an emergency situation.
State of emergency
The so-called policy of war communism implied the freezing of part of market relations in the country. The population handed over and received a certain share of products without the use of monetary units. In such circumstances, people who owned farms, up to that time quite large and generating large incomes, possessing high productivity, disappeared motivation to develop and even maintain them at the proper level.
Most of the funds that before the war were spent on improvements in the agricultural sector now went to the needs of the defense industry and the elimination of the post-revolutionary crisis.
The brilliant decision of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
After the end of the civil war, the leader of the October Revolution took measures to eliminate the crisis in the country. We can say that these actions were forced, and the introduction in the state of trade and market relations with the right to small and medium private property, as well as entrepreneurship, was carried out only to eliminate the consequences of global conflicts.
One way or another, the new course taken by the leader contributed to the sharp economic leap that occurred in the first half of the twenties of the XX century.
These were the first results of industrialization and collectivization in Kazakhstan.
All of the above processes to one degree or another affected the republic of Kyrgyzstan, which was created in the early 1920s. At that time, it included the territory of the country, which is discussed in this article.
The beginning of Soviet power in Kazakhstan
During the years of collectivization (its first glimpses) and the restriction of tyranny, which was carried out indescribably by the local upper strata of society, - by buoys, part of the land from these "masters of life" was taken away in favor of poor peasants and herders. This greatly improved the welfare of the latter.
One of the most progressive forms of agricultural activity at that time was the cooperative organization of the economy. This type of farm enterprises involved the merger of several small organizations into one large. Such associations, as a rule, consisted of a certain number of individual entrepreneurs, as well as several farms.
They not only engaged in animal husbandry and cultivation of agricultural crops, but also carried out subsequent processing of the product by the forces of their collective farm. For this reason, such business management was extremely profitable and highly productive.
This method of agricultural activity was first invented not in Russia, but in European countries. Most often, farmers united their efforts in Germany in the first half of the 20th century. However, in our country such a strategy has taken root. In the 1910s, the state ranked second after the Germans mentioned above in terms of the number of cooperative organizations.
The new economic policy developed by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin after the civil war brought collectivization to Kazakhstan. History suggests that this phenomenon was initially perceived by peasants and livestock farmers with great enthusiasm.
Many rural workers, who until then had carried out individual activities, joined together in common organizations. Also, the Soviet government actively pursued a policy of modernizing the labor of livestock breeders and plowmen. The first technical means of cultivating the land and electrical appliances used in the cultivation of zoological species appeared in the republic.
Introduction of education
Kazakhstan during the period of collectivization of the first wave also received specialists in the field of agricultural technologies. Educational institutions for the training of professionals in the field of agronomy were organized.
We can say that the new economic policy brought literacy and familiarization of residents with the achievements of European civilization in the young republic.
"There is no Soviet power in the aul!"
In the second half of the twenties, the chairman of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan proclaimed a new policy direction, which was to eliminate obsolete forms of social relations among the local population.
The usual way, with the veneration of wealthy people and giving them a certain power, was declared obsolete. Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin began to adhere to the same opinion after making a trip to the Siberian region, as well as to the Kazakhstan Soviet socialist republic. The head of the local party self-government, Goloshchekin, figuratively expressed himself about the current situation, saying that in Kazakhstan it is necessary to carry out the October Revolution on a reduced scale.
Economic crisis
The situation in the country has noticeably worsened with the onset of several lean years, when there was very little bread in the state. No measures taken by local managers gave the desired result. Famine erupted. In addition, the policy of strengthening large-scale production and the defense industry collapsed due to a lack of finance.
In this regard, Comrade Stalin at the next party congress announced the end of the era of a new economic policy. Mid-level entrepreneurship, as well as some part of small organizations, had to be reorganized during collectivization (including in Kazakhstan).
Along with this, the leader spoke about the need to eradicate the so-called kulaks and Kazakh bais, that is, wealthy owners.
A good idea is a bad implementation
The farming strategy, which before the revolution brought great success, and after the civil war contributed to the revival of the agrarian and livestock sector, should again come to the rescue in a crisis situation. The years of collectivization in Kazakhstan lasted from 1928 to 1932.
A great idea failed as a result of its implementation due to the fact that by that time the initiative, creative spirit, which the leaders of the time of the beginning of the Soviet power had, completely replaced the atmosphere where the chairmen of the party of local importance tried to please the higher authorities at all costs. The orientation towards collectivization of agriculture in Kazakhstan was accepted unquestioningly. The leadership of each individual region of the republic competed with neighbors in the speed of implementation of plans for the restructuring of livestock. Therefore, in Kazakhstan, forced collectivization was the leading method of implementing the new policy.
Almost daily articles appeared in the press about how the instructions of the Soviet government were implemented in record time. For overfulfillment of plans, the local leadership received high government awards.
Collectivization Goals in Kazakhstan
The most important areas for the implementation of the new economic strategy were as follows:
- Fighting the food crisis.
- The elimination of semi-feudal lords, preserved until that time in the republic.
- Modernization of agriculture.
- Transition to new forms of agricultural activity.
The implementation of these areas was carried out under the close supervision of specialists who were sent to Kazakhstan from the largest cities of the Soviet Union.
These officials were called upon to monitor the actions of local authorities and report the results of their inspections directly to the country's leadership.
Positive effects
The results of collectivization in Kazakhstan, along with numerous negative aspects, also had many positive features.
So, large areas of land, still not developed, were plowed and sown with grain.
The number of educational institutions that train specialists in the "Agronomy" profile has increased many times. Collectivization of agriculture in Kazakhstan was introduced at an accelerated pace, which led to an almost complete transition to new forms of agricultural activity over several years.
Some individuals who illegally amassed huge capital, as well as accumulated large masses of grain in those years when there was famine and lack of bread in the country, were seized part of the property and surplus stocks.
Desire to please
However, the years of collectivization in Kazakhstan are also characterized by many of the most sad phenomena. When moving to a new level of implementation of state economic policy, national traditions and customs that have developed in the course of the centuries-old history of the people, as well as the impossibility of such global changes in a short time, were not taken into account.
The very existence of strict plans for such changes is a gross logical mistake, since such reforms are carried out in conditions of numerous external influences on the course of their implementation. Therefore, the creation of such installations, which must be performed with an accuracy of up to a year, is impossible. The leaders of Kazakhstan during collectivization did their best to please higher-ranking officials, therefore, they implemented each resolution "at any cost." So, even the poor, unfortunate owners of pastures and arable lands forcibly took away their property and transferred to the possession of collective farms and state farms.
Historians are aware of cases when people who accumulated even small grain reserves in order to feed numerous family members confiscated the so-called surpluses in favor of the state, which strengthens the production sphere.
Elimination of a nomadic lifestyle
Collectivization in Kazakhstan began in 1928 and also included an attitude to eradicate the traditional way of carrying out animal husbandry in the steppe. For many decades and even centuries, Kazakhs raised cattle, and at the same time led a nomadic lifestyle. The climate of this territory, as well as the peculiarities of the local flora, are not adapted for settled life when engaged in raising domestic animals.
Therefore, many nomads were forced to move from one place to another, because to feed their herds it was necessary to have a constant presence of fresh vegetation. As soon as the feed reserves are depleted in the territory, the shepherd must distill his cattle to another place.
The consequences of the collectivization of agriculture in Kazakhstan included the eradication of such a lifestyle. Nomads were forced to join collective farms. But the principle of cattle breeding, which took root well in the central territory of Russia, was unacceptable in the hot Kazakh steppe with its poor vegetation.
Tragedy
As a result of the forcible collectivization of agriculture in Kazakhstan, many thousands of livestock were driven into huge camps in the middle of the steppe, where there were no conditions for their existence. Animals quickly became exhausted and starved to death. So, over the years of reform, the number of cattle and small cattle, as well as horses, has decreased tenfold. And such a kind of labor as camel breeding has practically disappeared.
Many Kazakhs could not come to terms with such arbitrariness of local authorities and took flight to the neighboring republics of the Soviet Union. Thousands of pastoralists and farmers have also gone to other countries. A consequence of this was the fact that even today the descendants of Kazakh emigrants of the Stalin era live in Mongolia, China, Korea and other states.
The strongest repressions to which those who disagree with the general direction of the policy were subjected did not pass by Kazakhstan. Numerous executions and exiles to the camps were at that time a common punishment. Often during the analysis of a criminal case there was no investigative evidence that was necessary in the implementation of the trial in modern society.
Armed unrest
In an area where a certain part of the population has firearms intended for hunting, as well as necessary self-defense in living conditions in the wild steppe, some nomads who did not reconcile themselves to the current state of affairs made attempts to overthrow the local authorities by force. Historians speak of several thousand such unrest. All these incidents were stopped, and the perpetrators were severely punished.
As a result of an illiterate agricultural economy strategy, a severe famine erupted in the republic in the late twenties. About this Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was repeatedly notified in his letters by representatives of the local intelligentsia.
In fairness, it is worth noting that some of the negative aspects of the new political course have been eliminated. So, the stocks taken from them were returned to many peasants and farmers, and horses and other animals taken back to the common pastures were driven back.
Conclusion
It is safe to say that this stage of the development of the state had good goals, but because of the incompetence of local government, as well as the use of violent measures and ignoring national traditions and customs, the reforms had many negative consequences. However, many positive changes were made as a result of them.
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin later admitted that when introducing new methods of farming in the KSSR, some excesses were allowed.
The article examined both the positive and negative consequences of collectivization in Kazakhstan. The goals set by the Soviet government before the start of this policy course are also given.