The Decision to Collectivise (AQA A-Level History): Revision Notes
The Decision to Collectivise
Background and context
Collectivisation did not emerge overnight as a policy. Collective farms had existed within Soviet agriculture before 1927, though their numbers remained small. From the end of 1927 through to December 1929, heated internal Party discussions took place, eventually resulting in the commitment to rapidly accelerate collectivisation and impose it by force where necessary.
The decision to collectivise was not sudden but evolved over a two-year period of intense debate within the Communist Party. Understanding this timeline is crucial for grasping how Stalin consolidated power while eliminating opposition to his agricultural policies.
Party debates about collectivisation 1927-1929
Bukharin's position
Numerous Party members supported expanding state farms, but the relatively few existing state farms proved unproductive and deeply unpopular among the peasantry. Bukharin advocated an approach where helping the peasantry formed the foundation of economic success, arguing that peasants needed incentives to increase production. He believed prices should rise, encouraging peasant farmers to sell more. His supporters, the Bukharinists, included Party members and academic experts at the Institute of Red Professors.
Historian Stephen F. Cohen, in his 1973 work Bukharin and the Bolshevik Revolution, contends that before 1928, Stalin largely shared Bukharin's economic philosophy. However, between 1928 and 1929, Stalin moved towards policies that directly challenged Bukharin's approach, transforming into a Stalinist position.
Cohen's Interpretation:
Stephen F. Cohen's analysis suggests that Stalin's shift away from Bukharin's gradualist approach between 1928-1929 marked a fundamental transformation in Soviet economic policy. This was not merely a disagreement about methods but represented a complete reversal of Stalin's previous position, indicating the political nature of his decision-making.
Opposition to Bukharin
Bukharin's opponents prioritised faster progress towards modernisation and industrial growth, regarding the peasantry as an obstacle to achieving these objectives. They viewed the 'rich peasants', or kulaks, as particularly problematic, standing in the way of agricultural transformation and wider economic development.
Three factors driving collectivisation
The Three Interrelated Factors Behind Collectivisation:
Understanding these three factors is essential for explaining why Stalin pushed for rapid collectivisation:
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The grain procurement crisis in the winter of 1927 to 1928: Poor harvests and disrupted grain collection created an immediate problem requiring urgent action.
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The need for increased food supplies to support the expanding industrial workforce for the Five Year Plan: Rapid industrialisation demanded feeding a growing number of urban workers, necessitating reliable grain supplies.
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An ideological conviction that collectivisation represented the correct socialist path: Many Party members believed that embracing collective farming aligned with Marxist principles and that the 'rich peasants' obstructed progress towards socialism.
Memory Aid: Remember GIF - Grain crisis, Ideological conviction, Food for industrial workers
Stalin's response: the grain procurement crisis 1927-1928
Confronting the grain procurement crisis, Stalin directed attention towards west Siberia and the Urals, where the harvest had performed reasonably well but grain procurement had fallen by one-third compared to the previous year. Stalin's officials and police moved through the region, closing free markets, applying the criminal law under Article 107 to halt speculation (buying up grain and hoarding it hoping for the price to rise), and pressuring local officials and police to seize grain forcibly. This aroused substantial opposition from peasants, pushing Stalin towards even harsher measures.
The 'Urals-Siberia Method':
Stalin became convinced that his tough action in 1928 had worked effectively. He viewed his 'Urals-Siberia method' as a viable weapon in the battle over grain procurement. This involved:
- Closing free markets
- Using Article 107 to criminalise grain hoarding
- Forcibly seizing grain from peasants
- Pressuring local officials to enforce harsh measures
This approach set a dangerous precedent - Stalin believed that force and coercion were effective tools for achieving economic goals, despite the substantial peasant opposition it generated.
Officials who hesitated to enforce this harsh approach faced sharp criticism, particularly from Bukharin.
Bukharin's weakening political position 1928
By the summer of 1928, Bukharin's political position had begun to deteriorate. He found himself outvoted increasingly frequently in both the Politburo and the Central Committee.
In October, the Bukharinists lost the majority they had previously held in the Moscow party. By November, Stalin felt confident enough to attack Bukharin directly, accusing him of 'Right deviation'.
Bukharin's Declining Influence:
The rapid deterioration of Bukharin's position in 1928 reveals how Stalin systematically eliminated opposition:
- Summer 1928: Outvoted in Politburo and Central Committee
- October 1928: Lost Moscow party majority
- November 1928: Publicly attacked for 'Right deviation'
This pattern demonstrates that political debates were increasingly decided by Stalin's growing power rather than economic merit.
The momentum towards forced collectivisation 1929
Throughout 1929, the drive for forced collectivisation steadily gathered momentum. The policy attracted support from numerous Party members and local officials. It received particularly strong advocacy from the centre. Molotov proved especially active in issuing central directives during the summer of 1929, which generated enthusiastic reactions from officials in the localities.
Simultaneously, the Central Committee implemented a policy dispatching 25,000 industrial workers into the countryside to accelerate collective farm development.
In December 1929, Stalin announced to the Party Congress his readiness to impose forced collectivisation without restraint, declaring his intention to 'smash the kulaks as a class'.
Stalin's December 1929 speech
Primary Source: Stalin's Speech to the Party Congress (27 December 1929)
At the Party Congress on 27 December 1929, Stalin articulated his position unambiguously:
"To launch an offensive against the kulaks means that we must smash the kulaks, eliminate them as a class. Unless we set ourselves these aims then our offensive would be merely pinpricks, phrase-mongering, not a true Bolshevik offensive. We must strike at the kulaks, strike hard to prevent them from ever rising to their feet again. Could we have undertaken such an offensive five or three years ago? No, we could not. It would have meant certain failure, strengthening the position of the kulaks, and leaving us without enough grain. But what is the position now? We have the material base that enables us to break the resistance of the kulaks, to eliminate them as a class so that we can replace them with state farms and collective farms. That is why we have recently passed from the policy of restricting the exploiting tendencies of the kulaks to the policy of eliminating the kulaks as a class. When the head is cut off, no one wastes tears on the hair."
Significance: This speech marked the formal announcement of dekulakisation - the policy to liquidate the kulaks as a class. Stalin's violent rhetoric ("smash", "strike hard", "cut off the head") revealed the brutal nature of the policy to come.
Chronology of collectivisation debates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1927 Dec | Concerns emerged within the Party about the grain procurement crisis |
| 1928 Jan | Stalin demanded 'extraordinary measures' to address the grain crisis |
| 1928 Apr | Bukharinists were outvoted in the Politburo on agricultural policy |
| 1928 Nov | Bukharin faced Stalin's attack for alleged 'Right deviation' |
| 1929 Apr | The first Five Year Plan launched at a Party conference |
| 1929 Nov | Bukharin was removed from the Politburo |
| 1929 Dec | Stalin delivered his 'war against the kulaks' speech to the Party Congress |
Key Points to Remember:
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Collectivisation emerged from prolonged Party debates between 1927 and 1929, not as a sudden decision.
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Bukharin advocated gradual economic development with peasant incentives; his opponents demanded faster industrialisation regardless of peasant concerns.
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Three factors drove collectivisation: the 1927-1928 grain procurement crisis, the need to feed industrial workers for the Five Year Plan, and ideological conviction about the socialist path.
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Stalin's forceful 'Urals-Siberia method' in 1928, using Article 107 and seizing grain by force, convinced him that harsh measures worked effectively.
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By December 1929, Stalin held sufficient political dominance to announce the policy of 'dekulakisation' - eliminating the kulaks as a class through forced collectivisation.
Timeline Memory Aid: 1927-crisis, 1928-clash, 1929-collectivisation