Collectivization disrupted agricultural production from "summary" of A People's Tragedy by Orlando Figes
Collectivization, imposed on the Soviet peasantry in the late 1920s, was a drastic attempt by the Bolshevik regime to transform the agrarian economy to support industrialization. The government sought to collectivize the millions of small peasant farms into large collective farms, in order to increase agricultural productivity and free up labor for industrial work. However, the policy was met with fierce resistance from the peasantry, who viewed their land and livestock as private property that they had worked hard to acquire. The process of collectivization was chaotic and violent, with party activists and state officials using force and coercion to implement the policy. Peasants who resisted collectivization were labeled "kulaks" and were subjected to harassment, arrest, and even execution. This campaign of terror created a climate of fear and distrust among the peasantry, leading to widespread sabotage and destruction of crops and livestock. The disruption caused by collectivization had severe consequences for agricultural production. Peasants, faced with the loss of their land and livelihoods, had little incentive to work hard or invest in their farms. The breakdown of traditional farming practices and the forced collectivization of livestock led to a sharp decline in agricultural output. Grain production, the lifeblood of the Soviet economy, plummeted, leading to widespread shortages and famine in the countryside. The disruption of agricultural production had ripple effects throughout the Soviet economy. The lack of food in the countryside led to mass starvation and death, particularly in Ukraine and other grain-producing regions. The shortages of grain and other agricultural products also exacerbated food shortages in the cities, leading to widespread hunger and malnutrition among urban workers.- The policy of collectivization, though intended to increase agricultural productivity and support industrialization, had disastrous consequences for Soviet agriculture. The disruption caused by the forced collectivization of the peasantry led to a sharp decline in agricultural production, widespread famine, and mass death. The policy of collectivization was a tragic chapter in Soviet history, with far-reaching consequences for the country and its people.
