WHETHER SALE OF EQUIPMENT TO COLLECTIVE FARMS WAS RUINOUS FOR THEM?

Issue № 1, 2016, article № 6, pages 38-45

Section: Historical sketches

Language: Russian

Original language title: БЫЛА ЛИ ПРОДАЖА ТЕХНИКИ КОЛХОЗАМ РАЗОРИТЕЛЬНА ДЛЯ НИХ?

Keywords: AGRICULTURE OF THE USSR, THE COLLECTIVE FARMS, KOLKHOZES, SALE OF EQUIPMENT TO KOLKHOZES, N.KHRUSHCHEV, I.STALIN

Abstract: The article deals with the question whether the sale of equipment to kolkhozes since 1958 has broken them. Agricultural works were carried out before this decision by state machine-tractor stations. MTS were a certain tool of carrying out policy of the state in relation to the peasantry, they did it completely dependent on the state, and natural deliveries of production for the works performed by MTS represented guarantees of obtaining certain volumes of the food in the state funds for low prices during this period. In 1952, Vladimir Wenger in letters to Stalin made a proposal to sell equipment to the kolkhozes. They recognized that collective farms are independent cooperatives which already possess a certain property on means of production (small stock, cattle, material current assets) and are economically able to get the technician and having exempted the state from these capital investments. Stalin criticized the proposal, arguing that its implementation will lead to the ruin of the kolkhozes. This sale was carried out at the initiative of N. S. Khrushchev as since the middle of 1953, the state headed for strengthening of material and economic resources of collective farms, increase of purchase prices, increase in the income of collective farmers and development of other forms of the state support of agriculture. The analysis of available statistical data does not show any symptoms of violations of financial and economic activity of kolkhozes for the period 1958-1965 years. The estimated cost of the transferred assets amounted to a relatively small value with respect to the amount of growing fixed assets of collective farms, their annual revenue and investments. It is impossible to claim that kolkhozes couldn't redeem in due time a tractor and other equipment. Comparison of dynamics of number of tractors in agriculture of various republics of the USSR from 1953 for 1960 shows that the lowest growth rates of number of tractors in agriculture were in RSFSR but not in Ukraine or Kazakhstan. The destruction of farms is Stalinist myth.

Authors: Epshtein David Berkovich