Kolkhoz

Quick Facts: Who was Kolkhoz?

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Kolkhoz

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A form of collective farm in the Soviet Union, central to Soviet agriculture.

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Origins & Early Life

A kolkhoz (Russian plural: kolkhozy; anglicized plural: kolkhozes; Russian: колхо́з, IPA: [kɐlˈxos] ) was a form of collective farm in the Soviet Union. Kolkhozes existed along with state farms or sovkhozes. These were the major components of the agriculture in the Soviet Union. The term continued to exist in some post-Soviet states. The portmanteau колхоз, kolkhóz is a contraction of коллективное хозяйство, kollektívnoye khozyáystvo, 'collective farm'.

Career & Major Achievements

This Russian term was adopted into other languages as a loanword; however, some other languages calqued equivalents from native roots, such as Ukrainian колгосп, kolhósp, from колективне господарство, kolektývne hospodárstvo. In Belarus, the term was known as калгас, калектыўная гаспадарка, kalhas, kalektywnaya haspadarka, in Lithuania – kolūkis, kolektyvinis ūkis. The Russian terms for members of a kolkhoz is "kolkhoznik" (male) and "kolkhoznitsa" (female). As a collective farm, a kolkhoz was legally organized as a production cooperative. Soon after the creation of the first Soviet state farms (sovkhozes), in 1918, the first collective farms were organized.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In the USSR, there were three main types of collective farm enterprises: Partnerships for joint cultivation of land (TOZ / TPSOZ) - here only labor and part of the work (plowing, sowing, harvesting) were socialized, and the land, implements, and livestock remained in the personal or separate ownership of the peasants. Agricultural artels are the main and most common form. It socialized the main means of production (land, equipment, livestock, buildings), but collective farmers retained the right to a plot of land and small livestock for personal use. Agricultural communes are the most radical form, where absolutely everything was socialized: means of production, livestock, housing, and even everyday life with consumption. Later, by 1938, as a result of the policy of complete collectivization, the other two forms practically disappeared or were transformed.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1918: 1918 Milestone — Soon after the creation of the first Soviet state farms (sovkhozes), in 1918, the first collective farms were organized.
2. 1938: 1938 Milestone — Later, by 1938, as a result of the policy of complete collectivization, the other two forms practically disappeared or were transformed.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Kolkhoz

True or False: “The primary function of a kolkhoz was solely to provide subsistence farming for its members.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While providing sustenance, the kolkhozes were also required to sell their surplus crops and products to the State at fixed prices, which funded industrialization.

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