Vyacheslav Borisovich Laperdin,
Candidate of History Sciences, Researcher, Institute of History of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia, е-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Group Conflicts in the Collective Farm Society of West Siberian Region in the 1930s
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2021-4-4
The author examines group conflicts in the collective farm society of West Siberian region in the 1930s. Peasant groups united on similar grounds (informal and closely family ties, similar attitude to state policy, socio-economic status before collectivization, etc.), finding themselves in the same collective farm society, entered into various, sometimes conflicting, relationships. Their emergence iwas the result of decomposition of peasant communities and high social mobility in new collective farm societies. Disintegration of traditional communal structures that promoted solidarity and unity of village population led to increasing conflicts in Soviet collective farms, which often took on group forms. Moving up the collective farm hierarchy, as well as defending an already acquired position, was facilitated with the support of the group. Opportunities for social mobility were determined not only by loyalty to the state, but also by belonging to an informal group. The higher position of a group in the collective farm society, the more chances its members had to take the desired positions. State indirectly participated in life of intra-collective farm groupings, being represented by cells of CPSU(b), rural activists, chairmen of collective farms and party organizers sent by party organizations, who also created groups around themselves. They not only realized their own, interests, out also interest of the state. Aggravation of group conflicts could lead both to deterioration in economic condition of collective farm economy and to its complete collapse. Nevertheless, the author of the article is not inclined to absolutize conflicts in collective farm environment, which were only one of the many aspects of relations. Groups coexisted peacefully, not showing themselves in confrontation, so information about them was not reflected in the sources. Collective farm societies could act as a single whole if common interests were affected. First of all, this referred to the fulfillment of state requirements, which were heavy burden on the shoulders of peasants.
Publishing: 28/08/2021
The article has been received by the editor on 29.05.2021
How to cite: Laperdin V.B. Group Conflicts in the Collective Farm Society of West Siberian Region in the 1930s // Historical Courier, 2021, No. 4 (18), pp. 38–52. [Available online:] http://istkurier.ru/data/2021/ISTKURIER-2021-4-04.pdf
Links: Issue 4 2021
Keywords: peasantry; agrarian policy of the state; collectivization; collective farms; collective farm society; social mobility; Siberia