Abstract

Russia is a country of almost immeasurable agricultural possibilities. Its enormous area covers one-sixth of the earth's surface, and its climate ranges from Arctic Siberia in the North to the almost tropical Caucusus in the South. Between these extremes lie the vast forest regions and the great steppe zone, with its large expanse of fertile black soils, ideally suited for crop production. A further variety of climate and soils is found in the mountainous southern regions-the Crimea, the Caucusus and Turkestan. The revolution in Russia in 1917 brought about an abrupt transition in practi- cally every phase of national activity; in agriculture the complete change over from little more than primitive systems to large scale productions by modern methods presented problems of special difficulty. In order to appreciate the magnitude and the complexity of this task, it is necessary to review very briefly the conditions of work and life on the land prior to the date of the revolution. Russia is a country of almost immeasurable agricultural possibilities. Its enormous area covers one-sixth of the earth's surface, and its climate ranges from Arctic Siberia in the North to the almost tropical Caucusus in the South. Between these extremes lie the vast forest regions and the great steppe zone, with its large expanse of fertile black soils, ideally suited for crop production. A further variety of climate and soils is found in the mountainous southern regions-the Crimea, the Caucusus and Turkestan. The revolution in Russia in 1917 brought about an abrupt transition in practi- cally every phase of national activity; in agriculture the complete change over from little more than primitive systems to large scale productions by modern methods presented problems of special difficulty. In order to appreciate the magnitude and the complexity of this task, it is necessary to review very briefly the conditions of work and life on the land prior to the date of the revolution. Under the primitive conditions obtaining almost up to the time of the revo lution, the two main classes in agriculture were the land-owning class and the peasant. Until 1861, the lot of the peasant in Russia was exactly comparable with that of the bondman under the feudal system in Britain. In that year the peasants gained a certain amount of freedom, but the conditions of life and work changed but slightly. Only to a very small extent was the peasant master of his own destiny. The land-owners in some cases were genuinely interested in the welfare of their small tenants and peasants, but the large majority was interested only in the revenue which could be obtained from the land. The peasant had to do a certain amount of work for his master, and be generally managed to farm a small patch which would keep him and his family during the year. In some places, the village owned or rented a large area, which was divided up among the villagers and run on the three or five-field system. Here, the villagers had to pay the rent for the land either in money or in kind, the landlord taking no interest in agriculture.

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