Collectivization of Agriculture

Collectivization of agriculture was a process initiated mainly in the Soviet Union during the late 1920s and 1930s, where individual farms were merged into large, state-controlled enterprises called collective farms or kolkhozes. The goal was to increase agricultural productivity, ensure food supply for rapid industrialization, and eliminate the class of independent farmers known as kulaks. The government often used coercion, and the transformation led to significant upheaval, including resistance, food shortages, and loss of life. While it aimed to modernize agriculture and bolster the economy, it also caused widespread hardship and displacement for many rural communities.