Kulaks

Kulaks were relatively wealthy peasants in Soviet Russia prior to and during the early Soviet era, particularly in the 1920s and early 1930s. They owned small to medium-sized farms and often employed labor, producing surplus crops for sale. The Soviet government viewed kulaks as class enemies and undesirable “wealthy peasants,” accusing them of resisting collectivization efforts. During collectivization, many kulaks were persecuted, forced off their farms, imprisoned, or executed in campaigns aimed at consolidating agriculture under state control. The term has since become symbolic of class struggle and resistance to Soviet policies.