Kim Chang Jin. Harvest of joy: A study of the Soviet Uzbekistan Korean millionaire kolkhoz “Politotdel” (1925-1985) // The Russian Peasant Studies. 2026. V.11. №2. P. 81-99.

EDN: MMZZUJ

Annotation

This study is an attempt of understanding the unique nature of the Soviet kolkhoz, which was both an agricultural production unit and a core institution of rural community. The issue of “advanced (or millionaire) kolkhozes” is one of those revealing the limitations and advantages of the Soviet kolkhoz system. Moreover, the experience of “advanced kolkhozes” from the mid-1930s to the 1980s allowed peasants to develop a form of local socialism from below through the “harvest of joy” rather than the “harvest of sorrow”. The “Politotdel” was one of the most famous Korean millionaire kolkhozes not only in Uzbekistan but also in the Soviet Union for about thirty years from the late 1950s. In 1953, when Hwang Man Gum with a strong entrepreneurial spirit was elected its leader, the “Politotdel” reached a turning point and made a leap forward in a short period of time. Its secrets of success were labor discipline ensured by efficient labor organization and fair wages, cultivation of kenaf and cotton as profitable main crops, mechanization (purchase of large agricultural machines after reorganization of MTS — Machine and Tractor Stations), and a solid feed base for livestock (due to the record corn harvest). The “Politotdel” and other Korean millionaire kolkhozes in Central Asia accumulated common assets of the local community in cooperation with rural intellectuals. Kolkhoz leaders, mid-level executives and farmers of the “Politotdel” were not passive individuals who simply obeyed the rules of the state command economy — they were innovators who created the “Soviet-style commons led from below” by peaceful multi-ethnic communities in rural society of Uzbekistan for decades. Through the historical experience of the advanced kolkhoz one can understand those institutional and practical characteristics of the Soviet kolkhoz that are not captured in the general picture of “failed kolkhoz agriculture and rural reality”.

Keywords

Soviet kolkhoz, Korean millionaire kolkhoz, kolkhoz “Politotdel”, duality of kolkhoz, Korean struggle for recognition, commons, multi-ethnic peace community.  

About the author

Kim Chang Jin, DSc (Political Sciences), Professor, SungKongHoe University. Yeon Dongro, Guro Gu, Seoul, Korea.
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