Kolkhozy

Kolkhozy, from the Russian kollektivoe khozyaistvo meaning collective economy, were a form of collective farming used in the Soviet Union and in some other socialist states. A kolkhoz consisted of land, livestock, and equipment owned collectively by its members, who also contributed their labor. Members typically received a share of the harvest and other benefits according to the farm’s rules, rather than fixed wages. Personal or household plots remained privately managed within the kolkhoz, allowing families to grow food for their own use.

Kolkhozy were established mainly during the late 1920s and early 1930s as part of the broader policy of agricultural collectivization. They contrasted with sovkhozy, or state farms, where workers were employees of the state and paid wages. Kolkhozy were organized through elected bodies and a management apparatus, with decisions made by general meetings and a kolkhoz committee, often under the influence of party and state authorities. They operated within the planned economy, receiving state quotas for procurement and supplying labor and products to meet central targets.

Economically, kolkhozy played a central role in Soviet agriculture, functioning as the unit of production within the state’s grain, meat, and dairy programs. The system faced criticism for inefficiencies and coercive aspects of collectivization, while supporters argued it enabled coordinated investment and modernization. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, many kolkhozy were dissolved or transformed into different forms of agricultural enterprises, with land often redistributed or reorganized into private or leasehold farms. The term remains part of historical and regional nomenclature in some successor states.