ühistumist

Ühistumist is an Estonian term that broadly refers to the process of collectivization. Historically, it has been most significantly associated with the agricultural collectivization that occurred in Estonia during the Soviet era, particularly in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This process involved the forced consolidation of individual farms into larger collective farms, known as kolkhozes or sovkhozes.

The aim of ühistumist in this context was to create large-scale, mechanized agricultural units deemed more efficient and productive than individual holdings. It was part of a broader Soviet policy to eliminate private land ownership and establish a socialist economy. The implementation of ühistumist often involved significant social and economic upheaval, including the dispossession of landowners and resistance from the rural population.

While the most prominent historical application of ühistumist relates to Soviet-era collectivization, the concept can also be understood in a more general sense as the act of becoming a collective or joining together for a common purpose. This might apply to various forms of cooperative endeavors or communal living arrangements, though the specific historical context of agricultural collectivization remains its most recognized meaning in Estonia. The legacy of forced collectivization continues to be a subject of historical discussion and memory in Estonia.