Twenty-five-thousander
Encyclopedia
Twenty-five-thousanders was a collective name for the frontline workers from the major industrial cities of the USSR
, who voluntarily left their homes for rural
areas at the call of the CPSU in order to improve the performance of kolkhoz
es during the agricultural collectivisation in the USSR
in the early 1930s.
In November 1929, the plenum
of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) issued a decree
on sending 25,000 workers with sufficient organizational and political experience to the rural areas to work in kolkhozy and Machine and Tractor Station
s (MTS). The decree found a broad response among the workers of the country, though they often had to fight resistance from their factories, where they were needed to fill production quotas. In her history of the movement, Lynne Viola writes:
As a result, 27,519 people were selected from all over the USSR and sent to work in the kolkhozy.
Social structure of 23,409 twenty-five-thousanders, who had personal files:
In order to prepare the twenty-five-thousanders for work in the rural areas, the Soviets organized special courses. Some of them were sent to sovkhoz
y for two or three months as interns. Most of the twenty-five-thousanders were sent directly to kolkhozy in the principal cereal
regions of the country, such as Ukraine
, North Caucasus
, Lower and Middle Volga, Black Earth Region and others.
The twenty-five-thousanders took part in creating new kolkhozy and strengthening the weak ones, conducting political, educational and cultural work among the inhabitants of the rural areas. They assisted kolkhozy in organizing stock, strengthening work discipline and establishing correct product distribution. Some of the twenty-five-thousanders were elected board members and chairmen of kolkhozy.
However, the twenty-five-thousanders encountered fierce resistance from the so called kulak
s, who had been opposed to the socialist re-organization of the agriculture
.
The phenomenon
of the twenty-five-thousanders was widely reflected in the Soviet literature
. One of the most famous books on this subject was Virgin Soil Upturned (Поднятая целина in Russian, or Podnyataya tselina) by Mikhail Sholokhov.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, who voluntarily left their homes for rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
areas at the call of the CPSU in order to improve the performance of kolkhoz
Kolkhoz
A kolkhoz , plural kolkhozy, was a form of collective farming in the Soviet Union that existed along with state farms . The word is a contraction of коллекти́вное хозя́йство, or "collective farm", while sovkhoz is a contraction of советское хозяйство...
es during the agricultural collectivisation in the USSR
Collectivisation in the USSR
Collectivization in the Soviet Union was a policy pursued under Stalin between 1928 and 1940. The goal of this policy was to consolidate individual land and labour into collective farms...
in the early 1930s.
In November 1929, the plenum
Plenum
Plenum may refer to:* Plenum chamber, a chamber intended to contain air, gas, or liquid at positive pressure* Plenism, or Horror vacui...
of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) issued a decree
Decree
A decree is a rule of law issued by a head of state , according to certain procedures . It has the force of law...
on sending 25,000 workers with sufficient organizational and political experience to the rural areas to work in kolkhozy and Machine and Tractor Station
Machine and Tractor Station
The Machine and Tractor Station was a state enterprise for ownership and maintenance of agricultural machinery that were used in kolkhozes. The first ever MTS was organized in the Odeska region...
s (MTS). The decree found a broad response among the workers of the country, though they often had to fight resistance from their factories, where they were needed to fill production quotas. In her history of the movement, Lynne Viola writes:
The recruitment drive illustrated the sometimes contradictory nature of the First Five-Year PlanFirst Five-Year PlanThe First Five-Year Plan, or 1st Five-Year Plan, of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a list of economic goals that was designed to strengthen the country's economy between 1928 and 1932, making the nation both militarily and industrially self-sufficient. "We are fifty or a hundred...
revolution, which aimed for the maximum in economic modernization while at the same time insisting that modernization occur within the parameters of the social and political guidelines of the proletarian dictatorship. The factories were required to increase production while releasing their best workers for participation in the numerous mobilizations of skilled workers for promotion in the bureaucracy, the purge of the state administration, enrollment in higher technical education, and work in the countryside. The consequences of these contradictory demands were frequently inconsistency, disorder, and an uneasy balance between different institutional concerns, revealing a side of Soviet politics lacking unity of purpose and divided by differing interests. In the recruitment of the 25,000ers this meant that ultimately the state had to circumvent factory officialdom and, with the aid of the party organs, appeal directly to workers over the head of resistant factory officials for support in the campaign. And the result was that, in spite of the opposition of factory officials and problems in campaign implementation, the recruitment drive was an enormous success.
As a result, 27,519 people were selected from all over the USSR and sent to work in the kolkhozy.
Social structure of 23,409 twenty-five-thousanders, who had personal files:
- Males - 92.3%, females - 7.7%
- Members of the CPSU - 69.9%
- Members of the KomsomolKomsomolThe Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
- 8.6% - Members of the Metal Workers Union - approx. 16,000
- Individuals with no party affiliation - 21.5%
- Up to 5 years of work experience - 13%
- 5 to 12 years of work experience - 39%
- More than 12 years of work experience - 48%
In order to prepare the twenty-five-thousanders for work in the rural areas, the Soviets organized special courses. Some of them were sent to sovkhoz
Sovkhoz
A sovkhoz , typically translated as state farm, is a state-owned farm. The term originated in the Soviet Union, hence the name. The term is still in use in some post-Soviet states, e.g., Russia and Belarus. It is usually contrasted with kolkhoz, which is a collective-owned farm...
y for two or three months as interns. Most of the twenty-five-thousanders were sent directly to kolkhozy in the principal cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
regions of the country, such as Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, North Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, Lower and Middle Volga, Black Earth Region and others.
The twenty-five-thousanders took part in creating new kolkhozy and strengthening the weak ones, conducting political, educational and cultural work among the inhabitants of the rural areas. They assisted kolkhozy in organizing stock, strengthening work discipline and establishing correct product distribution. Some of the twenty-five-thousanders were elected board members and chairmen of kolkhozy.
However, the twenty-five-thousanders encountered fierce resistance from the so called kulak
Kulak
Kulaks were a category of relatively affluent peasants in the later Russian Empire, Soviet Russia, and early Soviet Union...
s, who had been opposed to the socialist re-organization of the agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
.
The phenomenon
Phenomenon
A phenomenon , plural phenomena, is any observable occurrence. Phenomena are often, but not always, understood as 'appearances' or 'experiences'...
of the twenty-five-thousanders was widely reflected in the Soviet literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
. One of the most famous books on this subject was Virgin Soil Upturned (Поднятая целина in Russian, or Podnyataya tselina) by Mikhail Sholokhov.