The First Communes in Altai (1917-1927): Economic Activity and Government Support

Abstract

Authors analyzed the influence of state policy of the Soviet rule in 1917-1927 on the economy of communes in the Altai villages. The emergence of the first communes dates back to the end of 1917, but they were not registered. At various stages of state policy, there were many motivations for the formation of communes, but all of them can be reduced to the following: economic and non-economic motives. The creation of communes in Siberia in general and in the Altai region in particular had a number of peculiarities. Unlike the processes in the European part, where communes were created on the former landlords, allotments, church and state lands, in Altai this process took place on new uninhabited places. The mass guerrilla movement, together with a large number of refugees and displaced persons, intensified the processes of collective entities. Low degree of security of inventory and livestock of the communes (especially in the period of NEP), climatic conditions and other factors were the prerequisites to the disintegration of the Kommunar movement. The author stresses the dependence of communes from state policy of soviet leadership and concludes that the commune was a basis for further collective-farm construction of the 1930ies.