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Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 3 - From Marx to Mao

Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 3 - From Marx to Mao

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THE DEVELOPMENT OF CAPITALISM IN RUSSIA<br />

labour-power in the bot<strong>to</strong>m groups and its purchase in the<br />

<strong>to</strong>p ones.<br />

Groups <strong>of</strong> householders<br />

% <strong>of</strong> peasants<br />

employing<br />

male wageworkers<br />

% <strong>of</strong> farms<br />

engaging in<br />

industries<br />

With no draught animals . . . . . 1.1 90.9<br />

” 1 ” animal . . . . . 0.9 70.8<br />

” 2 ” animals . . . . . 2.9 61.5<br />

” 3 ” ” . . . . . 7.1 55.0<br />

” 4 ” ” . . . . . 10.0 58.6<br />

” 5 and more ” . . . . . 26.3 46.7<br />

Total . . . . . . . . . . . 8.0 67.2<br />

Here an important explanation is needed. P. N. Skvortsov<br />

has quite rightly noted in one <strong>of</strong> his articles that Zemstvo<br />

statistics attach far <strong>to</strong>o “wide” a meaning <strong>to</strong> the term<br />

“industry” (or “employments”). In fact, all sorts <strong>of</strong> occupations<br />

engaged in by the peasants outside their allotments are<br />

assigned <strong>to</strong> the category <strong>of</strong> “industries”; fac<strong>to</strong>ry owners<br />

and workers, owners <strong>of</strong> flour mills and <strong>of</strong> melon fields, day<br />

labourers, regular farm labourers; buyers-up, traders and<br />

unskilled labourers; lumber-dealers and lumbermen; building<br />

contrac<strong>to</strong>rs and building workers; members <strong>of</strong> the liberal<br />

pr<strong>of</strong>essions, clerks, beggars, etc., all these are “industrialists”!<br />

This barbarous misuse <strong>of</strong> words is a survival <strong>of</strong> the<br />

traditional—and we have the right even <strong>to</strong> say: <strong>of</strong>ficial—<br />

view that the “allotment” is the “real,” “natural” occupation<br />

<strong>of</strong> the muzhik, while all other occupations are assigned<br />

indiscriminately <strong>to</strong> “outside” industries. Under serfdom this<br />

use <strong>of</strong> the word had its raison d’être, but now it is a glaring<br />

anachronism. Such terminology is retained partly because<br />

it harmonises wonderfully with the fiction about an “average”<br />

peasantry and rules right out the possibility <strong>of</strong> studying the<br />

differentiation <strong>of</strong> the peasantry (particularly in those places<br />

where peasant “outside” occupations are numerous and<br />

varied. Let us remind the reader that Kamyshin Uyezd is a<br />

noted centre <strong>of</strong> the sarpinka industry 47 ). The processing* <strong>of</strong><br />

* We say “processing” because the data on peasant industries collected<br />

in the house-<strong>to</strong>-house censuses are very comprehensive and<br />

detailed.<br />

95

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