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

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118<br />

V. I. LENIN<br />

see what sort <strong>of</strong> industries these are. The Evaluation<br />

Returns on Peasant Landownership in Zemlyansk, Zadonsk,<br />

Koro<strong>to</strong>yak and Nizhnedevitsk Uyezds (Voronezh, 1889) contains<br />

a list <strong>of</strong> all the trades <strong>of</strong> the “industrialists,” working locally<br />

and away from home (222 trades in all), classified in groups<br />

according <strong>to</strong> allotment, and indicating the size <strong>of</strong> earnings in<br />

each trade. This list shows that the overwhelming majority <strong>of</strong><br />

the peasant “industries” consist <strong>of</strong> work for hire. Of 24,134<br />

“industrialists” in Zadonsk Uyezd, 14,135 are farm labourers,<br />

carters, shepherds and unskilled labourers, 1,813 are builders’<br />

labourers, 298 are <strong>to</strong>wn, fac<strong>to</strong>ry and other workers, 446 are<br />

engaged in private service, 301 are beggars, etc. In other<br />

words, the overwhelming majority <strong>of</strong> the “industrialists” are<br />

members <strong>of</strong> the rural proletariat, allotment-holding wageworkers,<br />

who sell their labour-power <strong>to</strong> rural and industrial<br />

employers.* Thus, if we take the ratio between the different<br />

groups <strong>of</strong> the peasantry in a given gubernia or a given uyezd,<br />

we find everywhere the typical features <strong>of</strong> differentiation, both<br />

in the land-abundant steppe gubernias with their relatively<br />

huge peasant crop areas, and in the most land-poor localities<br />

with their miniature peasant “farms”; despite the most pro-<br />

* To supplement what has been said above about the term “industries”<br />

as used in Zemstvo statistics, let us quote more detailed<br />

data on peasant industries in this locality. The Zemstvo statisticians<br />

have divided them in<strong>to</strong> six categories: 1) Agricultural industries<br />

(59,277 persons out <strong>of</strong> a <strong>to</strong>tal <strong>of</strong> 92,889 “industrialists” in the 4 uyezds).<br />

The overwhelming majority are wage-workers, but among them we<br />

also find proprie<strong>to</strong>rs (melon growers, vegetable growers, bee-keepers,<br />

perhaps some coachmen, etc.). 2) Artisans and handicraftsmen (20,784<br />

persons) Among the genuine artisans (= those who work on orders<br />

for cus<strong>to</strong>mers) are included very many wage-workers, particularly<br />

building workers, etc. Of the latter we have counted over 8,000 (the<br />

figure probably includes some proprie<strong>to</strong>rs: bakers, etc.). 3) Servants—<br />

1,737 persons. 4) Merchants and master-industrialists—7,104 persons.<br />

As we have said, it is particularly necessary <strong>to</strong> single out this category<br />

from the general mass <strong>of</strong> “industrialists.” 5) Liberal pr<strong>of</strong>essions—<br />

2,881 persons, including 1,090 beggars; in addition <strong>to</strong> these there are<br />

tramps, gendarmes, prostitutes, policemen, etc. 6) Town, fac<strong>to</strong>ry<br />

and other workers—1,106 persons, local industrialists—71,112,<br />

migra<strong>to</strong>ry industrialists—21,777, males—85,255, females—7,634. The<br />

earnings are the most varied: for example, in Zadonsk Uyezd 8,580<br />

unskilled labourers earn 234,677 rubles, while 647 merchants and<br />

master-industrialists earn 71,799 rubles. One can imagine the confusion<br />

that results when all these most diverse “industries” are<br />

lumped <strong>to</strong>gether—but that is what is usually done by our Zemstvo<br />

statisticians and our Narodniks.

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