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

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CAPITALISM IN RUSSIA
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Thus, Engelhardt’s own farm is better than all arguments
in refuting Engelhardt’s Narodnik theories. He set out to
farm on rational lines, but was unable to do so, under the
given social and economic conditions, except by organising
the farm on the basis of employing farm labourers. The
raising of the technical level of agriculture and the supplanting
of labour-service by capitalism proceeded hand in hand
on this farm, as it does on all private-landowner farms in
general in Russia. This process is most clearly reflected in the
employment of machinery in Russian agriculture.
VII. THE EMPLOYMENT OF MACHINERY IN AGRICULTURE
The post-Reform epoch is divided into four periods as
regards the development of agricultural machinery production
and the employment of machinery in agriculture.* The first
period covers the years immediately preceding the peasant
Reform and the years immediately following it. The landlords
at first rushed to purchase foreign machinery so as to
get along without the “unpaid” labour of the serfs and to
avoid the difficulties connected with the hiring of free workers.
This attempt ended, of course, in failure; the fever soon
died down, and beginning with 1863-1864 the demand for
foreign machinery dropped. The end of the 70s saw the
beginning of the second period, which continued until 1885.
It was marked by an extremely steady and extremely rapid
increase in machinery imports from abroad; home production
also grew steadily, but more slowly than imports. From
1881 to 1884 there was a particularly rapid increase in
* See Historico-Statistical Survey of Russian Industry, Vol. I,
St. Petersburg, 1883 (published for 1882 exhibition), article by V. Chernyayev:
“Agricultural Machinery Production.”—Ditto, Vol. II,
St. Petersburg, 1886, in group IX.—Agriculture and Forestry in
Russia (St. Petersburg, 1893, published for Chicago Exhibition),
article by V. Chernyayev: “Agricultural Implements and Machines.”—
Productive Forces of Russia (St. Petersburg, 1896, published for 1896
exhibition), article by Mr. Lenin: “Agricultural Implements and
Machines” (sect. 1).—Vestnik Finansov [Financial Messenger], 1896,
No. 51 and 1897 No. 21.—V. Raspopin, article cited. Only the lastmentioned
article puts the question on a political-economic basis;
all the previous ones were written by agricultural experts.