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

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CAPITALISM IN RUSSIA
503
(2.5 million), and to the latter those residing in rural areas
(3.3 million). We then get the following picture of the distribution
of the total population of Russia:
Agricultural population of Russia . . . . . . 97.0 million
Commercial and industrial . . . . . . . . . 21.7 ”
Unproductive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.9 ”
Total . . . . . . . 125.6 million
This picture clearly shows, on the one hand, that commodity
circulation and, hence, commodity production are
firmly implanted in Russia. Russia is a capitalist country.
On the other hand, it follows from this that Russia is still
very backward, as compared with other capitalist countries,
in her economic development.
To proceed. After the analysis we have made in the
present work, the statistics of the occupations of the whole
population of Russia can and should be used to determine
approximately the main categories into which the entire
population of Russia is divided according to class status,
i.e., according to their status in the social system of production.
It is possible to determine these categories—only approximately,
of course—because we know the main economic
groups into which the peasantry are divided. And the
entire mass of the agricultural population of Russia may safely
be regarded as peasants, for the number of landlords in the
sum-total is quite negligible. Quite a considerable section
of landlords, moreover, are included in the category of
rentiers, government officials, high dignitaries, etc. In
the peasant mass of 97 millions, however, one must distinguish
three main groups: the bottom group—the proletarian
and semi-proletarian strata of the population; the middle
group—the poor small peasant farmers; and the top group—
the well-to-do small peasant farmers. We have analysed
above the main economic features of these groups as distinct
class elements. The bottom group is the propertyless
population, which earns its livelihood mainly, or half of
it, by the sale of labour-power. The middle group comprises
the poor small peasant farmers, for the middle peasant in