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

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CAPITALISM IN RUSSIA
Dnieper Uyezd, Taurida Gubernia
Area cultivated per household
(dessiatines)
Groups of households Allotment Purchased Rented Total
I. Cultivating no land 6.4 0.9 0.1 7.4
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
IV.
”
”
”
”
”
”
up to 5 dess.
5 to 10 ”
10 to 25 ”
25 to 50 ”
over 50 ”
10 to 25 ”
5.5
8.7
12.5
16.6
17.4
12.5
0.04
0.05
0.6
2.3
30.0
0.6
0.6
1.6
5.8
17.4
44.4
5.8
6.1
10.3
18.9
36.3
91.4
18.9
Average 11.2 1.7 7.0 19.9
We see, accordingly, that the well-to-do peasants, notwithstanding
the fact that they are best provided with allotment
land, 43 concentrate in their hands the bulk of the
purchased and the rented land and turn into small landowners
and capitalist farmers.* On the renting of 17 to 44
dess. of land there is an annual expenditure, at local prices,
of about 70 to 160 rubles. Obviously we are dealing here
with a commercial transaction: the land becomes a commodity,
“a money-making machine.”
Let us take the data for livestock and implements:
Three uyezds, Taurida Gubernia In Dnieper
Animals per % house- There are per
household holds household
with no Cart- Ploughdraught
ing ing
Groups of households Draught Other Total animalsimplements**
I. Cultivating no land 0.3 0.8 1.1 80.5 — —
II. ” up to 5 dess. 1.0 1.4 2.4 48.3 — —
III. ” 5 to 10 ” 1.9 2.3 4.2 12.5 0.8 0.5
IV. ” 10 to 25 ” 3.2 4.1 7.3 1.4 1.0 1.0
V. ” 25 to 50 ” 5.8 8.1 13.9 0.1 1.7 1.5
VI. ” over 50 ” 10.5 19.5 30.0 0.03 2.7 2.4
Average 3.1 4.5 7.6 15.0
* We would point out that the relatively considerable amount
of purchased land held by those who cultivate no land is due to the
fact that this group includes shopkeepers, owners of industrial establishments,
and so forth. The mixing of such “peasants” with real cultivators
is a common defect of Zemstvo statistics. We shall refer
again to this defect later on.
** Carting: carts, covered and open waggons, etc. Ploughing:
iron ploughs, scarifiers (cultivators), etc.
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