Modern approaches to the study of collectivization in the context of modernization theories

Importance. The key issue in Russia’s history has always been the agrarian question, which took the form of the collectivization of peasant agriculture in the 1930s. Late in the 20th and the first quarter of the 21st centuries, when a lot of new archive sources were involved in open circulation, the issue of transforming agrarian relations became the core of public and scholarly discourse. The purpose of the study is to analyse and systematise modern research approaches to the study of the collectivization process in the Soviet Union in the late 1920s–1930s in the context of modernization processes.

Materials and Methods. An interdisciplinary methodological approach is used in the research: the works of historians, sociologists, and cultural scientists on the problems of collectivization and modernization are analyzed. Methods of comparative and structural analysis are used in the study of historiography.

Results and Discussion. The publications of historians from the late 1980s to the 2020s devoted to “the great break” in the life of the Russian village are studied. Based on a comprehensive approach to the problem of collectivization, the versatility and interrelationships of various scientific views are highlighted; the research demonstrates that collectivization is not merely a local historical phenomenon but is a part of a broader, global process of modernization of Russia.

Conclusion. The agrarian issue of Russian history and historiography is a multifaceted topic essential for understanding the economic, social, and cultural processes of Russia. In the postPerestroika period, “the great break” has been re-evaluated. At first, it was heavily criticised, but later the objective reasons for the creation of the collective farm system were recognised. In modern historiography, collectivization is considered in the context of modernization of Russia, emphasizing the continuity of the pre-revolutionary and post-revolutionary periods.

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