Kulaks[a] were wealthy feudal landowners in the Russian Empire and early Soviet Union. During collectivization, they burned crops and destroyed farm equipment.[1] They also killed millions of livestock; the number of horses decreased from 30 million to under 15 million, cattle decreased from 70 million and 31 million, goats and sheep decreased from 147 million to 50 million, and hogs decreased from 20 million to 12 million.[2] The Soviet rural economy did not recover from the kulaks' sabotage until after the Great Patriotic War.
Notes
- ↑ Russian: Кулак; Ukrainian: Куркуль; Azerbaijani: qolçomaq
References
- ↑ Walter Duranty (1949). Stalin & Co. New York City: W. Sloane Associates.
- ↑ Ludu Martens. Another View of Stalin (p. 108). [PDF] Stalin Society.