Lenin and the Question of Allying the Middle Peasants

Stalin’s reply to Comrade S. on June 12, 1928. Stalin, under the background of his gradually abandoning the New Economic Policy and launching the agricultural collectivization movement, he clearly expressed the standpoint and policy position of allying with the middle peasants in this reply letter. It was first published in Pravda, issue No. 152, July 3, 1928. The Chinese translation is included in Vol. 11 of the Complete Works of Stalin.

In his reply, Stalin first reiterated Lenin’s point of view and position on the issue of middle peasants in his well-known article on Pitirim Sorokin, and explained that it was a slogan put forward by Lenin in this work to proclaim the slogan of agreement with the middle peasant in the place of the slogan of neutralizing the middle peasant.

But Comrade S. argued that this was a slogan of the “period of the Poor Peasants’ Committees,” and “the end of the period of the so-called neutralization of the middle peasantry.” Stalin criticized and pointed out that, no matter from the date or from the fact, Comrade S.’s judgment on Lenin’s slogan was erroneous. Lenin put forward the slogan of “to come to an agreement with the middle peasant, while never for a moment renouncing the fight against the kulak, and firmly relying solely on the poor peasant” in November 1918, especially on issues involving the vital interests of the middle peasants, and this is just the proper expression of the resolution of the Eighth Congress of the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik), which is also included in the Party programme.

Under the present conditions of work in the countryside, this slogan is the most expedient and all-embracing slogan. Stalin argued that Lenin’s policy of alliance with the middle peasants is also a policy of stable alliance with them which make the middle peasants become a force on which the proletariat can rely. It is synonymous with establishing an agreement and a stable alliance with the middle peasants. It is necessary to carry out the struggle against the kulaks and strengthen the work of the poor peasants to realize the agreement with the middle peasants. However, we should not treat the poor peasants, the middle peasants and the kulaks as separated from one another but adopt different and targeted attitudes which form a triple task.

In order to carry out the rural work smoothly and establish an alliance with the middle peasants, we must also overcome various adverse tendencies, including: Agreement with the middle peasant can be brought about by abandoning the fight against the kulaks because they may frighten away a section of the middle peasantry, the middle peasant can be brought about by abandoning the work of organizing the poor peasants, or by slackening this work, and to transform the fight against the kulaks into de-kulakisation, and the work of grain procurement into appropriation of surpluses, etc. The common ground of these wrong practices lies in the separation of the party’s policies towards the rich peasants, the middle peasants and the poor peasants. In order to achieve a stable alliance with the middle peasants, we must not give up the struggle against the kulaks and the work for the poor peasants. We should have a correct understanding of Lenin’s and the party’s policies concerning the middle peasants so as not to fall into the trap set by the reactionaries.

In this article, Stalin maintained the same view with Lenin, clarified the wrong understanding of the policy of agreement with the middle peasant, formulated the relevant tactics to help people realize the important position of uniting the middle peasants in the construction of socialism in the USS.R.. To consolidate the alliance between the proletariat and the peasants is of great significance to mobilize the enthusiasm of the peasants and promote the new victory of the socialist construction. At the same time, the article also provides valuable experience for the proletariat of all countries to realize alliances with other classes.