economic conditions in russia

C . 7 0 5 . M . 4 5 1 . 1 9 2 2 . II.
L E A G U E OF N A T I O N S
R E P O R T ON
ECONOMIC
CONDITIONS
IN R U S S I A
W IT H SPECIAL REFERENCE T O
T H E FAMINE OF 1921-1922
AND T H E S T A T E OF AGRICULTURE
CONTENTS
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In t r o d u c t o r y N
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Sources
Ch a p t e r
I. —- S
Ch a p t e r
I I . —- R
Ch ap t e r
III. — T
he
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am in e
Ch ap t e r
IV. — T
he
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Annex
ummary
u ssian
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v
S i t u a t i o n ..................................................................................................
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fo r m a t io n
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1 9 2 1 - 1 9 2 2 ........................................................................................................
26
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58
g r ic u ltu r e
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o sit io n
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a m i n e
The R ussian Land System and the Agrarian Policy of the Soviet Govern­
ment ............................................................................................................................................................
(b)
The Single Food T a x .............................................................................................................
77
I. ■— ( a)
88
Annex
I I . •—
Recent Harvest Statistics .....................................................................................................................
93
Annex
I I I . ■—
Mr. Hoover's Report to President H arding on the Work of the American
Relief Adm inistration in R u s s i a ........................................................................................
99
Report of the International R ussian Relief Committee on Famine Relief
Work in R u s s i a ...............................................................................................................................
103
The Report of M . Ivanov, President of the Ukrainian Red Cross, on Famine
Relief in the U kraine .....................................................................................................................
107
Statistics of Russian I n d u s t r y .....................................................................................................
113
Annex
Annex
Annex
Annex
IV. — ■
V . ■— •
V I . ■—
VII.
Annex V I I I .
— Statistics of Russian Transport ............................................................................................................1 21
Statistics of Russian Prices and Currency ...................................................................................1 2 7
—
Changes in
Annex
IX. —
Annex
X. —
Annex
X I.
the Population of R u s s ia ...........................................................................1 31
Note on New Territorial D iv is io n s .............................................................................................. 1 34
— L ist of Books ...................................................................................................................................................... 1 5 1
Annex X I I . — •
M ap and Table the net harvest per head of Rural Population in Russia
in IÇ2I. Showing the Density and Percentage of Starving Population;
m ap of the Administrative D ivisions ofRussia; and map showing. . . .
162
INTRODUCTION
At its m e e t i n g of J u l y 2 0 t h , 1922, t h e C o u n c il of t h e L e a g u e of N a t i o n s c o n s id e r e d
a proposal m a d e b y t h e N o r w e g i a n G o v e r n m e n t t h a t a C o m m i t t e e of E n q u i r y s h o u l d
be a p pointed t o r e p o r t u p o n t h e e c o n o m i c effec ts of t h e R u s s i a n f a m i n e a n d t h e p o s s i ­
bility of r e - e s t a b l i s h i n g R u s s i a n a g r i c u l t u r e ; a n d p a s s e d t h e fo llo w in g r e s o l u t i o n :
" T h e S e c r e t a r i a t is a u t h o r i s e d to co llec t, a r r a n g e a n d t a b u l a t e all t h e i n f o r ­
m a t i o n o b t a i n a b l e f r o m t h e v a r i o u s G o v e r n m e n t s a n d d if fe r e n t relief o r g a n i s a ­
t i o n s a n d o t h e r a g e n c i e s w o r k i n g i n R u s s i a , a n d to c o m p l e t e it , w h e n e v e r po ssib le,
f r o m o t h e r s o u r c e s , w i t h t h e o b j e c t of p r e s e n t i n g t o t h e C o u n c il as c o m p le t e
a n d a c c u r a t e a p i c t u r e a s p o s s i b l e of t h e a c t u a l s i t u a t i o n in R u s s i a , a n d of r e n ­
d e r in g t h e i n f o r m a t i o n t h u s o b t a i n e d a c c e s s ib le t o t h e p u b li c .
" W h e n t h i s w o r k is f in is h e d , a n d p r o v i d e d t h a t t h e i n f o r m a t i o n t h u s co l­
le c te d j u s t i f i e s i t , a C o m m is s i o n of e x p e r t s s h a ll b e a p p o i n t e d to m a k e u se of
t h e m a t e r i a l t h u s o b t a i n e d , t o e x a m i n e w h a t c o n c lu s i o n s m i g h t b e d r a w n t h e r e ­
fro m , w i t h t h e o b j e c t o f s e t t i n g f o r t h w h a t , in its o p in i o n , a r e t h e effec ts of t h e
R u s s i a n f a m i n e o n t h e R u s s i a n s i t u a t i o n in g e n e r a l, a n d on t h e f in a n c ia l, ec o ­
n o m ic a n d h e a l t h s i t u a t i o n of E u r o p e a s a w h o l e —-in a w o r d , e s t a b l i s h i n g a
connection b e tw e e n th e R u s s ia n s itu a tio n a n d E u ro p e a n re c o n stru c tio n .”
The r e p o r t w h i c h follow s h a s b e e n p r e p a r e d b y t h e S e c r e t a r i a t in a c c o r d a n c e w i t h
the in stru c tio n s c o n t a i n e d i n t h i s r e s o l u t i o n .
I t is n o t b a s e d u p o n i n d e p e n d e n t e n q u i r y
in Russia, b u t u p o n e x i s t i n g a n d , in t h e m a i n , p u b l i s h e d s o u r c e s of i n f o r m a t i o n . R e q u e s t s
for in f o rm atio n w e r e a d d r e s s e d t o G o v e r n m e n t s , r elief a g e n c ie s a n d o t h e r p r i v a t e o r g a ­
nisations.
T he w o r k h a s b e e n a s s i s t e d b y t h e r e p l i e s r e c e i v e d f r o m t h e G o v e r n m e n t s of t h e
United S ta t e s , J a p a n , S w i t z e r l a n d , S w e d e n , P o l a n d a n d D e n m a r k , a n d f r o m t h e I n t e r ­
national R e d C ro ss C o m m i t t e e , t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l R u s s i a n R e lie f C o m m i t t e e , t h e " S a v e
the C h ild re n ” F u n d a n d t h e F r i e n d s ’ R e lie f O r g a n i s a t i o n .
T h e m a i n b a s is of t h e r e p o r t ,
however, h a s n e c e s s a r i l y b e e n t h e s t a t i s t i c s a n d s t a t e m e n t s p u b l i s h e d b y t h e R u s s i a n
G o v e rn m en t itself.
T h e i n f o r m a t i o n o b t a i n e d t h r o u g h t h e o t h e r c h a n n e l s h a s b e e n u se fu l
m i n t e r p r e t i n g a n d , to s o m e e x t e n t , in s u p p l e m e n t i n g w h a t is a v a i l a b l e f r o m t h e official
Russian so u rce s; a n d i t m a y , in s o m e r e s p e c t s , s l i g h tly m o d i f y t h e i m p r e s s i o n w h ic h
would b e d e r i v e d so le ly f r o m t h e s e s o u r c e s .
T h e o p p o rtu n itie s for e x te rn a l o b se rv a tio n
have, how ever, b e e n v e r y r e s t r i c t e d , a n d all t h e i n f o r m a t i o n f r o m o u t s i d e s o u rc e s, w h ile
considerable in v o l u m e , is s o m e w h a t f r a g m e n t a r y in c h a r a c t e r , a n d its u s e is s u b j e c t to
VI
---
m a n y difficulties, t o w h i c h r e f e r e n c e is m a d e b e l o w .
I t c a n n o t b e t o o s t r o n g l y empha­
s is e d t h a t s u c h e x t e r n a l i n f o r m a t i o n is n o t a n a l t e r n a t i v e t o t h e p i c t u r e of t h e cou ntry’s
c o n d i t i o n p r e s e n t e d b y t h e s t a t i s t i c s a n d s t a t e m e n t s o f it s o w n G o v e r n m e n t .
So far
t h e r e f o r e , as a n y g e n e r a l s u r v e y is c o n c e r n e d , t h e t a s k i m p o s e d b y t h e C o u n c il h a s neces­
s a r i l y c o n s i s t e d m a i n l y i n c o l le c tin g a n d p i e c i n g t o g e t h e r official R u s s i a n information
e x t r a c t e d f r o m G o v e r n m e n t d o c u m e n t s , t h e R u s s i a n official P r e s s , w irele ss messages
o r t h e s p e e c h e s of t h e m e m b e r s of t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t . T h i s i n f o r m a t i o n suffers
i n e v i t a b l y f r o m c e r t a i n s e r io u s d e f e c ts . E v e n b e f o r e t h e W a r , i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t Russian
a g r i c u l t u r e ( i ) , t h o u g h f a i r l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e , c o n t a i n e d a m o r e t h a n u s u a l l y l a rg e element
o f e s t i m a t i o n , o w i n g t o t h e e n o r m o u s e x t e n t of its t e r r i t o r y a n d t h e il l i t e r a c y of the
g r e a t m a j o r i t y of t h e p o p u l a t i o n (79 % of t h e p o p u l a t i o n of E u r o p e a n R u s s i a in 1912
w e r e il li t e r a t e ) (2).
B u t t h e s e d e f e c t s h a v e b e e n i m m e n s e l y m a g n if ie d b y t h e R e v o l u t i o n a n d t h e Civil
W a r s . L a r g e n u m b e r s of t h e p o p u l a t i o n h a v e b e e n in a s t a t e of m i g r a t i o n ; t h e terri­
t o r y w i t h i n t h e c o n t r o l of t h e C e n t r a l G o v e r n m e n t h a s c o n s t a n t l y c h a n g e d , w h ile the
p e r s o n n e l of a d m i n i s t r a t i o n h a s b e e n l a r g e l y r e p l a c e d a n d t h e i r e n e r g ie s d e v o te d to
m o r e i m m e d i a t e t a s k s t h a n t h a t of c o l le c tin g s t a t i s t i c s . B e t w e e n 1917 a n d 1920 there
is a g a p in m a n y of t h e m o s t e s s e n t i a l s e rie s of figures, a n d a s r e g a r d s 1920, 1921 and
1922, t h e f a m i n e c o n d i t i o n s h a v e t h e m s e l v e s m a d e a c c u r a t e e s t i m a t i o n a l m o s t impos­
sib le, f o r t o t h e o r d i n a r y difficulties of b u i l d i n g u p s t a t i s t i c s f r o m a t h i n l y populated
c o u n t r y c o v e r in g 8 1 /4 m i llio n s q u a r e m iles, t h e r e h a s b e e n a d d e d t h e b i a s of t h e peasant,
a n d t o s o m e e x t e n t also of t h e v il l a g e a n d e v e n t h e lo c a l G o v e r n m e n t t o co n c e a l or mis­
r e p r e s e n t th e facts.
T o t h e s e difficulties t h e r e is a d d e d y e t a n o t h e r , n a m e l y , t h e c h a n g e n o t o n ly in the
a r e a u n d e r t h e c o n t r o l of t h e R u s s i a n G o v e r n m e n t itself, b u t also t h e v e r y considerable
r e s h u f fl in g of t e r r i t o r y f a llin g w i t h i n t h e v a r i o u s r e p u b l i c s a n d g o v e r n m e n t s in Russia
itself.
T h i s h a s m a d e i t v e r y d if fic u lt to g e t a f ir m b a s is of c o m p a r i s o n of t h e present
s i t u a t i o n w i t h t h a t b e f o r e t h e W a r , w h i l e c o n f u s io n is h e i g h t e n e d b y t h e f a c t t h a t many of
t h e s t a t e m e n t s m a d e w i t h r e g a r d t o c r o p s s o m e t i m e s r e f e r t o c e r e a ls f o r h u m a n con­
s u m p t i o n , s o m e t i m e s t o all c e rea ls, a n d s o m e t i m e s i n c l u d e p o t a t o e s a n d o t h e r crops
s u c h a s f l a x , h e m p , e tc .
C o n f u s io n of a r e a a n d la c k of d e f i n i t i o n i n m a n y of t h e figures
q u o t e d a r e r e s p o n s i b le f o r m a n y c o n t r a d i c t o r y s t a t e m e n t s m a d e o n t h e situation of
R u s s i a n c r o p s . T h e S e c r e t a r i a t h a s e n d e a v o u r e d t o so lv e t h e s e r id d le s a n d piece to­
g e t h e r a c o n s i s t e n t s t a t e m e n t . I t c a n n o t b e c e r t a i n t h a t t h e f ig u re s q u o t e d a r e always
c o m p a r a b l e , b u t i t h a s m a d e s u c h i n v e s t i g a t i o n s as w e r e p o s s i b le i n t h e t i m e available
a n d t h e r e a s o n s a r e g i v e n f o r t h i n k i n g t h a t t h e s t a t i s t i c s q u o t e d a r e a s c o r r e c t as the
conditions p e rm it.
(1) A gricultural statistics a te never based on actu al enum eration bu t are a sum m ary of a series of estimates. If such
estim ates are numerous enough and i f there is no reason for general bias in a p articu lar direction, an average of estimates is
sufficiently accurate to m ake the final result of valu e not merely com paratively b u t as an absolute statem ent. When, how­
ever, th e individual entries cover a very wide area, the resu lt should be considered rather as a sum m ary of impressions
stated in approxim ate figures th a n as a precise estim ate.
(2) R ussian Year Book 1912.
B u t t h e p a u c i t y of p r e c is e s t a t i s t i c a l i n f o r m a t i o n m a k e s it p a r t i c u l a r l y d es ira b le
that the d r y b o n e s of s t a t i s t i c s s h o u l d b e c l o t h e d w i t h liv in g flesh in t h e s h a p e of d ir e c t
F r o m t h i s p o i n t of v i e w t h e y e a r s 1917-1919 a re
persona l o b s e r v a t i o n a n d c o m m e n t .
a closed b o o k , b u t t h e r e h a v e b e e n m a n y t r a v e l l e r s i n R u s s i a d u r i n g t h e
two an d a - h a l f y e a r s w h o s e r e p o r t s h a v e b e e n la r g e ly r e s p o n s i b le f o r c r e a t i n g W e s t e r n
p r a c t ic a lly
last
o p in i o n a b o u t R u s s i a . N a t u r a l l y s o m e of t h e s e r e p o r t s a r e u n f a v o u r a b l e to
the B olshevist r e g im e , a n d e v e n if t h e v a r i o u s G o v e r n m e n t s a n d o t h e r o r g a n i s a t i o n s
E u ro p e a n
would be p r e p a r e d t o p l a c e s u c h s t a t e m e n t s a t t h e d is p o s a l of t h e L e a g u e , t h e y could
not be used w i t h o u t p o s s i b le p r e j u d i c e to t h o s e R u s s i a n s f r o m w h o m t h e r e p o r t e r h a d
gathered his i n f o r m a t i o n . B u t t h e g r e a t m a j o r i t y of t h e s t a t e m e n t s m a d e b y tr a v e lle r s ,
a n d i n p a r t i c u l a r b y t h o s e p e r s o n s w h o h a v e b e e n w o r k i n g in c o n n e c t i o n w i t h o n e o r o t h e r
of the m a n y relief o r g a n i s a t i o n s d u r i n g t h e p a s t t w e l v e m o n t h s , a r e of t h e d e s c r i p t i v e
type which h a v e b e e n f r e e l y r e p r o d u c e d i n t h e P r e s s a n d in t h e p u b l i s h e d s t a t e m e n t s
of the relief o r g a n i s a t i o n s t h e m s e l v e s . A v e r y g r e a t d e a l of s u c h i n f o r m a t i o n h a s co m e
into the h a n d s of t h e S e c r e t a r i a t , b u t n o a t t e m p t h a s b e e n m a d e t o s u m m a r i s e i t all. S elec­
tion has r a t h e r b e e n m a d e w i t h a v i e w t o g i v i n g a s f a r a s p o s s ib le a c o n s e c u t i v e sto ry .
An i m p o r t a n t a d d i t i o n to t h e s e s o u r c e s of i n f o r m a t i o n is c o n t a i n e d in se v e r a l d e s ­
criptive m e m o r a n d a a n d s t a t i s t i c a l s u m m a r i e s r e c e i v e d f r o m v a r i o u s G o v e r n m e n t s on
the basis of i n f o r m a t i o n in t h e i r p o sse ssio n , a n d a s d o c u m e n t s of t h i s k i n d c o n t in u e to
be received i t will b e p o s s i b le t o fill in m a n y g a p s , a n d i t m a y e v e n b e f o u n d d es ira b le
to revise t h e a c c o u n t h e r e g iv e n .
B u t as t h e r e c a n b e n o f in a l ity in a t a s k of t h i s k in d ,
it has been t h o u g h t b e s t t o p r e s e n t a firs t r e p o r t w i t h o u t w a i t i n g f o r f u r t h e r re p lie s f ro m
the G o v e r n m e n ts.
The s t a t e m e n t b y t h e H e a l t h S e c t i o n of t h e S e c r e t a r i a t in C h a p t e r I I I as to t h e
prevalence of e p i d e m i c s is also b a s e d o n S o v i e t d a t a , s o m e of w h i c h w e r e f u r n i s h e d b y
the Russian d e l e g a t e s t o t h e W a r s a w C o n f e r e n c e .
In th e r e s e a r c h w o r k i n v o l v e d , t h e v e r i f i c a t i o n of f a c ts a n d t h e f in al p r e s e n t a t i o n
of the r e p o r t, t h e S e c r e t a r i a t h a s b e e n g r e a t l y a s s i s t e d b y t h e s k ille d s ta ff a n d v e r y t h o ­
rough d o c u m e n t a t i o n of t h e R u s s i a n s e c t i o n of t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l L a b o u r Office, w h ic h
has also s u p p li e d t h e b u l k of t h e i n f o r m a t i o n f o r t h r e e of t h e a n n e x e s (on I n d u s t r y ,
Transport a n d C u r r e n c y r e s p e c t i v e l y ) a s w e ll as a c o n s i d e r a b l e n u m b e r of t h e f a c t s u se d
in the r e p o r t.
The I n t e r n a t i o n a l R u s s i a n R e lie f C o m m is s i o n , a p a r t f r o m p l a c i n g a t t h e d isp o s al
of i t s d e l e g a t e s in t h e f a m i n e a r e a , also s u p p li e d a
considerable a m o u n t of i n f o r m a t i o n s p e c i a l l y c o l le c te d b y D r. N a n s e n ’s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e
of the S e c r e t a r i a t t h e r e p o r t s
in Moscow f o r t h e p u r p o s e s of t h i s i n q u i r y .
A sh o r t l i s t of b o o k s o n e c o n o m i c a n d so c ia l q u e s t i o n s r e l a t i n g t o R u s s i a a n d a l i s t
of official p u b l i c a t i o n s a r e p r i n t e d i n A n n e x X I , b u t i t c a n n o t b e c l a i m e d t h a t in t h e
short tim e a v a i l a b l e a c o m p l e t e s t u d y h a s b e e n m a d e of so l a r g e a b i b l i o g r a p h y .
The d efe cts in t h e e x i s t i n g d a t a a b o u t R u s s i a a r e i n h e r e n t in t h e c o n d i t i o n s , a n d
is ex tre m e ly d o u b t f u l w h e t h e r a n y i n d i v i d u a l o r i n d i v i d u a l s w h o m i g h t b e p e r m i t t e d
to inquire i n t o t h e s i t u a t i o n w o u l d b e a b l e t o t a p a n y i m p o r t a n t n e w s o u r c e s of information; on t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e r e a r e m a n y a m b i g u i t i e s a n d c o n t r a d i c t i o n s in t h e d a t a
—
V III
—
w h i c h r e a c h W e s t e r n E u r o p e w h i c h c o u ld o n l y b e r e s o l v e d b y i n q u i r y i n R u s sia. Such
i n q u i r y w o u l d , m o r e o v e r , b e a s a f e g u a r d a g a i n s t t h e v e r y r e a l d a n g e r of p u t t i n g a false
in te rp re ta tio n on in a d e q u a te d a ta .
in co m p lete
A g a in , i n f o r m a t i o n o n s o m e v i t a l p o i n t s is very
e g , i t is still v e r y d o u b t f u l w h a t h a s a c t u a l l y h a p p e n e d in r e g a r d to the
d i v i s i o n o f ' t h e e s t a t e s of t h e l a n d e d p r o p r i e t o r s a n d t h e w e a l t h i e r p e a s a n t s , a n d the
e x t e n t t o w h i c h la r g e - s c a le f a r m i n g p o s s i b ly u n d e r n e w c o n t r o l o r u n d e r s o m e o t h e r name
sti ll e x i s t s
if a t all.
O n t h e s e a n d m a n y s u c h p o i n t s , i n q u i r y in R u s s i a m i g h t enable
th e p ic tu r e to b e d r a w n w ith a su re r pen.
n ecessarily be v e ry prolonged.
B u t t o b e e f f e c tiv e s u c h i n v e s t i g a t i o n would
Chapter I.
S U M M A R Y OF T H E SITU A TIO N
T h e R u s s i a n F a m i n e of 192 1-1922 is t h e w o r s t , b o t h as r e g a r d s t h e n u m b e r s a f f e c te d
and a s
re g a rd s m o r t a l i t y f r o m s t a r v a t i o n a n d d ise a se , w h i c h h a s o c c u r r e d in E u r o p e
in m o d e r n ti m e s .
I t is n e v e r e a s y t o e s t i m a t e n u m b e r s a f f e c te d b y f a m i n e , sin c e a n y su c h
gcrures v a r y a c c o r d i n g t o t h e d e f i n i t i o n a d o p t e d ; b u t t h e p o p u l a t i o n s u ffe rin g f r o m f a m i n e
in what is officially d e s c r i b e d a s t h e f a m i n e a r e a — a p o i n t on w h i c h t h e relief ag e n cies
and the S o v ie t G o v e r n m e n t a r e in p r a c t i c a l a g r e e m e n t — is f r o m 20 to 24 m illio n s.
The
mortality is m u c h m o r e d iffic u lt t o e s t a b l i s h , t h e figu re s of v a r i o u s e x p e r t s v a r y i n g f r o m
an e x c c s s m o r t a l i t y a b o v e t h e n o r m a l of I 1/4 m illio n s f r o m b o t h f a m i n e a n d dise ase
to a f i g u r e
of 2 m i llio n s, w h i c h h a s b e e n p u t f o r w a r d b y t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l R u s s i a n Relief
as t h e n u m b e r of d e a t h s f r o m s t a r v a t i o n , a n d 3 m illio n s w h i c h D r. N a n s e n
r e g a r d s a s t h e p r o b a b l e t o t a l of d e a t h s f r o m s t a r v a t i o n (1).
C o m m issio n ,
p e r s o n a lly
T h e f a m i n e of l a s t y e a r w a s d u e t o a c o m b i n a t i o n of e c o n o m ic c a u se s a n d of an
exceptionally s e v e r e d r o u g h t , a n d a n y e x a m i n a t i o n of r e c e n t e v e n t s , if it is to b e useful
either as a g u id e t o t h e p r o b a b l e n e e d f o r f u r t h e r relief m e a s u r e s or as i n d i c a t i n g t h e
manner a n d e x t e n t t o w h i c h e x t e r n a l c o - o p e r a t i o n c a n as s is t in r e s t o r i n g m o r e n o r m a l
conditions in R u s s i a , m u s t d i s t i n g u i s h b e t w e e n t h e effects of t h e e c o n o m ic d e v e l o p m e n t s
of the la s t s e v e n o r e i g h t y e a r s a n d t h o s e of t h e a b n o r m a l c l im a tic c o n d i tio n s of 1921.
It is not w i t h i n t h e s c o p e of th i s R e p o r t , e v e n if t h e r e e x i s t e d a d e q u a t e d a t a for t h e t a s k , to
give a final j u d g m e n t as t o t h e i n f l u e n c e o f t h e s e t w o se rie s of ca use s, b u t a d e s c r i p t i o n
of the fa c ts, so f a r a s t h e i n f o r m a t i o n p e r m i t s , will e n a b l e t h e r e a d e r to f o r m s o m e o p in io n
on this p o in t.
T he o u t s t a n d i n g f a c t o n t h e e c o n o m i c sid e is t h a t b e f o r e t h e f a m i n e of 1921 n e a r l y
half th e a r a b l e l a n d of R u s s i a h a d g o n e o u t of c u l t i v a t i o n , a n d t h e a r e a s ti ll c u l t i v a t e d
was for m a n y r e a s o n s y i e l d i n g c o n s i d e r a b l y s m a l l e r c ro p s t h a n b e f o r e t h e W a r , t h e t o t a l
harvest i n 1920 b e i n g o n l y 43 % of t h e a v e r a g e p r e - W a r h a r v e s t .
I n p r e - W a r d a y s , one-
sixth of R u s s ia ’s c e r e a l c r o p s w a s e x p o r t e d t o fo re ig n c o u n t r i e s , a n d t h o u g h t h e p o p u ­
lation h a d d im i n i s h e d t h r o u g h W a r , e m i g r a t i o n a n d r e c u r r e n t e p id e m ic s b y a fig u re w h ic h
may be p u t a t a b o u t 8 % , r e d u c t i o n of s u c h d i m e n s i o n s in a g r i c u l t u r a l o u t p u t in a c o u n t r y
>n which a g r i c u l t u r e is f a r t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t e c o n o m ic a c t i v i t y o b v i o u s l y i n v o l v e s a
(1)
I11 the great Ind ian fam ine of 1770, the num bers affected are said to have been 30 millions, of whom one-third
penshed. Such a figure is, however, clearly largely guesswork. There is more reliable inform ation about recent Indian
animes, e, g. the official enquiry in th e great fam ine of 1900 showed th a t the excess m o rtality above th e norm al in that
year amounted to 1 1/4 m illions, of which one-fifth was due to cholera. Some Indian an d E nglish experts consider this an
underestimate.
ECONOMIC C O N D I T I O N S IN RU SSI A
1
c a t a s t r o p h i c c h a n g e in t h e n a t i o n a l e c o n o m y .
I t is t r u e t h a t t h i s r e d u c t i o n in th e total
c u l t i v a t e d a r e a h a s n o t i n v o l v e d q u i t e a c o r r e s p o n d i n g r e d u c t i o n in t h e fo o d available
for h u m a n c o n s u m p tio n .
I t w a s s t a t e d m a n y y e a r s ago b y M. L e v a s s e u r , w i t h th e par­
d o n a b l e e x a g g e r a t i o n of e p i g r a m , t h a t t h e R u s s i a n a g r i c u l t u r i s t e x p o r t e d his wheat
u s e d his b a r l e y f o r m a k i n g v o d k a , f e d h is c a t t l e w i t h his o a t s , a n d li v e d u p o n his rye (i)
E v e n b e f o r e t h e f a m i n e t h e c a t t l e p o p u l a t i o n of R u s s i a h a d f a lle n m o r e t h a n 40 % , and
as v o d k a f o r m a n y y e a r s p a s t h a s n o t b e e n p r o d u c e d i n a n y t h i n g lik e p r e - W a r quantities
i t h a s b e e n p o s s i b le t o r e d u c e t h e p r o d u c t i o n of b a r l e y a n d o a t s to a g r e a t e r e x t e n t than
t h e g r a i n a v a i l a b l e f o r h u m a n c o n s u m p t i o n (2).
T h e p r o d u c t i o n of t h e ch ief f o o d c e r e a ls — • w h e a t a n d r y e — a p p e a r s to h a v e fallen
f r o m 1.675 m illio n p o o d s b e f o r e t h e W a r , a f t e r a llo w in g for e x p o r t a n d f o r seed, to 840 mil­
lio n s in 1920, a f t e r a l lo w in g fo r seed, i. e., a b o u t 50 % . S u c h a r e d u c t i o n obviously
in v o l v e s a f a ll in t h e a l r e a d y lo w s t a n d a r d of li v in g of t h e g r e a t m a s s of t h e Russian
n a t i o n . T h e r e d u c t i o n in t h e a r e a s o w n , in d e e d , b r o u g h t t h e s i t u a t i o n so n e a r to the
a b s o l u t e m i n i m u m t h a t a lo c a l s h o r t a g e p r o d u c e d s e rio u s d if fic u lty in 1919 in t h e Moscow
P r o v i n c e w h ile d r o u g h t in t h e V o l g a p r o v i n c e s p r o d u c e d a p a r t i a l f a m i n e in those
p r o v i n c e s in 1920.
T h e fa ll in a g r i c u l t u r a l p r o d u c t i o n is d u e t o a c o m p l e x of c a u s e s w h i c h in t e r a c t so
c lo sely t h a t i t is e a s ie r to e n u m e r a t e t h e m t h a n to p la c e t h e m e i t h e r in chronological
o r d e r o r in o r d e r of i m p o r t a n c e . T h e m a i n in f lu e n c e s w e r e :
(1) L a c k of m a c h i n e r y , i m p l e m e n t s a n d d r a u g h t a n i m a l s . C e r t a i n classes of imple­
m e n t s w e r e f o r m e r l y i m p o r t e d in l a rg e q u a n t i t i e s , b u t t h e t r a d e w a s i n t e r r u p t e d by the
w a r , b y t h e e n s u i n g b l o c k a d e a n d b y t h e e c o n o m ic r e v o l u t i o n w h i c h m a d e t r a d e between
R u s s i a a n d E u r o p e im p o s s ib le .
T h e loss in c a t t l e w h i c h also s t a r t e d w i t h a r m y needs
d u r i n g t h e W o r l d - W a r , w a s p a r t c a u s e a n d p a r t c o n s e q u e n c e of R u s s i a ’s rapid agri­
cu ltu ral im poverishm ent.
(2) T h e r e v o l u t i o n in l a n d t e n u r e .
T h e c o n f is c a t io n of t h e p r o p r i e t o r ’s estates,
t h e r e s t o r a t i o n of t h e “ c o m m u n e ” in v il la g e s w h e r e t h e e n c l o s u r e m o v e m e n t h a d begun
to e s t a b l i s h f r e e h o l d f a r m s t e a d s , a n d in m a n y cases t h e d iv i s io n of l a n d of w e a l t h i e r peas­
a n t s a m o n g t h e la n d le s s p e a s a n t s or e m i g r a n t s f r o m t h e to w n s , m e a n t r e tro g re s s io n to
t h e less a d v a n c e d m e t h o d s of a g r i c u l t u r e , a n d , t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e r a v a g e s of insect
a n d v e r m i n a n d t h e d e t e r i o r a t i o n of s e e d c o r n , a r e r e s p o n s i b le f o r t h e f a ll in g y ield from
th e a re a a c tu a lly sown.
(3) T h e b r e a c h b e t w e e n t o w n a n d c o u n t r y .
T h e p o l i c y of n a t i o n a l i s a t i o n a n d confis­
c a t i o n p u r s u e d b y t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t a f t e r t h e i r rise t o p o w e r in O c to b e r , 1917, des­
t r o y e d t h e m a r k e t w h i c h h a d a l r e a d y b e e n d is o r g a n i s e d b y t h e b r e a k d o w n of in d u s tr y and
t h e d e p r e c i a t i o n of t h e r o u b l e in t h e e a r l y d a y s of t h e R e v o l u t i o n .
T h u s t h e r e w ere neither
m a n u f a c t u r e d g o o d s n o r a r e li a b le c u r r e n c y t o offer t h e p e a s a n t in e x c h a n g e for his sur-
(1) Only a sm all proportion of the vodka produced was m ade from barley.
(2) A reduction of barley and oats u ltim ately reacts upon food supply, for the num ber of cattle supported on the land
n ot only affects th e m eat supply, b u t in Russia also determ ines th e num ber of draug ht anim als available for cultivating the
fields.
plus, which h e , t h e r e f o r e , w i t h h e l d f r o m m a r k e t ; a n d a s t h e s e c o n d i t i o n s p e r s i s t e d h e
began to r e d u c e h is p r o d u c t i o n .
(4)
The R e quisitions
and
th e
Food
Taxes.
The
G o vernm ent,
m o r e e s p e c ia l ly
in order to s e c u r e fo o d f o r t h e A r m y a n d t o k e e p t h e i n d u s t r i a l w o r k e r s f r o m f a m i n e ,
resorted to c o m p u l s o r y m e a s u r e s to s e c u r e g r a i n f r o m t h e p e a s a n t , a n d as t h e s e r e q u i s i ­
tions, unlike t h o s e of t h e p r e v i o u s G o v e r n m e n t , w e r e b a s e d o n t h e p r i n c i p l e t h a t all p r o ­
duction in excess of m i n i m u m f o o d r e q u i r e m e n t s b e l o n g e d to t h e S t a t e , w h i c h w o u l d m a k e
itself respon sible f o r m e e t i n g a n y o t h e r n e e d s of t h e p e a s a n t , t h e p l a n f in a lly r e m o v e d
any in d u c e m e n t h e m a y h a v e h a d to p r o d u c e a s u r p l u s o v e r his o w n r e q u i r e m e n t s .
A m ost d r a s t i c r e d u c t i o n of a g r i c u l t u r a l o u t p u t w o u l d h a v e h a d c o m p a r a t i v e l y l i t t l e
effect if i t h a d o c c u r r e d f o r one y e a r o n l y in R u s s i a f ifty y e a r s ago, f o r i t w a s t h e c u s t o m
for the p e a s a n t r y t o i n s u r e a g a i n s t t h e v a r i a t i o n s of n a t u r e b y h o a r d i n g a t le a s t a y e a r ’s
supply of g rain. B u t t h i s p r a c t i c e h a d b e e n less o b s e r v e d in r e c e n t d e c a d e s as t r a n s p o r t
made it po ssible fo r à lo c a l s h o r t a g e t o b e m e t f r o m o t h e r so u rce s. M o r e o v e r in 1921
stocks h a d b e e n d e p l e t e d b y r e q u i s i t i o n s , s e iz u r e s in t h e Civil W a r a n d b y c o n t i n u e d
shrinkage of p r o d u c t i o n y e a r b y y e a r ; w h i l e t h e s i t u a t i o n w a s r e n d e r e d f a r m o r e d a n g e r ­
ous by t h e f a c t t h a t t h e p o p u l a t i o n h a d i n c r e a s e d 2 1/2 fold in 60 y e a r s , w h ile t h e c u l­
tivated are a in t h e h a n d s o f t h e p e a s a n t s h a d h a r d l y i n c r e a s e d a t all.
S uch w e r e s o m e of t h e f e a t u r e s of t h e s i t u a t i o n w h e n t h e d r o u g h t of 1921 s t r u c k
some of t h e ch ief g r a i n - p r o d u c i n g p r o v i n c e s o f t h e M id d l e a n d L o w e r V o lg a in E a s t e r n
Russia, a n d t h e S o u t h e r n P r o v i n c e s of t h e U k r a i n e .
O n ly a p a r t, th o u g h a large p a rt,
of Russia w as a f f e c te d .
A s f a r a s t h e p r o v i n c e s m o s t s e r i o u s l y a ffe c te d a r e c o n c e r n e d ,
the fam in e a r e a m a y b e t a k e n a s c o m p r i s i n g t w e n t y o u t of s e v e n t y - n i n e p r o v i n c e s of
European a n d A s i a t i c R u s s i a , a n a r e a of 1,271,80 1 s q u a r e m ile s o u t of 8 ,0 59,40 0 s q u a r e
miles, a n d a p o p u l a t i o n of 3 0 , 0 0 0 ,0 0 0 o u t of 131,546 ,0 00.
was sen sibly b e t t e r t h a n in t h e p r e c e d i n g y e a r .
O u tsid e th is area, th e h a rv e st
I n d e e d , if t h e official fig ure s s e t o u t o n
page 19 a r e a c c e p t e d , b e a r i n g in m i n d , h o w e v e r , t h e r e s e r v a t i o n c o n t a i n e d in t h e n o t e
on th a t p a g e , t h e s t r i k i n g f a c t e m e r g e s t h a t t h e a v e r a g e y ie ld p e r d e s y a t i n , t a k i n g S o v i e t
Russia as a w h o l e ( i n c l u d i n g b o t h t h e a r e a a f f e c t e d b y t h e f a m i n e a n d t h e r e s t of t h e
country), w as a c t u a l l y g r e a t e r t h a n in t h e p r e c e d i n g y e a r (32.6 p o o d s as c o m p a r e d w i t h
30.6).
T h e s e f ig u re s w ill a t o n c e i n d i c a t e t h e g r e a t i m p o r t a n c e in t h e p r o b l e m of t h e
last y e a r ’s d is tre s s o f t h e o t h e r e l e m e n t s m e n t i o n e d a b o v e : t h e r e d u c t i o n of t h e c u l t i ­
vated a re a , t h e a b s e n c e of a n y r e s e r v e s t o c k s , a n d t h e b r e a k d o w n in lo c o m o ti o n .
The so w n a r e a , w h i c h h a d f a l l e n f r o m 8 2 .5 m i llio n d e s y a t i n s in 1916 to 56.8 in 1920,
fell again in 1921 to 4 9 , so t h a t , t h o u g h t h e y i e l d p e r d e s y a t i n w a s h ig h e r , t h e t o t a l crop,
which h ad fa lle n f r o m 3 ,95 5 m i l l i o n p o o d s in 1916 t o 1,738 in 1920, fell a g a i n t o 1,602
in 1921.
In t h e f a m i n e a r e a itself, t h e a v e r a g e y i e l d fell f r o m 4 4 p o o d s p e r d e s y a t i n b e f o r e
the W ar, a n d 25 in 1920, t o I I o n l y in 1921 (1). T h e m e a n i n g of th i s fig u re is c l e a r w h e n
>t is realised t h a t t a k i n g all k i n d s of c e r e a ls , r o u g h l y 8 p o o d s p e r d e s y a t i n a r e n e e d e d for
(1) See note (2) Chapter I I, p. 20 and note (2) on page 28 in Chapter
III
se e d . O v e r l a r g e a r e a s t h e t o t a l y i e l d w a s in s u f f ic ie n t t o s u p p l y t h e s e e d n e e d e d for the
n e x t y e a r , a n d in m a n y c a s e s i t w a s n o t p o s s i b l e t o g a t h e r a n y h a r v e s t a t all. I n ^
s p r i n g of 1922 i t w a s s t a t e d in a n a p p e a l t o t h e A m e r i c a n n a t i o n t h a t if h e lp w ere not
f o r t h c o m i n g , 15 m i llio n p e r s o n s w o u l d b e c o n d e m n e d t o d e a t h b y s t a r v a t i o n ; a n d though
t h e o r g a n i s e d f e e d i n g o n f a m i n e r a t i o n s b y t h e S o v i e t a g e n c i e s a n d b y t h e American
a n d E u r o p e a n r e li e f m i s s i o n s of o v e r 7 m i llio n p e o p l e in A p ri l, r i s i n g t o 12 millions in
J u l y , h a s p r e v e n t e d a c a t a s t r o p h e o n so g r e a t a sc a le , t h e i n h a b i t a n t s of t h e s e provinces
w h o h a v e s u r v i v e d h a v e b e e n i m p o v e r i s h e d b y t h e s a le of g o o d s f o r f o o d a n d b y the loss
of t h e i r c a t t l e a n d h a v e b e e n w e a k e n e d b y u n d e r f e e d i n g a n d d ise a se . A s is a lw ay s the
c a s e i n v e r y s e v e r e f a m i n e s t h e r e w a s c o n s i d e r a b l e e m i g r a t i o n f r o m t h e f a m i n e a r e a , while
t h e m o r t a l i t y h a s l e f t a l a r g e n u m b e r of o r p h a n s w h o w ill b e c o m e a c h a r g e u p o n th e State
o r u p o n p r i v a t e c h a r i t y . A l t h o u g h s e v e r a l e s t i m a t e s , d if fe r in g c o n s i d e r a b l y fro m one
a n o t h e r , h a v e b e e n m a d e f o r th i s y e a r ’s c r o p , i t s e e m s c e r t a i n t h a t t h e y ie ld fro m the
h a r v e s t of 1922, h a s f o r t u n a t l e y b e e n m u c h b e t t e r t h a n t h a t of 1921.
B u t th e lack of
d r a u g h t c a t t l e a n d in s p i t e of a ll relief efforts, t h e in s u f f ic i e n c y of s e e d co rn h a d with
o t h e r i n f lu e n c e s p r o d u c e d a f u r t h e r s h r i n k a g e of t h e c u l t i v a t e d a r e a ; a n d e v e n th e Soviet
G o v e r n m e n t e s t i m a t e s d o n o t s h o w a t o t a l c r o p m u c h in e x c e s s of t h o s e of 1920 and
1921.
I t is, m o r e o v e r , p a r t i c u l a r l y s e r io u s t h a t t h e s h r i n k a g e c o n t i n u e s in t h e outlying
p a r t s of R u s s i a w h i c h m i g h t in o t h e r c i r c u m s t a n c e s h a v e c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e needs of
th e fa m in e areas.
In t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s d e s c r ib e d , a n d w i t h d e m o r a l i s e d t r a n s p o r t d u e la rg e ly to the
c o l la p s e of h e r fu e l i n d u s t r y , e a c h p a r t of R u s s i a is a l m o s t e n t i r e l y l e f t t o its o w n resources,
a n d is d e p r i v e d of t h o s e m e a n s of c o m b a t i n g lo c a l s h o r t a g e s w h i c h , in th e d e v e lo p e d com­
m u n i t i e s of t h e m o d e r n w o r l d , a r e a f f o r d e d b y t r a n s p o r t , c r e d it, o r t h e c o n t r o l of economic
resources b y th e G o v ern m e n t.
I n s u c h c o n d i t i o n s t h e r e is a d a n g e r t h a t a c o u n t r y which
c o v e r s h a l f A s ia a n d a n a r e a in E u r o p e as l a r g e a s all t h e r e s t of t h e c o u n t r i e s of Europe
p u t t o g e t h e r , m a y h a v e t o f a c e f o r s o m e y e a r s t h e p r o s p e c t of lo c al f a m i n e in so m e part
of i t s i m m e n s e t e r r i t o r y w i t h o u t a d e q u a t e m e a n s of a v e r t i n g it s s e r io u s consequences.
B u t t h e effec ts of r e d u c e d a g r i c u l t u r a l p r o d u c t i o n , w h e t h e r d u e to e c o n o m ic causes
o r t o f a m i n e , a r e n o t c o n f in e d t o t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l p o p u l a t i o n . T h e e n t i r e disappearance
o f t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l s u r p l u s o r i g i n a l l y d u e t o a l a r g e e x t e n t t o t h e s u s p e n s i o n of industrial
p r o d u c t i o n a f t e r t h e r e v o l u t i o n is n o w o n e of t h e m a i n o b s t a c l e s t o i n d u s t r i a l revival.
T h e p e a s a n t r e d u c e d h is c u l t i v a t i o n w h e n h e f o u n d t h a t h e c o u ld n o t o b t a i n industrial
p r o d u c t s in e x c h a n g e f o r h is s u r p l u s ; a n d n o w e v e n w h e n t h e s e i n d u s t r i a l p ro d u c ts, of
w h i c h h e is in t h e m o s t u r g e n t n e e d , c a n b e a v a i l a b l e , h e h a s n o s u r p l u s t o g iv e i n return
f o r t h e m . T h e p o s s i b i l i t y of a n y r e a s o n a b l e e x c h a n g e b e t w e e n t h e p r o d u c t s of industry
a n d of a g r i c u l t u r e h a s t h u s , f o r t h e t i m e b e i n g , d i s a p p e a r e d .
H en c e R u ssia
presents
t h e p a r a d o x i c a l r e s u l t t h a t , in s p i t e of h e r o v e r w h e l m i n g n e e d f o r g o o d s of all kinds, the
r e c e n t r e - i n t r o d u c t i o n of f r e e d o m of i n t e r n a l e x c h a n g e of c o m m o d i t i e s r e v e a l s c o n d itio n s
i n w h i c h t h e s m a l l r e m a i n i n g p r o d u c t i o n of m a n u f a c t u r e d g o o d s c a n n o t f in d a m a rke t;
a n d h e r i n d u s t r i e s a r e f a c e d w i t h t h e p h e n o m e n a a s s o c ia te d w i t h p e r i o d s o f o v e r-p ro d u c ­
t i o n , v iz ., a d r a s t i c f a ll in t h e e x c h a n g e v a l u e of m a n u f a c t u r e d g o o d s r e l a t i n g to th e cost
of p r o d u c t i o n ,
of
Her i n d u s t r i e s , w h i c h h a v e s u c h t o a v e r y lo w e b b , h a v e b e e n f a c e d w i t h t h e d a n g e r
further c u r t a i l m e n t , a n d m a n y of t h e n e w l y o r g a n i s e d „ t r u s t s ” h a v e n o t b e e n a b le to
c o n tin u e
p roduction.
W i t h b e t t e r h a r v e s t p r o s p e c t s t h e r e h a s b e e n s o m e r e d u c t i o n in
the excessively h i g h c o s t of f o o d a n d i n d u s t r y s e e m e d a b o u t to m e e t r a t h e r m o r e h o p e f u l
o n ly to b e f a c e d o n c e m o r e w i t h a t r a n s p o r t crisis. T h e n e w e c o n o m ic p o li c y
(Nep) has u n d o u b t e d l y h a d a r e m a r k a b l e effec t in r e s t o r i n g s o m e sig n s of life in c o m m e r c e ,
c o n d itio n s
more fre ed om of t r a v e l e t c .
B y u n i v e r s a l t e s t i m o n y , t h e p s y c h o l o g i c a l effect h a s b e e n
very grea t, t h e r e a w a k e n i n g of t o w n life in p a r t i c u l a r h a v i n g p r o d u c e d a m a r k e d c h a n g e
in Moscow a n d t h e l a r g e t o w n s w h e r e c o n d i t i o n s of liv in g h a v e b e c o m e m o r e t o l e r a b le .
But the d i s o r d e r e d c o n d i t i o n s of t h e c u r r e n c y a n d of p r ic e s p e r s is t, a n d it is n o t y e t c le a r
what success will a t t e n d t h e n e w c o n d i t i o n s of i n d u s t r i a l e n t e r p r i s e . F o r t h e m o m e n t
there is little e v i d e n c e of i n c r e a s i n g o u t p u t in t h e s t a p l e i n d u s t r i e s , a n d still less in a g r i ­
culture, w hile f o r e i g n c o m m e r c e is n o t y e t free.
B u t e v e n if t h e p r e s e n t S t a t e m o n o p o l y a n d c o n t r o l of i m p o r t a n d e x p o r t w e r e r e la x e d ,
the reopening of f o r e i g n t r a d e w o u l d n o t of its e lf r e s t o r e t h e p r e - W a r e c o n o m ic c o n d i tio n
of Russia.
H i s t o r y a f f o rd s m a n y e x a m p l e s of i m p o v e r i s h e d c o u n t r i e s w i t h a s u b s t a n t i a l
foreign c o m m e r c e a n d t h e r e l a p s e o f R u s s i a ’s a g r i c u l t u r e i n t o t h e p r i m i t i v e c o n d i tio n
from w h ic h i t h a s o n l y p a r t i a l l y e m e r g e d in t h e l a s t f e w d e c a d e s is n o t i n c o m p a t i b l e w ith
a m easure of i n t e r n a t i o n a l t r a d e ;
f o r t h e f a c t t h a t t h e p e a s a n t w a s f re e to b u y t h e
implements h e so b a d l y n e e d s w o u l d n o t of it s e lf l e a d t o his in c r e a s i n g h is p r o d u c t i o n .
Unless, on t h e o n e h a n d , h e is f r e e t o b e n e f i t p e r s o n a l l y f r o m t h e d is p o s a l of p a r t a t all
events of a n y s u r p l u s h e m a y p r o d u c e a b o v e h is o w n i m m e d i a t e n e e d s , a n d , on t h e o th e r ,
is enabled to f a r m h is l a n d o n c o n d i t i o n s w h i c h g iv e h i m s e c u r i t y of t e n u r e a n d t h e b e n e f it
of any i m p r o v e m e n t s h e m a y m a k e , h e w ill h a v e n o i n c e n t i v e t o rise o u t of t h e p r e s e n t
state of s t a g n a t i o n . A r a p i d r e c o v e r y of t h i s k i n d is n o t to b e e x p e c t e d a n d , u n t i l i t
occurs, R u s sia c a n n o t r e s u m e h e r p o s i t i o n as o n e of t h e chief c o n t r i b u t o r s t o t h e w o r l d ’s
international g r a i n m a r k e t .
In t h e m a i n t h i s d e v e l o p m e n t is a m a t t e r of i n t e r n a l
economy.
It is, h o w e v e r, e q u a l l y t r u e t h a t R u s s i a n a g r i c u l t u r e c a n n o t e n j o y t h e d e v e l o p m e n t
which it so u r g e n t l y n e e d s w d t h o u t f o r e ig n t r a d e , sin c e R u s s i a ’s o w n in d u s t r i e s , ev e n if
normally w o rk in g , a r e in s u f f ic ie n t t o s u p p l y all t h e i m p l e m e n t s r e q u i r e d b y t h e p e a s a n t s .
The fin din g of a p r a c t i c a b l e b a s i s o n w h i c h c o m m e r c e w i t h f o r e ig n c o u n t r i e s m a y b e
carried o n is t h u s on e, t h o u g h n o t p e r h a p s t h e m o s t e s s e n ti a l, of t h e c o n d i tio n s of a g r i ­
cultural re v iv a l.
I t is n o t t h e b u s i n e s s of t h i s r e p o r t t o e n t e r i n t o t h e c o m p l e x issues
which th i s p r o b l e m r a is e s ; b u t i t m a y b e o b s e r v e d t h a t a f ir s t s t e p to t h i s e n d is t h e
restoration of c e r t a i n a n d r e a s o n a b l y r a p i d c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e o u ts i d e w o rld
and R u ssia.
E v e n t h e t a s k of t h e r elief o r g a n i s a t i o n s h a s b e e n g r e a t l y h a n d i c a p p e d
by p ass p o rt r e s t r i c t i o n s a n d b y p o s t a l a n d t e l e g r a p h i c d e l a y s a n d u n c e r t a i n t y a n d u n ti l
these d r a w b a c k s a r e r e m o v e d , i t will b e im p o s s i b l e fo r t h e w e s t e r n w o r l d e i t h e r t o k n o w
definitely w h a t is r e a l l y o c c u r r i n g in t h e o b s c u r i t y of t h e R u s s i a o r t o b e g i n t o e n t e r
mto co m m ercial r e l a t i o n s w i t h h e r p e o p le .
Chapter II.
R U S S IA N A G R IC U L T U R E P R IO R TO T H E F A M IN E
C o n d itio n s p r io r to 1 9 1 4 . — N e x t t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s , R u s s i a b e f o r e t h e W a r was
t h e w o r l d ’s g r e a t e s t p r o d u c e r of c e r e a ls, a n d if m a i z e b e le f t o u t of a c c o u n t R u s s ia was
e a s il y firs t. T a k i n g t h e f o u r c h i e f c e r e a ls of t h e e a s t e r n h e m i s p h e r e •—- w h e a t , ry e , barlev
a n d o a t s — a n d a d o p t i n g t h e f ig u re s a n d n o m e n c l a t u r e of t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l In s tit u te of
A g r i c u l t u r e , t h e r e c o r d of R u s s i a c o m p a r e d w i t h t h e r e s t of t h e w o r l d w a s a s follow s :
P ro d u c tio n a n d e x p o rt a f the jo u r ch ief cereals (1) i g o g - i g i j .
PR O D U C T I O N
(million
hectares)
EXPORT
(a s p e r cent,
o f pro d u ctio n )
724
7.0
10.5
87
18
12
400
9
8
118
12.3
28
24
%
49
6.1
31
63
%
10.0
321
13
%
241
OO
.
(million
quintals)
38
W
W orld T otal
EXPORT
(quintals
per hectare)
93
4-
R u s s i a ......................
U. S. A ...................
C a n a d a ..................
A r g e n tin e . . . .
(million
quintals)
4.5
%
%
T h e f e a t u r e s o f t h e R u s s i a n s i t u a t i o n i l l u s t r a t e d b y th i s t a b l e a r c : t h e enormous
a r e a in R u s s i a u n d e r c e r e a l c r o p s ; i t s lo w y i e l d p e r u n i t of a r e a a n d t h e com paratively
s m a l l p r o p o r t i o n w h i c h is e x p o r t e d .
A r g e n t i n e , i t is t r u e , h a s as lo w a y i e l d as Russia,
b u t t h e a v e r a g e h o l d i n g in A r g e n t i n e in 1 9 12 w a s a b o u t 475 h e c t a r e s c o m p a r e d w i t h 874111
R u s s i a , a n d t h e s e f ig u re s r e f l e c t t h e d if fe r e n c e b e t w e e n a s y s t e m of a g r i c u l t u r e in the
f o r m e r c o u n t r y in w h i c h r e l a t i v e l y f e w w o r k e r s a r e e n g a g e d in c u l t i v a t i n g extensively
w i t h t h e a i d of m a c h i n e r y a n d a s y s t e m in w h i c h c u l t i v a t i o n is c a r r ie d on w i t h compara­
t i v e l y p r i m i t i v e i m p l e m e n t s a n d few m e a n s of e c o n o m is in g l a b o u r .
(r) In view of the special 'im portance of w heat outside Russia, the figures for this cereal included above are of
in te re st :
W heat O nly (igoQ-1914).
R u s s i a ..........................................................................................
I n d ia .................................................... .... ....................................
C anada .......................................................................................
A r g e n t i n a ..................................................................................
AREA
PRO D UC T IO N
(million
hectares)
(million
quintals)
32
20
12
4.25
6-5
2 T5
198
97
53
42.5
EXPORT
(quintals
per hectare)
6 .7
9.9
8 .1
12 5
6.5
(million
quintals)
37
2 1.3
12.7
2F. 3
2r.2
EXPORT
fas per cent.
of production,!
17 %
10 %
13 %
40 %
50 %
T o t a l for all Countries, regarding which th e In te rn a ­
tional In stitu te of Agriculture has received statistics.
I0 8 1-2
1,021
9 .4
207
2 -i °/n
7
—
F u r t h e r a n a l y s i s s h o w s t h a t R u s s i a ’s e x p o r t w a s p r a c t i c a l l y c o n f in e d to w h e a t a n d
barley, w h e r e a s h e r r y e a n d o a t s w e r e a l m o s t e n t i r e l y r e t a i n e d a t h o m e , t h e f o r m e r for
human an d t h e l a t t e r f o r c a t t l e food. T h e fo llo w in g sh o w s t h e f ig u re s f o r 1909-1913 so
as to exclude t h e ef f e c t of t h e w a r in 1914.
T h e figu res in t h i s a n d f ollo w in g t a b l e s of
this re p o rt a r e g i v e n in R u s s i a n t e r m s :
1 9 0 9 - 1 9 1 3 ( m illio n p o o d s). (1)
PR O D U C T IO N
W h e a t ............................... ...................
R y e.................................... ...................
O ats.................................... ...................
B a rley ...............................
EXPORT
i ,354
i,43o
965
264
4,420
604
47
66
227
%
E X PO RT !
19
3
7
/
%
%
0. /0
33 %
T
/
1 J"2 0,0
N. B . —■ 1 p o o d =
36 lbs = 16.4 kilos = 0.16 quintals.
1 d e s y a ti n = 2 . 7 acres = 1.1 he cta re s.
B u t n o t o n ly w a s t h e p r o p o r t i o n of e x p o r t low .
T h e f u n d a m e n t a l f a c t of R u s s i a n
economy is t h a t f a r t h e l a r g e r p o r t i o n of h e r o u t p u t w a s c o n s u m e d in t h e l o c a li ty w h e r e i t
was pro duced , for t h o u g h s h e h a s a n e n o r m o u s p o p u l a t i o n , t h e o v e r w h e l m i n g m a j o r i t y is
engaged in a g r i c u l t u r e a n d t h e p r o p o r t i o n w h i c h s h e m a i n t a i n e d o u t of h e r a g r i c u l t u r a l
surplus w a s v e r y s m a l l (2). T h i s c o n c lu s i o n is i n d i c a t e d b y s t a t i s t i c s of i n t e r n a l t r a n s p o r t .
Thus if we t a k e t h e t w o m o s t i m p o r t a n t of t h e s e c ro p s w e f in d t h a t in t h e s a m e p e r io d
(1909-1913) t h e a n n u a l a v e r a g e q u a n t i t y of w h e a t a n d w h e a t f lo u r t r a n s p o r t e d a m o u n t e d
to 528 m i ll io n p o o d s c a r r i e d b y ra il, a n d 168 m illio n p o o d s c a r r ie d b y w a t e r , or 2 9 2 m illio n
poods ca rrie d b y t h e t w o m e t h o d s of t r a n s p o r t .
T h e s e figure s u n d o u b t e d l y in c l u d e a
certain a m o u n t of d o u b l e r e c k o n i n g , f o r a c e r t a i n q u a n t i t y of w h e a t will n o d o u b t h a v e
been c a r r ie d b y r a i l w a y o r w a t e r to t h e m ill a n d w i 11 a p p e a r a g a i n a s w h e a t f lo u .r
A lso
a certain q u a n t i t y w ill n o d o u b t h a v e t r a v e l l e d b o t h b y r a il a n d b y w a t e r .
If a d e d u c ­
tion of, say, 16 % is m a d e f r o m t h e g r o s s h a r v e s t of w h e a t for seed, t h e a m o u n t a v a i l a b l e
for c o n s u m p tio n is 1 ,1 3 7 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s .
A l l o w i n g for m a t e r i a l a p p e a r i n g tw ic e in t h e
returns, t h e a m o u n t of w 'h e a t a n d w h e a t f l o u r m o v e d b y r a il o r w a t e r c a n n o t h a v e b e e n
more t h a n o n e - h a lf of t h i s a m o u n t , of w h i c h , a g a in , a b o u t o n e - h a lf w a s s e n t a b r o a d .
The figures f o r r y e a r e s t i l l m o r e s t r i k i n g .
T h e a n n u a l a v e r a g e c a r r i a g e of r y e a n d r y e flour b o th b y ra il a n d w a t e r w a s less t h a n 2 5 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s, c o m p a r e d w i t h , s a y ,
1,200,000,000 p o o d s a v a i l a b l e f o r c o n s u m p t i o n .
The a v e r a g e q u a n t i t y of all g r a i n c a r r i e d b y r a i l a n d w a t e r fo r t h e p r e - w a r q u i n q u e n -
([) These figures relate to R ussia in E urope (51 provinces) Poland, Asiatic Russia and the Caucasus and are taken from
Recueil de données statistiques sur l'Industrie agricole en Russie, 1915, published by the farmer m inister of Agriculture.
' 2) 14 % of the population
nearly 80 % in England,
of Russia in 1912 was described as urban, compared with 40 % in the United States and
n i u m w a s 1,323 m illio n p o o d s , of w h i c h 604 m i llio n s w e r e e x p o r t e d .
A llo w in g for double
r e c k o n in g , i t is t h u s c e r t a i n t h a t t h e i n t e r n a l m o v e m e n t t o a r e a s w h o s e p r o d u c t i v i t y was
in su ffic ie n t f o r t h e n e e d s of t h e i r p o p u l a t i o n a n d t o t h e i n d u s t r i a l r e g io n s of Petroo-rad
M oscow , t h e U r a l s a n d e ls e w h e re , a m o u n t e d to s o m e t h i n g less t h a n t h e q u a n t i t y e xported
T h u s , t h o u g h R u s s i a h a d b e c o m e o n e of t h e g r e a t s o u r c e s of s u p p l y for th e inter­
n a t i o n a l g r a i n m a r k e t , h e r e x p o r t w a s a sm a ll p r o p o r t i o n of h e r o u t p u t , a n d f a r th e greater
p a r t w a s c o n s u m e d b y h e r o w n s c a t t e r e d a g r i c u l t u r a l p o p u l a t i o n . H e n c e she neither
r e q u i r e d n o r p o s s e s s e d m e a n s of t r a n s p o r t i n g so co lossal a p r o d u c t i o n .
T h i s c o n c lu s i o n is b o r n e o u t b y s t a t i s t i c s of R u s s i a ’s t r a n s p o r t s y s t e m . Between
1885 a n d 1904, R u s s i a ’s r a i l w a y s in c r e a s e d f r o m 25,0 0 0 v e r s t s t o 4 6 ,0 0 0 v e r s t s fj), and in
t h e d e c a d e b e f o r e t h e W a r , b y a f u r t h e r 10,000 v e r s t s t o 56,000 v e r s t s .
T h e ratio of
l e n g t h of lin e t o a r e a w a s , h o w e v e r , still v e r y s m a ll. F o r R u s s i a - i n - E u r o p e , t h is ratio
w h i c h is f a r lo w e r t h a n in a n y o t h e r E u r o p e a n c o u n t r y , wro rk s o u t a t a b o u t th e same as
in I n d ia .
T h e r a t i o of r a i l w a y t o a r e a in R u s s i a in A s ia is a b o u t t h e s a m e a s in China.
Versts of (2)
Railways per
1.000 sq. versts
of territory
R u s s i a - i n - E u r o p e ............................
R u s s i a - i n - A s i a .......................
G e r m a n y ...................................
U. S. A ...............................................
I n d i a ...................................................
C h i n a ..........................................
1 8 .0 0
1.66
1 8 8 .0 0
70.00
19.25
I . 50
Population
per 1,000 square
versts
3 1 ,8 0 0
1,95 0
147, 400
13,2 50
7 7 ,600
3 6 ,450
Versts of Railway
per 100,000 of
population
56.5
85.0
128.0
528.0
25.0
4.0
B y c o m p a r i s o n w i t h o t h e r g r a i n - p r o d u c i n g c o u n t r i e s t h e f r e i g h t - t r a i n s w e re slow
a n d t h e i r o p e r a t i o n h a m p e r e d b y in s u f f ic i e n t r o llin g - s to c k .
B u t a l t h o u g h t h e length
of lin e w a s s m a l l f o r t h e size of t h e c o u n t r y , t h e q u a n t i t y of g o o d s t r a n s p o r t e d p e r verst
of r a i l w a y w a s n e a r l y as l a rg e as in t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s ; a n d as t h e l e n g t h of h a u l was
s o m e w h a t lo n g e r in R u s s i a t h a n in A m e r i c a , t h e a m o u n t of f r e i g h t t r a n s p o r t to be done
p e r v e r s t of r a i l w a y w a s n e a r l y as g r e a t in R u s s i a a s in A m e r ic a .
R u s s i a possessed
m o r e f r e i g h t - c a r s p e r 100 v e r s t s t h a n A m e r i c a , b u t as t h e c a r s h a d on t h e a v e r a g e less
t h a n h a l f t h e c a p a c i t y of t h e A m e r i c a n cars, h e r t o t a l fre ig h t - l i f t i n g c a p a c i t y p e r v e r s t was
less t h a n t h a t of A m e r i c a .
In t h e s e c i r c u m s t a n c e s it w a s a c o n s i d e r a b l e achievement
of o r g a n i s a t i o n t o m o v e t h e f r e i g h t t h a t c a m e u p o n R u s s i a n r a i l w a y s , especially since
R u s s i a w a s q u i t e i n a d e q u a t e l y s u p p l i e d w i t h l a r g e m o d e r n g r a n a r i e s , w h i c h help to even
o u t t h e m o v e m e n t s of g r a i n o v e r a s o m e w h a t p r o l o n g e d p e r i o d in A m e r i c a a n d countries
w i t h s i m i l a r e q u i p m e n t . O n t h e w a t e r w a y s t h e s t o r a g e p r o b l e m w a s n o t infrequently
s o lv e d b y le a v i n g t h e g r a i n in b a r g e s f ro z e n in t h e ice d u r i n g t h e w i n t e r .
T h e f u n d a m e n t a l p r o b l e m of R u s s i a n a g r i c u l t u r e b e f o r e t h e W a r , h o w e v e r, was not
(1) Slaiisiical A nnual of the R ussian M inistry of W ays and Communications, p u b lish e d before th e R ev o u ltk
(2) i v e r s t =
1 verst =
1.0 6 6 8 k i l o m e t r e s .
0 .6 6 2 9 m ile s .
inadequate t r a n s p o r t , b u t low y ie ld p e r d e s y a t i n d u e to p r i m i t i v e m e t h o d s of a g r i c u l t u r e
and a land s y s t e m w h i c h r e n d e r e d t e c h n i c a l i m p r o v e m e n t e x c e e d i n g l y slow.
I t is t r u e
that in th e f ifty y e a r s s u c c e e d i n g t h e e m a n c i p a t i o n of t h e serfs in 18 6 1 t h e y ie ld p e r
desyatin s h o w ed s o m e i m p r o v e m e n t . B u t d u r i n g t h e s a m e p e r io d , t h e t o t a l a r e a u n d e r
cultivation h a r d l y s h o w e d a n y e x p a n s i o n w h e r e a s t h e p o p u l a t i o n of R u s s i a in c r e a s e d 2 1/2
fold. A s h o r t a c c o u n t of t h e e v o l u t i o n of R u s s i a ’s la n d s y s t e m of th i s p e r i o d is g iv e n
in Annex I, f r o m w h i c h t h e f o llo w in g b r i e f s u m m a r y m a y b e m a d e :
(a) T h e s e t t l e m e n t of 1861, w h i c h g a v e t h e e m a n c i p a t e d p e a s a n t r y a p p r o x i m a t e l y
half th e c u l t i v a t e d l a n d of R u s s i a , c o n t a i n e d p r o v is io n s w h i c h b r o u g h t in t o e x i s te n c e
many holding s to o s m a l l t o s u p p o r t a f a m i ly .
T h is t e n d e n c y w a s a c c e n t u a t e d in t h e
ensuing h alf c e n t u r y b y t h e r a p i d i n c r e a s e of p o p u l a t i o n a n d t h e f u r t h e r d iv is io n of h o l d ­
ings.
In m a n y c a se s t h e s e h o l d i n g s w e r e c u l t i v a t e d a s p a r t m e a n s of s u b s i s t e n c e , t h e
holder going i n t o s o m e i n d u s t r i a l o c c u p a t i o n or w o r k i n g as a n a g r i c u l t u r a l w a g e - e a r n e r .
In o th e r cases, t h e h o l d i n g s w e r e d is p o s e d of a n d g a v e rise to a l a n d l e s s class in t h e c o u n t r y .
(b) In t h e g r e a t e r p a r t of R u s s i a , e x c l u d i n g t h e U k r a i n e , t h e " c o m m u n e ” u n d e r
which t h e p e a s a n t s ’ l a n d w a s h e l d in a n u m b e r of s c a t t e r e d s t r i p s a n d s u b j e c t to p e r i o ­
dical r e d i s t r i b u t i o n s u r v i v e d .
T h i s l a n d w a s m a i n l y f a r m e d o n p r i m i t i v e lin es; t h e r o t a ­
tion of crops w a s o n t h e t h r e e - f i e l d s y s t e m (e. g., a r o t a t i o n of w h e a t , r y e , o a t s , fallo w );
neither n a t u r a l n o r a r t i f i c i a l m a n u r i n g w a s in c o m m o n use, i t b e i n g c u s t o m a r y in m a n y
villages of S o u t h R u s s i a t o c o lle c t t h e a n i m a l m a n u r e o u t s i d e t h e v il la g e a n d b u r n it or
to use it as f u e l; a n d d e e p p l o u g h i n g w a s u n c o m m o n .
I t w a s n o t u n t i l t h e S to l y p i n
reforms of 19c6 t h a t p e a s a n t s w e r e e n a b l e d t o l e a v e t h e c o m m u n e , a n d t o h a v e t h e i r
strips co n s o lid a te d a n d h e l d on a c o n t i n u o u s a n d s e c u r e t e n u r e .
I n t h e e i g h t y e a r s 1906-
19x4, nea rly 26 m i llio n d e s y a t i n s (1) w e r e so c o n s o l i d a t e d a n d s u r v e y e d a n d o p e r a t i o n s
confirmed in r e s p e c t of 13 m i llio n s, p a r t o f w h i c h w a s a s s ig n e d to g r o u p s of p e a s a n t s
and p a r t to i n d i v i d u a l s p e a s a n t s .
(c) T h e a r e a o w n e d a n d c u l t i v a t e d b y la n d - o w n e r s s t e a d i l y d i m i n i s h e d a f t e r 1861,
land being le ase d o r b o u g h t b y t h e m o r e e n t e r p r i s i n g p e a s a n t s or b y la n d d e a le rs . T h e
ownership of t h e c u l t i v a t e d a r e a of E u r o p e a n R u s s i a w a s d i v i d e d a s follow s :
PROPRIETORS ( 2 )
1861..................
120
1 9 0 5 ......................
82
PEA SA NT S
m ill io n d e s y a t i n s
—
—
1 1 3 . 7 m ill io n cl csyati ns
171.7
—
—
F u r t h e r , a c o n s i d e r a b l e f r a c t i o n of t h e c u l t i v a t e d l a n d o w n e d b y t h e l a n d e d p r o p r i e ­
tors was e x p l o ite d b y p e a s a n t s o r t e n a n t s w h o le a s e d t h e l a n d f r o m t h e o w n e r s. T h u s
(1) See Material prepared for the Genca Conference b y the Members of the Union of Zemstvos, P aris, 1922.
(2) At the em ancipation practically a ll th e landed proprietors were nobles and the distinction between them and
peasants was both a social and an economic one. W hen the nobles disposed of th eir land, if it was bought by persons other
an Posants it was s till considered to be landed property (propriété foncière). If it was bought by peasants it was classified
as terntory owned by peasants. As the la tter usually bought small quantities only, peasants’, land still, in the main, imj lies
small cultivation. But the distinction is still to some extent a social one, though roughly coinciding with an economic dis­
tinction.
—
10
—
b e f o r e t h e W a r , t h e r e w e r e f o u r classe s in r u r a l R u s s i a : t h e l a n d e d p r o p rie to r s ; the
w e a l t h i e r p e a s a n t s , c u l t i v a t i n g l a n d le a s e d o r b o u g h t f r o m t h e p r o p r i e t o r s or d e ta c h c d
f r o m t h e c o m m u n e u n d e r t h e S t o l y p i n r e f o r m s of 1906; t h e p o o r e r p e a s a n t s , mainly
c u l t i v a t i n g u n d e r t h e c o m m u n a l s y s t e m ; a n d a n e n t i r e l y la n d le s s class.
I n t h e p e r i o d i m m e d i a t e l y b e f o r e t h e W a r , t w o - t h i r d s of t h e c r o p s of R u s s i a
wen-
g r o w n o n p e a s a n t - o w n e d l a n d a n d o n e - t h i r d o n t h a t of l a n d e d p r o p r i e t o r s , a c o n s id e ra b le
p r o p o r t i o n e v e n of t h e l a t t e r b e i n g r a i s e d b y p e r s o n s le a s in g l a n d f r o m t h e o w n e r . I t
is n o t p o s s i b le t o s a y h o w m u c h of t h e c r o p s r a i s e d b y p e a s a n t s w a s r a i s e d o n la n d within
the com m une.
(d) L a r g e - s c a l e f a r m i n g in R u s s i a w a s its e lf in a n o t v e r y a d v a n c e d condition- but
t a k i n g t h e c u l t i v a t e d l a n d of t h e p r o p r i e t o r s as m a i n l y l a r g e s c ale a n d t h e peasanto w n e d l a n d a s m a i n l y s m a l l scale, t h e f o llo w in g f ig u re s r e f l e c t t h e a d v a n t a g e in yield
of t h e f o r m e r s y s t e m : —
Y I E L D O F C E R E A L CROPS P E R D E S Y A T I N
PROPRIETORS
LAND
PE A S A N T S
LAND
1 8 6 1 - 1 8 7 0 ..................................................
33 p o o d s
29 poods-
1 9 0 1 - 1 9 1 0 ..................................................
54
43
—
—
T h e g r e a t e r efficien c y of e x p l o i t a t i o n o n p r o p r i e t o r s ’ l a n d a c c o u n t s in itself for a
l a r g e p a r t of t h e s u r p l u s a v a i l a b l e f o r e x p o r t .
I n d e e d , a n e x a m i n a t i o n of t h e agricul­
t u r a l e n q u i r y of 1916 s h o w s t h a t t h e w h o l e of t h e g r a i n m a r k e t e d e i t h e r f o r e x p o rt or
f o r c o n s u m p t i o n w i t h i n R u s s i a c a m e f r o m l a n d h e l d b y o n e of t h e f irs t tw o classes men­
t i o n e d i n (c), t h e p r o p r i e t o r s s u p p l y i n g 31 % , a n d p e a s a n t s
5 d e s y a t i n s of l a n d , 69 % , of t h e t o t a l g r a i n m a r k e t e d .
c u l t i v a t i n g m o r e than
O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e p r i m i t i v e c o n d i t i o n s u n d e r w h i c h m o s t of R u s s i a ’s crop was
r a is e d , t a k e n in c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h t h e in c r e a s e d p o p u ’a t i o n — o n ly a s m a ll portion of
w h i c h h a d m o v e d i n t o t h e t o w n s — e x p l a i n t h e i m p o v e r i s h m e n t of t h e p e a s a n t r y , which
w a s b e c o m i n g a n in c r e a s i n g l y s e r io u s p r o b l e m b e f o r e t h e W a r .
T h e G overnm ent's
p o lic y , in a d d i t i o n t o a g r i c u l t u r a l t e c h n i c a l e d u c a t i o n , o r g a n i s a t i o n of c r e d i t , etc., was, on
t h e o n e h a n d , t o a s s is t t h e p e a s a n t to e n l a r g e his h o l d i n g a n d t o o b t a i n security 7 of tenure
a n d f re e p l a y f o r i n d i v i d u a l e n t e r p r i s e b y s e p a r a t i o n f r o m t h e c o m m u n e ; an d , on the
o t h e r , t o d e a l w i t h t h e p r o b l e m of t h e la n d le s s class b y e m i g r a t i o n to t h e v a s t unpopu­
l a t e d t e r r i t o r y in S ib e r ia .
E ffec t of th e W a r, 19 1 4 -1 9 2 0 .
T h e e f f e c t of t h e W a r on t h e a s p e c t s of R u s s i a n e c o n o m ic life w h i c h come within
t h e p r e s e n t r e p o r t w a s t o c a u s e s o m e r e d u c t i o n of t h e a r e a u n d e r c u l t i v a t i o n an d to
s t r i k e a d e a d l y b l o w a t t h e r a i l w a y s y s t e m of t h e c o u n t r y .
A s r e g a r d s a g r i c u l t u r a l p r o d u c t i o n , t h e w i t h d r a w a l of m e n f r o m t h e a rm y r natur­
a l l y c a u s e d a m o s t s e r io u s s h r i n k a g e in t h e s u p p l y of l a b o u r in t h e fields a n d a reduction
in the area so w n .
O n t h e w h o le , t h e p e a s a n t s ’ l a n d su ffe re d less in c o n s e q u e n c e t h a n
that of th e p r o p r i e t o r s .
I t is t r u e t h a t w h e n in 1915 a n d 1916 t h e p e a s a n t r y in d i s t a n t
parts of R u s s ia f o u n d t h e m s e l v e s u n a b l e t o m a r k e t t h e c ro p s w h i c h h a d a c c u m u l a t e d ,
they b e g a n t o r e d u c e t h e a r e a u n d e r c u l t i v a t i o n . B u t t h e s h r i n k a g e w a s m u c h m o r e
serious o n f a r m s d e p e n d e n t u p o n h i r e d l a b o u r .
I n t h e s e cases th e a l t e r n a t i v e of l a b o u r saving m a c h i n e r y w a s , of c o u r s e , r u l e d o u t b y t h e is o l a ti o n of R u s s i a f r o m t h e o u ts i d e w o rld .
The a re a u n d e r c e r e a l c r o p s d e c r e a s e d b e t w e e n 1913 a n d 1916 f r o m 89.8 m illion d e s y a ­
tins to 73 m illio n h e c t a r e s , b u t a g r e a t d e a l of t h i s d iffe ren c e w a s a c c o u n t e d for b y t h e
occupation of P o l a n d a n d o t h e r p a r t s of R u s s i a b y t h e e n e m y (1).
If th o s e o cc u p ie d a r e a s
are e x c lu d e d , t h e s o w n a r e a of E u r o p e a n R u s s i a fell f r o m 79 1/2 m illio n d e s y a t i n s to
y3 million d e s y a t i n s , or s l i g h t l y m o r e t h a n 8 p e r c e n t, t h e r e d u c t i o n n a t u r a l l y o c c u r r i n g
chiefly in t h e tw o e x p o r t c r o p s , n a m e l y w h e a t a n d b a r l e y .
T h is r e d u c t i o n in a r e a w a s
ac co m p an ied b y a still g r e a t e r c h a n g e in t h e s o u r c e s of p r o d u c t i o n , t h e a r e a c u l t i v a t e d
by p e a s a n t p r o p r i e t o r s a c t u a l l y i n c r e a s i n g d u r i n g t h e s e y e a r s b y 10 m illion d e s y a t i n s ,
while t h e a r e a of p r o p r i e t o r s ’l a n d u n d e r c u l t i v a t i o n fell b y 16 1/2 m illio n d e s y a t i n s .
The
shortage of l a b o u r , a p a r t f r o m o t h e r c o n s i d e r a t i o n s , a d v e r s e l y a ffe c te d t h e a r e a u n d e r
cultivation e s p e c ia l ly o n t h e p r o p r i e t o r s e s t a t e s .
B y t h e e n d of 1916, R u s s i a w as a l r e a d y
suffering f r o m a s h o r t a g e of a r t i f i c i a l f e r ti l i s e r s a n d a still g r e a t e r la c k of a g r i c u l t u r a l
machinery, i m p o r t s of t h e l a t t e r h a v i n g f a l l e n a s follo w s :
1914.
1915
1916 (11 m o n th s) . .
T h e M i n i s t r y of A g r i c u l t u r e , in d e e d ,
95, 200 metric tons
4,100
—
—
9,500
—
—
d e c l a r e d to t h e I n t e r - A l l i e d
C o n fe re n c e
in
February, 1917, t h a t m a n y of t h e f a r m e r s h a d n o t s o w n b e c a u s e t h e y s a w no p r o s p e c t
of being a b le t o r e a p .
D u r in g t h e s e y e a r s t h e f o o d r e q u i r e m e n t s of t h e A r m y w e r e m e t b y r e q u is i tio n s
carried o u t in t h e f ir s t i n s t a n c e o n t h e b a s i s of a l l o c a t i o n s m a d e b y t h e I n t e n d a n c e D e p a r t ­
ment of t h e G o v e r n m e n t .
A s t h e W a r d e v e l o p e d , h o w e v e r , t h e se rv ic e s of t h e Z e m s t v o s
and th e C o - o p e r a t i v e S o c ie tie s w e r e u t i l i s e d as i n t e r m e d i a r i e s b e t w e e n t h e C e n t r a l G o ­
v ernm ent of t h e p e a s a n t s in s e c u r i n g t h e f u l f i l m e n t of t h e s e r e q u is i tio n s .
T he requisi­
tions w ere m a d e in e x c h a n g e f o r n o n - i n t e r e s t b e a r i n g b o n d s r e p a y a b l e a t som e f u t u r e
date.
T h e s y s t e m also i n v o l v e d t h e f ix in g of p r ic e s .
T h e figu re s d e c id e d u p o n w e re
a m a tte r of c o m p l a i n t in t h e t o w n s o n t h e g r o u n d t h a t t h e y w e r e to o f a v o u r a b l e t o t h e
agricultural classes.
T h e effect of t h e W a r u p o n t r a n s p o r t w a s , h o w e v e r , e v e n m o r e serious.
D efeats
in the field a n d t h e o c c u p a t i o n of c o n s i d e r a b l e t r a c t s of R u s s i a n t e r r i t o r y b y t h e e n e m y
caused a p p r e c ia b le losses in lo c o m o t i v e s a n d r o llin g - s to c k .
B u t a p a r t fro m actual w a r
losses a n u m b e r of i n f lu e n c e s u n d e r m i n e d t h e v i g o u r of th is v i t a l se rv ic e.
(1) Data supplied b y th e R ussian Minister for Agriculture to the Petrograd Conference, i o n
—
12
—
(a) T h e m o b i l i s a t i o n of 17 m illio n m e n d u r i n g t h e t h r e e y e a r s of t h e W a r , together
w i t h 2 m i llio n h o r s e s , m e a n t t h a t t h e r a i l w a y s of R u s s i a h a d t o c a r r y f o o d to t h e western
f r o n t i e r f o r m e n w h o h a d f o r m e r l y b e e n fe d lo c a lly , w i t h o u t m a k i n g a n y call u p o n the
r a i l w a y s y s t e m of t h e c o u n t r y .
(b) A
c o n s i d e r a b l e p r o p o r t i o n of t h e l i m i t e d r o llin g - s to c k of t h e c o u n t r y was as­
s ig n e d t o t h e b a t t l e - f r o n t f o r t h e m o v e m e n t of t r o o p s , w h ile r a i l w a y w a g o n s w e r e com­
m o n l y u s e d all o v e r t h e c o u n t r y fo r s t o r a g e of w a r m a t e r i a l a n d fo r s h e l t e r of m a n and
beast.
(c) T h e i n d u s t r i a l a r e a of P e t r o g r a d , a n d t o a less e x t e n t t h a t of M osco w , w h ic h had
f o r m e r l y b e e n d e p e n d e n t f o r r a w m a t e r i a l u p o n s e a t r a n s p o r t in t h e B a l t i c o r r a i l trans­
p o r t f r o m t h e c o m p a r a t i v e l y n e a r f r o n t i e r s o n t h e w e s t , h a d t o d r a w t h e i r supplies of
fuel, s te e l , etc ., b y l a n d f r o m t h e D o n e t s B a s i n a n d o t h e r i n t e r i o r c o a l a n d steel-producing
d i s t r i c t s of R u s s i a .
r o l l in g - s to c k .
I n d u s t r i a l r e q u i r e m e n t s , t h e r e f o r e , also m a d e a n e w d e m a n d upon
(d) S u c h i m p o r t s a s c o n t i n u e d t o f in d t h e i r w a y to R u s s i a h a d t o c o m e b y ra il either
f r o m A r c h a n g e l or V l a d i v o s t o k .
T h e call u p o n t h e a v a i l a b l e r o llin g - s to c k w h ic h this
i n v o l v e d c a n b e a p p r e c i a t e d f r o m t h e f a c t t h a t i t r e q u i r e d 120 l o c o m o t i v e s to maintain
a s e r v i c e of o n e t r a i n p e r d a y f r o m V l a d i v o s t o k to M osco w . T h i s difficulty was so
g r e a t t h a t a t t h e b e g i n i n g of 1917 t h e r e w a s a l r e a d y a c c u m u l a t e d a t V l a d i v o s t o k a suffi­
c i e n t t o n n a g e of w a r m a t e r i a l t o o c c u p y t h e t r a n s - S i b e r i a n lin e f o r t h e w h o le of the
en suing tw elve m onths.
(e'j I n t h e e x p e c t a t i o n , w h i c h w a s s h a r e d w i t h all t h e E u r o p e a n P o w e r s , t h a t the
W a r w o u l d b e a s h o r t one, t h e R u s s i a n G o v e r n m e n t d i v e r t e d s e v e r a l i m p o r t a n t locomotive
a n d w a g o n b u i l d i n g s h o p s of R u s s i a f r o m t h e i r n o r m a l w o r k to m a k i n g m u n itio n s and
t h e r e p a i r of l o c o m o t i v e s a n d w a g o n s fell s e r io u s ly i n t o a r r e a rs .
T h e o n ly c o m p e n s a t i o n t o s e t a g a i n s t t h e s e a b n o r m a l d e m a n d s w a s t h e f a c t that
t h e g r a i n e x p o r t t r a d e c a m e t o a n en d .
A n a t t e m p t w a s m a d e t o m e e t t h e r o llin g - s to c k p r o b l e m a n d in p a r t i c u l a r th e prob­
l e m of c o n v e y a n c e f r o m V l a d i v o s t o k b y s h i p p i n g lo c o m o t i v e s f r o m C a n a d a a nd the
U n i t e d S t a t e s t o V l a d i v o s t o k a n d b y e r e c t i n g f r e i g h t ca rs t h e r e a n d s e n d i n g them on
in to th e in terio r.
I n t h i s w a y s o m e 700 l o c o m o t i v e s a n d a c o n s id e r a b l e n u m b e r of cars
w e r e s u p p l i e d . B u t in s p i t e of t h i s t h e n u m b e r of s o u n d l o c o m o t i v e s o n R u s sia n rail­
w a y s fell f r o m 2 0 ,0 0 0 to 16,800 a t t h e e n d of 1916.
T h a n k s p a r t l y t o t h e f a c t t h a t W a r t r a n s p o r t in v o l v e s m o v e m e n t of sim ila r goods
o n a n e n o r m o u s sc ale o v e r d e f i n i t e r o u t e s , t h e R u s s i a n r a i l w a y a d m i n i s t r a t i o n succeeded
in p r o d u c i n g v e r y s u b s t a n t i a l r e s u lt s . T h e a v e r a g e lo a d in g of g o o d s t r u c k s increased,
d a i l y e n g i n e m i le a g e w a s r a is e d b y n e a r l y 20 % , a n d t h e t o t a l g o o d s t r a i n mileage, which
w a s e s t i m a t e d a t 147 m illion m ile s in 1913, ro se in 1916 to 197 m illio n miles. B u t all
t h e s e e f f o rts f a il e d t o e n a b l e t h e r a i l w a y s to co p e w i t h a s i t u a t i o n b e y o n d t h e i r strength.
T h e r o llin g s to c k , n e v e r v e r y a d e q u a t e to t h e n e e d s of t h e c o u n t r y , w a s in a critical con­
d i t i o n , a n d t o w a r d s t h e e n d of 1916 i t b e c a m e e v i d e n t t h a t t h e r a i l w a y s c o u ld n o t cope
w i t h t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n of fo o d b o t h to t h e a r m i e s a n d t o t h e civil p o p u l a t i o n . N o t only
a t t h e f r o n t b u t also in v a r i o u s p a r t s of t h e i n t e r i o r t h e r e w e r e s e rio u s lo c a l food shortages
—
in
the w in te r of 1916-1917.
13
—
C o n s i d e r a b l e q u a n t i t i e s of g r a i n f r o m t h e h a r v e s t s of 1915
an d 1916
a n d still m o r e f o r a g e u r g e n t l y n e e d e d a t t h e f r o n t h a d a c c u m u l a t e d in t h e i n t e ­
rior, a n d
t h e A r m y w a s o f t e n s e r i o u s l y s h o r t of food s u p p li e s .
In J a n u a r y a n d F e b r u a r y
1517, a l th o u g h t h e r e w a s s u f f i c ie n t f o o d in t h e c o u n t r y , f o o d crises in P e t r o g r a d a n d
M oscow
b e c a m e a c u t e , a n d lo n g b r e a d q u e u e s w e r e t o b e se e n d a i l y in b o t h c itie s.
b read r i o t s
The
in P e t r o g r a d w e r e t h e p r e l u d e t o t h e f ir s t R e v o l u t i o n of M a r c h 1917.
E f f e c ts of t h e R ev o lu tio n .
T he d i s o r g a n i s a t i o n r e s u l t i n g f r o m t h e E u r o p e a n W a r w a s g r e a t l y i n c r e a s e d a f t e r
the R e v o lu tio n s of F e b r u a r y a n d O c t o b e r 1917.
U n d e r th e provisional G o v ern m e n t,
the soviets of w o r k - m e n , s o ld i e r s a n d p e a s a n t d e p u t i e s f o r m e d t h r o u g h o u t t h e c o u n t r y ,
in the t o w n s , in t h e f a c t o r i e s , in t h e v il la g e s a n d in t h e A r m y , b e g a n to s u p e r s e d e t h e
control o f t h o s e f o r m e r l y d i r e c t i n g e c o n o m ic life.
I n p a r t i c u l a r t h e P e t r o g r a d S o v ie t,
which ac te d i n d e p e n d e n t l y a n d o f t e n in o p p o s i t i o n t o t h e G o v e r n m e n t , s t r e n u o u s l y e n ­
deavoured in i n d u s t r a l c e n t r e s t o p l a c e c o n t r o l of t h e f a c to r i e s in t h e h a n d s of t h e w o r k e r s ; in
the villages t o e n c o u r a g e t h e p e a s a n t s t o s e ize t h e e s t a t e s of t h e l a n d o w n e r s ; a n d in t h e A r m y
to advocate t h e c o n c lu s i o n of P e a c e (1).
T h e s e e ffo rts w e r e c o m p l e t e l y su c c e ssfu l.
P ro­
duction in t h e t o w n s b e g a n to d w in d le , w h ile t h e A r m y b e c a m e d is o r g a n i s e d a n d b e g a n
to melt a w a y .
cities.
H u n d r e d s of t h o u s a n d s of so ld ie r s le f t t h e f r o n t a n d p o u r e d in t o t h e
T h e r a i l w a y s a t t h e f r o n t s u f fe re d g r e a t d is l o c a tio n , w h i c h so o n e x t e n d e d to
other p a r t s of R u s s i a . T h e p r o v i s i o n a l G o v e r n m e n t e a r l y in t h e s u m m e r of 1917 e n ­
deavoured to d e a l w i t h t h e f o o d s i t u a t i o n b y e s t a b l i s h i n g a m o n o p o l y of t h e g r a i n t r a d e , an
act which t e n d e d t o a l i e n a t e t h e s y m p a t h i e s of t h e p e a s a n t . O n t h e o t h e r h a n d i t w a s
found n e c e s s a r y to r a is e v e r y c o n s i d e r a b l y t h e p r e v i o u s l y e x i s tin g le v el of fix ed p rices.
By O cto b er 1917, t h e c o s t of li v in g w a s a l r e a d y f iv e t i m e s as h ig h as i t w a s a y e a r before,
and th e g e n e r a l e c o n o m i c s i t u a t i o n of t h e c o u n t r y w a s r a p i d l y d e t e r i o r a t i n g .
T h is was
briefly t h e p o s i t i o n w h e n t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t w a s f irs t f o r m e d a f t e r t h e coup d 'É ta t
of O ctober 1917.
The n ew G o v e r n m e n t p r o c e e d e d t o g i v e effect to a p o li c y of c o n f is c a t io n a n d n a t i o ­
nalisation w h ic h so p a r a l y s e d p r o d u c t i o n t h a t t h e t o w n s b e c a m e u n a b l e to s u p p l y t h e
demands of t h e p e a s a n t s .
A s p a p e r - m o n e y , w h i c h w a s r a p i d l y lo sin g its v a l u e , w a s all
that could b e o b t a i n e d in e x c h a n g e f o r a g r i c u l t u r a l p r o d u c e , t h e p e a s a n t e n d e a v o u r e d to
hold b a c k h is g r a i n f o r h is o w n u s e a n d lo s t a n y i n c e n t i v e to g r o w m o r e t h a n w a s n e c e s ­
sary for his o w n r e q u i r e m e n t s .
T h e y , t h e r e f o r e , c e a s e d to b r i n g t h e i r s u p p li e s to m a r k e t
and ceased t o c u l t i v a t e m o r e l a n d t h a n w a s n e c e s s a r y t o s a t i s f y local n e e d s .
T h e B ol­
sheviks b e g a n t o c a r r y o u t r e q u i s i t i o n s of p r o d u c e in t h e v illag e s o n a l a r g e s c a le .
In
this w a y to w n a n d c o u n t r y b e c a m e d i v o r c e d , t h e effect of w h i c h w a s t h a t t o w a r d s t h e
end of 1918 a n d t h e b e g i n i n g of 1919, s t a r v a t i o n b e g a n in t h e g r e a t c itie s.
(1) Report of the Parliamentary Commission to Collect Inform ation on R ussia, London 1921
L arge n um bers
(CMD. 1240).
—
14
—
of R u s s i a n W o r k m e n w h o h a d m a i n t a i n e d t h e i r ties w i t h t h e c o u n t r y d e s e r t e d the towns
f o r t h e v il la g e s : T h u s , t h e p o p u l a t i o n i n t h e l a r g e t o w n s all o v e r R u s s i a b e c a m e greatly
r e d u c e d , a n d i n t h e c a se of P e t r o g r a d , fell f r o m 2 , 3 0 ' , 0 0 0 in 1 9 1 7 t o 7 0 0 , 0 0 0 in 191c
L a r g e n u m b e r s of p e o p l e also a c t u a l l y l e f t M o sc o w , b u t m a n y n e w - c o m e r s s e ttle d down
in t h e c i t y , e s p e c ia l ly f r o m P e t r o g r a d , w i t h t h e t r a n s f e r of t h e s e a t of G o v e r n m e n t from
t h a t c i t y t o t h e old c a p i t a l .
T h e f a i l u r e of t h e h a r v e s t in t h e M o s c o w p r o v i n c e in 191g
r e s u l t e d i n a f a m i n e i n M o s c o w itself, a n d t h e s t a t e of t r a n s p o r t a n d t h e d e m a n d s of the
a r m y d u r i n g t h e Civil W a r , w h i c h h a d t h e n b e g u n , m a d e i t i m p o s s i b l e t o r e li e v e situation
e f f e c tiv e ly . T h e r e w a s h o w e v e r , u p t o th i s t i m e n o r e a l f a m i n e in t h e p r i n c i p a l foodp r o d u c i n g a r e a s of R u s s i a , p a r t l y b e c a u s e , w i t h t h e e x c e p t i o n of t h e M o sc o w Province
t h e r e w a s a r e m a r k a b l y g o o d h a r v e s t i n o t h e r p a r t s of R u s s i a , a n d to t h e f a c t t h a t the
p e a s a n t s w e r e still a b l e to d r a w o n s t o c k s a c c u m u l a t e d in f o r m e r y e a r s .
I n 1 9 1 8 t h e Civil W a r b e g a n .
F r o m 1 9 1 8 to 1 9 2 0 S o v i e t R u s s i a w a s in v o l v e d in war
a g a i n s t a n t i - B o l s h e v i k R u s s i a n f o r c e s u n d e r v a r i o u s c o m m a n d e r s , a n d a g a i n s t th e Poles
L i t h u a n i a n s , L e t t s , E s t h o n i a n s a n d F i n n s . T h e effect of t h i s s t r u g g l e c a r r ie d on over
so w i d e a n a r e a a n d f o r so lo n g a t i m e , f o llo w in g t h e d i s i n t e g r a t i o n of i n d u s t r y , m a y be
e a s il y i m a g i n e d .
T h e w o r k of t r a n s p o r t i n g t o a n d f r o m t h e v a r i o u s f r o n t s t h e newly-
f o r m e d u n i t s of t h e R e d A r m y l a id a v e r y g r e a t s t r a i n o n t h e a l r e a d y w e a k e n e d trans­
p o r t se rv ic e s , w h ile in t h e a c t u a l c o u r s e of h o s t i l i t i e s c o n s i d e r a b l e d e s tru c tio n of
lo c o m o t i v e s , r o llin g s t o c k , b r i d g e s a n d p e r m a n e n t w a y t o o k p la c e .
T h e D o n e t s B a s in , t h e p r i n c i p a l c o a l- m in i n g a r e a of R u s s i a a n d t h e U r a l s a n d th e centre
of t h e m e t a l i n d u s t r y , c h a n g e d h a n d s m o r e t h a n o n c e i n t h e c o u r s e of t h e f i g h ti n g and
s u f fe re d d a m a g e w h i c h t h e r e c o u l d b e l i t t l e h o p e of r e p a i r i n g in a c o u n t r y w h e r e disorgani­
s a t i o n h a d g o n e so fa r.
B u t a p a r t f r o m t h e C ivil W a r , t h e e c o n o m i c r e v o l u t i o n h a d a l r e a d y p ro d u c e d a
d e m o r a l i s i n g effect u p o n t h e t o w n p o p u l a t i o n . T h e m o s t s e r io u s r e s u l t s of t h i s were
f ir s t m a n i f e s t e d in t h e r a i l w a y w o r k s h o p s , o n t h e r a i l w a y s t h e m s e l v e s a n d in th e heavy
m e t a l i n d u s t r y , u p o n w h i c h t h e r a i l w a y s w e r e d e p e n d e n t f o r r o llin g s t o c k repa irs. The
a s s u m p t i o n b y S o v i e t s of t h e w o r k p e o p l e of c o n t r o l o v e r i n d u s t r i a l e n t e r p r i s e s continued
a f t e r t h e cou p d 'E ta t, w i t h c o n t i n u a l l y d i m i n i s h i n g o u t p u t , a n d b e f o r e lo n g t h e Communist
l e a d e r s w e r e c o m p e ll e d t o f a c e w h a t K r a s s i n d e s c r ib e s i n t h e ca se of t h e railw a y s as a
c o n d i t i o n of c o m p l e t e r u in . T h e s o l u t i o n w h i c h t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t e n d e a v o u r e d to
a p p l y to t h i s s t a t e of affairs w a s a p o li c y of t h e m i l i t a r i s a t i o n of l a b o u r . W e a rc n ot here
c o n c e r n e d t o t r a c e t h e c h a n g e s e i t h e r of t h e o r y or of p r a c t i c e w h i c h t o o k p l a c e in th e orga­
n i s a t i o n of i n d u s t r y , b u t t h e d e c r e a s e in o u t p u t m a y b e s h o w n b y s t a t i s t i c s of coal and
i r o n p r o d u c t i o n a n d of l o c o m o t i v e s in r u n n i n g o r d e r ( r) :
(1)
F o r coal production, see Statistical A n nual of the R ussian Industrial Union, St-Petersburg, 1913, and Financial
B ulletin, official organ of the former Russian M inistry of Finance.
For the' period 1918-1922, see Statistical A nn ual I g i 8 ig 2 0 , Moscow 1922.
F or 1922, see Ekonomicheskaya Zhisn.
F o r P ig lorn, see Statements of the Economic Situation of the Soviet Republic in 1920, and 1921. E dition of hhonomt
cheshaya Z h izn , Moscow, 1921 and 1922.
For Locomotives in R unning Order, u p to 1920, see B ulletin of the People’s Cominissariat for W ays and ComminucttlttnH:
—
N2'r
15
—
W hole of Russia
(Million Poods)
Donets Basin
(Million Poods)
Pig Iron Output
(Million Poods)
1,778
2 ,1 0 0
i ,875
740
473
458
515
313
1,536
1,751
1,510
552
310
271
329
251
256
231
185
31
7
7
7
19 13.......................
1916 ................................
19 17 .......................
19 18 . . . . . .
1 9 19 .......................
192 0 ......................
1 9 21 .................................
1922 (6 m o n t h s ) .
Locomotives in
running order
5-4
16,866
16,033
17,012
14,519
4 ,5 77
3 ,9 6 9
7,683
6,581
The q u e s t i o n w h e t h e r t h e r e is t o - d a y a n y sig n of i m p r o v e m e n t i n i n d u s t r y is t o u c h e d
upon later in t h i s r e p o r t , b u t t o t h e e n d of t h e f a m i n e p e r i o d a t all e v e n t s t h e r e is p r a c ­
tically no b r e a k in t h e s t e a d y d e t e r i o r a t i o n .
As r e g a rd s t r a n s p o r t , t h e f l u c t u a t i o n s of f o r t u n e in t h e Civil W a r a r e s h o w n in t h e
change in t h e l e n g t h s of r a i l w a y w h i c h r e m a i n e d in t h e h a n d s of t h e S o v ie t G o v e r n m e n t
at various d a t e s :
191 7 ...................................................
191 8 ...................................................
191 9 ....................................................
1920 ....................................................
192 1 ....................................................
59,2 8 0 versts.
25,1 0 8
—
29,5 1 6
—
53,261
—
6 1 ,2 1 0
—
In spite of t h e r e d u c e d a m o u n t of w o r k d o n e b y t h e r a il w a y s , t h e n u m b e r s e m p lo y e d
during rec en t y e a r s w e r e g r e a t e r t h a n
dency to d eclin e d u r i n g 1921.
before t h e w a r although th e y show ed a t e n ­
A ccording
to a wTell i n f o rm e d s o u rce t h e y h a v e sh o w n
the following c h a n g e s :
YEAR
1913.............................................................
1 9 1 5 .............................................................
J a n . 1, 1 9 2 1 ...........................................
J u n e 1, 1921 .
...................................
J a n . 1, 1922.............................................
NU MBER
815 ,5 02
90 5,2 89
1,229,051
1 ,0 5 7 ,8 9 0
933,472
In in d u s t ri a l e m p l o y m e n t g e n e r a l l y , h o w e v e r , i t w a s q u i t e im p o s s ib le t o c o n t i n u e to
support as m a n y w o r k e r s a s b e f o r e , a n d t h e c o n t i n u e d d e c a y of i n d u s t r i a l a c t i v i t y wTa s one
of the f a c t o r s wTh i c h p r o d u c e d a d e c lin e in p o p u l a t i o n in t h e cities of R u s s ia .
It has
already b e e n n o t e d t h a t as R u s s i a b e c a m e i n d u s t r i a l i s e d , m e n f r o m t h e c o u n t r y s i d e
became w a g e -e a rn e rs b u t r e t a i n e d t h e i r a s s o c i a t i o n w i t h t h e i r v illag e .
W h e n th e events
J9iS, No 10, and Ekono miche shay a, Zhizn 8th A pril, 1919, 10th Septem ber, 1919, and 17th March, 1910. cited by
AGORSk y in L a République des Soviets, P aris, 1921, p. 159.
For 1920-1922, see Bulletin of the People's Commissariat for W ays and Communications. 1922, Nos 1 and 4.
—
i6
—
of 1917, 1918 a n d 1919 b r o u g h t i n d u s t r y t o a s t a n d s t i l l , t h e s e w a g e - e a r n e r s d r ift e d back tn
t h e i r v il la g e s ( i).
T h e effec ts of t h e e c o n o m i c R e v o l u t i o n o n a g r i c u l t u r a l p r o d u c t i o n w e r e n o t less
se rio u s .
I n e s t i m a t i n g t h e m i t is n e c e s s a r y t o t a k e i n t o a c c o u n t t h e S o v i e t G o v e rn m e n t's
p o li c y r e l a t i n g t o t h e t e n u r e a n d w o r k i n g of t h e l a n d , a n d t h e d i s p o s a l of w h a t w as pro­
d u c e d u p o n it, t h e p e a s a n t s ’ a t t i t u d e o n t h e l a n d q u e s t i o n a n d t h e i r a c t i o n regarding it
a n d t h e effec t of b o t h t h e s e f a c t o r s in r e l a t i o n t o o n e a n o t h e r . E v e r sin c e 1861 t h e pea­
s a n t r y h a d r e g a r d e d t h e m s e l v e s as u n f a i r l y d e p r i v e d of t h e l a n d a s s i g n e d to th e pro­
p r i e t o r s a n d h a d a l w a y s b e e n r e a d y t o l i s te n t o a n y o n e w h o o ffe re d t o r e s t o r e to them
w h a t t h e y considered to b e th e ir te rrito ry .
B u t in t h i s m a t t e r t h e y h e l d a v e r y different
v i e w t o t h a t of t h e B o l s h e v i k s . T h e p e a s a n t s ’ d e s ire w a s to r e s u m e p o sse ssio n of these
l a n d s a n d h o l d t h e m , in s o m e ca se s u n d e r t h e r u le s ot t h e c o m m u n e , b u t in a n y case as
p riv a te p ro p erty .
T h e G o v e r n m e n t , o n t h e o t h e r h a n d , d e s i r e d t o socialise t h e land
t h a t is t o s a y , t o a b o l i s h p r o p e r t y in l a n d a n d t o a r r a n g e t h a t i t s h o u l d b e c u l t i v a t e d on
b e h a l f of t h e c o m m u n i t y , e i t h e r b y c o o p e r a t i v e e f f o rt or o n s o m e p l a n of S t a t e a d m in is tra ­
ti o n . B o t h sid e s a g r e e d o n t h e i n i t i a l s ta g e , n a m e l y t h e d isp o s se ssio n of t h e e x i s tin g holders,
w h ic h t h e p e a s a n ts h a d th e m s e lv e s b e g u n b efo re th e B o lsh ev ik s c a m e in to pow er.
But
f r o m t h i s p o i n t o n w a r d s t h e d i v e r g e n c e of v i e w b e c a m e m a r k e d a n d a l o n g s tr u g g le ensued
b e t w e e n t h e p a s s i v e r e s i s t a n c e of t h e p e a s a n t a g a i n s t t h e a b o l i t i o n of h is r i g h t to property
a n d t h e a t t e m p t s of t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t t o i n t r o d u c e a n e n t i r e l y n e w l a n d system.
T h e r e s u l t s of t h i s s t r u g g l e c a n b e s t b e j u d g e d f r o m t h e s p e e c h m a d e b y L en in to the
r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of o r g a n i s a t i o n s f o r p o l i t i c a l e d u c a t i o n , in O c t o b e r 1 9 2 1. " T h e defeat
w e h a v e su f fe re d o n t h e e c o n o m ic f r o n t a t t h e b e g i n n i n g of 19 2 1, in o u r a t t e m p t to make
a t r a n s i t i o n t o c o m m u n i s m , h a s b e e n m u c h m o r e s e r io u s t h a n a n y w e h a v e su ffered at
t h e h a n d s of K o l c h a k , D e n i k i n o r P i l s u d s k i . T h i s d e f e a t m e a n s t o u s - t h a t t h e economic
p o l i c y of o u r l e a d e r s h a s g o t e n t i r e l y o u t of t o u c h w i t h its b a s e a n d h a s u t t e r l y failed
t o ef f e c t a r e v i v a l of p r o d u c t i o n , w h i c h t h e p r o g r a m m e of o u r p a r t y r e g a r d s as its most
u r g e n t a n d f u n d a m e n t a l t a s k . T h e r e q u i s i t i o n s in t h e v il la g e s a n d t h e d i r e c t application
of c o m m u n i s t p r i n c i p l e s i n t h e t o w n s h a v e h i n d e r e d t h e r e v i v a l of p r o d u c t i o n a n d become
t h e m a i n c a u s e of t h e t r e m e n d o u s e c o n o m i c a n d p o l i t i c a l crisis w h i c h d e s c e n d e d upon
u s in t h e s p r i n g of 1921. T h i s is w h y e v e n t s h a v e h a p p e n e d w h i c h w e c a n n o t describe
(1) The num ber of in habitants is given below for a few of the more im p o rta n t cities of Russia in 1970,
w ith the figi'.res o t 1913 :
CI T IE S
P etro g rad ................................. • •
Moscow.....................................
Saratov.................................
K a z a n ..................................
Ivanovo-Voznesensk . . .
A s t r a k h a n ..........................
S am ara..................................
T u l a ......................................
Y a r o s l a v ..............................
191
.3
2 ,3 1 9 ,0 0 0
1920
7 0 6 .0 0 0
1 ,0 2 8 ,0 0 0
1 8 8 ,0 0 0
1 4 6 ,0 0 0
5 8 ,0 0 0
12j ,0 0 0
1 7 1 ,0 0 0
129,000
73,003
CI T IE S
Nizhny-N ovgorod.................
V ite b s k ..................................
Gomel.....................................
U f a ......................................
P e r m ......................... ....
T s a r its y n ..............................
I r k u t s k ..................................
Orel.........................................
1913
as compara!
1920
8 8 ,0 0 0
80.000
61,000
93 ,0 00
7 4 , oco
8 i,o co
100,000
64,003
from the p o i n t of v i e w of o u r g e n e r a l p o li c y , as a n y t h i n g b u t a h e a v y d e f e a t a n d
retreat.”
W h a t a c t u a l l y a p p e a r s t o h a v e h a p p e n e d in t h e c o u n t r y is t h a t d u r i n g 1918 a c e r t a i n
a m o u n t of
la n d w as fo u n d fo r th e p o p u la tio n m ig ra tin g fro m th e to w n s an d for som e
0f the la n dless p e a s a n t s in t h e c o u n t r y , a n d a c o n s i d e r a b l e q u a n t i t y of t e r r i t o r y in t h e
hands of p r o p r i e t o r s , a n d t o s o m e e x t e n t also in t h o s e of t h e r ic h e r p e a s a n t s w a s d i v i d e d
up r
It is difficult t o s a y p r e c i s e l y t o w h a t e x t e n t t h i s o c c u r r e d , b u t s o m e s t a t i s t i c s g i v e n
in the A n n e x o n L a n d T e n u r e a n d t h e A g r a r i a n L e g i s l a t i o n of t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t
show t h a t c o m p a r i n g 1 919 a n d 1917 t h e n u m b e r o f s m a ll a n d m o d e r a t e s iz e d h o l d i n g s
considerably i n c r e a s e d ; t h e n u m b e r of l a r g e r p e a s a n t h o ld i n g s d im in is h e d , a n d in 32 p r o ­
vinces of R u s s i a 85 % of t h e l a n d f o r m e r l y h e l d b y o t h e r t h a n p e a s a n t o w n e r s h a d b e e n
distributed a m o n g t h e p e a s a n t s .
T h i s , h o w e v e r , d i d n o t a d d m u c h to t h e t o t a l c u l t i ­
vated b y p e a s a n t s , s in c e t h e a r e a in E u r o p e a n R u s s i a in 1916 w a s d i v i d e d as follow s (1) :
P r o p r ie to r s ' la n d .
36.000.000 d e s y a t i n s of c u l t i v a t e d l a n d +
2 7 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s of w o o d l a n d .
P e a s a n ts ' la n d .
188.000.000 d e s y a t i n s .
It is s t a t e d b y a w r i t e r o n t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l s i t u a t i o n i n R u s s i a t h a t t h e n e t r e s u l t
was t h a t t h e a v e r a g e p e a s a n t - h o l d i n g i n 36 p r o v i n c e s p er c a p ita ro se f r o m 1.87 d e s y a t i n s
before t h e R e v o l u t i o n t o 2.25 d e s y a t i n s a f t e r i t (2).
In r e g a r d t o t h i s i t is i m p o r t a n t
to recognise t h a t t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t i n it s p o l i c y r e a l i s e d t h a t a n y t h i n g lik e a r e ­
establishment of t h e o ld c o m m u n e , w i t h i t s s c a t t e r e d s t r i p s of l a n d a n d c o n s t a n t r e d i s ­
tribution m e a n t t h e r e s t o r a t i o n of a c o m p a r a t i v e l y b a c k w a r d m e t h o d of a g r i c u l t u r e .
Nevertheless, i t s p l a n f o r e s t a b l i s h i n g S o v i e t f a r m s a n d fo r e n c o u r a g i n g c u l t i v a t i o n b y
communities o r o t h e r f o r m s of c o o p e r a t i o n f a il e d in f a c t to a c h ie v e success.
T h e m ajo r
ity of t h e s e e x p e r i m e n t s , w h i c h w e r e s t a r t e d l a r g e l y w i t h a v i e w to o r g a n is i n g e d u c a t i v e
institutions in R u s s i a n r u r a l life, fell a p r e y t o m i s m a n a g e m e n t , a n d f a i l e d t o p a y th e ir
way.
In m a n y ca se s, a s will b e se e n in A n n e x I., t h e l a n d s u s e d f o r S o v i e t f a r m s h a v e
been leased o u t t o p r i v a t e p e r s o n s o r c o m m u n i t i e s w illin g t o w o r k t h e m .
T h e general
position w a s , t h e r e f o r e , b y 1919 t h a t a g r i c u l t u r a l p r o d u c t i o n in R u s s i a w a s a l m o s t e n t i r e l y
in the h a n d s of t h e p e a s a n t , t h a t m a n y p e a s a n t s w h o h a d r e c e i v e d l a n d t a k e n f r o m f o r m e r
owners h a d n o t t h e m e a n s t o c u l t i v a t e it , e v e n if t h e y h a d h a d t h e i n c e n t i v e to do so
and t h a t th e m o r e a d v a n c e d m e t h o d s of p r o d u c t i o n w h i c h h a d f o r m e r l y o b t a i n e d on t h e
larger e s t a t e s h a d d i s a p p e a r e d .
A part f r o m t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t ’s p o li c y in r e g a r d t o l a n d t e n u r e , t h e p o li c y it
(1) Memorandum presented to the Genoa Conference by the representatives of the Union of Zemstvos living in Paris.
(2) See Mi. L e v in e 's article in Manchester Guardian Reconstruction Num ber 6 .
ECONOMIC C O N D I T I O N S I N R U S S I A
2
—
i8
—
p u r s u e d in r e g a r d t o t r a d e , t h e a c t u a l w o r k i n g of t h e l a n d a n d t h e e n j o y m e n t of its fruits
a ls o e x e r c i s e d a c o n s i d e r a b l e i n f l u e n c e in d i s o r g a n i s i n g a g r i c u l t u r a l p r o d u c t i o n .
Decrees
p a s s e d i n O c t o b e r 1917 a n d F e b r u a r y , 1918, g a v e t h e S t a t e a m o n o p o l y of i n t e r n a l and
e x t e r n a l t r a d e in g r a i n , a n d f o r b a d e t h e u se of h i r e d l a b o u r . A f u r t h e r decree, passed
i n M a y , 1918 (1), e n t i t l e d e a c h a g r i c u l t u r a l i s t to p u t a s i d e a q u a n t i t y of g r a i n sufficient
fo r s o w i n g h is l a n d a n d f o r h is o w n f o o d r e q u i r e m e n t s , a c c o r d i n g t o a n official scale laid
d o w n f r o m t i m e to t i m e .
T h e r e m a i n d e r of his p r o d u c e w a s t o b e a t t h e disposal of the
S o v i e t a u t h o r i t i e s u n d e r t h r e a t of t e n y e a r s ’ i m p r i s o n m e n t a n d t h e c o n f is c a tio n of his
g o o d s . T h e s e r u le s w e r e v a r i e d b y s u b s e q u e n t d e c r e e s b u t t h i s g e n e r a l p r i n c i p l e prevailed
b o t h b e f o r e a n d d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d of t h e C iv il W a r . T h e p e a s a n t w a s , th e r e f o r e , only
a s s u r e d of h is official r a t i o n a n d m i g h t b e d e p r i v e d of w h a t e v e r he p r o d u c e d a b o v e that
a m o u n t. T h e p la n th u s r e m o v e d an in c en tiv e to increase p ro d u c tio n .
In m a n y cases
all s t o c k s a c c u m u l a t e d f r o m f o r m e r h a r v e s t s w e r e t a k e n f r o m t h e p e a s a n t s an d , as such
r e q u i s i t i o n s w e r e c o n t i n u e d d u r i n g t h e g r e a t e r p a r t of 1920, it is n o t r e m a r k a b l e that
t h e p e a s a n t s in s o m e of t h e f a m i n e s t r i c k e n p r o v i n c e s s h o u l d r e g a r d t h e m as o n e of the
c a u s e s of t h e f a m i n e in 1921.
E a r l y in 1921, it is t r u e , t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t , as part
of t h e c h a n g e of e c o n o m i c p o li c y , decicjed t o a b a n d o n t h e r e q u i s i t i o n s a n d to substitute
a t a x i n k i n d , b a s e d u p o n t h e a m o u n t of p r o d u c t i o n f r o m t h e l a n d .
T h i s involved a
v e r y r a d i c a l d e p a r t u r e of p r i n c i p l e , f o r t h e m e t h o d o f a s s e s s m e n t , of w h i c h som e des­
c r i p t i o n is g i v e n i n A n n e x I., w o u l d in t h e o r y l e a v e t o t h e p e a s a n t s o m e proportion
of t h e s u r p l u s w h i c h h e m i g h t p r o d u c e in e x c e s s of h is o w n r e q u i r e m e n t s , t h u s giving
h i m s o m e i n c e n t i v e to p r o d u c e a s u r p l u s , of w h i c h h e w a s fre e t o d is p o s e if he could,
B u t as a r e s u l t of t h e p o l i c y p r e v i o u s l y p u r s u e d , t h e m a r k e t , b o t h as r e g a r d s agricul­
t u r e a n d i n d u s t r y , h a d c e a s e d t o e x i s t a n d w i t h i t a g r i u c l t u r a l p r o d u c t i o n had
d w i n d l e d to so lo w a le v e l t h a t t h e r e w a s h a r d l y a n y s u r p l u s a t all.
T h i s b ein g the
ca se , t h e p e a s a n t h a d b e e n le d t o r e d u c e t h e a r e a u n d e r c u l t i v a t i o n of c e rea ls intended
f o r t h e m a r k e t — f o r e x a m p l e , w h e a t a n d b a r l e y — a n d to r e p l a c e t h e m b y rye and
o a t s , t h a t is to s a y , b y wTh a t wras m o s t e s s e n t i a l f o r t h e s a t i s f a c t i o n of his personal
needs.
F o r e x a m p l e , in 1916 w h e a t f o r m e d 6.1
% of t h e a r e a u n d e r c u ltiv a tio n in
E u r o p e a n R u s s i a a n d t h e U k r a i n e , a n d b y 1919 h a d f a l l e n t o 4 .2 % . R y e , on the
o t h e r h a n d , h a d r i s e n f r o m 4 2 .7 % in 1916 to 4 9.2 % in 1919.
F l a x h a d decreased
f r o m 4 .4 % in 19x6 to 3.3 % in 1919, a n d h a d b a r l e y d e c r e a s e d s l i g h t l y fro m 4.2
t o 2.7 % (2).
T h e c r i t i c a l s i t u a t i o n c r e a t e d t o a c o n s i d e r a b l e e x t e n t b y t h e a g r a r i a n policy of the
S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t b y 1921, a s a d m i t t e d b y L e n i n in t h e s p e e c h q u o t e d a b o v e , gave
r is e t o a s i g n i f i c a n t s e rie s of d e c r e e s i n t h a t y e a r , t o o n e of w h i c h — t h a t acco rd in g the
p e a s a n t t h e r i g h t t o d o w h a t h e l i k e d w i t h c e r t a i n of h is s u r p l u s p r o d u c e — r e fe r e n c e has
been
p reviously
m ade.
F ollo w in g
these
changes
it
becam e
possible
for holdings
(1) See Decree of the All-Russian Central E xecutive Com m ittee on extraordinary powers conferred on the People;
Com m issariat for Food, 13th May, 1918.
(2) See Professor K o n d r a t i e v , Agricultural and Forest Economy, Nos
for A griculture, 1 9 2 2 .
t
and 2, published by the People’s C om m issariat
—
19
—
which could n o t b e f a r m e d a d e q u a t e l y o w i n g t o s h o r t a g e of l a b o u r i m p l e m e n t s , a n d
c a ttle to be l e a s e d t o o t h e r s w h o w e r e b e t t e r a b l e t o f a r m t h e l a n d effec tiv e ly .
T h is
in d ic a te s
S oviet
a process q u ite c o n t r a r y to t h a t w hich h as been o b se rv e d from th e tim e th e
G o v e r n m e n t c a m e i n t o p o w e r u p to 1921.
As a m a t t e r of f a c t b y 1920 t h e le g is ­
lation of th e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t f o r b i d d i n g t h e e m p l o y m e n t of h i r e d l a b o u r a n d t h e
a c q u i s i t io n b y i n d i v i d u a l s or c o m m u n i t i e s of m o r e l a n d t h a n w a s a c t u a l l y n e c e s s a r y to
p r o v id e
for t h e i r p r i m a r y n e e d s , h a d b e c o m e a d e a d l e t t e r , as is se en in r e c e n t B o l s h e v i k
p u b lic a tio n s
on a g r ic u ltu r a l questions.
T h u s t h e S o v ie t G o v e r n m e n t w e r e o n ly g iv i n g
legal sa n ctio n t o w h a t h a d b e c o m e t h r o u g h o u t R u s s i a a m o r e or less g e n e r a l p r a c t i c e
of l e t t i n g o u t l a n d w h i c h c o u l d n o t o t h e r w i s e b e c u l t i v a t e d t o t h e less i m p o v e r i s h e d
farmers w ho h a d s u c c e e d e d in w e a t h e r i n g b e t t e r t h a n t h e i r less p r o s p e r o u s fellows t h e
stormy p erio d of t h e R e v o l u t i o n p r e c e d i n g t h e close of t h e Civil W a r . F r o m t h i s t i m e
onward th e t e n d e n c y to s p l i t u p t h e l a r g e r f a r m s b e g a n to d i s a p p e a r a n d g r a d u a l l y a n
t e n d e n c y o f t h e l a r g e r f a r m s t o i n c r e a s e in size is seen. T h i s w a s c h iefly d u e
to the fa c t t h a t t h e m i d d l e - s i z e d f a r m s p r o v e d m o r e a n d m o r e d iffic u lt to r u n , ow in g to
o p p o site
lack of la b o u r a n d t h e a b s e n c e of m e a n s t o h i r e l a b o u r w h i c h t h e r i c h e r p e a s a n t s s e e m e d
to have p o sse ssed i n m a n y c a se s : t o t h e l a c k of i m p l e m e n t s a n d c a t t l e in w h ic h t h e
richer p e a s a n t s in m a n y ca se s a p p e a r to h a v e f o u n d t h e m s e l v e s f a r b e t t e r off t h a n
the middle a n d p o o r p e a s a n t s a t t h e clo se of t h e Civil W a r p e r i o d .
F r o m th i s t i m e t h e
middle-sized f a r m s b e g a n t o s p l i t u p m o r e a n d m o r e , p a r t of t h e l a n d t h u s d iv i d e d
going to in c re a se t h e size of t h e l a r g e r f a r m s a n d t h e r e s t t o sw ell t h e n u m b e r of s m a ll
holdings.
In a d d i tio n to t h e f a c t o r s c o n t r i b u t i n g t o t h e d e c lin e in a g r i c u l t u r a l p r o d u c t i o n
described a b o v e , t h e Civil W a r , w h i c h l a s t e d f r o m 1918 t o 1920, a f f e c te d r u r a l life m o r e
or less serio usly a t v a r i o u s t i m e s o v e r a g r e a t p a r t of R u s s ia .
In E u ro p e a n R ussia th e
following p r o v in c e s ( a c c o r d i n g t o t h e p r e - r e v o l u t i o n a r y a d m i n i s t r a t i v e d iv isio n s of
Russia) were, e i t h e r w h o l l y o r p a r t i a l l y a t o n e p e r i o d or a n o t h e r , t h e sc e n e of m i l i t a r y
operations :
(a)
The Central A g r ic u ltu r a l P ro v in c e s
Tula.
(b)
T h e U rals P ro v in c e s a n d S ib e ria
Perm .
T y u m e n ( f o r m e r l y T o b o ls k ) .
Tam bov.
Orel.
O renburg.
O m sk.
Tom sk.
(c)
Eastern S ib e r ia :
Enisei.
(d)
C entral A s ia :
T u rk estan .
(f)
T h e U k ra in e P ro v in c e s :
Irkutsk.
Amour P r o v i n c e s .
(e)
South R u s s ia n P r o v in c e s :
Kharkov.
Crimea.
K herson.
Podolia.
—
(e)
20
—
(f) T h e U k r a in e P ro v in c e s (continued)
K ie v .
S o u th R u s s i a n P r o v in c e s ( c o n ti n u e d ) :
D on C ossack T e rrito ry .
V olhynia.
P o ltav a.
C h e rn i g o v .
E k atcrin o sla v .
(g)
T h e U p p e r a n d M id d le V o lg a P ro v in c e s :
(h) N o r th e r n a n d N o r th -W e s te r n Provinces
A rc h an g e l.
S arato v .
A strak h an .
O lo n e t s .
P etro g rad .
S am ara.
V y atk a.
Pskov.
V itebsk.
S m o le n s k .
U fa.
M og ilev.
S im birsk.
K azan.
(i) N o r th C a u c a su s P ro v in c e s :
S tavropol.
K uban.
I n e s t i m a t i n g t h e effec t of t h e Civil W a r on t h e e c o n o m i c s i t u a t i o n in R u s s ia , it is
of v a l u e t o b e a r in m i n d t h a t t h e U k r a i n e p r o v i n c e s a b o v e p r o d u c e d b efo re th e War
(1913) 8 8 1 ,9 6 1 ,4 0 0 p o o d s — 18 p e r c e n t of t h e p r o d u c t i o n of t h e R u s s i a n Empire—
t h a t t h e M id d l e a n d L o w e r V o lg a P r o v i n c e s p r o d u c e d 7 7 2 ,2 5 9 ,9 0 0 p o o d s — 16 p e r cent of
t h e t o t a l — a n d t h a t t h e l a t t e r a r e a s u f fe re d g r e a t l y , w h o l e h a r v e s t s b e in g lost in
c e r t a i n a r e a s d u r i n g s e v e r e f ig h tin g .
I t is d iffic u lt t o s u m u p t h e effect of t h e s e v a r y i n g i n f l u e n c e s in fig ures, b u t the fol­
lo w i n g s t a t e m e n t c o n t a i n s a c o m p a r i s o n w h i c h is b e l i e v e d t o b e r e a s o n a b l y so u nd , for
t h e r e a s o n s s t a t e d in t h e A n n e x u p o n A g r i c u l t u r a l S t a t i s t i c s .
H a r v e s t of cereal cro ps fo r the area fo r m in g S o v ie t R u s s i a but e x clu d in g
T u r k e s ta n a n d T ra n sc a u c a sia .
I9 0 9 -I9 1 3
Harvest :
(in million poods) . .
A rea sown :
(in million desyatins).
. .
. .
(l)
4,079
81.2
1916
3,955
82.5
I9 2 0 (2)
1 ,738
56.8
I921
1,617
49 ■I
(1) Recueil de Données statistiques, published b y th e Russian M inistry of A griculture, 1915.
(2) The figures for 1920 an d 1921 are taken from h arvest statistics supplied to Dr. N ansen’s Representative in Moscow
b y M. Popov, Chief of th e Central S tatistical Bureau of the Soviet Government. According to an article by M. P o p o v published
in Ekonomicheskaya Zhizn for th e 30th September, 1921 and to statem ents m ade by him to Dr. Nansen’s Représentatif
the figures for 1921 are 25% higher th an th e actual figures received by M. Popov from the local authorities in the various
Provinces of Russia. M. Popov m aintains th a t the tendency of the local au th orities to show dim inished returns, in order
to avoid taxation, led h im to adopt th is m ethod in establishing his harvest statistics. (See also Chapter IV.). In regard to
—
21
I
----
9 ° 9- I 9 T3
1916
1920
1921
Yield per desyatin :
(in p o o d s ) .........................................
50
48
30.6
3 2 .6
N et crop after deducting allow­
ance for seed :
(in million poods) . . . .
E xp o rt .....................................................
N et am ount available for con­
sum ption :
(in million poods) . . . .
3 ,4 2 9
604
3 ,29 5
—
1 ,2 84
—
1 , 2 2 6 (1 )
—
2,8 25
3 ,29 5
1,2 84
1,226
The follow ing t a b l e s h o w s t h e d e c r e a s e in t h e n u m b e r of l i v e s t o c k p r i o r to t h e f a m i n e
of 1921 (2) :
1 9 16
H o r s e s ............................
C a ttl e ................................
S h e e p ................................
G o a t s ................................
Pigs.....................................
1920 -1 9 2 1
31, 7 0 0 ,0 0 0
50,500,000
79,00 0 ,00 0
3 ,2 00 ,0 0 0
19,800,000
F a ll %
23 , 7 0 0 ,0 0 0
35,200,000
4 4 , 8 0 0 ,0 0 0
2,400,000
1 3 ,5 0 0 ,0 0 0
25 .3
30 .3
4 3 .3
25.0
31.8
W ith th is r e d u c t i o n in t h e n u m b e r sf t h e h o r s e s , c a t t l e , etc., t h e c h a r a c t e r of t h e
crops so w n h a s g r a d u a l l y c h a n g e d .
I n 1906 w h e a t a n d r y e c o n s t i t u t e d 6 5.2 ° / 0 of t h e
area u n d e r t h e c h ie f c e r e a l c r o p s , w h ile in 1920 a n d 1921 t h e p r o p o r t i o n h a d risen to
68.8 an d 69.4 r e s p e c t i v e l y .
T h i s i n c r e a s e w a s a t t h e e x p e n s e of o a t s a n d b a r l e y (3).
ihese statistics the reports received from D r. Nansen’s R epresentatives in the Fam ine Area suggest th a t th e officially
published figures are in m any cases m uch higher th a n the actu al yield of th e harvest.
Mr. Webster, for exam ple, of th e Save the Children F und , reported th a t the harvest of 1921 in th e Saratov Province
was 13 million poods as against M. Popov’s figure of 18 m illion, while M. Babka, the Czecho-Slovak delegate gives the 1921
harvest in the Sam ara Province as 3,150,000 poods as against M. Popov’s figure of 7,032,000.
(1) 8 poods are usually allowed for sowing each desyatin.
(2) Oga n o v s k y , Russian Economist, p . 2 ,0 5 2 .
(3) The fall in crops relating to m anufacturing enterprises was greater still, as will be seen in th e following tables
Area and yield 0/ flax.
CROP Y IE L D E D
A R E A s o ' TO
years
(ooo’s poods)
(ooo’s desyatms)
776.2
14, 722.7
I I ,690.0
1 9 1 8 ..................................................................................................
7 6 0 .6
1 0 , 5 1 1 -O
J9T9 ....................................................................................
549
192 0 ..................................................................................................
4 8 T .0
1 9 1 6 ............................................................................
1 ,0 8 3 .1
I9 Z7 ....................................................................................
192 1 ...........................................................................
about
4 0 0 .0
5 >°57-7
4 ,5 0 0 .°
5 ,5 0 0 .0 —6,000
about
Area and yield of beetroots.
CR OP Y I E L D E D
Y EA RS
A R EA SOWN
(in desyatms)
(in berkovetr, i berkovetz. = 10 poods)
,
.........................................................................................
I 9 I 5 " i 9 i 6 .........................................................................................
1916-191 7.........................................................................................
6 9 7 ,3 7 3
6 8 2 ,2 5 7
6 1 3 ,1 1 4
6 2 887,083
1917-1918............................................................................
539,393
37,557,201
17,668,250
11,815,252
1918-191 9 .........................................................................................
............................................................................
1920-1921.........................................................................................
4 1 1 ,3 3 0
387,437
1 8 0 ,3 2 7
56
44
,,
0 5 6 ,3 3 3
1 6 8 ,1 6 6
4 , 3° > .5°6
—
22
—
T h e f ig u r e s f o r t h e a r e a s o w n w i t h g r a i n c r o p s m e n t i o n e d a b o v e , p r e s e n t th e most
f a v o u r a b l e b a s i s of c o m p a r i s o n , fo r in t h e S o v i e t P r e s s a n d in t h e sp e e c h e s of Soviet
M i n i s t e r s , i t h a s b e e n s t a t e d t h a t t h e a r e a s o w n w a s less t h a n o n e - h a l f of t h e area sown
i n 1916, w h e r e a s t h i s t a b l e show's a r e d u c t i o n of 4 3 % o n ly . T h e c o m p a r i s o n with the
p r e - W a r s i t u a t i o n s h o w s a s i m i l a r r e d u c t i o n f r o m 50 t o 29.5. A g a i n t h e y ie ld p e r desvatin
s h o w s a m o s t s e r io u s r e d u c t i o n f r o m 50 t o 30 1/2 p o o d s p e r d e s y a t i n , o w in g t o th e causes
a l r e a d y r e f e r r e d t o a n d t o t h e r a v a g e s of in s e c t s .
W h e t h e r t h e f ig u re s in t h e preceding
t a b l e a r e a c c e p t e d o r t h e m o r e p e s s i m i s t i c f ig u re s w h i c h w o u l d r e s u l t if 25 % wrere deducted
f r o m M. P o p o v ’s f ig u re s f o r t h e 1921 h a r v e s t , it is e v i d e n t t h a t in e i t h e r case the food
p r o b l e m h a d b e c o m e o n e of t h e u t m o s t u r g e n c y .
I n d e e d i t r e q u i r e s s o m e explanation
t o s h o w h o w e v e n in 1920 R u s s i a m a n a g e d t o liv e a t all on h a l f h e r f o r m e r production.
W e h a v e s h o w n a t t h e o u t s e t t h a t e x p o r t n o r m a l l y a c c o u n t e d f o r 16 % o f R u s s i a ’s cereal
c r o p , w h i l e t h e r e w a s r o o m f o r c o n s i d e r a b l e e c o n o m y in r e g a r d t o b a r l e y , so m e of which
w a s u s e d f o r t h e m a n u f a c t u r e of v o d k a . B u t t h e s e a l l o w a n c e s w o u l d n o t account for
t h e d if f e r e n c e , a n d in c o n s i d e r i n g t h e effect of t h e lo w o u t p u t o n c o n s u m p tio n , it is
i m p o r t a n t t o e x a m i n e w h a t h a d h a p p e n e d t o R u s s i a ’s p o p u l a t i o n .
A c c o r d i n g to t h e A g r i c u l t u r a l I n s t i t u t e of R o m e , w h i c h h a s e n d e a v o u r e d to recon­
cile t h e n e w a r e a s of R u s s i a w i t h p r e - W a r R u s s i a , t h e c h a n g e in p o p u l a t i o n has been
a s fo llo w s :
R U S S IA I N E U R O P E
including
the Ukraine
1914
1920
..................................
..................................
1 0 9 ,i 10,000
1 0 1 ,7 34 ,0 00
R u ssia in a s ia
26,4 8 8 ,0 0 0
2 9 ,8 1 2 ,0 0 0
to ta l
1 3 5 ,5 9 8 ,0 0 0
131,546,000
( T h e s e fig u re s e x c l u d e 2 8 ,5 7 1 ,0 0 0 in P o l a n d , t h e B a l t i c S t a t e s , etc., w h ic h no longer
f o r m p a r t of R u s s i a .
T h e s e fig u re s c o n c e a l u n d e r a g e n e r a l t o t a l a n u m b e r of in f lu e n c e s t e n d i n g to bring
a b o u t depopulation.
In a n a r t i c l e b y M. M i k h a i l o v s k i (1), a c o m p a r i s o n is given for a
c o n s i d e r a b l y m o r e r e s t r i c t e d a r e a t h a n is d e a l t w i t h a b o v e , w h i c h s h o w s a reduction'
of 9 m illio n s . B u t h e p o i n t s o u t t h a t if t h e r a t e of n a t u r a l i n c r e a s e b e f o r e t h e W a r had
c o n t i n u e d , t h e r e w o u l d h a v e b e e n a n in c re a s e of a b o u t 12 m illions. T h e decline is attri­
b u t e d t o t h e f o llo w in g ca u s e s :
(a) E m i g r a t i o n f o llo w in g t h e Civil W a r , w h i c h is e s t i m a t e d a t 2 millions;
(b) m i l i t a r y lo sses in t h e E u r o p e a n W a r , e s t i m a t e d a t 2 1/2 millions;
(c) loss of life in t h e Civil W a r , n o t less t h a n 1 m illio n , a n d
(d.) s u r p l u s m o r t a l i t y , d u e to t h e g r e a t ep id e m ic s , e s t i m a t e d a t 3 1/2 millions,
t h o u g h s o m e a u t h o r i t i e s c o n s i d e r th i s a n u n d e r - e s t i m a t e .
T h e s e fig u re s w o u l d n o t , h o w e v e r , h a v e p r o d u c e d a n a c t u a l d e c lin e if o t h e r influences
affecting b ir th s a n d d e a th s h a d b ee n norm al.
T h e r e h a s h o w e v e r b e e n a v e r y heavy
f a ll in t h e b i r t h - r a t e , a n d i n fifte e n P r o v i n c e s , w h o s e r e t u r n s w e r e c o n s i d e r e d b y the Cen­
t r a l S t a t i s t i c a l B u r e a u to b e m o r e o r less c o m p l e t e , t h e d e a t h r a t e e v e r y w h e r e exceeded
(1) M- M ikhailovsky is head of the S tatistical D epartm ent of the Moscow Soviet-
—
23
—
the birth r a te .
e x tre m e ly
I n t h e s e P r o v i n c e s t h e b i r t h - r a t e h a s d e c lin e d b y m o r e t h a n 40 % f r o m t h e
h ig h a v e r a g e — 45 p e r t h o u s a n d of t h e p o p u l a t i o n r e g i s t e r e d b e f o r e t h e W a r (1).
T he r e d u c t i o n in p o p u l a t i o n w o u l d e x p l a i n a f u r t h e r s m a ll fall in t h e q u a n t i t i e s of
food
r eq u ired
for
co n su m p tio n .
But
these
three
deductions
o n ly
account
at
the m o st fo r 30 % of t h e p r e - W a r c r o p a n d t h e r e m a i n d e r r e p r e s e n t s a r e a l fall in t h e
am ount
consum ed p e r head.
E x c l u d i n g T r a n s c a u c a s i a a n d T u r k e s t a n a n d allo w in g
for th e fa c t t h a t t h e p o p u l a t i o n of R u s s i a w a s i n c r e a s i n g r a p i d l y b e f o r e t h e w a r , t h e
population of S o v i e t R u s s i a i n c l u d i n g S i b e r i a a n d t h e U k r a i n e in 1 9 11 w o u ld b e a p p r o x i ­
mately 117 l / 2 m illio n s.
A c c o r d i n g t o t h e p r e c e d in g s t a t e m e n t , t h e c e rea ls a v a i l a b l e
for c o n su m ption f o r t h i s n u m b e r is a b o u t 24 p o o d s p e r h e a d i. e. a b o u t 395 k i l o g r a m m e s .
According to t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e of R o m e t h e c o r r e s p o n d i n g figure, e x c lu d in g
millet a n d s o m e m i n o r c e r e a ls w h i c h a r e i n c l u d e d in t h e R u s s i a n figu re, w a s for t h e s a m e
period 410 k i l o g r a m m e s in R u m a n i a a n d
500 k i l o g r a m m e s in H u n g a r y .
S im il a r s t a ­
tistics for r e c e n t y e a r s a r e m u c h less e a s y t o o b t a i n o w in g to c h a n g i n g b o u n d a r i e s , a n d
other causes b u t in R u m a n i a t h e f ig u re s of t h e A g r i c u l t u r a l I n s t i t u t e s e e m to i n d i c a t e
a consumption in 1920 of 405 k i l o g r a m m e s in R u m a n i a a n d 450 k i l o g r a m m e s in H u n g a r y .
In R ussia, on t h e o t h e r h a n d t h e n e t c r o p , i n c l u d i n g m ille t, etc., o n ly a f f o rd e d 182 K ilo ­
grammes.
If w h e a t a n d r y e o n l y a r e t a k e n i n t o a c c o u n t , t h e q u a n t i t y a v a i l a b l e f o r c o n ­
sumption w a s 1,670 m i llio n p o o d s b e f o r e t h e w a r or 14 1/4 p o o d s (235 kilos) p e r h e a d .
An exact c o m p u t a t i o n f o r 1920 is n o t p o s s i b l e , b u t a s s u m i n g t h a t t h e p r o p o r t i o n of m ille t,
maize, etc., h a d n o t i n c r e a s e d a t t h e e x p e n s e of w h e a t a n d r y e , t h e q u a n t i t y of t h e t w o
latter cereals in t h e 1920 h a r v e s t a f t e r a l l o w i n g for seed w a s 840 m illio n p o o d s or 7-3 p o o d s
(120 kilos) p e r h e a d .
I t is e v i d e n t , t h e r e f o r e , t h a t w i t h suc h r e d u c e d s u p p li e s a n y lo cal
shortage w o u ld b r i n g a b o u t a s t a t e of s t a r v a t i o n in t h e d i s t r i c t a n d t h r e a t e n t h e s u p p li e s
of seed corn n e e d e d f o r f u t u r e s o w in g . T h i s a c t u a l l y h a p p e n e d in 1920 in t h e V o lg a
Provinces, a n d a p a r t i a l f a m i n e w a s t h e r e s u l t .
In t h i s a r e a a n d in t h e p r o v i n c e s of
Northern R u s s i a w h i c h n o r m a l l y i m p o r t e d g r a i n for t h e i r o w n c o n s u m p t i o n , t h e crop
failure an d t h e n e e d s of t h e t o w n s m a d e i t im p o s s ib le f o r t h e p e a s a n t s t o k ee p e n o u g h
grain o u t of t h e 1920 h a r v e s t t o so w w i n t e r o r s p r i n g c r o p s f o r t h e e n s u i n g y e a r .
ft) The following are th e d a ta for the 15 Provinces :
City of P e tr o g r a d ..................................................................... ■ •
C h e re p o v e ts ...............................................................................
N o v g o r o d ...................................................................................
T v e r..............................................................................................
Smolensk......................................................................................
Government of M o s c o w ........................................................
Ci tv of Moscow......................................................................... . .
Ryazan.......................................................................................... . •
O re l...............................................................................................
Kostroma...................................................................................... ■ •
Ivanovo-Voznesensk................................................................
N izhny-N evgorod.....................................................................
Penza ...........................................................................................
Vyatka...........................................................................................
Perm......................... .... .............................................................
Birth-rate
22.3
Death -rate
89-5
2Q.6
29.7
21.9
25.4
33-2
25-3
27.0
33*4
40.8
46.2
27.2
3 6 .4
4 9.6
46.3
33-8
40 .8
2-1-1
26.0
Natuial
decrease
67.2
5-6
r -3
0.9
3-7
T3-3
24.3
1.8
12.2
16.4
13-5
8.9
12. 8
7-9
7.0
The
—
24
—
G o v e r n m e n t , t h e r e f o r e , l e n t t h e m se e d s o u t o f s t o c k s of g r a i n l e v i e d f r o m o t h e r p ro v in c e s
a n d a v i g o r o u s c a m p a i g n , l a r g e l y c a r r i e d on b y t h e lo c al “ s o w in g c o m m i t t e e s ’’, w a s laun­
ched to raise th e a r e a u n d e r cu ltiv a tio n .
I t is c l a i m e d t h a t in m a n y d is t r i c t s th is cam­
p a i g n i n c r e a s e d t h e a r e a s o w n , b u t t h e s t a t i s t i c s of t h e h a r v e s t of 1921 sh ow t h a t this
w a s o n l y a c h i e v e d in s o m e of t h e n o r t h e r n p r o v i n c e s . I n t h e U k r a i n e i t is claim ed that
t h e a r e a w a s p r a c t i c a l l y m a i n t a i n e d b u t in e v e r y o t h e r p a r t of R u s s i a t h e so w n area
c o n tin u e d to dim inish.
S u c h w a s t h e p r e c a r i o u s p o s i t i o n of a g r i c u l t u r e w h e n t h e d ro u g h t
of 1921, t h e effec ts of w h i c h a r e d e s c r i b e d in t h e n e x t c h a p t e r , fell u p o n t h e p r o v i n c e s
of t h e V o l g a a n d t h e S o u t h e r n U k r a i n e .
F i n a l l y , t h e e v e n t s w h i c h h a v e b e e n d e s c r i b e d w e r e a c c o m p a n i e d b y a g r e a t fallingoff in f o r e ig n t r a d e , firs t o n a c c o u n t of t h e W o r l d W a r w h i c h led, i n f a c t , to an effec­
t i v e b l o c k a d e of R u s s i a , a n d b e t w e e n 1918 a n d 1920 b y t h e a c t u a l b l o c k a d e maintained
b y t h e A llied P o w e r s .
I t w a s o n l y in 1921 t h a t c o m m e r c i a l r e l a t i o n s w e r e resumed and
t h e n o n l y on a v e r y s m a l l a n d u n e v e n s c ale c o m p a r e d w i t h R u s s i a ’s f o r e ig n t r a d e returns
before th e w ar.
T h e fo llo w in g t a b l e s h o w s t h e a m o u n t of R u s s i a ’s i m p o r t s a n d e x p o r t s , th e ir total
a n d t h e d if fe r e n c e b e t w e e n t h e m f o r t h e y e a r s 1913-21 (1).
IMPORTS
(in m illio n p o o d s )
1909-1913
..................
1914...................................
1915...................................
1916...................................
191 7 ...................................
1921. . ............................
.
•
.
.
•
•
.
•
.
.
-
•
7 8 1 .9
5 5 2 .9
109.2
176.5
1 74 .0
55-3
EXPORTS
(in m i l l i o n p o o d s )
1 , 3 2 1 .3
7 8 8 .9
1 25 .0
140.5
5 8 .2
1 2.9
BALANCE
(E x c e s s o f im po
a n d excess
o f e xp o rts)
— 539-4
— 256.0
— 15.6
+
3 6.0
+ 117.8
+ 4 2 .4
T h e c o r r e s p o n d i n g v a l u e s of i m p o r t s a n d e x p o r t s in g o ld r o u b l e s a r e a s foil
IMPORTS
EX PO R TS
BALANCE
(m illio n s g o ld ro u b les)
1 9 0 9 - 1 9 1 3 .......................
1 9 1 4 ...................................
I 9 I 5 ...................................
1916...................................
I 9 I 7 ...................................
1921...................................
• ■
• •
1,003
• •
1,71 6
939
1,422
866
414
2 48 .5
476
418
20 .2
—
419
+
73
+
377
+ 1,240
+ 1,400
+
228.
Of t h e i m p o r t s in 1921, 36.3 % in w e i g h t c o n s is te d of f ood p r o d u c t s , 29.3 % coal and
20.3 % m i n e r a l a n d m e t a l p r o d u c t s . T h u s f o o d f o r m e d o n e - t h i r d of t h e im ports as
(1) See “Compte rendu sur le commerce extérieur de la Russie. E d itio n A nnuaire du M inistère de l ’Ihdustrie et du Com­
merce” (in French and Russian) for pre-R evolutionary period and u p to October, 1917. A fter October, 1917, see Bulletin
of the People’s Commissariat for Foreign Trade, 1921-1922, and also Ekonomicheskaya Zhizn for 2 ts t F ebruary of 28th Sep­
tem ber, T922.
—
25
—
against 13-7 in IÇH3 . F o o d i m p o r t s w h i c h t o t a l l e d 249,755 p o o d s a n d c o n s t i t u t e d 8 . 5 %
of the to ta l i m p o r t s d u r i n g t h e f irs t q u a r t e r of 1921, f o r m e d 7 ,9 07,62 2 p o o d s o r 4 0 . 1 %
of the to ta l i m p o r t e d d u r i n g t h e l a s t q u a r t e r , t h e s e f ig u re s b e i n g la r g e ly d u e to p u r c h a s e s
made in c o n n e c t io n w i t h t h e f a m i n e relief.
From 1920 o n w a r d s f o r e i g n t r a d e h a s b e e n c a r r i e d o n b y t h e P e o p l e ’s C o m m i s s a r i a t
for Foreign T r a d e — a G o v e r n m e n t d e p a r t m e n t w h i c h w a s g i v e n a c o m p l e t e m o n o p o l y
of Russia’s i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o m m e r c e in a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t ’s p o lic y
of state control.
Chapter III.
T H E F A M IN E OF 1921
T h e s e r io u s s i t u a t i o n r e v e a l e d b y t h e r e s u l t s of t h e 1920 h a r v e s t le d to considerable
a c t i v i t y in t h e a u t u m n of t h a t y e a r in t h e f o r m a t i o n of " s o w i n g c o m m i t t e e s ” th rou gh o u t
C e n t r a l R u s s i a a n d t h e s o u t h - e a s t e r n p r o v in c e s .
I t is c l a i m e d t h a t in s o m e cases the
e f f o rts of t h e s e c o m m i t t e e s w e r e so s u c c e s s fu l t h a t t h e r e w a s a c t u a l l y a n in c re a se ov e r the
a r e a s o w n f o r t h e h a r v e s t of 1920. B u t , u n f o r t u n a t e l y , a n y s u c h su c ce ss w a s m o r e than
c o u n t e r b a l a n c e d b y t h e c o n t i n u e d in f lu e n c e of t h e c a u se s w h i c h h a d a l r e a d y reduced
t h e c u l t i v a t e d a r e a of R u s s i a ; a n d t h o u g h t h e a r e a s o w n s l i g h t l y in c r e a s e d in th e consum­
in g p r o v i n c e s , i t fell c o n s i d e r a b l y in t h e p r o d u c i n g re g io n s of C e n t r a l R u s s i a a n d the
M id d l e a n d L o w e r V o l g a ; in t h e d i s t r i c t s p a r t i c u l a r l y a ffe c te d b y w h a t w e h a v e called the
p a r t i a l f a m i n e of 1920 i t d r o p p e d b y 25 % .
T a k i n g t h e f ig u re s of t h e C e n t r a l Statistical
B u r e a u t h e s o w n a r e a fo r t h e w h o l e of R u s s i a ( e x c lu d in g t h e C a u c a s u s a n d T urkestan]
fell f r o m 57 m i llio n d e s y a t i n s to 4 9 m illio n d e s y a t i n s in 1921 (1). I n s p i t e of th e abnor­
m a l c o n d i t i o n s of d r o u g h t in t h e V o l g a a n d S o u t h e r n U k r a i n e p r o v i n c e s , t h e yield for the
w h o l e of R u s s i a w a s a c t u a l l y b e t t e r t h a n in 1920. B u t t h e r e d u c t i o n of s o w n a re a was
so s e r i o u s t h a t t h e t o t a l s u p p l y a v a i l a b l e f o r c o n s u m p t i o n fell f r o m 1,748 t o 1,602 million
poods.
T h e r e w a s t h u s a f r e s h r e d u c t i o n w h i c h , e v e n if t h e h a r v e s t c o u ld h a v e b e e n distri­
b u t e d w i t h p e r f e c t e q u a l i t y , w o u l d h a v e i n v o l v e d r e d u c e d c o n s u m p t i o n . B u t th e decline
w a s v e r y u n e v e n l y d i s t r i b u t e d , a n d in p a r t i c u l a r w a s c o n c e n t r a t e d u p o n t h e agricultural
t e r r i t o r y of t h e L o w e r a n d M id d l e V o lg a , in t h e p a r t of S o u t h - W e s t S i b e r i a adjac en t to
t h e f r o n t i e r of E u r o p e a n R u s s i a a n d in t h e S o u t h - W e s t U k r a i n e o n t h e n o r t h e r n and
n o r t h - w e s t e r n s h o r e s of t h e B l a c k S e a .
T h e V o l g a a r e a is t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t , since it
c o n t a i n s t h e g r e a t e r p a r t of t h e f a m i n e - s t r i c k e n p o p u l a t i o n a n d in c l u d e s som e of the
m o s t p r o d u c t i v e g r a i n - g r o w i n g p r o v i n c e s of R u s s i a . I n d e e d , o n e of t h e m o s t significant
f e a t u r e s of t h e s i t u a t i o n w a s t h a t t h e w o r s t effects of f a m i n e w e r e f e l t in regions which
a r e o r d i n a r i l y - a r e a s w h i c h h a v e a s u r p l u s t o s e n d e i t h e r to N o r t h R u s s i a o r to foreign
countries.
I n R u s s i a n s t a t i s t i c s a d i s t i n c t i o n is c o m m o n l y d r a w n b e t w e e n t h e consuming
(1) See also note (2) on p. 20.
As indicating a disparity betw een various S oviet estim ates, i t is w orthy of note th a t K hryashcheva, an economist
attach ed to th e People's Com m issariat for Agriculture’ estim ates the sown area for 1921 as 53.9 million desyatins 'see Agri­
cultural and Forest Economy, Nos 1 an d 2, published b y the People’s Commissariat for Agriculture). Both K h r y a s h c h e v a and
P op o v hav e also m ade statem ents showing the n et harv est for 1921 as 1,565 million poods—a figure differing widely from
P opov's figures referred to above.
—
27
—
and the p r o d u c i n g a r e a s , t h a t is to s a y , p r o v i n c e s w h i c h a re u n a b l e a n d t h o s e w h o h a v e
sufficient
p r o d u c t i o n to a l lo w t h e m t o e x p o r t r e s p e c t i v e l y .
T h e h a r v e s t for t h e chief
cereals a n a ly s e d b y d i s t r i c t s s h o w s t h e f o llo w in g c h a n g e s b e t w e e n 1916, 1920 a n d 1921 :
= -—
P re W ar
Y ield
1916
Sown area
Crop
desyatins
poods
1905-T914
Consuming a r e a s .
P roducing a r e a s .
South E a s t e r n
R u s 'ia . . . .
Kirghiz . . . .
Siberia.....................
Ukraine . . . .
T otal. .
.
II.4
580
34-2
1 ,5 2 4
53-2
7- 7
3-6
6 .1
19.5
382
105
198
1 ,166
50
8 2 .5
3,955
43- 9
43- 3
53- i
34-7
5 0 .6
1820
Y ield in
poods p er
desy atin
Sown are a
Crop
desyatins
poods
1821
Y ield in
poods per
desyatin
Sown area
Crop
desyatins
poods
51
49
6. 2
22.5
240
3 8 .3
6.3
5S1
2 5 .8
18.0
49
29
4 .5
3-i
6 .2
M -3
142
3 1 .2
42
207
1 3 -4
3-9
2-3
33-5
4-3
527
3 6 .8
5 6 .8
1,739
3 0 .6
3 2 1 /2
60
48
Yield in
poods per
desyatin
3x6
385
2 1 .3
50.6
14.2
101
42
191
58i
25.6
18.4
44.1
4 0 .9
49-0
1,617
32.6
These figures s h o w t h a t t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t ’s s o w in g c a m p a i g n s u c ce ed e d in
maintaining t h e s o w n a r e a i n t h e N o r t h , a n d t h a t a n i m p r o v e m e n t in t h e y ield p e r
desyatin g a v e t h e m a c t u a l l y a s u r p l u s a v a i l a b l e fo r a s s is ti n g t h e m o r e d is t re s s e d regions.
In the p r o d u c i n g a r e a s , o n t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e r e w a s a r e d u c t i o n b o t h in t h e a r e a sown
and t h e yield p e r d e s y a t i n , t h e l a t t e r fig u re f a ll in g t o h a l f t h e n o r m a l y ie ld b e fo re t h e W a r .
So far as t h e U k r a i n e is c o n c e r n e d , t h e official s t a t i s t i c s s h o w t h a t f o r t h e w h o le of
this te rr ito r y t h e h a r v e s t of 1 921 w a s a b o u t as g o o d as t h a t for t h e p r e c e d i n g y e a r , t h o u g h
details rev e al t h a t t h e s o u t h e r n p r o v i n c e s e x p e r i e n c e d a v e r y s e v e re d efic ie n cy . T h e
reports rec eiv e d b y t h e w o r k e r s of t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l R u s s i a n R e lie f C o m m issio n
however su g g e s t t h a t t h e official fig u re f o r th i s a r e a is f a r to o o p t i m i s t i c . T h is v ie w is
supported b y t h e r e p o r t of t h e P r e s i d e n t of t h e f o re ig n D e l e g a t i o n of t h e U k r a i n e F a m i n e
Relief C o m m issio n a n d t h e fig u res of t h e U k r a i n i a n G o v e r n m e n t . T h e s e r e p o r t s s h o w
a crop of 298 m i llio n i n s t e a d of 581 m i llio n p o o d s (1).
B u t g r o u p in g in t h e s e l a rg e a r e a s ( w h ich , in t h e case of t h e " p r o d u c i n g a r e a s ” includes
42 million p erso n s) d o es n o t s h o w t h e full effect of t h e s e v e r i t y of t h e f a m i n e in p a r t i c u l a r
districts.
In t h e M id d l e a n d L o w e r V o l g a t h e r a in f a l l b e t w e e n O c t o b e r 1 st a n d J u n e 3 0 th
is norm ally, a b o u t 14 in c h e s , b u t in 1920-1921 t h e t o t a l r a in f a l l i n c lu d in g s n o w a m o u n t e d
to only 2 3/4 in c h es, m o s t of w h i c h fell e a r l y in t h e y e a r .
C ro p s in th is a r e a d e p e n d in
the m a in u p o n t h e r a i n f a l l in t h e m o n t h s of M a y a n d J u n e , a n d on th is occasio n t h e re
was prac tic ally n o r a i n a t all (2).
I n t h e 20 p r o v i n c e s a n d r e p u b li c s m o s t s e v e r e ly affected,
viz., V y a t k a , T a r t a r R e p u b l i c , C h u v a s h , M a rii T e r r i t o r y , S im b irs k , S a r a t o v , t h e G e r m a n
Commune, A s t r a k h a n , K i r g h i z , S a m a r a , U fa , T s a r i t s y n , B a s h k i r , C rim ea, E k a t e r i n b u r g ,
Votyak, S t a v r o p o l , E k a t e r i n o s l a v , Z a p o r o z h y e a n d
N ik o la e v ,
t h e t o t a l y ie ld of all
crops a m o u n t e d o n l y to 180 m illio n p o o d s , c o m p a r e d w i t h 1.240 m illio n p o o d s in t h e
(1) See Annex V.
(2) See Special pam phlet the Fam ine in Russia published by Russian Information and Review, London, September 1922.
—
p e r io d p r e c e d i n g t h e W a r ( i ) .
28
—
T h e y ie ld fell to I I p o o d s p e r d e s y a t i n , a figure which
on t h e a v e r a g e le a v e s o n ly t w o o r t h r e e p o o d s in ex c es s of s o w in g r e q u ir e m e n ts . But
as t h i s is a n a v e r a g e fig u re o v e r a v e r y l a r g e a r e a s u p p o r t i n g 30 m illio n s of people, it
c le a rly signifies t h a t m a n y a r e a s h a d n o s u r p l u s a t all o v e r se ed r e q u i r e m e n t s , an d indeed
i t is r e p o r t e d t h a t in m a n y d i s t r i c t s t h e c r o p c o u ld n o t b e g a t h e r e d a t all or was simply
p l o u g h e d in t o t h e l a n d . B e a r i n g in m i n d t h a t 1920 p r o d u c e d v e r y m u c h less th a n half
a n o r m a l cro p, t h e f o llo w in g c o m p a r i s o n b e t w e e n t h e t w o y e a r s 1920 a n d 1921 for these
p a r t i c u l a r a r e a s te lls it s o w n s t o r y (2). T h e re g io n s of f a m i n e a r e i n d i c a t e d on the
m a p a t t a c h e d in A n n e x X I I .
S o w n area, total crop a n d y ie ld i n fa m in e areas.
po pu l a t io n
(in
(m illio n d e s y a tin s )
ooo’s)
1920
V y a t k a ......................................................
T a r t a r R e p u b lic ....................................
C h u v a sh ....................................................
M arii...........................................................
S i m b i r s k ..................................................
S a r a to v ......................................................
G e rm a n C o m m u n e ...............................
A s t r a k h a n ..............................................
K irghiz ( i ) ..............................................
S a m a r a ......................................................
U f a .............................................................
T s a r i t s y n ..................................................
B a sk h ir......................................................
C r i m e a ......................................................
E k a t e r i n b u r g .........................................
V o ty a k .......................................................
S ta v ro p o l..................................................
2 ,0 5 2
2 ,852
758
300
1,643
3,065
454
387
2,379
2,821
2,0 0 9
1,200
i ,268
707
1,982
687
1 .2
1 .6
0 .3
0 .2
0 .8
2 .0
1921
.i
i -3
0 .3
0 .2
0 .9
945
1 .0
0 .4
1.1
..........................................
25 ,5 4 3
16.9
E k a t e r i n o s l a v ........................................
Z a p o ro z h y e ....................... ......................
N ik o la ie v ..................................................
i ,701
i ,288
1 ,420
..........................................
..........................
otal
47-2
4 6 .7
8 .8
6-3
0-7
1 .6
2 .2
1.1
1 .2
0 .7
T
1920
i
1 .4
0 .2
0 .1
1 .2
i -3
0 .9
o .S
0 .6
0.5
0 .I
(m illio n p o o d s)
I9 2 I
21.9
1920
19-5
0.4
38.8
28.5
28.8
2 9 .4
3 4 -o
16.4
12.7
16.4
4-5
13-4
3- 6
8-3
2.2
1.4
2 8 .7
7-9
33-3
18.4
6 .9
1 .4
1 7 .0
Y IEL D PER DESYATIN
0-3
6- 3
6.c
6.4
i o.S
I 3- 4
1.8
5-7
25-3
7.0
33-2
7 4
15-5
7
5-2
0-5
13.6
4 8 .2
1 1 .8
3 0 .0
13.2
18.6
5-5
53-6
0 .8
39.6
22.3
0-3
1 5 .0
2 0 .8
4-3
40.1
38.7
6.7
19-5
8. 4
12-5
407-5
131.8
24.1
10.5
1.1
i -5
i -3
1.1
1.4
1.2
30.4
1 5 -7 ( 4 -8 )
i i - 5 ( 5 -i)
i 4 - i ( 3 -7 )
27.2
29.1
3 i -7
1 4 -1 (3 -7)
43-5
4 ,4 9 0
3- 9
3-7
116.4
41.3
29.8
11 .2
30 ,0 3 3
2 0 .8
16.2
23 - 9
172.1
25.2
10.6
0 .8
-i
5- 5
7- 9
54
8- 4
10.2
27- 9
12.9
U kra in e :
T
o t a l
G rand
total
4 2 .5
5
8.2 (3-3 )
11.4(2.9)
(1) T h e Provinces of Akm olinsk an d Sem ipalatinsk in th e K irghiz Republic are n o t included, and th e figure for population is there fore
2 , 5 7 7 instead of 5 , 0 5 8 , w hich is the to ta l population of th e K irghiz Republic according to th e census of 1 9 1 8 - 1 9 2 0 .
The s i t u a t i o n i n the
provinces of Akmolinsk an d Sem ipalatinsk as shown b y crop sta tistic s does n o t seem to ju stify th e ir being regarded as famine s t r i c k e n .
(1) See Recueil de Données statistiques sur VIndustrie agricole, published by the former Russian Ministry of Agricul­
ture, 1905-1916.
(2) Fam ine was also present in other provinces. In m ost cases i t was partial, b u t some districts were acutely affected
A list of those Provinces w ill be found below. The figures in brackets are those published b y the Red Gross Organisation
—
29
—
In m a n y d i s t r i c t s t h e h a r v e s t f a il u r e p r o d u c e d a n i n s t a n t a n e o u s effect.
T hose who
had s u p p l i e s w e r e a n x i o u s to r e t a i n t h e m , a n d d is t r e s s b e g a n to a p p e a r in J u l y a n d A u g u s t
of 1921.
B u t t h e a r e a of t h e f a m i n e s t e a d i l y s p r e a d a n d r e a c h e d a crisis as s u p p lie s
became t o t a l l y e x h a u s t e d .
There a r e no r e a l l y s a t i s f a c t o r y f ig u re s s h o w in g t h e v a r i a t i o n in t h e n u m b e r o f
f a m i n e - s t r i c k e n p e r s o n s f r o m m o n t h to m o n t h , b u t i t w ill b e s e e n f r o m t h e d e t a i l e d
w hich follow t h a t t h e f a m i n e r e a c h e d it s m a x i m u m i n t e n s i t y in a b o u t A p ril or
May of 1 9 2 2 a n d t h a t t h e r e a f t e r it b e g a n to s u b s i d e as s p r in g v e g e t a b l e s b e g a n to b e c o m e
re ports
availa b l e .
A p h e n o m e n o n w h i c h is a c o m m o n f e a t u r e of f a m i n e s a t on ce a p p e a r e d , n a m e l y ,
the migration of t h e p o p u l a t i o n in s e a r c h of food. T h is o c c u r r e d c h ie fly a t t w o p e r io d s :
first, im m e d i a te ly a f t e r t h e h a r v e s t f r o m v illa g e s w h e r e t h e r e h a d b e e n a c o m p l e t e fa ilu re ,
and, secondly, in t h e l a t e s p r i n g of 1 9 2 2 a f t e r t h e m e l t i n g of t h e sn o w s. A s r e g a r d s t h e
first m o v e m e n t, t h e O fficial B u l l e t i n of t h e C e n t r a l R u s s ia n . F a m i n e R e lie f C o m m i t t e e
states t h a t a b o u t 8 0 0 , 0 0 0 p e r s o n s w e r e e v a c u a t e d b y t h e G o v e r n m e n t f r o m t h e f a m i n e
provinces b e t w e e n J u l y 1st, 1 9 2 1 , a n d A p r i l 1st, 1 9 2 2 . K a l i n i n s t a t e d a t t h e N i n t h All
Russian Congress of S o v i e t s in D e c e m b e r 1 9 2 1 t h a t in a d d i t i o n to t h e s e n u m b e r s a b o u t
600,000 p e rso n s h a d m i g r a t e d i n d e p e n d e n t l y .
I t is, h o w e v e r , p o s s ib le t h a t s o m e of th is
movement w a s t h e n o r m a l m i g r a t i o n a t h a r v e s t - t i m e .
It is e s t i m a t e d t h a t , a t its w o r s t , p e r h a p s h a l f of t h e p o p u l a t i o n d e f in e d as fa m in e stricken w e r e r e l i e v e d e i t h e r u n d e r t h e a g e n c y of t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t or t h e A m e r ic a n
or In tern a tio n a l R e l i e f O r g a n i s a t i o n s . T h e difficulties of o r g a n is in g f r o m a b r o a d , h o w ­
ever, m e a n t t h a t , in f a c t , t h e w o r k of t h e s e e x t e r n a l ag e n cies d id n o t r e a c h its m a x i m u m
at so early a d a t e .
I t w ill b e s e e n t h a t t h e f ig u re s f o r J u l y of t h i s y e a r s h o w t h e l a r g e s t
number of p e r s o n s fe d f r o m a b r o a d d u r i n g t h e f a m i n e . T h r o u g h o u t t h e p e r i o d of t h e
of the Ukrainian Soviet G overnm ent, whose report on fam ine conditions in the Ukraine forms Annex V. of this R eport. The
olher figures in the table are those supplied by th e C entral S tatistical Bureau to Dr. Nansen’s representative in Moscow (see
also Annex II). I t w ill be seen th a t th ey differ w idely from those of the Ukrainian Red Cross. In some cases discrepancies
were found to exist between figures given for population in th e Central S tatistical Bureau's figures and those given in the
1920 census figures published in the Statistichesky Ezhegodnik (S tatistical Year Book) ; in such cases the official census figures
have been taken.
P artially famine-stricken provinces.
(in million desyatins)
(in million poods)
Y I E L D P E R DESYATI N
P O PU L A T IO N
P e r m ........................................
C h e ly a b in s k ......................................
T y u m e n .....................
Don..........................*
Moutain Republic & Terek.
Kharkov.............
K r e m e n c h u g ......................
1 ,7 7 9
1 ,3 4 4
i,i7 7
1,5 4 4
704
683
644
991
688
2 9 .3 4
2 1 .2 5
4 0 .9
6 .5 9
584
2 3 .6 3
943
593
23.63
14.5 9
l 6 . 8l
34.36
15.09
I3.I
36.7
1 8 .6
5 5 .7
2 ,5 8 0
23.97
^54.04
23.9
i,7 5 i
4 3 .2 7
42.23
4 6 .3 9
. . . .
1 ,6 2 5
1 ,6 2 5
6 1 .8 3
43.69
(1 2 .4 5 )
15.2
2 5 .4
5 3 .5
3 8 .6
(2 6 .1 )
(2 4 .4 7 )
O dessa.
3 2 .4
9 .6
3 8 .0
(7 .6 )
—
30
—
f a m i n e d is e a s e s w h i c h h a d b e e n e p i d e m i c d u r i n g t h e w h o le p e r i o d of t h e R e v o lu tio n
c o n t i n u e d t o b e a c u t e , a n d a f t e r t h e n o r m a l s u b s i d e n c e in t h e s u m m e r of ty p h u s , a serious
o u t b r e a k of c h o l e r a c o m m e n c e d , w h ic h r e a c h e d its m a x i m u m in J u l y .
I t did not, how­
e v e r , a s s u m e t h e d e v a s t a t i n g d im e n s i o n s t h a t w a s a t o n e t i m e f e a r e d .
I n t h e la te summer
i m m e d i a t e l y p r e c e d i n g t h e h a r v e s t , t h e S o v i e t m e d i c a l relief w o r k s o m e w h a t declined
a n d it is r e p o r t e d t h a t in S o u t h e r n R u s s i a h o s p i t a l s w e r e c lo se d in a n u m b e r o f cases
t h r o u g h i n a b i l i t y to fin d fo o d fo r p a t i e n t s a n d sta ff. T h e s e v a r i o u s a s p e c t s o f th e famine
s i t u a t i o n a r e d e a l t w i t h m o r e f u lly b elo w .
T w o m a i n a r e a s n e e d to b e d e s c r ib e d in a n y a c c o u n t of t h e f a m i n e , namely, the
M id d le a n d L o w e r V o l g a a n d t h e S o u t h e r n U k r a i n e . T h e s e call f o r s e p a r a t e treatment
n o t m e r e l y b e c a u s e t h e l a t t e r is a d m i n i s t r a t i v e l y a s e p a r a t e R e p u b l i c a n d t h a t its Govern­
m e n t d id n o t a l w a y s see e y e to e y e w i t h t h e G o v e r n m e n t a t M o sc o w o n f a m i n e policy, but
also b e c a u s e e c o n o m i c a l l y t h e t w o d i s t r i c t s a r e s o m e w h a t d i s t i n c t ; for w h e re a s many
p a r t s of t h e V o l g a a r e a g iv e c o m p a r a t i v e l y l i g h t c ro p s a n d a r e p u r e l y agricultural, the
U k r a i n e c o n t a i n s s o m e of t h e r i c h e s t t e r r i t o r y in R u s s i a a n d h a s a v e r y high average
y ie ld a n d also c o n t a i n s a n i m p o r t a n t i n d u s t r i a l a r e a . N e v e r t h e l e s s , i t w ill b e realised from
t h e f o llo w in g s t a t e m e n t t h a t t h e ca u se s of t h e f a m i n e a n d t h e c o n d i t i o n s accompanying
i t h a v e b e e n t h e s a m e in b o t h cases.
The Volga Provinces.
I n t h e I n t e r i m R e p o r t of t h e S t a t e E c o n o m i c P l a n n i n g C o m m is s i o n on Agriculture
in t h e fa m in e , a r e a , S. P. S e r e d a (i), t h e P r e s i d e n t of t h e C o m m is s io n , in d i c a t e s in a brief
s k e t c h of t h e d i s t r i c t t h a t t h e w e a k n e s s e s of t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l p o s i t i o n w h ic h we have
d e s c r i b e d in t h i s r e p o r t f o r t h e w h o le of R u s s i a a r e s p e c ia lly p r e s e n t in t h i s p a r t of the
country.
" T h e e x t e n t of t h e crisis a n d its e x t r a o r d i n a r y a c u t e n e s s a r e p a r t l y d u e to th e drought
of t h i s y e a r , b u t a r e p a r t l y d e p e n d e n t u p o n social a n d e c o n o m ic c o n d i tio n s . T h e south­
e a s t e r n a r e a is a t y p i c a l l y a r id one.
I t c o n t a i n s a v a s t e x t e n t of c u l t i v a b l e la n d . Good
h a r v e s t s in f a v o u r a b l e y e a r s , a n d a v ig o r o u s d e m a n d fo r c e r e a ls ( e s p e c ia lly for wheat)
h a v e in c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h t h e f o re g o in g c i r c u m s t a n c e s , p r o m o t e d t h e d e v e l o p m e n t of an
u n s t a b l e s y s t e m of p e a s a n t a g r i c u l t u r e of t h e e x t e n s i v e t y p e a n d c h a r a c t e r i s e d by an
e x t r e m e l y low le v el of a g r i c u l t u r a l t e c h n i q u e .
" W h e a t is h e r e t h e m a i n cr o p (55 p e r c e n t).
I n t h e r e g io n of t h e s t e p p e s this harvest
is d e p e n d e n t u p o n t h e r a i n f a l l of t w o m o n t h s — • M a y a n d J u n e . T h e unintermittent
su c c e ssio n of w h e a t c r o p s h a s e x h a u s t e d t h e soil, a n d h a s le d to so t e r r i b l e a contami­
n a t i o n of t h e p e a s a n t so w in g s t h a t t h e y ie ld h a s b e e n r e d u c e d f r o m a p o s s ib le 92 per cent
to 4 6 p e r c e n t (2). T h e c o n d i t i o n s u n d e r w h i c h t h e l a n d is e x p l o i t e d a r e extrem ely un-
(1) Form erly People’s Commissary for Agriculture, in the Soviet Government.
(2) S. Bazhanov, Observations on contam inated V egetation, m ade in the year 1913 at Buzuluk neighbourhood (Samara
Province).
favourable to t h e p r o g r e s s of a g r i c u l t u r e .
31
—
T h e v il la g e s in t h e V o lg a r e g io n a re ex c es siv ely
large, or r a th e r , s u c h l a r g e v il la g e s f o r m 70 p e r c e n t of t h e t o t a l . As a r e s u lt , m a n y
of the fields a re a lo n g w a y f r o m t h e v illa g e s, s o m e t i m e s te n miles or m ore. T h e r e h a v e
been fre q uen t r e d i s t r i b u t i o n s of l a n d a m o n g t h e p e a s a n t s , a n d th e s e r e d i s t r i b u t i o n s h a v e
caused economic i n s t a b i l i t y in t h e u t i l i s a t i o n of t h e soil, w i t h all t h a t th is in s t a b i l i t y
entails. T h e l a c k of t h e m o s t e l e m e n t a r y i m p r o v e m e n t s in a g r a r i a n t e c h n i q u e , a n d th e
lack of any o r g a n is e d a s s i s t a n c e to t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l p o p u l a t i o n , h a v e lik ew ise in f lu e n c e d
the general e c o n o m ic le v e l of t h e a r e a . S u c h h a v e b e e n t h e le a d in g f e a t u r e s a n d c o n d i­
tions of p e a s a n t f a r m i n g in t h e a r i d s o u t h - e a s t .
'A fte r th e re v o lu tio n , t h e
farm ing
of t h e
south-east
d eterio rated
even
more.
Gravely affected b y t h e w o r l d w a r , i t w a s t h e n still m o r e g r a v e l y i n j u r e d b y t h e civil
war and b y t h e e c o n o m ic b l o c k a d e of R u s s ia .
F o r a c o n s id e r a b l e p e r io d , t h e s o u t h - e a s t
was the a r e n a of fierce s t r u g g l e s b e t w e e n t h e R e d A r m y a n d t h e e n e m ie s of t h e w o rk in g
population.
T h e r e b y p e a s a n t fa rm in g w as com pletely
d iso rg a n ise d .
T h e civil w a r
continued on o t h e r f r o n t s , so t h a t t h e p e a s a n t s of t h e S o u t h E a s t w e r e c o m p e lle d to
devote all th e ir en e rg ie s to t h e a id of t h e R e p u b l i c a n d t h e R e d A r m y , a n d t h i s led to
a still f u rth e r d i m i n u t i o n of t h e p r o d u c t i v e a n d v i c t u a l l i n g re so u r c e s of t h e S o u t h E a st.
Finally, th e d i s c o n t i n u a n c e of t h e i m p o r t a t i o n of a g r i c u l t u r a l i m p l e m e n t s a n d m a c h i ­
nery, which w a s a c o n s e q u e n c e of t h e b l o c k a d e , r e n d e r e d t h e r e s t o r a t i o n of p e a s a n t f a r m ­
ing quite im p o ssib le . T h e d i s r e p a i r of f a r m i n g i m p l e m e n t s a n d m a c h i n e r y h a s now
reached c a t a s t r o p h i c p r o p o r t i o n s — 50 to 70 p e r ce n t. S u c h h a v e b e e n t h e c a u se s of a
great decline in t h e e x t e n t of l a n d sowrn in t h e a r e a n o w a ffec ted b y t h e f a il u r e of th e
crops, and s u c h w e r e t h e c a u s e s of t h e r e d u c t i o n in t h e n u m b e r of f a r m b e a s ts .
I n 1 9 21,
as compared w i t h 1916, t h e a r e a s o w n h a s b e e n r e d u c e d to 37 p e r c e n t. , t h e n u m b e r of
draught b e a s ts to 4 6 p e r c e n t., a n d t h e n u m b e r of cows to 30 p e r c e n t. T h e r e d u c t i o n
in the sown a r e a w a s e v e n g r e a t e r t h a n t h i s in L o w e r -V o lg a , w h ic h is o r d i n a r i l y m o re
productive.
"Such w a s t h e c o n d i t i o n of r u r a l e c o n o m y in t h e s o u t h - e a s t w h e n t h e t e r r i b l e blow
of the d r o u g h t, w i t h t h e c o n s e q u e n t f a m i n e , w a s s u p e r - a d d e d . ”
It is im p o s s ib le to c o n v e y b y a v e r b a l d e s c r i p t i o n t h e h u m a n sufferin g t h a t th e
famine p ro d u c e d , b u t t h e f o llo w in g n a r r a t i v e s of e y e - w itn e s s e s se le c te d f r o m a m a s s of
similar evid en c e m a y to s o m e e x t e n t c o m p l e t e t h e p i c t u r e .
An idea of c o n d i t i o n s of life in t h e V o l g a a r e a m a y b e g a t h e r e d f r o m t h e p u b li s h e d
reports of r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of t h e S a v e t h e C h i l d r e n F u n d , t h e S o c i e t y of F r i e n d s Relief
Organisation, t h e G e r m a n R e d C ross a n d t h e I t a l i a n R e d Cross Mission.
In S e p t e m b e r
1921 Mr. W e b s t e r , of t h e S a v e t h e C h i l d r e n F u n d , a r r i v e d a t S a r a t o v a n d in v e s t i g a t e d
conditions in t h e t o w n a n d s u r r o u n d i n g d i s t r i c t s of t h e p r o v in c e . O n h is a r r i v a l h e f o u n d
the station r e s t a u r a n t o p e n a n d it s e n o r m o u s b u f f e t s p r e a d w i t h w h i t e c l o th as in n o r m a l
times. Only t h e q u a l i t y of t h e m e a l p r o v i d e d a n d a g r o u p of little b o y s b e g g i n g t o be
allowed to e a t a h e r r i n g ’s h e a d le ft o n t h e p l a t e , g a v e t h e first signs of t h e a b n o r m a l
conditions p r e v a i l i n g . T h e y w e r e c h i ld r e n w h o h a d b e e o a b a n d o n e d b y t h e i r p a r e n t s
during th e g r e a t s t a m p e d e in t h e p r e v i o u s J u l y a n d A u g u s t . T h e s h o p s w h i c h h a d
opened in th e t o w n u n d e r t h e in f lu e n c e of t h e n e w F r e e T r a d e L a w , s o m e s h o w in g in
—
32
—
t h e i r w i n d o w s wTh i t e lo a v e s a n d c a k e s a n d o t h e r s m e a t a t h a l f M o sc o w prices, d i d not
p o i n t to a s t a t e of f a m i n e . B u t s h o r t l y a f t e r w a r d s M r. W e b s t e r m e t th r e e p e a s a n t s
of fine s t a t u r e , b u t g a u n t a n d e m a c i a t e d to a d e g r e e , d r a g g i n g o n e leg w ith difficulty
a f t e r t h e o t h e r , t h e i r ey e s c o v e r e d w i t h a c u r io u s film, s t a r i n g s t r a i g h t a h e a d w i t h the
r i g i d i t y of c o m p l e t e e x h a u s t i o n . T h e y w e r e c le a rly in a n a d v a n c e d s t a t e of s t a r v a t i o n
D o w n b y t h e b a n k s of t h e V o l g a a f e w T a r t a r s , G e r m a n c o lo n is ts a n d U k ra in ia n s
s t o o d g r o u p e d t o g e t h e r , m i g r a t i n g s o m e to T u r k e s t a n or S ib e r ia , a n d t h e U kra in ia n s
f r o m w h e r e t h e y h a d s e t t l e d in S i b e r ia to t h e i r o w n c o u n t r y , w h e r e t h e y h a d h e a rd that
th e h a rv e st w as good.
T h e i r c h i l d r e n p l a y e d in t h e r i v e r m u d a n d a t e t h e skins o f water
m e lo n s.
I n a r e f u g e e b a r r a c k s o n t h e o u t s k i r t s of S a r a t o v , M r. W e b s t e r f o u n d a b o u t 150 re­
fu g e e s f r o m t h e T r a n s - V o l g a p r o v i n c e s .
T h e few c h i l d r e n a m o n g t h e m w ere mere skin
a n d b o n e . T h e r e w e r e n o w i n d o w s , a n d s i x c o r p s e s l a y w i t h i n . A c o m m u n i s t doctor,
w h o w a s w o r k i n g t h e r e u n d e r t h e s e g h a s t l y c o n d i t i o n s , w a s m a k i n g a g r e a t stir about
t h e s t a t e of t h e c a m p . T h e b a r r a c k s h a d a c e n t r a l k i t c h e n b lo c k , w h e r e s o u p could have
b e e n b o i l e d f o r 10,000 p e o p l e a t o n c e , b u t n o t a sin g le k e t t l e w a s in o p era tio n . The
r e f u g e e s r e c e i v e d o n e p o u n d of s u r r o g a t e b l a c k b r e a d p e r d a y , a n d a n a d d i tio n a l pound
if t h e y d i d a n y w o r k .
M o s t of t h e m p r e f e r t o lie a r o u n d d o i n g n o t h i n g : indeed they
a p p e a r e d to o w e a k to b e c a p a b l e of m u c h w o rk .
S o f a r as c h i l d r e n ’s f e e d in g k i t c h e n s w e r e c o n c e r n e d , b o t h in. t h e t o w n of Saratov
a n d e l s e w h e r e in t h e p r o v i n c e , t h e y w e r e f o u n d w i t h o u t e x c e p t i o n t o b e clean, and at
t h e h o m e s w h e r e t h e c h i ld r e n w e r e u n d e r t h e c a r e of t h e a u t h o r i t i e s , t h e premises were
i n v a r i a b l y g o o d a n d t h e c h i l d r e n a n d r o o m s cle a n a n d n e a t .
If o n ly t h e food and cloth­
i n g h a d b e e n g o o d a n d sufficie nt, t h e y w o u l d h a v e b e e n m o d e l e s ta b l is h m e n ts . The
c h i l d r e n a t t h e k i t c h e n s r e c e i v e d o n e m e a l a d a y , a n d w e r e p r e s u m e d to g e t some food
a t h o m e . T h e i r c o n d i t i o n w a s b a d , b u t n o t so b a d as t h a t of t h e c h i l d r e n in th e homes,
w h o w e r e m o s t l y r e f u g e e o r p h a n s , or c h i l d r e n w h o h a d b e e n a b a n d o n e d b y th e ir parents.
M o s t of t h e m w e r e e i t h e r g r e a t l y e m a c i a t e d o r h a d sw o lle n a b d o m e n s .
O u t s i d e S a r a t o v , t h e c o u n t r y s i d e w a s e x t r a o r d i n a r i l y b a r e , b u t t h e first rain since
t h e p r e v i o u s s p r i n g h a d fa lle n a f e w d a y s b e f o r e , a n d t h e fields, w h i c h h a d been black,
w e r e t i n g e d w i t h g r e e n . S k e le to n s of h o r s e s l a y a lo n g t h e r o a d , a n d a m a n was found
s k i n n i n g a h o r s e t h a t h a d j u s t d ie d a n d c u t t i n g u p t h e c a r c a s s f o r m e a t . Peasants
p a s s e d , d r i v i n g c a t t l e i n t o t h e t o w n , in m a n y ca se s selling t h e i r l a s t cow in order to buy
b r e a d . F i e l d s w h i c h h a d o b v i o u s l y b e e n p l o u g h e d in t h e p r e v i o u s s p r i n g w ere a mass
of w e e d s , w h ile in s o m e p la c e s t h e h a r v e s t h a d b e e n so s p a r s e t h a t t h e p e a s a n t s had not
t r o u b l e d to g a t h e r i t , b u t h a d j u s t p l o u g h e d t h e g r o u n d a f r e s h , a n d t h u s sown their
h a r v e s t as i t s t o o d . L a r g e p e n s , u s u a l l y fu ll of s t r a w , w e r e n o w e m p t y .
I n a p e a s a n t ’s h o u s e , in a w a y s i d e h a m l e t , Mr. W e b s t e r s a w f o u r child ren.
w a s n o b r e a d in t h e h o u s e , a n d t h e
s e e d h u s k s , n e t t l e s a n d tw ig s . T h e
d r ie d , p r e p a r a t o r y to b e i n g g r o u n d
on v e g e ta b le m a rro w a n d p ro d u c e d
There
o n ly food w a s a n o b n o x i o u s - l o o k i n g m i x t u r e of oil­
r a f t e r s w e r e h u n g w i t h o a k - le a v e s , w h i c h were being
f o r f o o d . N e x t d o o r , t h e lo c a l c o b b l e r was living
a q u a r t e r of a p o u n d of s u r r o g a t e b r e a d . The man
h a d t w o b o w ls of m ilk , b u t e x p e c t e d t o h a v e to sell his co w b e f o r e lon g.
His fodder
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was a heap of d r i e d th i s t l e s . A d a u g h t e r w a s a w a y , b e g g in g p o t a t o e s in t h e n e x t v i l ­
la g e .
Before his h o r s e d ie d , h e h a d m a n a g e d to so w t h r e e d e s y a t i n e s of la n d . H e a d m i t t ­
ed with e m b a r r a s s m e n t t h a t o u t of 6 p o o d s of se ed h e h a d k e p t b a c k a b o u t t w e n t y p o u n d s
ab o u t half a p o o d ) f o r f o o d .
I t w a s a ll h e h a d t i ll n e x t h a r v e s t .
A trip u p t h e V o l g a s h o w e d m a n y c r o w d e d p a s s e n g e r b o a t s , oil b a r g e s g o in g u p ­
river, and w o o d r a f t s f l o a t i n g d o w n , b u t n o g r a i n m o v e m e n t , w h i c h u s u a l l y f o r m s t h e
bulk of th e traffic in t h e a u t u m n .
I n K h v a l i n s k s t a r v a t i o n w a s so b a d t h a t m a n y h a d
{led from th e d i s t r i c t , w h ile d e a t h s f r o m s t a r v a t i o n w e r e of d a i l y o c c u r re n c e . T h e p e o p le
were, however, b u s y s o w in g , h a v i n g j u s t o b t a i n e d t h e i r seed, a n d w h e r e t h e r e w e re no
horses, th e y w e r e t u r n i n g o v e r t h e soil w i t h s p a d e s , a n d w o r k i n g t h r o u g h t h e n i g h t b y
the light of l a n t e r n s .
Conditions in t h e S a r a t o v a r e a w h e n M r. W e b s t e r w r o t e his r e p o r t of N o v e m b e r i o t h ,
were becoming m o r e a c u t e .
T h e m i s e r y a n d p r i v a t i o n s of v a s t n u m b e r s of p e o p le h a d
already p assed b e y o n d t h e p o w e r o f d e s c r i p t i o n . T h e re f u g e e m o v e m e n t , a l t h o u g h
it had assu m ed r e d u c e d p r o p o r t i o n s , w a s s ti ll s u c h t h a t n u m b e r s of p eo p le, w h o s e w a n d e r ­
ings made it difficult t o o r g a n i s e a n y s u b s t a n t i a l relief f o r t h e i r ch ild re n , r e m a i n e d in t h e
most d e s p e ra te p l i g h t . O n e t h o u s a n d f iv e h u n d r e d c h i ld r e n w e re b e i n g fed b y t h e
Save the C h ild r e n F u n d , b u t t h e y w e r e h o u s e d u n d e r t e r r i b l e c o n d i tio n s ,
death-rate a m o n g t h e m w a s e x t r e m e l y h i g h . T h e
bread ration to o n e p o u n d a d a y , in a d d i t i o n to t h i n
"This”, Mr. W e b s t e r w r o t e , “ i t is h a r d l y n e c e s s a r y t o
there, a little is b e i n g d o n e , a n d i n d i v i d u a l d is t r e s s is
and the
lo cal a u t h o r i t i e s h a d in c r e a s e d t h e
so u p m a d e of p o t a t o e s a n d c a b b a g e .
a d d , is m e r e ly a n episode. H e r e a n d
b e i n g a lle v i a te d , b u t t h e t o t a l m is e r y
and distress a n d c o lla p s e a r e so g e n e r a l a s t o b e f a r b e y o n d t h e s c o p e of a n y c h a r ita b le
effort. E v e n in t h e i m m e d i a t e v i c i n i t y of S a r a t o v itself, m a y b e se en ‘'‘’t h e a b o m i n a t i o n
of desolation” , w h e r e , in m u d a n d r u i n s a n d h o v e l s w h i c h s e rv e as h u m a n h o m e s , b u t
are unfit even f o r a n i m a l s , h u n g r y d o g s m a y b e se en fe e d in g f u r t i v e l y o n t h e c a rca sses
of horses fallen b y t h e w a y s i d e , a n d e v e n t h e h u m a n fac e is b l i g h t e d w i t h a n a p p e a r a n c e
of terror a n d h o r r o r t h a t m a k e s i t a l m o s t b r u t a l ” .
Nowhere in t h e f a m i n e a r e a w e r e c o n d i t i o n s w o r s e t h a n in t h e B u z u l u k C o u n t y of
the S am ara P r o v i n c e , w h e r e t h e p r i n c i p a l c e n t r e of t h e relief w o r k of t h e S o c ie ty of
Friends was e s t a b l i s h e d . Miss R u t h F r y , w r i t i n g f r o m B u z u l u k in J a n u a r y 1922, d e s c r i­
bes the d e a th s f r o m s t a r v a t i o n w h i c h w e r e of f r e q u e n t o c c u r re n c e in t h e s t r e e t s of th e
town an d h e a p s of b o d ie s a t t h e c e m e t e r y a w a i t i n g c o m m o n b u r ia l . T h e c h i ld r e n ’s
homes were c r o w d e d f a r b e y o n d t h e i r c a p a c i t y , so t h a t t h e r e w a s n o t r o o m f o r t h e m all
to lie down, a n d s o m e s t o o d h u d d l e d a g a i n s t t h e w a ll.
In s o m e cases t h e y h a d a few
poor bedsteads, or a w o o d e n p l a t f o r m r a i s e d h i g h f r o m t h e g r o u n d , so t h a t tw o tiers of
children could b e p a c k e d in .
C l o th e s w e r e a s n o n - e x i s t e n t as food, a n d in m o s t cases
the children h a d t o b e l e f t in t h e i r v e r m i n o u s r a g s, s p r e a d i n g t h e in f e c tio n of t y p h u s .
So great w as t h e loss in h o r s e s a n d c a m e ls in t h e B u z u l u k a r e a t h a t Mr. F r a n k W a t t s ,
the head of t h e S o c i e t y of F r i e n d s R e lie f M issio n t h e r e f e a re d , in J u n e 1922, t h a t i t w o u ld
be very difficult to g a t h e r t h e c o m i n g h a r v e s t , or t h e w o o d a n d f o ra g e n e c e s s a r y for t h e
"inter. I t w o u l d n o t b e p o s s ib le , in M r. W a t t s ’ o p in io n , to s u p p l y su fficient foo d to
keep alive t h r o u g h t h e w i n t e r t h e s e v e n t h o u s a n d o r p h a n s a t p r e s e n t in c h i l d r e n ’s h o m e s.
E CONOMI C CO N D IT IO N S IN RUSSIA
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T h e g e n e r a l s t a t e of h e a l t h t h r o u g h o u t t h e d i s t r i c t w a s b a d , a n d l a r g e n u m b e r s o f
people
w e r e s u f fe ri n g f r o m d i s t e n s i o n in a c h r o n i c f o r m , a n d also f r o m s w e l lin g ca u se d b y eating
g ra ss. R e lie f w o r k e r s a r r i v i n g in t h e a r e a in J u n e c o n s id e r e d t h a t p r e s e n t c o n d i t i o n s
w e r e w o r s e t h a n a n y t h i n g t h e y h a d è v e r se en, a l t h o u g h Mr. W a t t s a n d his fellow
w o r k e r s w e r e of o p i n i o n t h a t t h e p o s i t i o n w a s b e t t e r t h a n i t h a d b e e n .
T h e G e r m a n R e d Cross M issio n i n K a z a n in N o v e m b e r 1921 f o u n d t h a t th e lark
of p r i m a r y n e c e s s itie s — food, fu el, lin en , b e d d i n g , etc. — r o b b e d m e d ic a l w o r k of all
its effect. T h e w a t e r - s u p p l y Was a v a i l a b l e o n l y in t h e e v e n in g a n d t h e n on ly for a part
of t h e b u i l d i n g s .
I n t h e w o r k m e n ’s h o s p i t a l t h e p a t i e n t s w e r e ly i n g in d ir ty , dark
u n h e a t e d ce lla rs, f u l l y d r e s s e d , on t h e i r c a m p b e d s , f o r la c k of b e d d i n g . T u b e rc u la r
cases w e r e l y i n g b e s i d e o t h e r s su f fe rin g f r o m s p o t t e d t y p h u s a n d r e c u r r e n t fever and
o t h e r c o n t a g i o ü s d is e a s e s .
In a n ill-lig h te d r o o m i n t h e h o s p i t a l , five o r six human
b e i n g s w e r e f o u n d l y i n g m o t i o n l e s s o n t h e g r o u n d , c o v e r e d w i t h rag s.
In th e middle
of t h e r o o m , t h e r e w a s a n a k e d c o r p s e l y i n g on a s t r e t c h e r . T h is m o u r n f u l s p o t was
r e s e r v e d f o r r e f u g e e s p i c k e d u p in t h e s t r e e t s of K a z a n d y i n g of w e a k n e s s .
Those in
t h i s r o o m w e r e n o t f e d b e c a u s e i t w a s n o t w o r t h w h ile , b u t w e r e le ft t o a w a i t t h e coming
of d e a t h .
N u m b e r s of a d u l t s a n d c h i ld r e n s u c c u m b e d d a i ly t o h u n g e r a n d epidemic.
W h e n t h e m i x t u r e of g r o u n d b a r k of tree s, a c o r n s or g rass, w h i c h s e rv e d for bread
b e c a m e e x h a u s t e d , t h e flesh of t h e d e a d s e r v e d to a p p e a s e t h e i r h u n g e r . Cases of canni­
b a l i s m w e r e also r e g i s t e r e d .
A s i m i l a r s t a t e of d e s o l a t i o n is d e s c r i b e d b y t h e local S o v i e t a u t h o r i t i e s in the Tsar­
i t s y n P r o v i n c e , w h e r e r elief w o r k h a s b e e n c a r r i e d o n b y t h e I t a l i a n R e d Cross Mission
a n d t h e S w iss C o m m i t t e e ’s M issio n f o r C hild R e lie f. 681,451 p e r s o n s w e r e regarded as
s t a r v i n g in t h e p r o v i n c e d u r i n g t h e a u t u m n of 1921, a n d of t h i s n u m b e r 299,200 were
c h i ld r e n .
As in o t h e r a r e a s , on t h e e x h a u s t i o n of t h e i r s to c k s of foo d, t h e people began
t o e a t s u r r o g a t e s , s u c h as s t r a w , t h e b a r k of tr e e s, s w a m p g ra ss, a n d t h e carcasses of ani­
m a ls . W i n t e r r e n d e r e d t h e c o n d i t i o n s m o r e a c u t e , a n d b y J a n u a r y , sic kn ess and death
w ere w id esp read .
E m i g r a t i o n fo llo w ed , a n d t h e d is t r i c t s n e a r t h e r a il w a y stations
b e c a m e c r o w d e d w i t h refugees) a m o n g w h o m w e r e m a n y c h i ld r e n , w h o s e parents had
a b a n d o n e d t h e m . T h e c h i l d r e n ’s h o m e s in t h e p r o v i n c e w e r e to o c r o w d e d to receive
t h e m , a n d t h e y w e r e c r o w d e d t o g e t h e r in v e r y u n h e a l t h y c o n d i t i o n s , v ic tim s to the
s p r e a d of d ise ase . S c a r l e t fe v e r, d i p h t h e r i a , a n d d y s e n t e r y w a s r a g i n g a m o n g them,
w h ile t h e l a c k of d r u g s , m e d i c a l c o m f o r t s , a n d , finally, fo o d m a d e m e d i c a l assista n ce prac­
ti c a l l y u seless.
Mr. B r u d é r e r , D r. N a n s e n ’s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e , a t N o v o ro s s iis k , w a s f u r n is h e d b y Pro­
fe s s o r P a r a s o v w i t h a r e p o r t o n t h e s i t u a t i o n in t h e S i m b i r s k P r o v i n c e d u r i n g th e early
s u m m e r of 1922.
I n t h e w o r s t a r e a s all li v in g a n i m a l s , in c l u d i n g d o gs a n d cats, had
b e e n e a t e n — t h e p o p u l a t i o n w e r e liv in g o n t h e b a r k of tr e e s a n d clay.
A c o rn s cost
4 0 0 ,0 0 0 r o u b l e s a p o u n d .
I n t h e C h u v a s h t e r r i t o r y , w h e r e t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l F e d e r a t i o n of T r a d e U n io n s Relief
O r g a n i s a t i o n w a s w o r k i n g , a c a r e f u l e n u m e r a t i o n of t h e m o r t a l i t y s h o w e d t h a t th e number
of d e a t h s f r o m s t a r v a t i o n a n d d is e a s e a v e r a g e d 5 p e r s o n s p e r w e e k in e a c h of a consider­
a b l e n u m b e r of v illa g e s, t h e n u m b e r of i n h a b i t a n t s of w h i c h a v e r a g e d a b o u t 750 persons.
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To this a c c o u n t m a y b e a d d e d t h e fo llo w in g e x t r a c t s f r o m a r e p o r t of S ir B e n j a m i n
w h o v i s i t e d t h e f a m i n e a r e a s i n t h e s p r i n g of 1922 o n b e h a l f of t h e B r it is h
R o b e r ts o n ,
relief o rg a n isa tio n s :
“The villag e o f P r i s t a n n o e lies on t h e w e s t b a n k of t h e V o lg a, fifte e n v e r s t s n o r t h
of Saratov. I t is t h e ch ief v il l a g e of t h e " V o l o s t " of t h e s a m e n a m e , a n d se em s f o r m e r ly
to have been a p r o s p e r o u s p la c e .
I t s p o p u l a t i o n c o m p ri s e s a b o u t 700 i n h a b i t a n t s a n d
that of the e n t i r e V o l o s t is a b o u t 7 ,0 0 0 i n h a b i t a n t s , d i s t r i b u t e d o v e r t e n v illa g e s (1).
“ I h a d a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h t h e P r e s i d e n t of t h e E x e c u t i v e C o m m i t t e e of t h e V olost,
a good ty p e of s o ld i e r of t h e o ld a r m y w h o s e r v e d in G alicia. H e w a s e le c te d b y p o p u l a r
vote, and his p r e s i d e n t i a l m o n t h l y e m o l u m e n t s a m o u n t e d t o 400 ,0 00 r o u b l e s a n d t w o p o o d s
of rice, b u t t h e f e l t b o o t s t h a t h e w a s w e a r i n g , s i m ila r t o t h o s e w o r n b y t h e p e a s a n t s ,
had cost h i m a m o n t h ’s s a l a r y .
H e s a i d t h a t in t h e first y e a r s of t h e w a r t h e a r e a u n d e r
cultivation in his V o lo s t w a s f r o m 12,000 to 13,000 d e s y a ti n s . 2,500 d e s y a t i n s w e r e so w n
last a u tu m n , a n d i t w a s h o p e d t o s o w 2 ,60 0 m o r e in t h e s p r in g , if t h e y could o b t a i n
fodder to k e e p t h e h o r e s a liv e, a n d a G o v e r n m e n t g r a n t of seed. T h e r e w e re f o r m e r ly
4,000 horses in t h e w h o l e V o l o s t ; t h e r e r e m a i n o n ly 3 00; of 4,000 cows o n ly 4 00 or 500 a re
still alive. T h e r e s t of t h e c a t t l e h a s p e r i s h e d of s t a r v a t i o n or w e re s l a u g h t e r e d for food.
The P re sid e n t also g a v e m e s t a t i s t i c s of t h e v illa g e of L i p o v k a , w h e r e h e lives. O u t
of 400 ho rses t h e r e r e m a i n o n l y 32, t e n o f w h i c h a r e in fit c o n d i t i o n to m a k e t h e
journey to S a r a t o v a n d b a c k . T h e n u m b e r of cow s h a s d e c r e a s e d f r o m 500 to 40. H e
himself o w n e d six cow s, b u t h a s h a d t o g e t r i d of five o w in g t o s h o r t a g e of fo d d e r .
Not
one of th e f o u r h o r s e s w h i c h h e h a d o w n e d w a s left.
"S eve ra l m o d e r n a g r i c u l t u r a l m a c h i n e s h a d b e e n a b a n d o n e d in t h e s n o w ; for e x a m p le ,
reaping m a ch in e s, f o r o n e of w h i c h , w o r t h 250 p o o d s of g r a in , t h e o w n e r w o u l d n o t receive
a single po od of g r a i n , e v e n if h e c o u l d f in d a p u r c h a s e r fo r it.
I w a s s h o w n o n e or tw o
of the few h o rses r e m a i n i n g in t h e v illa g e . T h e i r c o n d i tio n w a s p i t i a b l e ; t h e y w e r e fe d
upon t h a t c h f r o m t h e ro o f of a b a r n w h i c h h a d b e e n p u l l e d d o w n fo r t h i s p u r p o s e .
"T h e P r e s i d e n t g a v e m e a c o p y of t h e m o r t a l i t y s t a t i s t i c s for t h e m o n t h of D e c e m b e r ,
drawn up b y h im s e l f f o r h is V o lo s t. T w e l v e c h i ld r e n d ie d of s t a r v a t i o n a n d 8 of
disease, 35 a d u l t s d i e d of s t a r v a t i o n , 23 of d is e a s e , t h u s m a k i n g a t o t a l of 83— a n a n n u a l
rate of 142 p e r t h o u s a n d . T h e v il l a g e c e m e t e r y c o n t a i n s s e v e r a l n e w g r a v e s , one of w h ic h
holds 6 corpses.
" W ith a v ie w t o v e r i f y i n g t h e s t o c k s h e l d b y t h i s v illa g e , I v i s i t e d t h e h o u s e s of t h e
richer i n h a b i t a n t s a n d c e r t a i n of t h o s e of t h e p o o r e r f a r m e r s . T h e r i c h e s t m a n i n t h e
Commune s e r v e d f o r six y e a r s o n t h e s ta f f in t h e a r m y , a n d I h a d t h e im p r e s s io n t h a t h e
was an in t e ll ig e n t a n d c a p a b l e m a n . H i s h o u s e , a l t h o u g h e m p t y , w a s clea n a n d o r d e r ly .
He possesses 70 d e s y a t i n s of l a n d , a n d in n o r m a l ti m e s h e h a d 10 to 12 h o r s e s a n d 7 to
8 cows. All t h a t h e h a d l e f t w a s o n e h o r s e a n d o n e cow, t h e l a t t e r b e i n g fed o n f ib ro u s
roots, fodd er b e i n g u n o b t a i n a b l e . 8 00 p o o d s of g r a in w e r e r e q u i s i t i o n e d f r o m h i m in
I9I9-
In 1920 a s ti ll l a r g e r a m o u n t w a s d e m a n d e d , b u t h e co uld o n ly p r o v i d e 200 po o d s,
(:) A “ Volost” is th e sm allest adm inistrative division in Russia : an “ uezd” or county is composed of “ volosts” ,
—
36
-
b e c a u s e t h e a r e a of h is l a n d u n d e r c u l t i v a t i o n h a d d e c r e a s e d as a r e s u l t of t h e p r e v i o u s
requisition.
H i s o n l y s t o c k of f o o d -s tu ff s c o n s i s t e d of I 1/2 p o o d s of rice b o u g h t at
S m o l e n s k w i t h t h e m o n e y f r o m t h e sa le of a f u r c o a t.
a n d w a t e r - m e l o n se eds.
H is te a w as m a d e from t r e e b ark
“ I s e le c te d a s m y e x a m p l e of t h e p o o r e r h o u s e s t h a t of a w i d o w w i t h s i x c h i l d r e n
f o u r of w h o m w e r e s ti ll in t h e v illa g e . H e r f o o d - s u p p l y c o n s is te d of a l i t t l e h o r s e - f l e s h
o b t a i n e d f r o m a n e i g h b o u r w h o s e h o r s e h a d die d.
" I w a s showin a s a m p l e of t h e s u b s t i t u t e f o r b r e a d e a t e n in t h e v illa g e ; i t consists of
a m i x t u r e of rice, s t r a w , b a r k a n d s i m i l a r s u b s t a n c e s .
" T h e " S a v e t h e C h i l d r e n F u n d ” , w h i c h h a s b e e n a t w o r k in t h e V o l o s t for tw o m o n t h s ,
m a i n t a i n s s e v e r a l k i t c h e n s , in w h i c h i t fe e d s a t h o u s a n d c h ild r e n .
of 3 5 0 c h i l d r e n in P r i s t a n n o e r e c e iv e r a t i o n s .
200 o u t of a total
E v e n t h e P r e s i d e n t of t h e E x e c u t i v e Com­
m i t t e e of t h e V o l o s t , w h o h a s n i n e m o u t h s t o fee d , h a s to s e n d h is c h i l d r e n to t h e kitchen.
T h e b u i l d i n g w h i c h h o u s e s t h e " F u n d ’s” k i t c h e n a t P r i s t a n n o e c o n t a i n s a s e c o n d kitchen
m a n a g e d b y t h e S o v i e t , w h i c h fe e d s 150 a d u l t s a n d s o m e c h i l d r e n f r o m a Children’s
H o m e . T h e a d u l t s ’ r a t i o n c o n s is ts of a 1/4 lb. of b l a c k b r e a d a n d s o u p m a d e f ro m pota­
to e s w i t h a l i t t l e b u c k - w h e a t , b u t t h e y a r e n o t g i v e n a n y s t o c k of f o o d , a n d th e ration
seem s h a r d ly a d e q u a t e for a n ad u lt.
" T h e o n ly lo g ic a l c o n c lu s i o n w h i c h c a n b e d r a w n f r o m a n i n s p e c t i o n of this village
is o n e of c o m p l e t e e c o n o m ic r u in . T h e c h i l d r e n w h o w e r e fe d a t t h e k i t c h e n s seem to
e n j o y g o o d h e a l t h , b u t sig n s of p r i v a t i o n a r e n o t i c e a b l e a m o n g t h e a d u l t s , a n d it is dif­
f i c u l t t o f o re s e e h o w , w i t h o u t fo re ig n h e lp , t h e y w ill b e a b l e t o g e t t h r o u g h th e next
m onths.
E v e n w h e n i t a r r iv e s , t h e h a r v e s t w ill n o t b e p le n t i f u l , in v i e w of t h e restricted
a r e a u n d e r c u l t i v a t i o n . T h e p r o b l e m is t h u s still u n s o l v e d . ”
" P a l i m o v k a lies a b o u t 7 v e r s t s n o r t h - w e s t of B u z u l u k .
I t is a l a r g e v illa g e h a v in g ,
l a s t s u m m e r , a p o p u l a t i o n of 5,077 i n h a b i t a n t s w h ic h , o n J a n u a r y 1 st, h a d d e c r e a s e d
to 3 ,626 . T h i s d e c r e a s e is d u e to m o r t a l i t y a n d to e m i g r a t i o n — t h e l a t t e r c h i e f l y to
T ashkent.
" 1 9 6 d e a t h s f r o m s t a r v a t i o n a n d 12 d e a t h s f r o m t y p h u s w e r e r e g i s t e r e d from No­
v e m b e r 4 t h to J a n u a r y 1 6th . 70 h o u s e s a r e c o m p l e t e l y d e s e r t e d .
I n n o r m a l times
7 00 d e s y a t i n s w e r e s o w n in t h e a u t u m n , b u t l a s t a u t u m n o n ly 4 0 0 d e s y a t i n s w e r e sown,
a n d t h e S o v i e t a u t h o r i t i e s p r o v i d e d o n ly e n o u g h se e d t o so w 162. T h e n o r m a l area
of s p r i n g s o w in g is 4 ,5 0 0 d e s y a t i n s , b u t t h e p l o u g h e d a r e a is o n l y 1,892 d e s y atin s, for
w h i c h , a t t h e p r e s e n t m o m e n t , t h e r e is n o t e n o u g h se ed . L a s t y e a r ’s cro p s varied
f r o m 4 t o 2 p o o d s to t h e d e s y a t i n .
" T h e r e w e r e I .5 0 0 h o r s e s in t h e v il la g e in J a n u a r y 1921, a n d 205 in J a n u a r y 1922.
T h e n u m b e r of co w s h a s d e c r e a s e d in s i m i l a r p r o p o r t i o n s f r o m 3 .0 0 0 t o 199, o x e n from
4 0 t o nil, p ig s f r o m 1.000 to nil, a n d ca lv e s f r o m 1.000, to 2, t h e n u m b e r of sh e ep which
w a s b e t w e e n 80.000 a n d 100.000 h a s f a lle n to 52. P o u l t r y , p r e v i o u s l y v e r y numerous,
h a v e d i s a p p e a r e d a l t o g e t h e r . T h e 1920 h a r v e s t a m o u n t e d to as m u c h a s 15.000 poods,
b u t 5.800 p o o d s w e r e r e q u i s i t i o n e d .
" I n on e h o u s e w h i c h I v i s i t e d I f o u n d e i g h t p e r s o n s , one of w h o m w a s a n e x - s o l d i e r .
—
37
—
Three of t h e c h i l d r e n w e r e b e i n g f e d a t t h e v il la g e k i t c h e n ; all t h e a d u l t s w e r e e x h a u s t e d
and none of t h e m a p p e a r e d t o h a v e a n y c h a n c e of r e c o v e r y . T h e o n ly fo o d in t h e h o u s e
was a h o r s e ’s h o o f w h i c h I f o u n d b e i n g b o il e d on t h e fire.
" I n t h e h o u s e of o n e of t h e b i g g e s t f a r m e r s in t h e v illa g e , w h o o w n e d 50 d e s y a t i n s
of land, t h e o n ly f o o d c o n s i s t e d of a s m a l l q u a n t i t y of f l o u r m a d e of c h o p p e d g rass.
of h is h o r s e s h a d f a l l e n f r o m 15 t o 1, a n d of his cow s, f r o m 5 to 1.”
The
num ber
T h e U k rain e.
T he a t t e n t i o n w h i c h w a s c o n c e n t r a t e d u p o n t h e f a m i n e c o n d i tio n s in t h e L o w e r
Middle V o l g a s e r v e d t o o b s c u r e t h e f a c t t h a t c o n d i t i o n s w e r e e x t r e m e l y se rio u s in
other p a r t s of R u s s i a , a n d p a r t i c u l a r l y in t h e U k r a i n e . T h e m a p of t h e f a m i n e a r e a
shows t h a t t h e f a i l u r e s p r e a d t h r o u g h o u t t h e C r im e a a n d a l o n g t h e n o r t h - w e s t e r n sho res
a nd
of the B l a c k Sea.
I t h a s a l r e a d y b e e n p o i n t e d o u t t h a t t h e r e w a s a se rio u s d iffe ren c e of o p in i o n b e t w e e n
the official B o l s h e v i s t s t a t i s t i c i a n s a n d t h e s t a t i s t i c i a n s of t h e U k r a i n e as to t h e t o t a l
yield of t h e 1921 h a r v e s t .
B u t e v e n t h e s t a t i s t i c s of P o p o v , s h o w t h a t in t h e p ro v in c e s
of Nikolaev, Z a p o r o z h y e a n d E k a t e r i n o s l a v t h e r e w a s a r e d u c t i o n in h a r v e s t to less
than one-half of t h e p r e v i o u s y e a r s ’ p r o d u c t i o n . T h e U k r a i n i a n C o m m i t t e e , h o w e v e r,
credits th e se s a m e P r o v i n c e s w i t h o n l y 13 1 /2 m illio n p o o d s , c o m p a r e d w i t h P o p o v ’s
52 1/2 million p o o d s a n d 125 m illio n p o o d s in t h e p r e c e d i n g y e a r .
In these circum ­
stances, we m a y p e r h a p s q u o t e f r o m t h e r e p o r t of t h e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of D r. N a n s e n , d a t e d
March 30th, w h o p o i n t s o u t t h a t t h e r i c h y i e l d of t h e U k r a i n e is n o r m a l l y r e g a r d e d as one
of the m a i n s t a y s of R u s s i a n c o n s u m p t i o n , a n d t h a t i t w a s difficult to b e l ie v e t h a t a f a m i n e
of real i m p o r t a n c e c o u l d o c c u r in so r i c h a c e r e a l c o u n t r y .
W h e n t h e f a m i n e b r o k e o u t in
the Volga re g io n s, t h e U k r a i n e w a s ca lle d u p o n to f u r n i s h g r a i n to re lie v e t h a t a r e a , a n d
it was only in J a n u a r y of 1 9 2 2 t h a t t h e G o v e r n m e n t of t h e D o n e ts , f o r e x a m p le , w a s
p erm itted to s u s p e n d t h e s h i p m e n t s w h i c h it h a d b e e n o r d e r e d t o m a k e b y t h e C e n tr a l
Government. T h e U k r a i n e , w h i c h h a s a t e r r i t o r y a s la rg e as I t a l y a n d a p o p u l a t i o n
of 26.000.000, h a d b e e n p e c u l i a r l y a f f e c te d b y t h e m o v e m e n t of w a r r i n g a r m ie s , a n d
even after t h e Civil W a r , C a p t a i n Q u is li n g s t a t e s t h a t u n t i l t h e e n d of 1921 t h e c o u n t r y
suffered on a v e r y l a r g e s c a le f r o m r o a m i n g c o m p a n i e s of b a n d i t s . T h e s e difficulties,
as well as c o n t i n u e d r e q u i s i t i o n s , h a d l e f t t h e c o u n t r y p e c u l i a r l y b e r e f t of s to c k , a n d
as in th e V o lg a , i t s u f fe re d f r o m a p a r t i c u l a r l y s e v e r e d r o u g h t in t h e c r itic a l m o n t h s of
1921. C a p ta in Q u is li n g g iv e s t h e t o t a l h a r v e s t of t h a t y e a r as 350 m illio n po o d s, as
against th e 2 9 8 m illio n s of t h e U k r a i n i a n C o m m i t t e e a n d P o p o v ’s 5 8 0 m illio ns, a n d 1.000
millions b e fo re t h e W a r . M o r e t h a n 3 0 m illio n p o o d s w e re e x p o r t e d t o R u s s i a f o r t h e
assistance of t h e f a m i n e r e g io n s .
W h e n d e d u c t i o n is also m a d e fo r seed, t h e t o t a l left
Som e investigators have
indeed f o rm e d t h e o p i n i o n t h a t in s p i t e of t h e civil w a r s , etc ., s o m e of t h e N o r t h e r n
for th e w hole of t h e U k r a i n e is s e e n t o b e q u i t e i n a d e q u a t e .
G overnm en ts d id in f a c t c a r r y o v e r a c e r t a i n a m o u n t of s to c k .
B u t i t is a g r e e d t h a t
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38
-
in t h e U k r a i n e , a s e ls e w h e r e , t h e r e w e r e t o b e f o u n d a r e a s w i t h a r e a s o n a b l e supply of
f o o d n o t f a r d i s t a n t f r o m t h e m o s t s e v e r e l y f a m i n e - s t r i c k e n re g io n s .
T h e railw ays are
s a i d t o b e in a r e a s o n a b l y t o l e r a b l e c o n d i t i o n , so f a r as p e r m a n e n t w a y a n d bridges are
c o n c e r n e d , a n d t h e a c t u a l w a r d a m a g e in t h i s r e s p e c t is r e p a i r e d , b u t t h e t r a i n service
is v e r y p o o r a n d o r g a n i s a t i o n b a d .
v e ry b a c k w a rd state.
C o m m u n i c a t i o n b y p o s t a n d t e l e g r a p h is also in a
A c c o r d i n g t o t h e r e p o r t of C a p t a i n Q u is lin g , Dr. N a n s e n ’s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e i n t h e Ukraine
t h e n u m b e r of f a m i n e - s t r i c k e n p e r s o n s i n t h e U k r a i n e w a s a s fo llo w s o n M a r c h 1st, 1922 :
P o p u la tio n
O d e s s a ...............................
N ikolai e v .......................
E k a t e r i n o s l a v .................
D o n e t s ..............................
Z a p o r o z h y e ...................
K rem entchug . . . .
P o l t a v a ............................
K h a r k o v ...........................
1920
S ta rv in g
1s t M a r c h 1 922
Percentage of
Population ig2(
1 , 9 5 1 ,0 0 0
i ,4 2 0 ,0 0 0
i , 9 1 0 ,0 0 0
3 ,11 2,00 0
1 , 2 8 8 ,0 0 0
3 5 0 ,00 0
7 0 0,000
7 7 5 ,0 0 0
6 7 5 ,0 0 0
1 , 0 0 0 ,0 0 0
50%
40%
22%
78%
9 , 6 8 1 ,0 0 0
3 , 5 0 0 ,0 0 0
36%
1 , 9 0 5 ,0 0 0
2 , 2 5 5 ,0 0 0
2 , 4 6 6 ,0 0 0
150,000
150,000
20 0 ,0 00
1 6 , 3 0 7 ,0 0 0
4 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
18%
8%
/ /0
8%
*7 0 /
8%
" T o t h i s n u m b e r m u s t b e a d d e d a t l e a s t 100.000 s t a r v i n g p e o p l e in t h e four other
p r o v i n c e s (1 % of p o p u l a t i o n ) , p l u s 100.00 0 s t a r v i n g f u g itiv e s f r o m R u s s ia , especially
in t h e n o r t h e r n p r o v i n c e s .
" T h e t o t a l n u m b e r of s t a r v i n g p e o p l e o n M a r c h 1st, 1922, in t h e U k r a i n e m a y conse­
q u e n t l y b e e s t i m a t e d a t a b o u t 4 , 2 0 0 ,0 0 0 o r a b o u t 16 % of t h e w h o l e p o p u la tio n .
" M o r t a l i t y f r o m s t a r v a t i o n is a t p r e s e n t i m p o s s ib le to fix in d e f i n i t e figures. Most
of t h e a v a i l a b l e f ig u re s a r e t o o o ld a n d w o u l d p e r h a p s o n l y g i v e a f alse impression of
th e situation.
" W h e n I v i s i t e d Z a p o r o z h y e in t h e e n d of F e b r u a r y , t h e d e a t h s f r o m starvation
a m o u n t e d a l r e a d y t o 30 t o 4 0 e v e r y d a y in e a c h v o lo s t . T h e d a y I v is i t e d Kherson
t o w n ( M a r c h 3 r d , 1922) t h e r e w e r e r e g i s t e r e d f r o m t h e d a y b e f o r e 42 d e a t h s f r o m starvation
(20 a d u l t s , 22 c h i l d r e n ) , a n d I w a s t o l d t h a t t h e r e m i g h t t h e n b e 100 cases a d a y . The
t o w n h a s a b o u t 2 0.0 0 0 i n h a b i t a n t s .
I n t h e t o w n o f E k a t e r i n o s l a v (160,000 inhabitants),
a b o u t 80 p e r s o n s d a i l y a r e n o w d y i n g f r o m s t a r v a t i o n .
I n t h e u e z d of T a g a n ro g in
t h e m o n t h of F e b r u a r y 642 c a se s of d e a t h f r o m s t a r v a t i o n w e r e r e g is t e r e d .
I t m u s t also
b e r e m e m b e r e d t h a t h u n g e r i n d i r e c t l y in c r e a s e s s u s c e p t i b i l i t y to d ise ase . E v e n diseases
t h a t u n d e r o r d i n a r y c i r c u m s t a n c e s h a v e o n ly a n i n s i g n i f i c a n t p e r c e n t a g e of mortality
h a v e n o w a v e r y g r e a t on e.
F o r i n s t a n c e , m e a s l e s is o f t e n fo llo w e d b y g a n g r e n e of the
g u m s , p a s s i n g i n t o n o m a , w i t h m o r e t h a n 2 0 % m o r t a l i t y . V a c c i n a t i o n s lose much
o f t h e i r p r e s e r v i n g c a p a c i t y . T h e u s e of s u r r o g a t e s f o r f o o d g iv e s a g r e a t percentage
of a b d o m i n a l d is e a s e s ; o t h e r s , a s f o r i n s t a n c e b r e a d w i t h a p r i c o t , a r e v e r y poisonous
—
39
—
with a m o r t a l i t y of 50 % v e r y s o o n a f t e r e a tin g .
from dead h o r s e s t h e r e a r e cases o f g la n d e r s .
I n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e u se of m e a t
"T h e f a m i n e h a s c a u s e d still m o r e t e r r i b l e d e s t r u c t i o n a m o n g t h e h o rse s a n d c a t t l e .
Some figures w ill i l l u s t r a t e t h i s :
" S in c e l a s t a u t u m n t o t h e e n d of F e b r u a r y a s a n a v e r a g e for t h e w h o le g o u b e r n i a of
Donets n e a r ly 30 % of t h e h o r s e s a n d c a t t l e h a d d ie d off; in t h e u e z d of M a riu p o l, t h e
worst in t h e D o n e t s p r o v i n c e , h a l f t h e h o r s e s a n d c a t t l e h a d d ie d .
A t p r e s e n t (end of
March), th e a u t h o r i t i e s i n D o n e t s e s t i m a t e t h a t o n ly o n e - t h i r d of t h e h o r s e s a n d c a t t l e
are left in t h e f a m i n e d i s t r i c t s .
" I n Z a p o r o z h y e o n J a n u a r y 1 st, 1922, t h e r e w e r e e s t i m a t e d t o b e 160.000 h o rses,
on 1st of F e b r u a r y I IO .O O O , a n d a t t h e e n d of F e b r u a r y less t h a n 50.000.
I saw th e re
at th e e n d of F e b r u a r y g r e a t v il l a g e s of s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d i n h a b i t a n t s w i t h 2 0 -3 0 h o r s e s
left, and in t h e w o r s t v i l l a g e s n o h o r s e s a t all.
" I n th e p r o v i n c e of E k a t e r i n o s l a v , t h e r e d u c t i o n in t h e n u m b e r of h o r s e s a n d c a t t l e
has been e s t i m a t e d a t 50 % .
T h e s a m e i n t h e p r o v i n c e s of N i k o l a e v a n d O d e s s a .
E spe­
cially for K h e r s o n u e z d , I r e c e i v e d t h e f o llo w in g i n f o r m a t i o n f r o m t h e p r e s i d e n t of th e
uezd :
" N o v e m b e r 7 5 ,0 0 0 h o r s e s ; J a n u a r y 4 6 , 0 0 0 h o r s e s ; M a r c h 2 n d, 1922, less t h a n 13,000
horses.
" I t m a y b e n o t i c e d t h a t t h e n u m b e r of p ig s is s p e c ia lly r e d u c e d ; v e r y few a r e left.
In considering t h e g i v e n f ig u re s i t m u s t b e r e m e m b e r e d t h a t in 1 9 2 1 t h e n u m b e r w a s
already c o n s i d e r a b l y d i m i n i s h e d in c o m p a r i s o n w i t h p r e - w a r tim e s .
" Z a p o r o z h y e is u n d o u b t e d l y t h e w o r s t .
I t is n o t e a s y f o r on e w h o h a s n o t seen s u c h
scenes, to im a g i n e t h e s e r e a l l y o c c u r r i n g n o w in t h e v illag e s in Z a p o r o z h y e .
W hen one
hears t h e d e s c r i p t i o n s of w a r s a n d r e v o l u t i o n s a n d o t h e r c a t a s t r o p h e s , a n d t h e n l a t e r
arrives a t t h e p l a c e o n e s e lf, o n e g e n e r a l l y f in d s t h e r e a l i t y m u c h less se rio u s t h a n t h e
reports.
P e r h a p s o n e r e c e iv e s t h e s a m e i m p r e s s i o n in Z a p o r o z h y e , if, for in s t a n c e , o n ly
B u t if o n e goes in t o t h e c o u n t r y , sees t h e fly in g
such a t o w n as A l e x a n d r o v s k is v i s i t e d .
villagers e n t e r s t h e h o u s e s a n d h o s p i t a l s , t h e r e o n e w ill w i t n e s s a w f u l t r a g e d i e s a n d b e
convinced of t h e g r e a t d i s t r e s s of t h i s g o o d a n d b r a v e p eo p le.
T h e l a n d is b u r n t b l a c k
and s t r i p p e d of t r e e s a n d p l a n t s .
O n e sees t h e s t r a w of t h e roofs u s e d as fo o d for m e n
and c a ttle , t h e m i s e r a b l e a n d o f t e n p o i s o n o u s s u r r o g a t e s u s e d fo r h u m a n s f irs t; h e a r s
the p eople te ll h o w t h e y h a v e a l r e a d y e a t e n all t h e dogs, c a ts a n d crow s t h e y cou ld g e t ho ld
of, even d e a d c a t t l e , l e a t h e r of t h e h a r n e s s e s , w o o d of t h e f u r n i t u r e .
Y o u h e a r of a n d
get proof of n e c r o p h a g y a n d c a n n i b a l i s m , s p e a k w i t h p e r s o n s w h o h a v e e a t e n t h e i r c h i l ­
dren or sisters a n d b r o t h e r s , se e t h e p e o p l e l y i n g like s k e le t o n s o n ly in t h e h o u se s, d y in g
or aw aitin g d e a t h w i t h o u t a n y relief in v ie w . Y o u see t h e h o s p it a ls , w h i c h in r e a l i t y
are only places w h e r e t h e s t a r v i n g p e o p l e a n d o t h e r sic k p e r s o n s a r e b r o u g h t t o g e t h e r
to get a c e r ta i n c a r e , b u t w h e r e t h e r e a r e n o b e d s , no lin en , n o m e d i c i n e a n d o f t e n n o
physician, t h e p e o p l e l y i n g n a r r o w l y t o g e t h e r on t h e flo o r in t h e u t m o s t m i s e r y . ”
From M a y o n w a r d s t h e s i t u a t i o n in t h e U k r a i n e h a s i m p r o v e d as in o t h e r p a r t s
°f Russia, as t h e c r o p s of s p r i n g v e g e t a b l e s , e t c . , h a v e b e c o m e a v a ila b le .
—
40
F A M IN E
—
R E L IE F
N o c o m p l e t e a c c o u n t of t h e ste p s t a k e n b y t h e R u s s i a n G o v e r n m e n t to cope with
t h e f a m i n e h a s c o m e t o h a n d , b u t t h e f o l l o w i n g s h o r t s t a t e m e n t is e x t r a c t e d from the
r e p o r t s of t h e official R u s s i a n C e n tr a l F a m i n e R e lie f C o m m is s i o n w h i c h h a v e b een issued
f r o m t i m e to t i m e , u p t o J u n e la s t, a n d f r o m o t h e r official d o c u m e n t s .
B y d e c r e e s d a t e d J u l y 2 1 st, 1921, t h e A l l - R u s s i a n C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e C o m m i t t e e
r e c o g n i s e d a s t a t e of f a m i n e as e x is tin g i n t h e M i d d l e a n d L o w e r V o l g a P ro v in c e s , a p p e a l e d
t o t h e p u b l i c f o r h e l p a n d e s t a b l is h e d a C e n t r a l F a m i n e R e l i e f C o m m is s i o n a t t a c h e d to
t h e A l l - R u s s i a n C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e C o m m i t t e e (1). T h e i m p o r t a n c e a t t a c h e d t o the
w o r k of t h i s C o m m i s s i o n is s h o w n b y t h e s t a n d i n g of t h e m e n p l a c e d u p o n i t .
M. I. K a l i n i n , P r e s i d e n t of t h e C o m m is s i o n , P r e s i d e n t of t h e All-Russian
C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e C o m m itt e e .
A . I. R y k o v , V i c e - P r e s i d e n t of t h e C o m m is s io n , P r e s i d e n t of th e Council
of L a b o u r a n d D e fe n c e , m e m b e r of t h e C o u n c il of P e o p l e ’s Commissaries,
a n d M e m b e r of t h e C e n tr a l C o m m i t t e e of t h e R u s s i a n C o m m u n i s t P a r t y .
L . B . K a m e n e v , V i c e - P r e s i d e n t of t h e C o m m is s i o n , P r e s i d e n t of th e Moscow
S o v i e t a n d m e m b e r of t h e C e n t r a l C o m m i t t e e of t h e R u s s i a n C o m m u n is t Party.
S. P . S e r e d a , P r e s i d e n t of t h e A g r i c u l t u r a l S e c t io n of t h e S t a t e Planning
C o m m is s i o n a n d f o r m e r ly P e o p l e ’s C o m m i s s a r y for A g r i c u l t u r e .
M. A. S e m a s h k o , P e o p l e ’s C o m m i s s a r y -for P u b l i c H e a l t h .
L. B. K r a s i n , P e o p l e ’s C o m m i s s a r y f o r F o r e i g n T r a d e .
T h e P e o p l e ’s C o m m i s s a r i a t s f o r A g r i c u l t u r e , W a y s
and
C o m m u n i c a t i o n s , Food,
P u b l i c W e l f a r e a n d H o m e Affairs w e r e also r e p r e s e n t e d o n t h e C o m m is s i o n (2).
T h e t w o p r i m a r y q u e s t i o n s w h ic h o c c u p i e d t h e a t t e n t i o n of t h e A ll- R u s s ia n Central
E x e c u t i v e C o m m i t t e e in r e g a r d to t h e f a m i n e a t t h i s e a r l y p e r i o d w e r e t h e fulfilment
of t h e f o o d - t a x a n d t h e t a k i n g of t h e n e c e s s a r y m e a s u r e s f o r t h e s o w in g of th e autumn
crops.
In v i e w of t h e s e rio u s s i t u a t i o n in t h e f a m i n e a r e a , t h e p r o v i n c e s of th e Middle
a n d L o w e r V o l g a w e r e e x e m p t e d f r o m p a y m e n t of t h e F o o d T a x .
I n all o t h e r provinces,
h o w e v e r , r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s w e r e a p p o i n t e d o n t h e p r o v in c i a l, c o u n t y a n d v o lo s t Soviets
s p e c i a l l y c h a r g e d w i t h s u p e r v is in g t h e p r o p e r f u l f i l m e n t of t h e t a x a n d in M osc ow half
t h e m e m b e r s of t h e colleg ia of t h e v a r i o u s C o m m i s s a r i a t s w e r e m o b i lis e d for th e same
(1) A body of ab ou t 300 constituting th e supreme legislative and executive power in th e State except fo r the short
period in th e year during w hich the All-Russian Congress of Soviets is in session. The nearest analogy to the Belief
Commission in W estern E u ro p e would be a Committee of P arliam en t endowed w ith executive powers and sitting under the
P resident of th e Chamber.
(2) A t th e same tim e there was also formed, w ith the perm ission of the Soviet G overnm ent, th e so-called “ Obshchestv enny K o m itet” a Fam ine Relief Commission representing all branches of Russian society, an d presided over by M . Kishkin,
form er L ord Mayor of Moscow and Minister for Home Affairs in the Provisional G overnm ent after the Revolution of Februar;
I 9I 7- The Committee was dissolved shortly after, on th e ground th a t certain of its m em bers were intriguing against the
Governm ent.
purpose.
T h e P e o p l e ’s C o m m i s s a r i a t f o r F o o d w a s i n s t r u c t e d to r e s o r t to t h e u se of t h e
for t h e p u r p o s e of s e c u r i n g t h e t a x w h e r e n e c e s s a r y . As a r e s u l t of t h e s e efforts,
out of 2,350,000 t o n s of f o o d s t u f f s a n d f o d d e r , f o r m i n g t h e p r o g r a m m e f o r c o lle c tio n
m ilitia
under th e t a x , 2 ,2 1 2 ,0 0 0 t o n s w e r e s t a t e d to h a v e b e e n re c e iv e d f o r 1921-1922, c o n s t i ­
tuting 94.2 p e r c e n t of t h e p r o g r a m m e .
O w i n g t o t h e s u c c e s s fu l c a r r y i n g o u t of t h e fo o d t a x c a m p a i g n , t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n ­
m en t w a s a b le to m o v e t o t h e f a m i n e a r e a a l m o s t 2 5 0 ,0 0 0 t o n s of se ed f o r t h e a u t u m n
sowing c a m p a ig n .
I n r e g a r d to t h e s p r i n g s o w in g c a m p a i g n , i t w a s d e c i d e d t o a l l o c a t e
400,000 to n s of s e e d f r o m R u s s i a n s o u r c e s f o r d e l i v e r y to t h e f a m i n e a r e a .
U p to
May 4 t h , 2 1 , 6 1 1 w a g o n s w i t h R u s s i a n se ed h a d b e e n d e l i v e r e d in t h e f a m i n e a r e a .
A llo w ­
ing 16 tons a s t h e f r e i g h t c a p a c i t y of a R u s s i a n w a g o n , th is r e p r e s e n t s a q u a n t i t y of
344,176 to n s o r a p p r o x i m a t e l y 2 0 ,6 5 0 ,5 6 0 p o o d s , w i t h w h i c h , p r o v i d e d t h a t i t c o u ld all
have b e e n t r a n s p o r t e d in t i m e f r o m r a i l h e a d to t h e d i s t r i c t s w h e r e s o w in g w a s a c t u a l l y
to t a k e place, a b o u t 2 5 ,0 0 ,0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s of l a n d w o u l d h a v e b e e n s o w n .
I n m a n y cases,
h o w e v er, t h e r e is r e a s o n to f e a r t h a t t h e l a c k of d r a u g h t a n i m a l s a n d t h e w e a k e n e d p h y ­
sical c o n d i t i o n of t h e lo c a l p o p u l a t i o n , m o r e e s p e c i a l l y in o u t l y i n g a r e a s , m a d e i t i m p o s ­
sible t o e f f e c t t h e lo c al d i s t r i b u t i o n of t h e t o t a l q u a n t i t y of se ed d e l iv e r e d a t t h e v a r i o u s
points along t h e r a i l w a y .
I n s p i t e , t h e r e f o r e , of t h e g r e a t effo rts m a d e to c a r r y o u t
both a u t u m n a n d s p r i n g s o w i n g c a m p a i g n s e f f e c tiv e ly , a n d of t h e i m p o r t a t i o n f ro m
ab road o f c o n s i d e r a b l e q u a n t i t i e s of seed, t h e t o t a l a r e a p la c e d u n d e r c u l t i v a t i o n for
1921-1922 in t h e f a m i n e p r o v i n c e s
u ltim ately
a m o u n t e d to
10,500,000 d e s y a t i n s as
aga in st 16,200,000 in 1920-1 921 .
W i t h r e f e r e n c e to t h e e x p e n d i t u r e of t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t in c o n n e c t i o n w i t h
the famine, t h e “R u s s ia n I n fo r m a tio n a n d R e v ie w ” e s t i m a t e d t h a t u p to M a rc h , 1922,
a sum equivalent to
£ 18,2 7 7 ,0 0 0 h a d b e e n e x p e n d e d b y t h e G o v e r n m e n t , i n c lu d in g
£ 10,721,000 f o r t h e p u r c h a s e of a u t u m n a n d s p r i n g seed, £ 5,7 97,000 ,00 0 in r e s p e c t of
fo od-stu ffs, £ 320,000 on t h e d e s p a t c h of se ed p o t a t o e s t o t h e f a m i n e a r e a , £ 875 ,00 0 on
the evacuation of p e o p l e f r o m t h e f a m i n e a r e a a n d £ 142,000 on t h e o r g a n i s a t i o n of
public w o r k s .
I n a d d i t i o n t o t h i s , i t i n c u r r e d t h e co s t of t r a n s p o r t i n g a n d d i s t r i b u t i n g
foreign r e l i e f s u p p li e s a n d a f u r t h e r 10 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 d o lla r s a l l o c a t e d b y t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n ­
ment in co n n e c tio n w i t h t h e 2 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 d o l l a r s a p p r o p r i a t i o n of t h :: C o n g res s of t h e U n i t e d
S tates (1). I t is also s t a t e d t h a t e x p e n s e s w e r e i n c u r r e d for t h e u p k e e p of t h e m e d ic a l
personnel, h o s p it a ls , etc., a n d e x p e n d i t u r e i n c u r r e d in p r o v i d i n g t h e i n h a b i t a n t s of t h e
famine a r e a w i t h a g r i c u l t u r a l i m p l e m e n t s a n d o t h e r c o m m o d it ie s . W h i l e o b s e r v in g
that t h e r e is n o c o m p l e t e i n f o r m a t i o n a v a i l a b l e as to t h e a c t u a l m o n e t a r y v a l u e of fore ig n
relief e f f o r t , a p a r t f r o m t h e s u m of 2 0,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 d o ll a r s a l l o c a t e d b y t h e A m e r i c a n C o n ­
gress, t h e ar tic le in t h e " R u s s i a n I n f o r m a t i o n a n d R e v i e w ” v e n t u r e s t h e a s s u m p t i o n t h a t
the t o t a l foreign relief ef f o rt is p r o b a b l y e q u i v a l e n t to s o m e t h i n g b e t w e e n o n e - q u a r t e r
and one-half of t h a t of t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t .
T h i s e s t i m a t e r e f e r s to t h e p e r io d u p
(1)
The appropriation of 20,000,000 dollars by Congress for the purchase of corn to be distributed by the American
™ef Administration in Russia was made conditional upon the Soviet Governm ent contributing 10,000,000 dollars in gold
to be used by the A. R 'A. for th e purchase of food for the population of th e fam ine area.
—
to M a r c h , 1922.
o r o t h e r w i s e (1).
42
—
T h e r e s e e m s n o p o s s i b i l i t y of j u d g i n g h o w f a r t h i s s t a t e m e n t is correct
In M a r c h , 1922, t h e G o v e r n m e n t d e c id e d t o c o n f is c a t e t h e C h u r c h tr e a s u r e s consis­
t i n g of g o ld a n d s ilv e r p l a t e a n d vessels, a n d in c e r t a i n ca se s je w e ls a n d to dispose
of t h e m f o r t h e p u r p o s e s of f a m i n e relief.
I t is e s t i m a t e d t h a t u p to M a y 15th
1922,
14 p o o d s 41 z o l o t n i k s of g o ld a n d 9 ,3 2 6 p o o d s
received b y th e G o v e rn m e n t.
15 p o u n d s of silv e r h a d been
J u d g i n g b y K a l i n i n ’s sp e e c h a t t h e t h i r d session of the
N i n t h A l l - R u s s i a n C e n t r a l E x e c u t i v e C o m m i t t e e , t h e r e s u l t s of t h e s e iz u r e of Church
t r e a s u r e w e r e n o t v e r y r e m u n e r a t i v e . T h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t v a l u e d t h e silver at
2 0 0 . 0 0 0 .0 0 0 S o v i e t r o u b l e s p e r p o o d , m a k i n g t h e t o t a l v a l u e a b o u t 1,860 m illia rd roubles
o r n e a r l y £ 1 0 0,000 a t t h e c u r r e n t e x c h a n g e . N o f ig u re s a r e g iv e n r e g a r d i n g th e value
of t h e g o ld , b u t t h e q u a n t i t y is so s m a l l t h a t i t c a n h a r d l y h a v e b e e n considerable.
O n a c c o u n t of t h e C h u r c h v a l u a b l e s , h o w e v e r , t h e C e n t r a l F a m i n e Relief Com­
m i s s io n r e c e i v e d a n a d v a n c e of 1 ,0 00,000 g o ld r o u b le s f r o m t h e S t a t e B a n k .
O u t of the
1.0 0 0 .0 0 0 g o ld r o u b le s , 8 0 0,000 r o u b l e s w e r e e x p e n d e d o n t h e p u r c h a s e of 300,000 poods
of c o r n i n F i n l a n d , a n d 2 0 0,000 r o u b l e s w e r e a d v a n c e d t o t h e C r i m e a a n d N o r t h C au ca su s
f o r relief p u r p o s e s .
O t h e r f in a n c i a l o p e r a t i o n s i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e f a m i n e w e r e t h e a llo c a tio n to the
U k r a i n e of 4 . 0 0 0 ,0 0 0 go ld r o u b l e s f o r t h e p u r c h a s e of se e d a n d t h e r e c e p ti o n b y the
C e n t r a l F a m i n e R e lie f C o m m is s i o n of a lo a n f r o m t h e S t a t e B a n k of 2 tr ill io n s of Soviet
r o u b l e s ( a b o u t £ 100,000 a t t h e t h e n r a t e of e x c h a n g e ) t o e n a b le t h e C o m m is s io n t o com ­
b a t t h e s p e c u l a t i o n o n t h e c o m i n g h a r v e s t , w h i c h w a s w i d e l y i n d u l g e d in in r u r a l areas
b y m a k i n g a d v a n c e s to t h e f a m i n e - s t r i c k e n p e a s a n t s w h o w e r e f e e lin g s t a r v a t i o n acutely
a n d w e r e b e g i n n i n g t o sell t h e i r g r o w i n g c r o p s to s p e c u l a t o r s fo r n e x t t o n o t h i n g (2).
A t a b l e is a d d e d s h o w in g
T h e t o t a l n u m b e r of s o u p - k i t c h e n s e s t a b l i s h e d b y t h e p r o v i n c i a l authorities
in t h e M i d d l e a n d L o w e r V o l g a a r e a s u p t o A p ri l, 1922, t h e n u m b e r of persons
b e i n g fed, t h e m o n e y a c t u a l l y r e c e iv e d b y t h e p r o v i n c i a l a u t h o r i tie s from
t h e C e n t r a l G o v e r n m e n t for f a m i n e w o r k a n d t h e t o t a l a m o u n t of m o n e y neces­
s a r y t o e n a b l e t h e p r o v i n c i a l a u t h o r i t i e s to c o v e r t h e e x p e n d i t u r e incurred
on f a m i n e w o rk .
W i t h r e g a r d t o v o l u n t a r y s u b s c r i p t i o n s in m o n e y 132,81 3,646 ,47 2 so v ie t roubles
w e r e s u b s c r i b e d f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g of t h e f a m i n e c a m p a i g n u p to t h e e n d of .April, 1922.
T
ableaux
(1) F o r the work accomplished by th e American Relief A dm inistration and the Intern ation al Russian Relief Comm®sion see Annexes 131 and IV.
(2) According to “ Ekonomicheskaya Zhizn” for 2nd J u ly , 1922 these measures do not ap p ear to have been successful-
—
43
—
Number of Soup-K itchens established by the P rovincial A uthorities in the M iddle and Lower
Volg& Provinces} the num ber of Children and A d u lts receiveing food} the total money received
from the Central Government for the conduct of R elief W ork and the actual am ount of money
needed in each province to carry on the work. N ovem ber, 1921-A p ril, IÇ22 (1).
--------------------------- :
--------
n u m b e r s receiving food
TOTAL MONEY
NO. SOUPMONTH
PROVINCE
Children
KITCHENS i n S o u p -
S a m a r a ....................
I!
.....
S a r a to v ....................
»
............
German C o m m un e.
Tartar R ep u b lic. .
>!
. -
Simbirsk....................
»
.....
Tsaritsyn....................
Chuvash ....................
1
....................
Nov.
Apl.
Jan.
Apl.
Apl.
Nov.
Apl.
Jan.
Apl.
Apl.
N ov.
Mar.
PROVINCE
Marii ..............................
Vyatka ...........................
>!
.......
B ashkir...........................
»
..........................
Astrakhan.......................
A ktyubinsk.....................
Votyak ...........................
Kustanai..........................
Bukeev . . .
Uralsk. .
Ufa. . . .
Orenburg . .
Chelyabinsk...................
Z2I
Z22
Z22
y22
'2 2
19
Z20
Z20
Z20
Z20
'19
'19
Children
Adults
Total
32,300
279,830
146,726
Kitchens
Homes
50,750
100,000
665
—
I 2 9 ,o 8 o
—
1,294
—
—
—
—
67,489
I° 5
829
—
—
253
220
—
—
—
—
—
203,531
1i,800
230,160
69,032
173,460
1,760
278
69,032
833
—
—
—
1 2 7 ,0 0 0
—
—
—
NO .
N U M B E R S R E C E I V I N G FOO D
135
197
i
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
3,275
161,379
,459
Central Government
For Famine Expen­
diture Nov.-April
Necessary to Cover
Expenditure
Nov.-April
II,1 9 5 ,0 0 0 , 0 0 0
20,152,000,000
20,41^,000,000
21,600,000,000
3,945,000,000
6,195,000,000
9,620,000,000
19,853,000,000
4,900,000,000
13.578,000,000
5,761,000,000
9,913,000,000
11,084,000,000
2 1 ,5 5 5
127,000
TO TA L MO NE Y
TO TAL
Total
For Famine
Expenditure
Nov.-April
Necessary to
Cover Expenditure
Nov.-April
—
—
T, 3 2 7 , 3 4 5 ‘000
3,601,000,000
9,961
94,815
2 ,0 2 3 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
10,238,000,000
6 ,2 2 8 ,9 4 6 ,3 6 6
2 ,2 3 4 ,2 9 5 ,1 4 0
785,000,000
1,2 9 2 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
30 0,000,000
840 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
—
6 ,5 5 6 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
1 ,0 9 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
52 , 639,999
10,238,000,000
3,225,000,000
2,651,000,000
4,154,000,000
2,024,000,000
2,809,000,000
5,936,000,000
16,338,000,000
6,156,000,000
6,240,000,000
of
month
1st M arch '22
J a n . '2 2
A pril '22
O ct. ' n
A p. '2 2
Mar. '22
M a r '22
M ar. '22
J a n . '2 2
J a n . '22
'22
F e b '22
F e b '22
F e b . '2 2
Children Children
in S o u p Adults
Kitchens Kitchens Homes
328
400
4 0 ,0 0 0
527
8 4 ,8 5 4
18
960
60
73
—
63
70
139
371
345
—
2 ,000
—
16,018
—
—
—
—
—
9,488
—
—
—
—
—
11,578
—
—
—
—
15,100
—
138
—
—
136,954
8,853
24,871
37,400
9,488
17,000
18,432
36,147
26,678
50,000
22,303
—
—
—
—
In a d d i tio n to t h e o p e r a t i o n s of t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t , a n i m m e n s e l y i m p o r t a n t
contribution t o w a r d s k e e p i n g a l iv e t h e p o p u l a t i o n of t h e f a m i n e a r e a w a s m a d e b y t h e
foreign o r g a n is a tio n s , w h i c h a t t h e i r m a x i m u m a t t h e e n d of J u l y w e re f e e d in g o v e r
11 m illio n a d u l t s a n d c h i ld r e n , t h e A m e r i c a n R e lie f A d m i n i s t r a t i o n b e i n g r e s p o n s i b le
f°r a p p ro x im ate ly 10 m i llio n s, a n d t h e a s s o c i a t i o n s w o r k i n g u n d e r t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l
Russian Relief C o m m i t t e e f o r 1,400 ,0 00.
T h a t t h i s g r e a t effort w a s n o t a b l e to p r e v e n t
(J) Bulletin of Ike A ll-R ussian Central Famine Relief Commission. Moscow, 1922. Numbers 5 > 6 and 7.
—
44
—
t h e h e a v y m o r t a l i t y w h i c h o c c u r r e d is d u e, o n t h e o n e h a n d , t o t h e i n e v i t a b l e delay which
o c c u r r e d in i m p r o v i s i n g a n o r g a n i s a t i o n u n d e r t h e v e r y d ifficu lt c o n d i t i o n s t h a t o b ta in e d
i n R u s s i a , a n d , o n t h e o t h e r , t o t h e f a c t t h a t w h e n s u p p li e s b e g a n t o b e c o m e a v a ila b le
t h e i r t r a n s p o r t in R u s s i a its e lf w a s h e l d u p d u r i n g t h e w i n t e r b y t h e c o n g e stio n a t the
p o r t s a n d t h e d e p l o r a b l e s t a t e of t h e r a i l w a y s .
T h e f o llo w in g s h o w s t h e p r o g r e s s of
r e li e f : —
N u m b e r o f P e rs o n s fe d by the F o r e ig n R e lie f O rg a n isa tio n s.
CHILD R EN
J a n u a r y A. R. A. . .
» " I. R. R. C .
April A. R. A . . .
»
I. R. R. C. . .
J u l y A. R. A. . . .
»
I. R. R. C. ( i ) .
adults
I , 3 0 0 ,0 0 0
280,000
70,000
2 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
3,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
3 00,000
4 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
260,000
6 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
7 0 0,000
700,000
nil
T h i s t a b l e i n c i d e n t a l l y i l l u s t r a t e s t h e u l t i m a t e r e c o g n i t i o n of t h e n e c e s s ity f o r feed­
i n g a d u l t s a s w ell a s c h i l d r e n .
T h e s e p r o g r a m m e s i n v o l v e d u p to t h e e n d of J u l y t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n of 620,000 tons
b y t h e A . R . A. a n d 7 7 ,0 0 0 t o n s b y t h e I. R . R. C.
T h e t r a n s p o r t of th i s q u a n t ity of
g o o d s r e q u i r e d v e r y s p e c i a l e x e r t i o n s on t h e p a r t of t h e d i s o r g a n i s e d r a i l w a y staff.
First
p r i o r i t y o n t h e r a i l w a y s w a s g i v e n to s e e d - c o r n , a n d s e c o n d p r i o r i t y t o food. B u t even
w i t h t h i s a d v a n t a g e o v e r all o t h e r t r a n s p o r t a t i o n , b o t h o r g a n i s a t i o n s f o u n d th e ir goc
n o t i n f r e q u e n t l y b l o c k e d a t p o r t b y t h e i n a b i l i t y of t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n t o s u p p l y empty
w a g o n s f o r l o a d in g .
T h e w o r s t p e r io d , a s is u s u a l in R u s s i a , w a s t o w a r d s t h e end of
M a r c h , w h e n s t o c k s s u f fic ie n t t o o c c u p y t h e r a i l w a y s a t t h e i r c u r r e n t r a t e of carriage
f o r t h r e e w e e k s in t h e B a l t i c p o r t s , a n d f o r f o u r w e e k s a t B l a c k S e a p o r t s , w e r e held up.
A g a i n , d u r i n g M a r c h a n d A p r i l t h e a c t u a l t i m e t a k e n in t r a n s p o r t w a s v e r y great, but
g r e a t l y i m p r o v e d in t h e s u m m e r .
T h u s s h i p m e n t s f r o m t h e B a l t i c t o S a r a t o v which
a v e r a g e d 50 d a y s in t r a n s i t , v a r i e d b e t w e e n 107 a t t h e w o r s t c o n g e s t i o n a n d 26 days
r e c e n t l y . S h i p m e n t s f r o m B l a c k S e a p o r t s t o t h e s a m e t o w n , a v e r a g i n g 28 d ay s, varied
b e t w e e n 42 d a y s a t t h e w o r s t c o n g e s t i o n a n d 15 d a y s r e c e n t l y .
T h e relief agencies, how­
e v e r , o n t h e w h o le , p a y t r i b u t e t o t h e w o r k of t h e r a i l w a y sta ffs, w h o c o - o p e ra te d whole­
h e a r t e d l y t o t h e e x t e n t of t h e i r p o w e r , a n d i t is a d d e d t h a t t h e p e r c e n t a g e of losses was
r e m a r k a b l y s m a ll.
A t a b l e t a k e n f r o m a r e p o r t of t h e C e n t r a l C o m m is s i o n o n F a m i n e Relief gives the
f o llo w in g c o m p a r a t i v e f ig u re s f o r v a r i o u s o r g a n i s a t i o n s on M a y 1 st : —
T
(1) By August 1922, the I. R. R. C. were feeding 734,000 children and 903,00c adults.
ableau
—
g.
45
—
Number of S oup-K itchens, in c lu d in g those run by the R u ssia n authorities, the A . R. A ., and
other foreign relief organisations and the num ber of persons fed by them on M a y ist, ’1 922,
together w ith the Soviet Government official estimate o f the num ber of the population actually
stricken by fa m in e in each province, excluding the U kraine and Crimea (1).
RU S S IA N O RG A N I S A TI O N S
OTHER FOREIGN
RELIEF
A. R . A.
PROVINCE
FED
Population
Famine
Stricken
73,174
21 937
T OT AL
Kitchens
Number Fed
60
Astrakhan........................
Kalmyk.............................
T saritsyn.........................
Saratov .............................
German C o m m un e . .
24.471
1,760
229,228
202,531
279,780
173,460
217,642
128,238
18,972
9.488
1 35
1,294
253
829
Samara.............................
Simbirsk.............................
Tartar R epublic. . . .
Chuvash T er rito ry . .
Marii Territory. . . .
Votyak Territory. . .
833
3,209
1,469
328
—
Vyatka................................
Bashkir R ep ub lic . . .
94,815
136,455
126,778
161,147
2 2 ,3 6 3
527
960
Via.....................................
Kirghiz R e p u b lic . . .
Chelyabinsk
. . .
371
690
138
11 ,0 9 6 1 ,8 2 7 ,0 6 8
Kitchens Number Fed
69
48,703
N o in fo rm a tio n
1 ,0 0 0
610,600
308
178
2,058
1,726
2,876
1,035
272
475,340
187,572
9 0 9,019
636,113
i,087,917
93,000
14,225
—
—
—
—
1 ,154
581
i ,6 8 4
41 8 ,2 2 8
37 2 ,0 8 0
693,685
24
1 5 ,3 4 5
1 2 ,9 6 4 5 ,5 6 1 ,8 4 2
Number
Fed
Total
Kitchens
_
129
%
186,899
23,174
330,867
85,884
335,000
63 5 , 5 3 4
1,602 1,035, 4 4 4
574,428
1,383,890
475,987
262,625
2,430,122
1,135
—
2 3 , OOO
9 2 ,3 7 0
4 31
2,887
1 ,5 2 3 , 7 9 9
2,559
809,573
6,085
1,328,559
313,608
2,504
600
—
—
—
—
—
—
337,648
508,082
599,400
999,630
1,292,584
1,761,470
889,061
24,060 8 ,2 7 9 ,2 0 5
16,533,988
5-7
94,815
2,1 1 4
554,683
952
4 9 8 ,8 6 4
2,374
854,832
162
8 90,295
33,197
9,4 8 8
—
1,364,831
3,042,063
743,420
466,846
25 16
39
40
56
57
33
70
34
79
91
13
98
00
84
14
44
54
60
78
5 0 84
62 02
According to " R u s s i a n I n f o r m a t i o n a n d R e v i e w ” , A u g u s t 15, 1922, t h e follow ing
quantities of fo o d h a v e b e e n r e q u i s i t i o n e d o r le v ie d in fo o d t a x e s f r o m t h e p e a s a n t s :
P e rio d
Programme
of collection,
Actually
received
in tons
of 1916-1917
5 ,3 8 4 ,0 0 0
1 0 0 .0
I916-I9I7 .
.
.
.
7 ,1 0 4 ,0 0 0
1917-1918
.
.
.
.
I918-I9I9 .
.
..
---
1919-1920
I 9 2 O - 19 2 I
1921-1922
.
.
.
.
5 ,8 3 0 ,0 0 0
3 ,6 2 6 ,0 0 0
.
.
.
.
7,510,000
4 , 9 6 7 , OOO
.
.
.
.
2 ,3 5 0 ,0 0 0
2 , 2 1 2 , OOO
4 ,3 3 5 ,0 0 0
7 9 2 ,0 0 0
i ,7 9 8 ,0 0 0
Percentage
14-7
33-4
67-3
92 . 2
41. I
Percentage
of
programme
751.8
—-
4 1 .5
65.1
66.1
9 4 .2
It is n e c e s sa ry t o d raw r a d i s t i n c t i o n b e t w e e n r e q u i s i t i o n s m a d e b e f o r e t h e R e v o ­
lution, which w e r e p r i m a r i l y i n t e n d e d t o s a t i s f y t h e d e m a n d s of t h e A r m y , a n d t h o s e
carried out b y t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t w h i c h w e r e i n t e n d e d to m e e t t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s
of the town p o p u l a t i o n t h r o u g h o u t R u s s i a in a d d i t i o n t o m i l i t a r y n e e d s . T a k i n g t h e
year 1920-1921, it w ill b e s e e n t h a t t h e f ig u re s n e v e r e x c e e d e d 5 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 t o n s , i. e.,
(1) Bulletin of the A ll-R ussian Central R elief Commission, Moscow, 1922. Nos. 5, 6 and 7.
3 0 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p oods.
46
-
T a k i n g t h e u r b a n p o p u l a t i o n of R u s s i a a t 2 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 a n d I 0 poojs
a s t h e q u a n t i t y a l lo w e d b y S o v i e t s t a t i s t i c i a n s a s t h e m i n i m u m necessary ptr
h e a d of t h e p o p u l a t i o n p e r y e a r , 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 p o o d s is t h u s a c c o u n t e d for. fhc
r e m a i n d e r is a c c o u n t e d
for b y
th e
Red
A rm y,
w h ich received
a b o u t 2 p ounds of
b r e a d a d a y a n d w h ic h , a c c o r d i n g t o T r o t z k y , r e a c h e d 5 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 in n u m b e r s before
t h e close of t h e C ivil W a r , a n d also b y t h e v e r y l a r g e n u m b e r of t e c h n i c a l e x p e rts and
s p e c ia l c a t e g o r i e s of w o r k m e n r e c e i v i n g s p e c ia l R e d A r m y r a t i o n s d u r i n g th e War
T h e g r e a t d e c r e a s e in t h e p r o g r a m m e fo r c o l le c tio n in 1 9 2 1 - 1 9 2 2 is a c c o u n t e d f o r partly
b y t h e f a c t t h a t S o v i e t R u s s i a w a s a t p e a c e . A p a r t i a l d e m o b i l i s a t i o n of t h e A rm y had
t a k e n p l a c e a n d t h e m a j o r i t y of t h e c iv ilia n s w h o h a d d r a w n s p e c ia l r a ti o n s during
t h e W a r c e a s e d to r e c e iv e t h e m . U n d e r t h e n e w e c o n o m i c p o lic y , m o r e o v e r , t h e distri­
b u t i o n of S t a t e r a t i o n s w a s r e d u c e d t o a m i n i m u m a n d s t e p s w e r e t a k e n t o w a r d s restoring
f r e e d o m of t r a d e i n g r a i n . F i n a l l y i n a g r e e i n g u p o n a p r o g r a m m e of 2 , 3 5 0 , 0 0 0 tons, the
S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t w e r e d o u b t l e s s i n f l u e n c e d b y t h e s t a t e of f a m i n e w h i c h h a d declared
itself.
O n e of t h e c h i e f of t h e s e d ifficu lties is t h a t t h e p e a s a n t s n o t o n l y co n c e a l th e ir pro­
d u c e , b u t also p r e s e n t fa ls e r e t u r n s a b o u t t h e a m o u n t of l a n d t h e y h a v e in cultivation.
T h u s , i t w a s s t a t e d in " E c o n o m i c L i f e ” in J u l y t h a t 1 ,1 5 6 ,9 5 1 d e s y a t i n s h a d been dis­
c o v e r e d a s b e i n g u n d e r c u l t i v a t i o n , a l t h o u g h c o n c e a le d b y t h e p e a s a n t s . These dis­
c o v e r ie s w e r e m a d e f r o m O c t o b e r 1 st 1 9 21 , to A p r i l 1st 1 9 22 in t h e following pro­
v in ces :
_________________________________________
PRO VINC E
Z a p o r o z h y e .................................................................
V o l h y n i a ......................................................................
D o n ets ..........................................................................
K ie v ..................................................................................
K r e m e n c h u g .................................................................
N i k o l a e v ...............................................................................
O d e s s a ..........................................................................
P o d o l i a ......................
P o l t a v a ..........................................................................
K h a r k o v .........................................................................
C h e r n i g o v ......................................................................
AM OUNT OF L A N D D
U N D E R SECRET CULTIVATION
2 7 9 ,8 0 0 desyatins
113,428
•—
2 4 2 ,2 3 0
—
97,9 87
-—
15,033
—
No d a ta
13,500
—
114,457
—
8 8 ,3 0 0
—
103,059
-—
89,1 5 7
—-
T h i s c o n c e a l m e n t of la n d u n d e r c u l t i v a t i o n a m o u n t e d in s o m e r e g io n s to 15 %-20 %
of t h e l a n d t a x a b l e , a n d i n s o m e ca se s i t a t t a i n e d 60 % .
O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , in t h e f a m i n e y e a r r e q u i s i t i o n s w e r e s u p p l e m e n t e d b y a consider­
a b l e a m o u n t of v o l u n t a r y c o n t r i b u t i o n s of g ra in .
T h e f o llo w in g t a b l e i n d i c a t e s t h e a m o u n t in p o o d s of ce reals a n d o t h e r produce
c o n t r i b u t e d b y t h e R u s s i a n p u b l i c fo r f a m i n e relief u p to M a y IOth, 1922, th e amount
of t h e s e c o n t r i b u t i o n s a c t u a l l y d e s p a t c h e d to a n d r e c e iv e d in t h e f a m i n e a r e a and the
p e r c e n t a g e t h e s e a m o u n t s b e a r to t h e t o t a l a m o u n t s c o n t r i b u t e d .
—
47
—
C o n t r i b u t e d ...............................................
D esp a tc h ed to F a m i n e A r e a . . . .
Received in F a m i n e A r e a ...................
% D e sp a tc h e d of T o t a l C o n trib u te d .
% R eceived of T o ta l D e sp a tc h e d . .
% R eceived of T o ta l C o n trib u te d . .
TOTAL CEREALS
TOTAL OTHER
PRODUCE
,0 1 3 , 9 5 1
2 ,7 6 3 ,1 8 4
2 ,0 26,37 1
6 8.85
1 ,3 5 5 ,7 3 5
4
1,1 64,526
793,339
73.69
85.91
68.13
50.48
58.52
D ise a se .
All r e p o r ts r e l a t i n g t o t h e f a m i n e m a k e c o n s t a n t r e f e r e n c e to t h e p r e v a l e n c e o
disease. It m u s t b e r e a lis e d , h o w e v e r , t h a t t h e e p i d e m i c s w i t h w h i c h R u s s i a h a s b e e n
scourged m a d e t h e i r p r e s e n c e f e l t s e v e r a l y e a r s b e f o r e t h e f a m i n e s t a r t e d .
S in c e 1918
epidemics h a v e r a g e d u n i n t e r r u p t e d l y in R u s s i a w i t h g r e a t s e v e r i t y o v e r a w id e a r e a .
U n fo r tu n a te ly , h o w e v e r , r e l i a b l e d a t a a r e e x c e e d i n g l y difficult t o o b t a i n a n d t h e figure s
supplied m u s t t h e r e f o r e b e t a k e n w i t h g r e a t r e s e r v a t i o n .
B u t h o w ev er im perfect th e
picture w h ic h i t is p o s s i b l e t o p r e s e n t , t h e r e c a n b e n o d o u b t as t o t h e g r a v i t y of t h e
epidemic s i t u a t i o n . T h e r e is, m o r e o v e r , r e a s o n to b e l ie v e t h a t t h e official r e t u r n s on
which this r e p o r t is b a s e d r e p r e s e n t t h e f a c t s a t t h e i r m i n i m u m v a l u e .
Russia w a s f o r m e r l y r e c o g n is e d a s a n e n d e m i c fo c u s of in f e c tio n . A c c o r d i n g t o
official figures, t h e n u m b e r of ca se s of t y p h u s in R u s s i a a v e r a g e d a b o u t 90,000 a n n u a l l y .
It varied f ro m 3 6,8 8 7 ( t h e l o w e s t f ig u r e r e g i s t e r e d ) in 1897 to 180 ,72 4 in t h e f a m i n e y e a r
of 1892, i. o., f r o m 28 % to 15.5 p e r 10,0 0 0 of t h e p o p u l a t i o n . T h e p r o v in c e s w h ic h
suffered m o st s e v e r e l y w e r e t h e U r a l, B l a c k S e a a n d W h i t e R u s s i a n P r o v in c e s , T a m b o v
and Orel P r o v i n c e s in C e n t r a l R u s s i a a n d K h a r k o v in t h e U k r a i n e .
T yp hus i n c r e a s e d s t e a d i l y d u r i n g t h e E u r o p e a n W a r .
I n 1914 t h e u s u a l a v e r a g e
number of cases w e r e r e c o r d e d ; in 1915, t h e r e w e r e 100,497 cases a n d in 1916 t h e n u m b e r
increased n o t i c e a b l y t o 15 4,8 06. B y t h i s t i m e t h e n u m b e r of ca se s of in f e c tio u s ca se s
notified in t h e A r m y b e g a n to i n c r e a s e o w i n g l a r g e l y t o e x h a u s t i o n a n d w e a k n e s s , d u e
to military o p e r a t i o n s c a r r i e d o n o v e r a lo n g p e r i o d in c o n d i t i o n s of g r e a t h a r d s h i p . R e f u ­
gees, forced b y t h e R u s s i a n m i l i t a r y a u t h o r i t i e s t o e v a c u a t e t h e i r h o m e s , a n d p r i s o n e r s
of war, s c a t t e r e d i n f e c t i o n t h r o u g h o u t R u s s i a .
T h e d i s t u r b e d c o n d i t i o n of t h e c o u n t r y s in c e 1 9 17 h a s f u r t h e r e n c o u r a g e d t h e s p r e a d
of e p i d e m i c s . A c c o r d i n g t o t h e official f ig u re s , 118,057 cases of t y p h u s w e r e r e g i s t e r e d
in 1917, a n d 141,638 i n 1918. T h e s e f ig u r e s a r e e v i d e n t l y i n c o m p l e t e a n d do n o t g iv e
more t h a n an a p p r o x i m a t e i d e a of t h e s i t u a t i o n , f o r th e s y s t e m of r e g i s t r a t i o n h a d p r a c ­
tically c e a s e d t o w o r k a l m o s t e v e r y w h e r e b y t h a t tim e . A f t e r t h e B o l s h e v i k s c a m e
mto p o w e r , h o w e v e r , t h e n o t i f i c a t i o n of i n f e c t i o u s d ise ase s wras m a d e c o m p u l s o r y b y l a w
on t h e 18 t h J u l y , 1918, b y t h e P e o p l e ’s C o m m i s s a r i a t f o r P u b l i c H e a l t h . T h e n u m b e r
of cases r o s e f r o m 2,2 4 0 ,2 2 5 in 1918 to 2 , 6 7 7 ,5 0 0 in 1920.
I n 1 0 2 1 t h e i n c id e n c e d e c lin e d ,
the n u m b e r of r e c o r d e d c a s e s b e i n g 6 0 0 , 0 0 0 (in r o u n d fig ures). T h e s e figu res d o n o t
include t h o s e . f o r t h e U k r a i n e , S i b e r i a a n d T u r k e s t a n , a n d i t m u s t b e b o r n e in m i n d t h a t
there w e r e a l a r g e n u m b e r of ca se s w h i c h w e r e n e v e r officially n o ti f ie d .
-
48
—
A c c o r d i n g t o D r. S y ssin , t h e Chief of t h e S a n i t a r y E p i d e m i o l o g i c a l D ivision of the
R u s s i a n P e o p l e ’s H e a l t h C o m m i s s a r i a t , t h e t o t a l in c i d e n c e f o r t h e y e a r s 1 9 18 -19 2 0 may
b e e s t i m a t e d a t a b o u t 1 5 ,0 00,00 0, b u t P r o f e s s o r T a r a s s e v i c h in h i s r e p o r t presented to
t h e H e a l t h C o m m i t t e e of t h e L e a g u e of N a t i o n s in 1922 c o n s i d e r e d t h a t t h e to t a l figure
d u r i n g t h e l a s t 4 y e a r s m i g h t b e p l a c e d a t b e t w e e n 25, a n d 30 m illio n s.
official s t a t i s t i c s in r o u n d f ig u re s as fo llo w s : •—•
191 8......................................................
191 9 ......................................................
192 0 ......................................................
192 1......................................................
S ib e ria .................................................
U k r a i n e ...............................................
1 5 0 ,0 0 0
2,2 0 0 ,0 0 0
2 ,6 0 0 ,0 0 0
6 0 0 ,0 0 0
3 5 0 ,0 0 0
8 0 0 ,0 0 0
................................
6 ,70 0,000
T
o ta l
H e gives the
H e t h e n t a k e s 2 1/2 a s t h e m a x i m u m co-efficient e r r o r, a n d a fig u re of 16 1/2 mil­
li o n s is o b t a i n e d .
If 5 m illio n s a r e a d d e d f o r t h e p e r i o d d u r i n g w h i c h n o s t a t i s t i c s were
c o l le c te d , a n d f o r t h e w e s t e r n r e g io n s f o r w h i c h n o s t a t i s t i c s w e r e o b t a i n a b l e , t h i s gives
21 1/2 m illio n s.
If a n a t t e m p t is m a d e t o a p p l y a s e p a r a t e co -efficien t t o ea ch s ta tis tic a l
r e t u r n , t h e r e s u l t w ill n o t b e v e r y d i f f e r e n t ; t h u s :
O FFICIAL
TOTALS
C O -EFFIC IEN T
191 8 ......................................................
140,000
5
191 9 ......................................................
2 , 2 0 0 ,0 0 0
3
192 0 ......................................................
2 , 6 0 0 ,0 0 0
2 1/2
192 1......................................................
6 0 0 ,0 0 0
2
Siberia (for 2 y e a r s ) ...................
3 5 0 ,0 0 0
5
U k r a i n e ...............................................
8 0 0 ,0 0 0
4
Places a n d periods for w hich no s ta tis tic s available . . .
700,000
6 .6 0 0 .0 0 0
6 . 5 0 0 .0 0 0
1.2 0 0 .0 0 0
1.7 5 0 .0 0 0
3 .2 0 0 .0 0 0
5 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
2 4 ,9 5 0 ,0 0 0
A n o t h e r m e t h o d is t o t a k e t h e c i t y of P e t r o g r a d w i t h it s p o p u l a t i o n of 700,000 and
7 0 ,0 0 0 cases d u r i n g t h e s e f o u r y e a r s : a n d M oscow, w i t h o n e m i llio n i n h a b i t a n t s regis­
t e r i n g 1 2 0,000 ca se s f o r t h e s a m e p e r io d .
T h e r e a r e t h u s 1 9 0 ,0 0 0 cases f o r 1 , 7 0 0 , 0 0 0 inha­
b i t a n t s . T h e co e ffic ie n t of e r r o r fo r t h e s e t w o cities is a t l e a s t 25 % a n d m a y be as much
as 50 % . T h e t r u e m o r b i d i t y m a y t h e r e f o r e b e e s t i m a t e d a t 2 5 0 ,0 0 0 t o 300,000 which
g iv e s a c o m p a r a t i v e m o r b i d i t y of 15 % t o 18 % ,
If t h e c o m p a r a t i v e m o r b i d i t y is assumed
t o b e t h e s a m e f o r t h e wrh o le of R u s s i a wTi t h its 130 m illio n i n h a b i t a n t s a t o t a l of 20 to
23 m i l l i o n cases is o b t a i n e d . B u t all t h e d a t a a v a i l a b l e i n d i c a t e s t h a t t h e morbidity m
t h e g r e a t e r p a r t of R u s s i a ( e x c e p t i n t h e v e r y s p a r s e l y p o p u l a t e d p r o v i n c e s in th e north
m ust
b e h ig h e r
th a n
in
the
tw o
capitals w here th e re
w ere
m eans
available for
c o m b a t i n g t h e d is e a s e .
If t h e c o m p a r a t i v e m o r b i d i t y is a s s u m e d t o b e 20 % , a total
of 26 m illio n s is o b t a i n e d .
If h o w e v e r , s u c h a h i g h fig u re as 25 % is a s s u m e d the total
—
49
—
will be as m u c h as 31 1/2 m illio n s. F o r t h e s e r e a s o n s , a n d on a c c o u n t of o t h e r c o n s id e ­
rations of th e s a m e n a t u r e , I b e l ie v e t h a t a t o t a l of 25 m illions is n e a r e s t t h e t r u t h ; in
any case, t h e t r u e t o t a l lies, in m y v ie w b e t w e e n a m i n i m u m of 20 m illio n s a n d a
maximum of 30 m illio n s (1).
Typhus w a s a c c o m p a n i e d b y r e l a p s i n g f e v e r — t h e a v e r a g e in c id e n c e of th is d isease
in Russia b efore t h e w a r w a s a b o u t 30,000.
Relapsing f e v e r b e g a n t o i n c r e a s e d u r i n g t h e a u t u m n of 1918; in 1919 t h e n u m b e r
of notified cases w a s a b o u t 10 p e r c e n t of t h e r e g i s t e r e d n u m b e r of cases of t y p h u s (227,977
cases of r e la p sin g f e v e r) .
I t g r e a t l y in c r e a s e d i n 1920, w h e n 1,300,000 w e r e n o tifie d .
A decline also s e t i n in t h i s d is e a s e in 1921, b u t r e l a p s i n g fe v e r c o n t i n u e d t o g a i n p r o p o r ­
tionately to t y p h u s , a n d a b o u t 7 0 0 ,0 0 0 cases of th i s d ise ase h a v e b e e n n o ti f ie d as a g a i n s t
600,000 cases of t y p h u s .
The r e c r u d e s c e n c e of l o u s e - b o r n e d ise a se a s s u m e d v e r y g r a v e f o r m s d u r in g t h e
current year.
T h e c a u s e s of t h i s v i o l e n t r e c r u d e s c e n c e lie in 1) f a m i n e , a n d all its a s s o ­
ciated c onsequ e nce s— m i g r a t i o n , m a l n u t r i t i o n , o v e r c r o w d in g , a n d 2) in r e p a t r i a t i o n of
hundreds of t h o u s a n d s of p e r s o n s w h i c h w a s c a r r i e d o u t u n d e r t h e m o s t u n f a v o u r a b l e
conditions. N o t o n l y h a v e t h e e p i d e m i c s b e e n v e r y s e rio u s d u r i n g t h e w i n t e r of 1922,
but a c o n tin u e d i n c r e a s e of i n c i d e n c e w a s m a r k e d , a n d , c o n t r a r y t o f o r m e r e x p e r ie n c e ,
the figures r e m a i n e d h i g h n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g t h e s e a s o n . F a i r l y c o m p l e t e d a t a f o r t h e first
five months of t h i s y e a r i n d i c a t e a t o t a l of 1,013 ,1 85 ca se s of t y p h u s a n d 676,043 cases
of relapsing f e v e r.
Since M a rc h t h e f ig u re s f o r t y p h u s h a v e b e e n t h r e e ti m e s as h ig h , a n d th o s e for
relapsing fe v e r a b o u t tw ic e as h i g h a s i n 1921.
These e p i d e m i c s a r e e x t e n d i n g o v e r t h e w h o l e of E a s t e r n a n d S o u t h e r n R u s s ia , a n d
throughout t h e c o u n t r y t h e y a r e f o llo w in g t h e r a i l w a y lines. T h e s t r i k i n g in c re a s e in
the number of l o u s e - b o r n e d is e a s e s o n r a i l w a y s is n o t e w o r t h y .
199,239 cases of t y p h u s
and 168,309 cases of r e l a p s i n g f e v e r w e r e r e p o r t e d d u r i n g t h e firs t five m o n t h s of 1922,
as compared w i t h 16,295 ca se s of t y p h u s a n d 19,196 cases of r e l a p s i n g f e v e r n o tifie d
during th e c o r r e s p o n d i n g p e r i o d of t h e p r e v i o u s y e a r .
The h ig h e s t n u m b e r of t y p h u s ca se s w e r e r e p o r t e d f r o m t h e g o v e r n m e n t s of E k a ­
terinburg, P e r m , S i m b i r s k , S a m a r a , S a r a t o v a n d in t h e U k r a i n e . T h e d i s t r i b u t i o n of
relapsing fever is v e r y s i m i l a r t o t h a t of t y p h u s , t h e o n l y difference b e i n g a t e n d e n c y of
] this disease to p r e d o m i n a t e o v e r t y p h u s in t h e s o u t h e r n reg io n s, w h i l s t i t is less i m p o r t a n t
in the north.
No r e tu r n s a r e a v a i l a b l e y e t f o r S o v i e t R u s s i a a n d t h e Allied R e p u b lic s as r e g a r d s
1the epidemics of lo u s e - b o r n e d is e a s e s sin c e J u n e , 1922.
Provisional r e t u r n s f o r t h e U k r a i n e fo r J u n e a n d t h e e a r ly w e e k s of J u l y i n d i c a t e
that the m o r b i d i t y h a s d o u b l e d f o r r e l a p s i n g f e v e r a n d t h e figu res f o r t y p h u s a r e fo u r
times as high as in t h e c o r r e s p o n d i n g p e r i o d of 1921. T h e s e d a t a in c l u d e 7 7 -3^7 cases
I of relapsing fev e r, 4 8 ,2 0 0 ca se s of t y p h u s , a n d 11,942 cases of u n d i a g n o s e d t y p h u s (of
(i) Epidemiological Intelligence, 1922. No. 2, pp. 12-18.
E CONOMIC CO N D IT IO N S IN RU SS IA
4
—
50
—
w h i c h 5,546 ca se s of t y p h u s ) ; 7 ,06 6 ca se s of r e l a p s i n g f e v e r a n d 3 ,8 10 cases of undiagnosed
t y p h u s w e r e n o t i f i e d on r a il w a y s .
A c o n t i n u e d i n c r e a s e of p a r a s i t i c e p i d e m i c d is e a s e s is also r e p o r t e d f r o m th e Crimea
w h e r e 3,773 cases of t y p h u s a n d 1,674 c a se s of r e l a p s i n g f e v e r w e r e n o ti f ie d in June as
a g a i n s t 99 ca se s of t y p h u s a n d 199 cases of r e l a p s i n g f e v e r n o t i f i e d in J u n e , 1921.
I t is n o t p o s s i b le a t p r e s e n t t o g iv e a c c u r a t e figure s of m o r t a l i t y f o r louse-borne
d is e a s e s ; t h e a v e r a g e m o r t a l i t y f o r all p e r i o d s ( fr o m 1918) a n d all lo c a li tie s is 10 to 12 °/
f o r t y p h u s , a n d i t v a r i e s b e t w e e n 1,8 t o 4 % f o r r e l a p s i n g fe v e r; r e a c h i n g m o re often the
l a t t e r figure . T h e t o t a l n u m b e r of d e a t h s f r o m t y p h u s d u r i n g t h i s p erio d , according
t o official s t a t i s t i c s m a y b e e s t i m a t e d as fo llow s (in r o u n d figu res) :
191 8 .......................................................................................................
191 9 .......................................................................................................
192 0 .......................................................................................................
192 1 .......................................................................................................
S iberia 1 9 1 8 - 1 9 2 1 .................................................................................
U k ra in e 1 918-1 9 2 1 .................................................................................
G iving a to ta l of....................................
18,000
2 6 4 ,0 0 0
3 1 2 ,0 0 0
7 2 ,0 0 0
4 2 ,0 0 0
9 6 ,0 0 0
8 0 4 ,0 0 0 deaths.
U n d e r c e r t a i n c i r c u m s t a n c e s t h e p e r c e n t a g e is c o n s i d e r a b l y h i g h e r ; th u s, according
t o P r o f e s s o r T a r a s s e v i c h , t h e m o r t a l i t y r o s e to 68 % in t h e c o m p u l s o r y l a b o u r camps at
N i z h n y - N o v g o r o d w h i l e i t a m o u n t e d t o 80 % a m o n g t h e p r i s o n e r s of w a r a t Tyumen.
A n o t h e r d is e a s e p e c u l i a r l y d a n g e r o u s to a n u n d e r f e d p o p u l a t i o n is cholera. The
m o s t i m p o r t a n t c h o l e r a e p i d e m i c of t h e t w e n t i e t h c e n t u r y i n R u s s i a o c c u r re d in 1910,
w h e n 2 3 0,2 32 ca se s w i t h 109,560 d e a t h s w e r e n o ti f ie d . D u r i n g a n d sin c e th e war the
c o u r s e of t h e e p i d e m i c s h a s b e e n as follow s :
I n 1915, 34 ,5 82 c a s e s w e r e n o ti f ie d , c h ie f ly on t h e w e s t e r n f r o n t a n d a m o n g the
r e f u g e e s b e h i n d t h e lin e s : t h e n e x t t w o y e a r s w e r e p r a c t i c a l l y free f r o m cholera;
559 ca se s o c c u r r e d in 1916, a n d 134 ca se s in 1917.
I n 1918 t h e e p i d e m i c sp re a d to
30 p r o v i n c e s , t h e n u m b e r of r e g i s t e r e d c a s e s ( e v i d e n t l y in c o m p l e t e ) w a s 41,352. About
3 0 ' % of t h i s t o t a l , — 13,135 c a s e s —- o cc u rred in t h e c i t y a n d t h e p r o v i n c e o f Petrograd.
T h e e p i d e m i c w a s also s e v e r e in t h e V o l g a a r e a a n d t h e p r o v i n c e s of P e r m , Tambov
a n d V o r o n e z h in t h e c e n t r e .
In 1919 a n d 1920, 3,998 a n d 2 2,1 0 6 ca se s w e r e respec­
t i v e l y n o ti fie d .
T h e r e w a s a c o n s i d e r a b l e p r e v a l e n c e of c h o l e r a in R u s s i a i n 1921, w h e n 176,888 cases
w ere officially "r e p o r te d .
D u r i n g t h e w i n t e r of 1920-1921, c a se s of c h o l e r a continued
to b e n o t i f i e d in t h e s o u t h in t h e P r o v i n c e of R o s t o v a n d i n t h e K u b a n T errito ry. The
e p i d e m i c r e a c h e d its c l i m a x in J u l y , w i t h 79 ,76 2 r e p o r t e d cases. T h e distribution of
c h o l e r a in 1921 s h o w s t h a t t h e a r e a s m o s t h e a v i l y a f f e c te d w e r e t h e south -eastern and
e a s t e r n t e r r i t o r i e s . T h e e p i d e m i c w a s p r e s e n t a m o n g t h e f a m i n e - s t r i c k e n population
m o v i n g in s e a r c h of f o o d as f a r as S ib e r ia . T h e f ig u re s f o r t h e W e s t e r n p a r t of Russia
w e r e r e l a t i v e l y low. T h e e p i d e m i c e n d e d c o m p a r a t i v e l y e a r l y in t h e m o n t h of August.
S p o r a d i c c a s e s o c c u r r e d d u r i n g t h e a u t u m n of 1921 a n d t h e d i s e a s e r e a p p e a r e d again in
D e c e m b e r in th e U k ra in e .
—
5i
—
In 1922, c h o l e r a b r o k e o u t , in s p i t e of t h e s e v e r i t y of w i n t e r e a r l y in t h e y e a r , in
many widely s e p a r a t e d lo c a l i t i e s in t h e U k r a i n e a n d e x t e n d e d to C e n t r a l R u s s ia , t h e
Don area, T u r k e s t a n a n d S i b e r i a d u r i n g J a n u a r y a n d F e b r u a r y 1922. A c c o r d i n g to
official r e tu r n s, 6 2 ,7 3 9 c a s e s w e r e n o t i f i e d b e t w e e n J a n u a r y 1st a n d A u g u s t 2 6 th . T h e
epidemic of 1922 a p p e a r s t o h a v e b e e n c o n c e n t r a t e d in t h e K u b a n r e g io n (4.055 cases), in
the Don region (2,545), in t h e C r i m e a (2,222), b u t e s p e c ia l ly in t h e U k r a i n e . 33,032 cases
were repo rted, i. e. t h e U k r a i n e is r e s p o n s i b l e f o r 50.8 % of t h e t o t a l i n c id e n c e of cases
which occurred in t h e R u s s i a n F e d e r a t i o n d u r i n g t h e c u r r e n t y e a r . Cases w e r e n o ti f ie d in
more th a n 600 d i f f e r e n t lo c a li tie s . T h e m o r t a l i t y r a t e , as i t is officially s t a t e d , a l t h o u g h
still high, is d e c lin i n g ; i t w a s 8 0 -1 0 0 % d u r i n g t h e first m o n t h s of t h e e p i d e m i c , 50 %
in May and 4 0 % in J u n e .
As reg a rd s o t h e r in f e c t i o u s d ise a se s, t h e f ig u re s f o r e n t e r i c f e v e r a n d d y s e n t e r y
during and since t h e w a r w e r e a b o u t t h e s a m e as b e f o r e t h e w a r g iv in g a n a n n u a l a v e r a g e
of about 300,000 ca se s f o r e a c h of t h e s e d ise ase s. T h e t e n d e n c y t o d e c r e a s e , w h i c h
according to official r e t u r n s s e e m e d t o e x i s t d u r i n g t h e y e a r s 1916-1919, h a s to b e e x p l a i n ­
by the d i s o r g a n i s a t i o n of t h e r e g i s t r a t i o n s y s t e m .
I n 1920 t h e in c i d e n c e in c r e a s e d ,
424,481 cases of e n t e r i c f e v e r a n d 3 2 4 ,3 8 9 c a s e s of d y s e n t e r y w e r e r e g is t e r e d . In
1921 the n u m b e r of n o t i f i e d ca se s w a s 3 0 8 ,5 4 8 f o r e n t e r i c f e v e r a n d 197,420 f o r d y s e n t e r y .
ed
and
There is a s li g h t i n c r e a s e in e n t e r i c f e v e r i n 1922, as c o m p a r e d w i t h 1921, t h e figures
for the period J a n u a r y t o M a y b e i n g 164,854, as a g a i n s t 131,922 fo r t h e c o r r e s p o n d i n g
period of th e p r e v i o u s y e a r .
The in c id en c e of s m a l l p o x r e m a i n e d p r a c t i c a l l y u n a l t e r e d d u r i n g t h e first y e a r of
war, but th e d i s o r g a n i s a t i o n of t h e h e a l t h a d m i n i s t r a t i v e m a c h i n e r y a d d e d t o t h e n u m b e r
of unvaccinated p e o p l e , a n d in 1919 t h e r e w e r e 166,340 r e g i s t e r e d cases of s m a l l p o x
(figures twice as h i g h as t h e a v e r a g e f o r t h e p r e - w a r p e r io d ) . V a c c i n a t i o n w a s m a d e
compulsory b y la w in 1919, a n d s in c e t h e n a m a r k e d d e c r e a s e in t h e in c i d e n c e of s m a l l p o x
has been o b se rv e d , t h e f ig u re s f o r 1920 a n d 1921 b e i n g r e s p e c t i v e l y 98 ,1 7 9 a n d 83,016.
This decrease h a s c o n t i n u e d d u r i n g 192 2; 2 6 ,0 4 7 ca se s w e r e n o ti f ie d f r o m J a n u a r y to
May, as a g a in s t 7 1,6 0 5 c a s e s n o t i f i e d d u r i n g t h e c o r r e s p o n d i n g p e r i o d of 1921.
tenth of th e t o t a l n u m b e r of c a se s w e r e n o t i f i e d o n r a il w a y s .
One-
The possible d e v e l o p m e n t of p l a g u e o n t h e b o r d e r s of t h e F e d e r a t i o n h a s o f te n c a u s e d
anxiety d u r in g r e c e n t y e a r s , b u t h a p p i l y t h e s e f e a r s h a v e n o t m a te r i a l i s e d .
The figures for s c a r l e t f e v e r a n d d i p h t h e r i a a r e lo w as c o m p a r e d w ith p r e - w a r s t a ­
tistics. A b o u t 7 0 ,0 0 0 ca se s of s c a r l e t f e v e r a n d 2 5 ,0 0 0 of d i p h t h e r i a w e r e r e p o r t e d in
j I92b as a g a in s t 4 6 0 , 1 0 8 ca se s of s c a r l e t f e v e r a n d 506,257 cases of d i p h t h e r i a n o t i f i e d
m 1913. This is r e m a r k a b l e in v i e w of t h e g i g a n t i c i n c r e a s e of o t h e r e p i d e m i c s in R u s s ia .
Malaria h a s i n c r e a s e d c o n s i d e r a b l y sin c e t h e w a r a n d a p p e a r e d in d i s t r i c t s w h e r e
this disease w as p r e v i o u s l y u n k n o w n , i. e. in t h e n o r t h e r n p r o v i n c e s ; th i s in c r e a s e in a
virulent form is p a r t i c u l a r l y m a r k e d d u r i n g t h e l a s t few m o n t h s , b u t n o p r e c is e figure s
are available, as t h e n o t i f i c a t i o n of m a l a r i a is n o t c o m p u l s o r y b y la w.
As for th e i n c i d e n c e of s c u r v y , if c o m p a r i s o n is m a d e b e t w e e n t h e m o r b i d i t y f o r t h e
years 1 9 1 4 an d 1915 o n t h e o n e - h a n d a n d 1920 a n d 1921 o n t h e o t h e r , w i t h i n t h e li m its of
those regions c o n c e r n i n g w h i c h w e p o sse ss m o r e o r less a c c u r a t e d a t a , a c o n s id e r a b l e
i n c r e a s e is a p p a r e n t .
46,543 c a se s of s c u r v y .
T h u s official r e t u r n s fo r t h e f ir s t five m o n t h s of 1922 included
T h e m o s t h e a v i l y a f f e c te d a r e a s a r e t h e f a m i n e stricken Volga
r e g io n a n d t h e p r o v i n c e of P e n z a .
1 914-1 9 1 5
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Moscow I n d u str ia l A r e a ......................
C e ntral R u s s ia .........................................
M iddle V olga A r e a ............................
L o w er Volga A r e a ................................
U ral A re a..................................................
1 ,952 - 1 ,70 2
7^3 '
880
1 ,0 3 2 -2 ,8 4 8
1 ,243 - 2 ,4 3 6
1 ,9 4 9 -3 ,6 1 4
1 92 0 -1 9 2 1
16,345 - 1 4 , 8 4 4
14,62 0 - 10,163
5,86 4 -2 2 ,1 5 3
6 , 9 6 0 - 6,407
2 0 ,1 8 7 - 2,646
A ff e c tio n s p r o d u c e d o r a g g r a v a t e d b y m a l n u t r i t i o n , b y a n o v e r w o rk e d condition
or b y o t h e r d ifficu lt c i r c u m s t a n c e s of life, a r e e n c o u n t e r e d a t e v e r y t u r n .
I t w a s w i d e l y r e a l i s e d t h a t t h e p o p u l a t i o n i n t h e f a m i n e a f t a s w a s b e i n g d ec im a ted
b y s t a r v a t i o n , b u t t h i s w a s o n l y o n e sid e of t h e s t o r y ; t h e o t h e r s id e w a s s h o w n b y the
f a m i n e v i c t i m s w h o w e r e s t r e a m i n g all o v e r t h e c o u n t r y f r o m t h e c e n t r e s w h e re epidemics
w e r e r a g i n g , f a ll in g ill en route, a n d le a v i n g l o u s y a n d i n f e c t e d e v e r y t r a i n , e v e r y station
w h e r e t h e y s l e p t , e a c h t o w n i n w h i c h t h e y s o u g h t f o o d or w o r k , a n d t h u s i n f e c t i n g the
w hole c o u n try -sid e th r o u g h w h ic h t h e y p a sse d w ith t y p h u s a n d relapsing fe v e r.
A lo n g t h e s e r a i l w a y lines, u n d e r p r a c t i c a l l y t h e s a m e c o n d i tio n s , m o r e th a n 750,000
p e r s o n s w e r e r e p a t r i a t e d i n 1921 t o t h e S t a t e s b o r d e r i n g on R u s s i a o n t h e west. The
r e p a t r i a t i o n i n t o P o l a n d h a s c o n t i n u e d in 1922 a t a r a t e of a b o u t 30,0 0 0 p e r month, and
t h e n u m b e r of t h o s e a w a i t i n g r e p a t r i a t i o n i n R u s s i a is still v e r y larg e.
C o n f r o n t e d w i t h o u t b r e a k s of e p i d e m i c s o n s u c h a w i d e s p r e a d scale, t h e health admi­
n i s t r a t i o n w a s in n o p o s i t i o n t o u n d e r t a k e a n effec tiv e a n t i - e p i d e m i c cam paign, having
t o d e a l w i t h e p i d e m i o lo g ic a l p r o b l e m s of e x t r e m e c o m p l e x i t y w i t h w h o lly inadequate
r e s o u r c e s , l a c k of t r a i n e d m e d i c a l s ta ff of all k i n d s , a n e x t r e m e s h o r t a g e of hospital and
s a n i t a r y a c c o m m o d a t i o n , of d r u g s , s a n i t a r y m a t e r i a l s , fuel, a n d food, a n d t h e tremendous
fall in t h e p u r c h a s i n g p o w e r of m o n e y w i t h all it s c o n s e q u e n c e s .
riat.
A t t h e h e a d of t h e H e a l t h O r g a n i s a t i o n in R u s s i a is t h e P e o p l e ’s H e a l t h Commissa­
T h e l o c a l p u b l i c h e a l t h w o r k is in t h e h a n d s of g o v e r n m e n t s a n d d istricts Soviets.
T h e lo c a l h e a l t h b u r e a u x a r e r e s p o n s i b l e , (1) t o t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e e x e c u t i v e committees
of t h e S o v i e t b u d g e t e s t i m a t e s ; a n d (2) to t h e P e o p l e ’s C o m m i s s a r i a t f o r P u b l i c Health for
th e ir m e d ic o - s a n ita ry ac tivities.
T h e a d m i n i s t r a t i v e w o r k r e l a t i n g t o t r a n s i t , e v a c u a t i o n , h e a l t h r e s o r t s a n d super­
v i s i o n of m e d i c a l s c h o o ls is c o n c e n t r a t e d in t h e h a n d s of t h e C e n t r a l H e a l t h Administra­
ti o n . A C e n t r a l E p i d e m i c C o m m is s i o n c o m p o s e d of p r o m i n e n t m e d i c a l m e n and repre­
s e n t a t i v e s of t h e c o m p e t e n t s e c t i o n of t h e P e o p l e ’s C o m m i s s a r i a t fo r P u b lic Health is
a t ta c h e d to th e C om m issariat.
W i t h t h e e x c e p t i o n of t h e U k r a i n e , t h e H e a l t h C o m m i s s a r i a t of w h ic h includes a
d e p a r t m e n t c o n t r o l l i n g t h e m e d i c a l s a n i t a r y w o r k o n t h e lin es of c o m m u n i c a t i o n , the
m e d i c a l s a n i t a r y s e rv ic e s o n t h e r a i l w a y s a n d w a t e r w a y s in t h e a u t o n o m o u s republics
is p l a c e d u n d e r t h e c o n t r o l of t h e H e a l t h C o m m i s s a r i a t of t h e R . S. F . S. In­
s a n i t a r y i n s p e c t i o n o n t h e m a r i t i m e f r o n t i e r s a n d t h e c a r r y i n g o u t of measures to
—
pre ven t
53
—
the s p r e a d i n g of c o n t a g i o u s d ise a s e s t h r o u g h t h e p o r t s (so m e of th e s e p o r t s b e lo n g
to more t h a n o n e r e p u b l i c ) a r e c o n t r o l l e d b y t h e r e s p e c t i v e f r o n t i e r a d m i n i s t r a t i o n s (i).
U p t o th e y e a r 1922 a ll t h e h e a l t h s e r v ic e s t h r o u g h o u t t h e R e p u b l i c w e r e f in a n c e d
by the Central A u t h o r i t i e s . T h e t r e a t m e n t w a s f re e of c h a r g e , s a n i t a r y m a t e r i a l s , d r u g s
a n d fo o d r a ti o n s fo r h o s p i t a l s a n d s ta f f w e r e s u p p l i e d b y t h e S t a t e in t h e l i m i t e d a m o u n t s
in which th e y c o u ld b e p r e f e r r e d .
But, in a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e n e w e c o n o m ic p o lic y , all e x p e n d i t u r e o n lo c a l m e d ic a l
and sanitary a c c o m m o d a t i o n f r o m M a y 1st, 1922, h a s to b e p a i d o u t of lo c al m e a n s .
What will b e t h e s o u r c e s of r e v e n u e ?
(1) L o c a l t a x a t i o n ( w i th r a t e s w i d e l y d if f e r e n t in v a r i o u s are a s).
(2) T h e s p e c ia l le v y .
( T h e l e v y w a s i m p o s e d o n t h e p o p u l a t i o n in o r d e r
to m e e t t h e n e e d s of t h e f a m i n e a r e a — s o m e g o v e r n m e n t s h a v e c o n t r i b u t e d o n a
larger s c a le t h a n w a s e x p e c t e d ; t h e b a l a n c e is a s s ig n e d to t h e a n t i - e p i d e m i c
c a m p a ig n . 70 % of t h i s s u m is g r a n t e d t o g o v e r n m e n t h e a l t h a u t h o r i t i e s a n d
30 % to t h e C e n t r a l H e a l t h A d m i n i s t r a t i o n .
(3)
In su ran ce funds.
(4) E n t e r p r i s e s m a i n t a i n e d b y
t h e lo c a l h e a l t h a d m i n i s t r a t i o n s f o r t h e
p r e p a r a t i o n of d r u g s , t h e m a n u f a c t u r e of s a n i t a r y s u p p lie s, etc...
The e x p e n d i t u r e i n c u r r e d o n t h e b u d g e t of t h e C e n t r a l H e a l t h ^ A d m i n i s t r a t i o n is
divided am o n g t h e f o llo w in g i t e m s as f o llo w s :
T h e m ilita ry s a n ita ry ad m in istra tio n ,
S a n i t a r y s u p e r v i s i o n of r a i l w a y s a n d w a t e r w a y s ,
E v acu atio n ,
H e a l t h r e s o r t s of S t a t e i m p o r t a n c e ,
M a i n t e n a n c e of t h e h e a l t h a d m i n i s t r a t i o n in g o v e r n m e n t s a n d oyezds,
M a i n t e n a n c e of m e d i c a l a n d s a n i t a r y o r g a n i s a t i o n s in t h e f a m i n e a r e a ,
T h e gen eral an ti-ep id e m ic cam p aig n ,
L o c a l m o d e l i n s t i t u t i o n s f o r c h i ld - w e lf a r e ,
M a i n t e n a n c e of m e d i c a l a n d s a n i t a r y i n s t i t u t i o n s g r a n t e d to w o r k m e n of
th e S ta te en terp rises.
The b u d g e t of t h e P e o p l e ’s C o m m i s s a r i a t f o r P u b l i c H e a l t h f o r t h e p e r i o d J a n u a r y September 1922 a m o u n t s t o 4 5 ,9 1 6 ,9 4 0 p r e - w a r r o u b le s .
The e x p e n d i t u r e of t h e H e a l t h C o m m i s s a r i a t s of a u t o n o m o u s R e p u b lic s is n o t i n c lu d e d
in the budget of t h e C e n t r a l H e a l t h A d m i n i s t r a t i o n , in v ie w of t h e f a c t t h a t e a c h of t h e
Federative R e p u b lic s h a s fo r t h e p r e s e n t its o w n b u d g e t .
31 % of t h e t o t a l e s t i m a t e s of a u t o n o m o u s R e p u b lic s r e l a t i n g to t h o s e P e o p l e ’s Com-
(1) F o r particulars see : “ The Present State of H ealth Defence in the E uropean S anitary Zone” (Epidemiological IntelH‘»ce, ip23, No. 3, p. i 5).
—
54
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m i s s a r i e s w h i c h e x i s t s e p a r a t e l y in e a c h of t h e R e p u b l i c s a r e p r o v i d e d b y th e Central
A d m i n i s t r a t i o n . O f t h i s 31 % ■ —■ 15 % is g r a n t e d t o t h e U k r a i n e , 4 % to t h e T u rk e s ta n
R e p u b l i c a n d 12 % t o t h e r e m a i n i n g r e p u b li c s . T h e i n t e r n a l d i s t r i b u t i o n of sum s received
f r o m t h e C e n t r a l A d m i n i s t r a t i o n a m o n g t h e v a r i o u s c o m m i s s a r i a t s of t h e Republics falls
t o t h e p r o v i n c e of t h e S o v i e t of P e o p l e ’s C o m m is s a r ie s of t h e r e p u b l i c concerned.
I t is i m p o r t a n t t h a t t h e r e s h o u l d b e r e c o g n i t i o n of t h e t r u e p i c t u r e of the present
situ atio n .
T h e s t e p s w h i c h h a v e r e c e n t l y b e e n t a k e n in R u s s i a t o p l a c e t h e s t a t e D e p a rtm e n ts
o n a n e c o n o m i c b a s is h a v e , f o r t h e t i m e b e i n g , s e r i o u s l y a g g r a v a t e d t h e situ a tio n in so
f a r a s t h e h e a l t h p r o b l e m s a r e c o n c e r n e d . H o s p i t a l s a r e g iv e n u p o n e a f t e r a n o th e r, the
c h a r g e f o r t r e a t m e n t , e v e n of i n f e c t i o u s cases, is e x t r e m e l y h ig h , s o m e m e d ic a l schools
h a v e b e e n c lo sed a n d t h e s ta ff s d i s m is s e d , a n d in t h i s c o u n t r y , w h e r e m illio n s of cases of
i n f e c t i o u s d is e a s e s a r e officially r e g i s t e r e d , t h e r e is a g r o w t h of u n e m p l o y m e n t of medical
m e n (1).
I t is e v i d e n t t h a t t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s i n d i f f e r e n t lo c a litie s v a r y w id e ly .
Some of
t h e m , t h e p r o v i n c e s of N i z h n y - N o v g o r o d a n d R y b i n s k , e tc . h a v e b e e n a b l e to m e e t their
n e e d s a n d t h e t r a n s f e r r i n g of e x p e n d i t u r e h a s n o t a f f e c te d t h e w o r k c o n c ern e d . But in
t h e m a j o r i t y of c a se s r e p o r t s p r e s e n t e d to t h e r e g i o n a l m e e t i n g s of h e a l t h a u t h o r it ie s tell
t h e s a m e t a l e of d i s c o u r a g i n g f in a n c i a l d ifficu lties ( t a x e s a r e n o t p a i d or e v e n n o t decreed
o w i n g t o t h e in d i ff e r e n c e o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n a n d lo c a l a u t h o r i t i e s ; t h e i n s u r a n c e funds are
n o t a v a i l a b l e ) , of t h e i m p o s s i b i l i t y of g r a n t i n g d a i l y fo o d r a t i o n s t o p a t i e n t s owing to
m o r e o r less p r o n o u n c e d f a m i n e c o n d i t i o n s , t h e a p p a l l i n g c o n d i t i o n s u n d e r which the
m e d i c a l s ta f f h a s t o w o r k , in c i r c u m s t a n c e s in w h i c h s a la r ie s a r e n o t p a i d reg u larly , and
u n d e r f e e d i n g m a k e s i t d iffic u lt t o do e f f e c tiv e w o r k .
M orta lity.
T h e . m o s t v a r y i n g s t a t e m e n t s h a v e b e e n m a d e a s r e g a r d s t h e effect of th e famine
u p o n m o r t a l i t y , t h e lo w e s t of w h i c h is 1 1/4 m i llio n d e a t h s in e x c e s s of t h e normal, from
T he num ber of beds given u p in the medical in stitu tio n s of Moscow num ber 13,828 ou t of a to ta l of 57,764 (Report
on the m edical organisation of th e city and province of Moscow 1922, p. 39).
In th e d istrict of Wyshnewoloczok in the province of T ver all hospitals have been closed owing to the indifference of
the population (Bulletin of the People's Health Commissariat. 1922, No. 9, p . 14).
I n th e province of Tam bov only 35 % of beds have been kept.
I n th e province of Ivanovo-Vozneszensk 50 % of the hospitals have been closed. In the province of Kostroma the
n um ber of beds has been reduced from 4,000 to 1,800 (B ulletin of the Russian Red Cross, 1922, p. 9). In the province of
U fa the num ber of beds was 7,028 and has been reduced to 5,700. I n the town of Sim birsk there is now only one hospital
reduced to half its capacity (Report of h ealth authorities of th e fam ine area). Numerous examples of th is kind could begiven.
Precise figures for the Ukraine are n o t available yet, b u t those received indicate th a t up to 80 % of beds have had
to be given up.
In the district of_Torjok in th e province of Tver, th e ration per m onth for th e medical staff consists of 6,800 gr. t*
flour, 400 gr. of sa lt and some boxes of m atches. The salaries are unpaid from May 1921 (B ulletin of the People’s nedll
Commissariat 1922, No. 7-8, p. 23).
In the province of V yatka, owing to th e dism issal of a large num ber of th e staff, those rem aining work up to 18hours
o u t of 24 and have no Sunday rest (B ulletin of the People's Health Commissariat 1922, No. 7-8, p. 22).
I n th'e province of Gomel th e provisional estim ates for 1922 include 96,875,700,000 of Soviet Roubles per month, and
ab o u t 31,000,000,00c can be paid out of local funds (Bulletin of the People's Health Commission 1922, No. 12, p. 13)'
—
55
—
both famine a n d d ise ase .
D r . N a n s e n giv es as t h e f ig u re of d e a t h s f r o m f a m i n e a t le a s t
2 million persons, a n d h is v i e w is t h a t i t s h o u l d b e 3 m illio ns. I n t h e a b s e n c e of r e lia b le
of m o r t a l i t y it is o n l y p o s s ib le t o g iv e t h e fo llo w in g ta b l e , s u p p li e d to
R e p r e s e n t a t i v e in M osc o w , b y t h e R u s s i a n F a m i n e A u t h o r i t i e s a n d p u r ­
p o rtin g to give a c a l c u l a t i o n of t h e p o p u l a t i o n in 1 9 2 2 f o r s o m e p r o v i n c e s of th e f a m i n e
area, based o n s t a t i s t i c s p u b l i s h e d in 1 9 2 1 .
s ta tis tic s
Dr. N a n s e n ’ s
Population of famine-stricken regions in IÇ22, calculated from statistics of IÇ21
1921
1922
PERCENTAGE
ORDER
I
2.
34-
S.
6.
7*
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
1314.
K
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
GOVERNMENT
Bashkir ( i ) ...............................................................
Marii............................................................................
German C o m m une..................................................
S am ara................. .......................................................
T a r t a r .........................................................................
Chuvash
................................................................
V otyak.........................................................................
Crimea.........................................................................
Saratov........................................................................
S im b irs k ....................................................................
Chelyabinsk................................................................
Stavropol....................................................................
D o n .............................................................................
Mountain R epublic a n d T e re k ...........................
K ouban-C hernom orsk. . .....................................
A ktyoub insk..............................................................
Bukeev.........................................................................
Kustanai ....................................................................
O renburg. ................................ ................................
U r a l. ..........................................................................
j
Rural
Population
Town
Population
Rural
Population
Town
Population
o f change
2,952
326
2 ,6 8 4
303
5
290
10
276
10
5
648
78
616
74
5
2 ,4 8 0
2 .1 1 3
285
2 ,6 3 8
335
248
2 ,2 4 2
211
15
IS
738
20
701
19
634
53
602
50
5
5
347
360
2 ,4 0 0
393
204
1,272
1 ,1 5 9
872
295
306
2 ,2 8 0
15
373
1 .2 0 8
194
182
985
155
73
82s
69
1 ,1 1 4
353
5
5
15
5
5
1 ,1 0 5
372
268
i , 124
273
2 ,4 4 7
541
2 ,4 9 1
551
464
17
441
6
222
2
211
2
414
24
393
23
534
136
129
515
51
SO?
489
5
5
5
5
48
5
23-304
3, 6 95
21,610
1 ,1 7 3
i.S
1.8
3 ,444
(1) The figures for Bashkir given in the Russian census for 1920 are 1,198 and 70 respectively. The rest of the above figures are in
conformity with the 1920 census figures. A mistake appears to have occurred in regard to Bashkir. If 5% is taken from the figures for
Bashkir given in the census, 1,138 and 66 w ill be obtained for the rural and town population respectively for 1922.
These figures s h o w a r e d u c t i o n f r o m 27 m illio n s to 25 m illions, a n d to t h i s h a s to be
added the losses in S i b e r i a a n d in t h e U k r a i n e , f o r w h ic h no figures h a v e b e e n given.
These two a re a s w o u l d n o d o u b t i n c r e a s e t h e t o t a l n e a r l y to t h e 3 m illio n s m e n tio n e d
by Dr. N ansen. B u t t h e s e s t a t i s t i c s i n c l u d e m i g r a t i o n , t h e t o t a l of w h ic h i t w o u ld be
very difficult t o assess.
For p a r t i c u l a r a r e a s , h o w e v e r , p a r t i c u l a r s t a t e m e n t s h a v e b e e n m a d e .
T hus, th e
total num ber of r e g i s t e r e d d e a t h s f r o m s t a r v a t i o n i n t h e U k r a i n e w a s, a c c o r d in g to th e
report of th e P e o p l e ’s H e a l t h C o m m i s s a r i a t of t h e U k r a i n e f o r t h e f irs t h a l f of 1922,
67,126, and th e n u m b e r of c a s e s of d ise a s e s n o ti f ie d a s d u e t o f a m i n e a m o u n t e d to 7 4 1 , 532But, as is s t a t e d in t h e s a m e r e p o r t , w h o le v illa g e s , sw ollen f r o m h u n g e r , la y d ow n
and were n o t a b l e e v e n to a p p l y f o r m e d ic a l h e lp .
—
56
-
T h e n u m b e r of d e a t h s d i r e c t l y d u e to s t a r v a t i o n in t h e C r i m e a w as, acco rd in g to
official s t a t i s t i c s : in F e b r u a r y 14.413, in M a r c h 19.902, in A p r i l 12.753. T h e t o t a l popu
l a t i o n of t h e C r i m e a w a s 7 6 2 ,0 0 0 in 1920.
I n t h e G o v e r n m e n t of S a m a r a t h e whole
p o p u l a t i o n (2 .5 0 0 .0 0 0 in r o u n d figures) w a s r e p o r t e d to b e s t a r v i n g in A pril. T h e mor
t a l i t y in F e b r u a r y r e a c h e d t h e h i g h fig u re of 6 0,00 0, in M a r c h 1 5 0 ,000— of w h i c h 104 000
f r o m s t a r v a t i o n a n d t h e r e m a i n d e r f r o m o t h e r c a u s e s ; t o g e t h e r i. e. 8,1 % of th e popu­
l a t i o n d ie d in t w o m o n t h s .
I n t h e B a s h k i r R e p u b l i c in 1921, o u t of a p o p u la tio n of
1,200 ,000 t h e r e wTe re 83,740 d e a t h s f r o m f a m i n e r e c o r d e d , a n d t h e r e p o r t e r w a s of opinion
t h a t th is f ig u re m u s t b e a t l e a s t d o u b l e d in o r d e r t o o b t a i n t h e a p p r o x i m a t e p ictu re of
th e situation.
T h e p o p u l a t i o n of t h e T a r t a r R e p u b l i c is 3,125 ,277 . O f t h i s t o t a l a b o u t 2,500,000
w e r e s t a r v i n g in M a r c h . T h e t o t a l n u m b e r of cases of in f e c tio u s d ise a se s n o t i f i e d duriiw
t h e p e r i o d f r o m J a n u a r y 1 st u p t o M a r c h 1 5 th a m o u n t e d t o 392,390 w i t h 4 5,3 8 3 deaths.
T h i s m e a n s t h a t n o less t h a n o n e - t e n t h of t h e w h o le p o p u l a t i o n w e r e su fferin g from
e p i d e m i c d ise a se s, w i t h a m o r t a l i t y of a b o u t 10.5 % .
T h e d e a t h - r a t e f o r t h e c i t y of O d e s s a in t h e e a r l y m o n t h s of 1922 w a s a b o u t 80-90 %
p e r 1,000 of p o p u l a t i o n , as a g a i n s t 4 0-50 f o r t h e y e a r 1921 ; a n d 28 for th e pre-war
p e r io d .
A w o r d m u s t b e a d d e d as to t h e i n d u s t r i a l r e a c t i o n of t h e e v e n t s described.
The
f a m i n e of 1921-1922, w h i c h c o v e rs t h e g r e a t e r p a r t of t h e p e r io d of t h e new economic
p o l i c y (N. E . P .) h a s b e e n a c c o m p a n i e d b y a n i n d u s t r i a l a n d c o m m e r c ia l crisis. The
c a u s e of t h i s crisis h a s b e e n v e r y f u lly d is c u s s e d in t h e S o v ie t P r e s s a n d v ario u s expla­
n a t i o n s g iv e n , b u t o n t h e w h o le t h e g e n e r a l o p in i o n is in f a v o u r of t h e following expla­
n a t i o n of t h e p a r a d o x i c a l s i t u a t i o n t h a t a t t h e p r e s e n t m o m e n t R u s s i a n industries with
t h e i r c o m p a r a t i v e l y m i n u t e p r o d u c t i o n a r e u n a b l e to d isp o s e of t h e i r p r o d u c t s on terms
w h i c h c o v e r t h e co s t of p r o d u c t i o n .
W h e n t h e n e w p o lic y w a s i n t r o d u c e d a n d t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t a u t h o r i s e d the co­
o p e r a t i v e s t o o r g a n is e t h e e x c h a n g e of i n d u s t r i a l p r o d u c t s f r o m S t a t e a n d o t h e r under­
t a k i n g s a g a i n s t a g r i c u l t u r a l p r o d u c t s , a r a t i o of e x c h a n g e w a s p r o p o s e d , b a s e d upon
t h e p r e s u m p t i o n t h a t as i n d u s t r i a l o u t p u t h a d d i m i n i s h e d m u c h m o r e t h a n agricultural
o u t p u t , t h e r a t i o of e x c h a n g e s h o u l d b e to t h a t e x t e n t in f a v o u r of i n d u s t r y . But in
f a c t t h i s r a t i o m u s t b e d e t e r m i n e d n o t b y t h e g ro ss a g r i c u l t u r a l p r o d u c t i o n b u t by the
su rp lu s av a ila b le for exchange.
I t h a s b e e n s h o w n in t h e c o u r se of t h i s r e p o r t th a t this
m a r g i n of a g r i c u l t u r a l p r o d u c t i o n h a s d i m i n i s h e d p r a c t i c a l l y to v a n i s h in g point.
M. P o p o v h a s e s t i m a t e d t h a t in t h e f in a n c ia l y e a r 1919-1920 t h e p e a s a n t r y s p e n t upon
m a n u f a c t u r e d g o o d s o n ly o n e - s e v e n t h of t h e gold v a l u e w h i c h t h e y u s u a lly spent on
th ese goods before th e W a r.
In 1920-1921 e v e n t h i s a m o u n t w a s h a l v e d , and in
192 1-1922 i t is o b v io u s t h a t t h e f a m i n e still f u r t h e r r e d u c e d th i s e x p e n d itu r e . This
r e d u c t i o n w h i c h h a s , of co u rse , m a d e i t a b s o l u t e l y e s s e n ti a l fo r t h e G o v e r n m e n t to
s e c u re , e i t h e r b y r e q u i s i t i o n or t a x a t i o n t h e m e a n s of f e e d in g t h e t o w n population,
e x p l a i n s t h e f a c t t h a t since f r e e e x c h a n g e w a s r e i n t r o d u c e d in 1921, t h e ratio of
e x c h a n g e b e t w e e n a g r i c u l t u r a l p r o d u c t s a n d m a n u f a c t u r e s h a s b e c o m e v e r y favourable
to t h e f o r m e r , fo r t h e r e is p r a c t i c a l l y n o f o o d o n offer. H e n c e t h e q u a n t i t y of rye
—
57
—
which would e x c h a n g e f o r v a r i o u s m a n u f a c t u r e d g o o d s is a s follow s, c o m p a r i n g 1913
with 1922 (1).
E quivalents am ount of rye for :
GOODS
Salt (1 pood).................................................
Sugar (1 pood) (refined)................................
Cotton Fabrics (1 a rsh in )...........................
Thread ( 1 doz).................................................
1913
9 lbs.
5 poods
3 5 lb s*
8 lbs.
1 pood
2 lbs.
Kerosine (i pood).........................................
1 po od
25 lbs.
Sheet Iron (i pood).....................................
2 poods
29 lbs.
Soap (1 pood)..................................................
1 5 poods
1 23 lbs.
1st h a lf
1 st h a lf
2 n d h a lf
1st h a lf
2 n d h a lf
M a y 1922
A u g . 1922
A u g . 1922
S e p t. 1922
S e p t. 1922
13.2 lbs.
23 lbs.
26. 5 lbs.
26 lbs.
s poods
38 lbs.
12 poods
4 lbs.
15 poods
20 lbs.
19 poods
30 lbs.
1 .5 lbs.
9 .8 lbs.
5.1 lbs.
28 lbs.
7 .3 lbs.
32. 2 lbs.
7 .6 lbs.
34 lbs.
17 poods
30 lbs.
6 .8 lbs.
3 0 .5 lbs.
3 6 . 1 lbs.
2 poods
4 lbs.
2 poods
18 lbs.
1 pood
2 lbs.
3 7 .5 lbs.
3 6 . 1 lbs.
2 poods
4 lbs.
2 poods
18 lbs.
2 poods
20 lbs.
2 poods
12 lbs.
1 pood
27 lbs.
6 poods
5 lbs.
7 poods
7 lbs.
7 poods
27 lbs.
7 poods
15 lbs.
It has, of c o u rse , b e e n im p o s s ib le t o fix i n d u s t r i a l w a g e s w i t h o u t s o m e r e g a r d to t h e
cost of living, a n d i t follo w s t h a t , w h e t h e r m e a s u r e m e n t is m a d e in t e r m s of foo d u n its ,
gold roubles o r p a p e r r o u b le s , w a g e s a n d t h e c o s t of p r o d u c t i o n h a v e h a d to rise o u t of
all p roportion to t h e o ld e x c h a n g e v a l u e of t h e m a n u f a c t u r e d p r o d u c t s . * I n t h e case of
coal and w oo d fuel, in w h i c h l a b o u r is a l m o s t t h e w h o le c o s t of p r o d u c t i o n , t h e d ifficu lty is
particularly g r e a t a n d h a s r a i s e d t h e e x c h a n g e v a l u e to a le v el w h ic h s till f u r t h e r in c re a s e s
the difficulty of m a n u f a c t u r i n g i n d u s t r i e s . T h e f a c t t h a t t h e r e is no a g r i c u l t u r a l s u r p lu s
means t h a t t h e r e is n o m a r k e t f o r i n d u s t r y , a n d th i s is r e s p o n s i b le for t h e closing of f a c ­
tories a t a ti m e w h e n R u s s i a is in m o s t u r g e n t n e e d of g o o d s of e v e r y k in d . T h e m o s t
recent d e v e lo p m e n ts in t h i s c o n n e c t i o n a r e r e f e r r e d to in t h e fo llo w in g c h a p t e r .
(i) See Ekonomickeskaya Z kizn, 24 Septem ber 1922.
Chapter IV.
THE PRESENT SITUATION
T h e f a m i n e n a t u r a l l y h a d a v e r y s e r io u s effect u p o n t h e h a r v e s t f o r t h e p r e s e n t year.
In t h e f irs t p la c e , as h a s b e e n s h o w n , i t w a s v e r y d ifficu lt in t h e c o n d i t i o n s described to
s e c u r e o r t o w i t h h o l d f r o m c o n s u m p t i o n su fficie n t s e e d c o rn e i t h e r f o r a u t u m n or spring
so w in g .
I n t h e s e c o n d p la c e , t h e e n f e e b le d c o n d i t i o n of t h e p o p u l a t i o n , a n d , in many
cases, t h e a c t u a l m i g r a t i o n of t h e p e a s a n t s also r e d u c e d g r e a t l y t h e a r e a w hich it was
p h y s i c a l l y p o s s i b le t o sow.
In t h e f a m i n e d i s t r i c t s e n u m e r a t e d in t h e p r e v io u s chapter
t h e a r e a s o w n w i t h w i n t e r c r o p s a p p e a r s t o h a v e f a ll e n b y 25 % (1), a n d t h e final sowing,
t h o u g h s u b s t a n t i a l l y in c r e a s e d b y t h e w o r k of t h e R u s s i a n a n d f o re ig n re lie f committees
a n d b y t h e i m p o r t a t i o n of A m e r i c a n s e e d c o r n , sh o w s a n a r e a fo r t h e w h o le of Russia
v a r i o u s l y e s t i m a t e d a t f r o m 4 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 to 5 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s . T w o d e t a ile d unpu­
b l i s h e d s t a t e m e n t s o n h a r v e s t p r o s p e c t s w e r e p r e s e n t e d t o D r N a n s e n ’s Representative
in M osc ow , o n e in J u l y a n d t h e o t h e r in S e p t e m b e r , b y M. P o p o v , D i r e c t o r o f th e Central
S t a t i s t i c a l B u r e a u of t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t .
I n r e g a r d t o t h e s e c o n d , M. P o p o v supplied
t h e fig u re s u p o n w h ic h a c a l c u l a t i o n of t h e h a r v e s t m i g h t b e m a d e , s t a t i n g t h a t he could
n o t a c c e p t r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r a n y s u c h c a lc u l a t i o n , a n d t h a t in his o p i n i o n th e figures
o u g h t t o b e i n c r e a s e d b y 2 0 % in o r d e r t o g iv e a n a p p r o x i m a t e l y a c c u r a t e id e a cf what
t h e 1922 h a r v e s t w a s li k e ly t o b e (2). T h i s b e i n g t h e c a s e in r e g a r d to t h e fig u re s furnished
b y M. P o p o v i n S e p t e m b e r , it s e e m s p o s s i b le t h a t h is v ie w as t o t h e n e c e s s i t y of increas­
in g b y 2 0 % t h e a c t u a l fig u re s h e r e c e iv e d f r o m t h e p r o v i n c i a l a g r i c u l t u r a l authorities,
m a y also a p p l y to t h e e s t i m a t e w h i c h h e g a v e D r. N a n s e n ’s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e in July.
A c c o r d i n g t o t h e J u l y s t a t e m e n t , t h e a r e a s o w n w a s e s t i m a t e d a t 4 0 ,1 6 7 ,0 0 0 desyatins.
In t h e S e p t e m b e r s t a t e m e n t it is g i v e n as 4 5 ,0 1 0 ,0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s .
II 20 % is a d d e d to both
fig u re s, t h e s o w n a r e a fo r J u l y w ill b e a b o u t 4 8 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s a n d t h a t f o r September
5 4 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 . O n 1 4 th A u g u s t , h o w e v e r , a r e p o r t o n h a r v e s t p r o s p e c t s w a s made by
V . G. G r o m a n t o t h e S t a t e P l a n n i n g C o m m is s io n (3) in M o sc o w , in w h i c h M. P opov was
s t a t e d t o h a v e e s t i m a t e d t h e s o w n a r e a a t a b o u t 5 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s —-a figure about
half-w ay b etw e en th o se la st m en tio n ed .
M. G r o m a n r e f e r r e d in h is r e p o r t t o t h e extremely
(1) The reports of Mr. Lawrence W ebster, of the Save th e Children F und, and other representatives of the Interna'
tio nal Russian Relief Commission, confirm this.
(2) See note (2) on page 20.
(3) See Ekonomicheskaya Z hizn for 17th August, 1922.
—
conflicting
59
—
statistics and forecasts p r o d u c e d b y M. P o p o v , M. M ik h a ilo v s k y , t h e S t a t i s ­
tical E x p e r t of t h e M o s c o w S o v ie t, a n d M. V i s h n e v s k y , a n o t h e r S o v ie t s t a t i s t i c i a n .
An­
other e s tim a te of t h e s o w n a r e a f o r 1922 is p u b l i s h e d in t h e E co n o m ic B u lle tin of the
Department of S ta tis tic a l R esearch, a t t a c h e d t o t h e P e t r o v s k y A g r i c u l t u r a l A c a d e m y ,
and gives a figure of 4 2 ,7 9 8 ,0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s (1). T h i s e s t i m a t e , h o w e v e r, in c lu d e s p o t a t o e s
and, if these a r e a l lo w e d f o r, is p r o b a b l y n o t m u c h d if fe r e n t f r o m M. P o p o v ’s J u l y fig ures
before 20% h a s b e e n added t o t h e m (2). I n r e g a r d to t h e U k r a i n e , t h e S t a t i s t i c a l B u l ­
letin p u b lish ed b y t h e C e n t r a l S t a t i s t i c a l B u r e a u of t h e U k r a i n i a n S o v ie t G o v e r n m e n t
gives the so w n a r e a o n A u g u s t 1 5 th a s 12,160,000 d e s y a ti n s , w h ic h c o m p a r e s w ith
1 3 . 8 0 0 . 0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s b a s e d o n M. P o p o v ’s fig u re s s u p p li e d to D r. N a n s e n ’s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e
in Septem b er, a n d w i t h 12, 1 0 0 ,0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s g i v e n b y t h e P e t r o v s k y A g r i c u l t u r a l A c a ­
demy. T h u s t h e e s t i m a t e s of t h e C e n tr a l S t a t i s t i c a l B u r e a u in M oscow a n d t h o s e of t h e
Ukraine S t a t i s t i c a l B u r e a u s h o w c o n s i d e r a b l e d i v e r g e n c e (3), as t h e f o r m e r ’s f ig u re is
1.640.000 d e s y a t i n s h i g h e r t h a n t h e U k r a i n e official e s t i m a t e , w i t h o u t allo w in g fo r t h e
increase of 2 0 % w h i c h M. P o p o v t h i n k s i t n e c e s s a r y t o m a k e .
Crop e s t i m a t e s d iffe r as w i d e l y a s t h e f ig u re s g iv e n a b o v e fo r t h e so w n area.
I n th e s e
circumstances, a l t h o u g h t h e h a r v e s t h a s b e e n g o o d , t h e r e h a s b e e n m u c h c o n t r o v e r s y
as to its a d e q u a c y .
In h is fig u re s, t r a n s m i t t e d to D r. N a n s e n ’s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e in J u ly ,
M. P o pov e s t i m a t e d t h e t o t a l y ie ld f r o m t h e h a r v e s t a t 2 ,3 3 6 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s.
If 2 0 %
is added to th is, a f ig u r e of a b o u t 2 ,8 0 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 is o b t a i n e d , w h ic h m a y e x p l a in t h e f o r e ­
cast of 2 ,8 5 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s p u b l i s h e d b y M. P o p o v in E k o n o m ic h e sk a y a Z h iz n for
August 12th.
T h i s l a t t e r e s t i m a t e , a l lo w in g f o r a q u a n t i t y of seed c o r n sufficient to sow
the c u l tiv a te d a r e a o f 1920, l e a v e s a n e t h a r v e s t of 2,400,0 00,0 00. I t is a l m o s t t h e s a m e
as M. P o p o v ’s m o s t r e c e n t c o m p u t a t i o n of 2 ,8 3 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p u b l i s h e d in E k o n o m ic h e sk a y a
Zhizn for 3 r d O c t o b e r .
I n t h e m e a n t i n e , h o w e v e r , t h e c a lc u la t io n b a s e d on t h e figures
handed to D r. N a n s e n ’s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e i n S e p t e m b e r i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e h a r v e s t w o u ld
yield 2,019,000,000 p o o d s .
I t w o u l d b e n e c e s s a r y to a d d 40 % a n d n o t 20 % to t h i s figure
in order to o b t a i n M. P o p o v ’s l a t e s t p u b l i s h e d e s t i m a t e . T h e D e p a r t m e n t of S t a t i s t i c a l
Research a t t a c h e d t o t h e P e t r o v s k y A g r i c u l t u r a l A c a d e m y g iv e s t h e lo w e s t f o r e c a s t of
all—1,967,500,000 p o o d s (4).
I t is w o r t h y of n o t e t h a t in t h e e s t i m a t e of 2,01 9,000,000
the U k ra in e h a r v e s t is g i v e n a s 6 9 9 , 0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s . T h is fig u re is id e n tic a l w i t h t h e
estimate of t h e S t a t i s t i c a l B u r e a u of t h e U k r a i n e G o v e r n m e n t w h i c h is 699,193,700.
The e s tim a te of t h e P e t r o v s k y A g r i c u l t u r a l A c a d e m y i n r e g a r d to t h e U k r a i n e is m u c h
lower— 641,900,000, w h e r e a s in M. P o p o v ’s p u b l i s h e d O c t o b e r s t a t e m e n t as h ig h a figure
as 8 2 9 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 p o o d s is g iv e n .
(1)
See Economic B ulletin of the Department of Statistical Research, attached to the Petrovsky A gricultural Academy
Nos. 4 and 5, Ju ly and August, 1922.
{2) Unless otherwise stated, sown area means the area sown w ith the seven chief cereal crops—wheat, rye, oats, barley,
millet, buckwheat and maize.
(3) See page 27. Chapter I I I . reference disagreement between Central Statistical Bureau and the Ukraine Statistical
ureau regarding 1921 h arv est statistics.
(4) This figure includes th e seven chief cereals.
—
M.
6o
—
P o p o v ’s O c t o b e r e s t i m a t e of 2 ,8 3 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 c o m p a r e s w i t h a g ross figure of
4 .0 8 0 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 , y i e ld in g a n e t h a r v e s t of 3 ,4 0 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s f o r t h e 8 5 ,400,000 desyatins
s o w n b e f o r e t h e W a r w i t h i n t h e t e r r i t o r y n o w c o m p r i s in g S o v i e t R u s s i a . B u t before
t h e W a r , o v e r 6 0 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s w e r e e x p o r t e d a n d t h e p r e - W a r c o m p a r i s o n is, therefore
3 .4 0 0 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 p o o d s g r o s s , or 2 ,8 0 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s n e t . A l l o w a n c e m u s t also be made
fo r r e d u c e d p o p u l a t i o n a n d t h e d i m i n i s h e d n u m b e r of c a t t l e to b e p r o v i d e d for. Thus
a h a r v e s t of 2 ,8 5 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s , if r e a lis e d , w o u l d g iv e a s u p p l y t o t h e w h o le country
o n a r a t i o n b a s i s n o t v e r y m u c h less t h a n 1 0 % t o 20 % b e l o w t h e p r e - W a r level. This,
if c o m p a r e d w i t h t h e lo w c o n s u m p t i o n t o w h i c h t h e R u s s i a n p e a s a n t h a s b e c o m e accus­
t o m e d d u r i n g t h e l a s t five y e a r s , w o u l d y i e l d a n a p p r e c i a b l e s u r p l u s .
I n A u g u s t, M. Popov
d o es n o t a p p e a r t o h a v e t h o u g h t t h a t s u c h a s u r p l u s w o u ld a c t u a l l y b e o b ta in e d , for he
s t a t e d in a n i n t e r v i e w t h a t b e f o r e t h e W a r t h e r e s e r v e s in t h e h a n d s of la rg e farmers,
d e a le r s a n d p e a s a n t f a r m e r s a r e s a id to h a v e a m o u n t e d n o r m a l l y t o f r o m 700,000,000
to 8 5 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s . T h e d e f in i te c o n c lu s i o n w a s, h o w e v e r , d r a w n t h a t th e r e would
b e s u ffic ie n t g r a i n t h i s y e a r to f e e d t h e p o p u l a t i o n of R u s s i a o n a b a s i s substantially
a b o v e s t a r v a t i o n le vel, p r o v i d e d t h a t t h e g r a i n c o u ld b e m o v e d t o t h e a r e a s where it is
req u ired .
I n t h i s c o n n e c t i o n , Mr. H o o v e r , o n t h e b a s is of r e p o r t s r e c e iv e d f r o m th e large
n u m b e r of a g e n t s w h i c h h e h a s e s t a b l i s h e d t h r o u g h o u t R u s s i a , c a m e t o t h e conclusion
t h a t R u s s i a m a y h a v e e n o u g h g r a i n t h i s y e a r t o f e e d h e r p o p u l a t i o n , p r o v i d e d it is ideally
d i s t r i b u t e d (1).
I n v i e w of t h e c o n f li c ti n g fig u re s c o n t a i n e d in t h e v a r i o u s e s t i m a t e s for th e 1922
h a r v e s t , i t is t h o u g h t a d v i s a b l e to s e t o u t m o r e f u lly fo r p u r p o s e s of c o m p ariso n the
e s t i m a t e p u b l i s h e d b y M. P o p o v o n 3 r d O c to b e r , t h e u n p u b l i s h e d e s t i m a t e transm itted
b y h i m t o D r. N a n s e n ’s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e in S e p t e m b e r , a n d t h e e s t i m a t e of t h e Petrovsky
A g ricu ltu ral A cadem y.
T h e s u r p l u s o r d e fic it a f t e r t h e n e e d s of t h e u r b a n and rural
p o p u l a t i o n h a v e b e e n p r o v i d e d f o r is s h o w n a s follo w s (2) :
T
able
(1) A fter th e m eeting a t which Mr. Hoover m ade this statem ent, the Press was informed th a t :
“ A t th e m eeting of the P rincipal Directors of the A. R . A. including Messrs Hoover, Brown and Haskell, the
situation in Russia was fully reviewed and i t was concluded th a t while there is evidence th a t the food supply of
Russia, if properly distributed, m ay m eet the necessities of the population during n ext year, the tremendous volume
of contagious disease and th e num ber of children displaced by famine and poverty require continued support.
“ The situation in Russia h aving changed from acute famine to afterm ath of famine, and its resultant: disease
and displaced children, i t was decided b y th e American Relief A dm inistration to continue operations for the present
in support of these more particular fields.”
(2) In calculating th e surplus or deficit, M. Popov, according to his article in Ekonomicheskaya Z hizn for August 12th
allowed 10 poods p er head for the town population throughout Russia, 16 poods for th e agricultural population of the Pro­
ducing Provinces, 21 poods per head for the agricultural population of th e Ukraine, S ou th E astern Provinces and Kirghizia
and 12 poods per head for th e agricultural population of th e Consuming Provinces.
—
6i
—
Soviet R u ssia and the U kraine (i).
ALLOWGROSS
ESTIMATES
POPULATION
CONSUMPTION
in millions
in millions poods
NET YIELD
FOR SE ED
in millions
in millions
of poods
of poods
Rural
Urban
T o ta l
R u ral
of poods
Urban
Total
SURPLUS
OR DEFICIT
in regard
to rural
population
in millions
of poods
TOTAL
SURPLUS
OR DEFICIT
in millions
of poods
By the Central
statistical Bureau :
October (Pu b li sh ed ) .
July (U n p u b lis h ed ). .
September ( U n p u b l i s ­
hed) .............................
4 4 9 .8
4 4 9 .8
2 ,3 8 0 .2
1,8 8 5
97- 7
97- 7
17-5
2 ,3 3 4
17.5
1 1 5 .2
II5 .2
1 ,6 5 3 -4
1 ,6 5 3 .4
I 75 - I
175 - T
-
2,0 1 9
4 4 9 .8
I , 5 6 9 .2
97- 7
I7-5
1 1 5 .2
1 ,6 5 3 .4
175-
1,9 67 -5
4 4 9 ,8
I, 5 V - 7
97-7
17-5
1 1 5 .2
1 ,6 5 3 .4
175 , 1
2 ,8 3 0
1
1 ,8 2 8 .q +
1 ,8 2 8 .5 +
7 2 6 .6
2 3 1 .6
+
551-5
+
6 2 .5
1 ,8 2 8 .5
—
8 4 .2
— 2 5 9 .3
1,828.5
—
135-7
— 310.8
By the P drovsky
Agricultural Academy :
(July)............................
Thus, w h e r e a s M. P o p o v ’s O c t o b e r e s t i m a t e r e c k o n s o n a s u r p l u s of 5 51,000,000 p o o d s
after th e n e e d s of t h e p o p u l a t i o n h a v e b e e n m e t , a c a l c u l a t i o n b a s e d o n h is u n p u b l i s h e d
September fig u res s h o w s a t o t a l d e f ic it of 2 5 9 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s a n d a d e fic it of 8 4 ,000,000
poods in r e g a r d t o t h e r u r a l p o p u l a t i o n alo n e, a n d allow s 16 p o o d s p e r h e a d for t h e r u r a l
population, a n d 1 3 . 7 p o o d s p e r h e a d f o r t h e t o t a l p o p u l a t i o n of S o v ie t R u s s i a a n d t h e
Ukraine : w h ile t h e P e t r o v s k y A g r i c u l t u r a l A c a d e m y sh o w s a t o t a l d eficit of 310,000,000
poods an d o n e of n e a r l y 1 3 6 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 in r e s p e c t of t h e r u r a l p o p u l a t i o n , a n d allows
15.5 poods p e r h e a d of t h e r u r a l p o p u l a t i o n a n d a l i t t l e m o r e t h a n 13 p o o d s p e r h e a d
for the w h o le p o p u l a t i o n .
In t h e t a b l e o n t h e fo llo w in g p a g e t h e p r i n c i p a l a r e a s i n t o w h ic h R u s s i a is d iv id e d
agriculturally a r e t a k e n , a n d t h e a r e a , c ro p a n d y ie ld a r e g iv e n i n r e s p e c t of e a c h a r e a
according t o t h e a b o v e - m e n t i o n e d e s t i m a t e s a n d for 1920 a n d 1921, t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e
average p r e - W a r y ie ld f o r 1505-1914.
T
able
(1)
Allowance has been m ade for sufficient seed to restore the cultivated area of 1920, which the Soviet Government,
according to M. Popov’s article in Ekonomicheskaya Z hizn for 3rd October, intends to attem p t. If, however, allowance is
made for sufficient seed only to restore the area shown as cultivated last year according to each of the above estimates res­
pectively, the figures would be as follows : Central Statistical B ureau’s unpublished July and September figures and published
October estimate respectively 32T, 360 and 400 million poods, and the Petrovsky Agricultural Academy 341 million poods.
" ^ is case, M. Popov’s October estim ate would show a to tal surplus of 601.3 million poods, the July figures 191.3 million,
September figures a deficit of 170.3 million, and those of the Petrovsky Agricultural Academy a deficit of 202 million
poods.
—
AREA
62
—
IN
M IL L IO N S
OF
D E S Y A T IN S
ESII)UH
Central
Statistical
Bureau
July 1922
Sept. 1922
Central
Statistical
Petrovsky
Agricultural
Academy
October 1922
July 1922
Central
Statistical Bureau
published)
Central
Statistical
Bureau
p u b lish ed )
1920
/ I'll
Central
Statistical
Bureau
(Un­
published)
192 X
J u l y 1922
(Un­
published,
Sept. 19:2
C o n s u m i n g ....................................
6.49
7-53
6.90
6.25
6.31
P ro d u c in g ................. .......................
14.28
15.40
1 5 . 12
22.48
18.02
S o u th E a s t ....................................
3.06
3.20
2.90
.4.48
3-94
209.5
K irg h iz.................. ...........................
1.82
2.36
I.90
3
-i3
2 .29
109.3
/2
S i b e r i a .............................................
3.66
2.72
3 -7 0
6.17
4-33
246.7
IlS
U k ra in e ..................... .......................
10.85
13.80
12.10
14-33
14.20
7 3 9 .5
6991
40.16
45.01
42.72
56.84
49.09
T
o t a u x ....................................
50
285
301
745
644
2 , 33 5
18s
2,019 1
I n h is a r t i c l e s in " E k o n o m i c h e s k a y a Z h i z n " fo r 1 4 th A u g u s t a n d 3 rd October,
M. P o p o v g iv e s n o f ig u re s t o s h o w t h e a r e a u n d e r c u l t i v a t i o n a n d t h e y ie ld p e r desyatin
in c o n n e c t i o n w i t h h is e s t i m a t e s of 2 ,8 5 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 a n d 2 ,8 3 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s. Taking,
h o w e v e r , t h e f ig u re of 5 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s f o r t o t a l so w n a r e a q u o t e d b y M. Groman in
h is r e p o r t b e f o r e t h e S t a t e P l a n n i n g C o m m is s io n on A u g u s t 14th, t h e y ie ld p e r desyatin is
56.6 p o o d s w h i c h c o m p a r e s w i t h 50 fo r t h e p e r i o d 1905-1914.
I t is g e n e r a lly believed
t h a t t h e s o w n a r e a h a s f a lle n 2 0 % s in c e 1921, b u t a fig u re of 5 0 ,000,000 desyatins
in d ic a te s no change.
If, h o w e v e r , r e f e r e n c e is m a d e t o M. P o p o v ’s J u l y s t a t e m e n t and
t h e e s t i m a t e of t h e P e t r o v s k y A g r i c u l t u r a l A c a d e m y , i t w o u l d a p p e a r t h a t there has
b e e n a fa ll of a b o u t 2 0 % to 2 5 % .
A c c o r d i n g to t h e J u l y s t a t e m e n t , which is
c l e a r l y b a s e d o n t h e e x p e c t a t i o n of a p h e n o m e n a l l y h ig h y ie ld , t h e a v e r a g e yield
p e r d e s y a t i n is 58, w h e r e a s in t h a t of t h e P e t r o v s k y A g r i c u l t u r a l A c a d e m y it is 44.
I n t h e fig u re s fo r e s t i m a t e d c ro p , o n e or tw o f e a t u r e s d e s e r v e a t t e n t i o n .
It will
b e s e e n t h a t M . P o p o v ’s f ig u re f o r t h e cro p in S ib e r ia in his s t a t e m e n t of J u ly almost
c o i n c id e s w i t h t h a t g iv e n in h is p u b l i s h e d fig u re s of O c to b e r , w h e r e a s t h e calculation
m a d e f r o m t h e u n p u b l i s h e d m a t e r i a l h a n d e d to D r. N a n s e n ’s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e in Sep­
t e m b e r s h o w s a h a r v e s t of h a l f th i s a m o u n t .
T h i s is 25 % lo w e r t h a n t h e estimate
m a d e b v th e P e tro v s k y A g ricu ltu ra l A cadem y.
A c o m p a r i s o n of t h e estimated
a r e a in c u l t i v a t i o n in S i b e r i a sh o w s t h a t t h e P e t r o v s k y A g r i c u l t u r a l A c a d e m y gives
t h e h i g h e s t f ig u r e — 3 ,7 0 0 ,0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s — w h i c h is a l m o s t i d e n t i c a l w i t h th e figure
g i v e n in M. P o p o v ’s J u l y s t a t e m e n t , w h e r e a s t h e c a l c u l a t i o n b a s e d o n th e latter's
S e p t e m b e r f ig u re s h o w s 2 ,7 2 0 ,0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s , c o n s t i t u t i n g o n ly fiv e - e ig h th s of the
s o w n a r e a of 1921. F o r t h e P r o d u c i n g A r e a , w h e r e t h e m a j o r i t y of t h e famine-stricken
p r o v i n c e s lie, M. P o p o v ’s J u l y a n d S e p t e m b e r fig u re s f o r t h e s o w n area are
1,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 a n d 2 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s r e s p e c t i v e l y h i g h e r t h a n t h e e s t i m a t e of t h e Petrovsky
j
ESTIM ATED Y IE L D P ER D ESY A TIN
„ MILLIONS O F PO O D S
MEAN Y I E L D
Central
P e tro v s k y
(entrai
îistical
A g ric u ltu ra l
Statistical Bureau
A cadem y
Bureau
*ttg22
July 1922
242.6
240
316
1,020
6 4 5 .1
581
385
2/1
180.0
142
»■>
109
245
829
' 2 , 82 ?
i
Central
Statistical
Bureau
(Un­
published)
Central
Statistical
Bureau
(Un­
published)
Ju ly 1922
Sept. 1922
Central
Statistical
Bureau
Petrovsky
Agricultural
Academy
October 1922
July 1922
ig O S -ig i^
Central
Statistical Bureau
Recueil
de Données
Statistiques
4O.9
35-2
38.3
50.1
43-9
52.2
41.8
42.7
25.8
21-4
43-3
101
68.5
58.0
62.1
31.6
25.6
53 - i
93-3
42
42
60.1
30.5
49-1
13-4
18.4
34-7
164.6
207
191
67.4
43-3
44-5
33-5
44. t
5 0 .6
641-9
527
581
68.2
50.8
53-o
36-8
40.9
53-2
,967-5
1,739
1,617
58.1
45 -o
46.2
30.6
32.0
50.0
43-9
56.54
Agricultural A c a d e m y . T h e c r o p e s t i m a t e f o r t h e P r o d u c i n g P r o v i n c e s a c c o r d in g to t h e
calculation m a d e o n t h e b a s is of M. P o p o v ’s m a t e r i a l , s u p p li e d in S e p te m b e r , coincides
with t h a t of t h e P e t r o v s k y A g r i c u l t u r a l A c a d e m y , w hile t h e l a t e s t p u b l i s h e d e s t i m a t e
exceeds th e se c o m p u t a t i o n s b y as m u c h a s 3 7 5 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s, t h a t is t o sa y , is m o r e
than half as la rg e a g a in .
W hen in A u g u s t M. P o p o v firs t p u b l i s h e d a h a r v e s t e s t i m a t e of o v e r 2 ,8 0 0 ,00 0,00 0
poods, his figures w e r e s u b m i t t e d t o c o n s i d e r a b l e criticism . A c c o rd in g to " E k o n o m i ­
cheskaya Z h iz n ” f o r A u g u s t 2 7 th , t h e A g r i c u l t u r a l C o n fere n ce of t h e T s a r i t s y n P r o v i n c e ,
which h a d j u s t t e r m i n a t e d , a g r e e d t h a t t h e y ie ld for t h a t P r o v i n c e w o u ld b e 25 p o o d s
per d esyatin for w i n t e r , a n d 20 p o o d s p e r d e s y a t i n for s p r in g crops, w h ile a c c o r ­
ding to M. L ee, C hief of t h e S w iss M is sio n a t T s a r i t s y n , it is likely to b e e v e n
less th a n th e s e fig u re s.
T h e r e p o r t of t h e C o n fere n ce a d d s t h a t t h e h a r v e s t 011
120,000 d e s y a ti n s h a d , fo r v a r i o u s r e a s o n s ,
b e e n c o m p le t e ly lost.
M. P o p o v ,
however, in his J u l y s t a t e m e n t , e s t i m a t i n g t h e h a r v e s t a t 2,4 00,0 00,0 00 p o o d s,
calculates t h e y i e l d p e r d e s y a t i n in t h i s P r o v i n c e a t 38.2.
S im ila rly , t h e e s t i m a t e s
for C helyabinsk P r o v i n c e a c c o r d i n g t o t h e J u l y a n d S e p t e m b e r figures f u r n i s h e d
by M. P o p o v a r e 19 ,0 3 1 ,0 0 0 a n d 1 3 ,2 6 3 ,0 0 0 p o o d s r e s p e c t i v e l y a n d n e a r l y 4 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
aiid 1,000,000 p o o d s h i g h e r t h a n t h e e s t i m a t e of 12,364,000 p o o d s g iv e n in a n
article on t h e p o s i t i o n of a g r i c u l t u r e in t h e C h e ly a b in s k P r o v in c e , in " E k o n o m i c h ­
eskaya Z h iz n ” f o r 1 6 th S e p t e m b e r .
W h e r e s u c h d is c re p a n c ie s e x i s te d b e t w e e n
M. Popov’s lo w e r f ig u re s a n d t h e e s t i m a t e s of lo cal a u t h o r i t i e s , his officially p u b l i s h e d
estimate of 2 ,8 0 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 w a s o b v i o u s l y c a l c u l a t e d to a r o u s e f a r g r e a t e r c r itic is m .
Other ex a m ple s m i g h t b e q u o t e d . M o r e o v e r, as t h e Sing le F o o d T a x is b a s e d u p o n t h e
harvest e s tim a te s of t h e C e n t r a l S t a t i s t i c a l B u r e a u , t h e fe e lin g of lo c al a u t h o r i t i e s
in regard to so o p t i m i s t i c a n e s t i m a t e a s 2 ,8 0 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s r a n p r o p o r t i o n a t e l y
—
64
—
h ig h ( i ) . A p a r t f r o m t h e d iv e r g e n c e of lo c al e s t i m a t e s f r o m M. P o p o v ’s f i g u r e s the
official s t a t i s t i c s of t h e U k r a i n i a n G o v e r n m e n t , t h o s e of t h e P e t r o v s k y A g r i c u l t u r a l A c a­
d e m y a n d t h e e s t i m a t e of t h e 1922 h a r v e s t i n t h e f a m i n e a r e a s u p p l i e d to D r N a n s e n 's
R e p r e s e n t a t i v e b y M. L a n d e r (2)— on p a g e 65— i n d i c a t e t h a t m a n y i m p o r t a n t s t a t i s ­
t i c a l a u t h o r i t i e s d iffer p r o f o u n d l y in t h e i r c a l c u l a t i o n s f r o m M. P o p o v ’s o f f i c i a l l y p u b l i s h e d
estim a te s.
In v i e w of t h e s t e a d y d e t e r i o r a t i o n of a g r i c u l t u r e p r i o r to 1921, o f b a c k w a r d
a g r i c u l t u r a l m e t h o d s , t h e w e a k e n e d c o n d i t i o n of t h e p o p u l a t i o n in t h e f a m i n e a r e a the
d a m a g e d o n e t o t h e h a r v e s t in c e r t a i n d i s t r i c t s b y lo c u s t a n d o t h e r p e s ts , t h e l a c k of
p lo u g h s , f e r tili s e r s , h a r v e s t i n g i m p l e m e n t s a n d d r a u g h t a n i m a l s t h e s e low er, e s t i m a t e s
s e e m f a r m o r e li k e ly t o r e p r e s e n t t h e t r u e s t a t e of t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l s i t u a t i o n . As, t h e r e ­
f o re , n o d e t a i l e d e s t i m a t e s of t h e h a r v e s t in e a c h p r o v i n c e a r e a v a i l a b l e in c o n n e c t i o n
w i t h M. P o p o v ’s p u b l i s h e d f o r e c a s ts , a n d a s t h e s t a t i s t i c s of t h e U k r a i n i a n G o v e r n m e n t
t h e P e t r o v s k y A g r i c u l t u r a l A c a d e m y a n d M. L a n d e r ’s fig u re s fo r t h e f a m i n e a r e a d o not
differ v e r y m a t e r i a l l y f r o m t h o s e t r a n s m i t t e d b y M. P o p o v to D r. N a n s e n ’s R e p r e s e n t a ­
t i v e in S e p t e m b e r , t h e fig u re s f o r e a c h p r o v i n c e i n c l u d e d in t h e S e p t e m b e r c o m p u t a t i o n
h a v e b e e n p l a c e d in A n n e x I I of t h i s R e p o r t .
A n e x a m i n a t i o n of M. L a n d e r ’s (3) e s t i m a t e of h a r v e s t p r o s p e c t s in th e f a m i n e s t r i c k e n p r o v i n c e s (see t a b l e on p a g e 65), f r o m w h ic h h is fig u re s fo r t h e p r o v in c e s i n the
M id d l e a n d L o w e r V o lg a h a v e b e e n t a k e n , s h o w t h a t in r e g a r d t o t h e t o w n p o p u l a t i o n
a n a l lo w a n c e of 10 p o o d s p e r h e a d h a s b e e n m a d e , as is also d o n e b y M. P o p o v . I n the
c a s e of t h e r u r a l p o p u l a t i o n , h o w e v e r , in r e s p e c t of w h i c h M. P o p o v , i n h is O c to b e r article
m a k e s a n a l l o w a n c e fo r c o n s u m p t i o n of 16 p o o d s , o n ly 1 0 p o o d s is m a d e b y M . L a n d e r
f o r th o s e p r o v i n c e s w h o s e e s t i m a t e d .n e t y ie ld is in su ffic ie n t t o a llo w t h e m m o r e th an
10 p o o d s p e r h e a d . W h e r e m o r e t h a n 10 p o o d s p e r h e a d is a v a i l a b l e fo r t h e r u r a l p o p u ­
l a t i o n it w ill b e s e e n t h a t t h e a c t u a l fig u re f o r n e t y ie ld h a s b e e n t a k e n as r e p r e s e n t i n g
w h a t is a c t u a l l y n e c e s s a r y f o r c o n s u m p t i o n , i t b e i n g a s s u m e d t h a t a g r i c u l t u r a l districts
w i t h f r o m 10 t o 20 p o o d s p e r h e a d w ill c o n s u m e t h e i r w h o le p r o d u c t i o n .
I t w i l l b e seen,
f o r e x a m p l e , t h a t t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l p o p u l a t i o n fo r S i m b i r s k is g i v e n a s 1 , 2 0 8 , 0 0 0 , the
n e t y i e l d as 1 7 ,556,400, a n d t h e n e t y ie ld p e r u n i t of r u r a l p o p u l a t i o n as 14.4. In regard
t o t h e r u r a l p o p u l a t i o n , a n a l lo w a n c e of 10 p o o d s p e r h e a d p r o v i d e s a b a r e m i n i m u m for
h u m a n c o n s u m p t i o n , fo r w h i c h l i t t l e m o r e t h a n 6 p o o d s p e r h e a d — u s u a l l y r e g a r d e d as
t h e " G o l o d n a y a N o r m a ” , or F a m i n e R a tio n - — is le ft if a l lo w a n c e is m a d e f o r f e e d i n g even
t h e p r e s e n t r e d u c e d n u m b e r of l i v e s to c k . O n t h e c o n t r a r y , a n a l lo w a n c e of 16 poods
p e r h e a d fo r t h e r u r a l p o p u l a t i o n m a y b e r e g a r d e d as to o h ig h in v ie w of t h e r e d u c t i o n
in s t a n d a r d s of c o n s u m p t i o n w h i c h h a s o c c u r r e d d u r i n g t h e s tr e s s 01 r e c e n t y e a r s ; yet
it r e p r e s e n t s w h a t is n e c e s s a r y in o r d e r to k e e p t h e p o p u l a t i o n i n h e a l t h a n d s tre n g th
(1) See Annex I (b).
(2) M. L ander is th e P lenipotentiary representative of the Soviet Government attach ed to all foreign famine reliet
organisations.
(3) I t will be seen th a t the rural population of the B ashkir Republic is given as 2,684,000 in M. L ander’s figures. The
figure given in the Russian census for 1920 is 1,268,000.
.v /
Sta tistics
for
1922
:
Ni-ecls,
Sxtrplxis
and
JDcficil
of
Cereals
in
t he
F am ine-stricken Provinces ( 1 ) .
P O PU L A T IO N
economic
HARVEST FOR
PR IN C IP A L
CEREALS
AND
FORAGE
in thousands
Area sown
CONDITIO NS
PROVINCE
Yield
Urban
in thousands
per
in’thousands
in thousands
of desyatins
desyatin
of poods
N et yield
Total
per unit
amount needed
N et yield
cultivated area
in 1922
Rural
Crop for total
of poods
of rural
b y rural
population
population
Total
Total surplus
Total
a m o u n t need­ needs of urban
or deficit
ed b y urban
and
lo c a l
population in
population in in thousands
thousands of
thousands of
poods
of poods
poods
IN
RU S SIA
244
A s t r a k h a n .............................
B a s h k i r ..................................
2, 684
602
V o t y a k ..................................
,947
V y a t k a ..................................
i
E k a t e r i n b u r g ......................
1 ,4 4 2
143
303
5°
51-5
835-8
165-5
13 2
5
° 8
39
4
42, 439-7
571-8
35, 73i -5
3
13 3
6 , 5I 3 .2
4 ,7 0 2 .9
7 8
6 7 7 .4
10S
8 4 0 .3
39 0
32, 776.3
2 4 ,0 5 2 .7
12
4 9 4 .2
50 8
2 5 ,1 1 9 .8
2 0 ,0 5 0 .8
13
1 8 1 .4
38
1 4 0 .0
32 8
C r i m e a ..................................
295
540
3°6
M a r ii T e r r i t o r y ..................
276
10
P e r m .......................................
1 ,4 8 7
337
3 4 2 .7
49
9
1 7 ,0 9 9 .0
S a m a r a . . .........................
2 ,1 1 3
285
4 8 9 .5
25 2
1 2 ,3 5 3 .9
S a r a t o v ..................................
2 ,2 8 0
2
373
1 ,0 9 6 .3
24
4
3
3
4, 423-9
2, 947-5
5, 490.9
4 ,5 8 9 -4
1 3 ,0 5 6 .8
9, 675-7
2 6 ,6 5 8 .7
2 0 ,3 9 1 .1
2 1 ,6 7 6 ,6
4
9
15 0
10
7
8 8
4
6
9
14 4
8
3 ,8 7 0 .0
—
3 ,2 9 8 .2
3 5 ,7 3 1 -5
1,430
3,030
3 8 ,7 6 1 .5
—
3 ,0 3 0 .0
6 ,0 2 0 .0
500
6 ,5 2 0 .0
—
1 ,8 1 7 .1
2 4 ,0 5 2 .7
1 ,0 5 0
2 5 ,1 0 2 .7
—
1 ,0 5 0 .0
2 0 ,0 5 0 .8
5,400
2 5 ,4 5 0 .8
—
5, 400.0
—
3 ,0 6 0 .0
2 ,4 4 0
4 ,4 2 3 -9
3 ,0 6 0
2, 947-5
100
1 4 ,8 7 0 .0
3 ,3 7 0
2 1 ,1 3 0 .0
4, 783.9
3, 047-5
l8 ,2 4 0 .0
—
100
—
2 ,1 8 3 .2
2 ,8 5 0
2 3 ,9 8 0 .0
■— 1 4 , 3 0 4 . 3
2 2 ,8 0 0 .0
3 ,703
2 6 ,5 3 0 .0
—
6 ,1 3 8 .9
17, 556.4
1 ,9 4 0
1 9 ,4 9 6 .4
—
1 ,9 4 0 .0
2 2 ,4 2 0 .O
S i m b i r s k ................................
1 ,2 0 8
194
6 1 4 .0
35
T a r t a r .....................................
2 ,2 4 2
2 11
8 3 0 .2
31 0
25, 736.2
7, 556-4
i 9, i 77.7
2 ,1 1 0
2 4 ,5 3 0 .0
—
5 ,3 5 2 .3
3 , 500.5
2 ,3 2 4 .2
3 8
6 ,1 6 0 .0
740
6 ,9 0 0 .0
—
4, 575-8
i
Commune. . .
616
74
254-3
13 8
T s a r i t s y n .............................
1,019
180
630.6
18 6
11 , 717 .6
9 ,3 0 8 .4
9 1
1 0 ,1 9 0 .0
1,800
1 1 ,9 9 0 .0
— 2 ,6 8 1 .6
33 4
8 ,3 6 8 .7
8 5
9 ,8 5 0 .0
1,550
11 , 4 0 0 . 0
—
190
7 ,2 0 0 .0
— 1 ,2 0 1 .5
G erm an
19
2 8.4
30 7
5 , 981.5
8 4
7 ,0 1 0 .0
D o n ..........................................
1 ,1 1 4
353
553-9
32 5
1 8 ,0 2 3 .3
15, 473-9
13 9
1 5 ,4 7 3 .9
3,530
1 9 ,0 0 3 .9
— 3 , 530. 0
S t a v r o p o l .............................
828
69
3 5 0 .0
14 0
1 3 ,9 8 6 .4
1 1 ,9 4 0 .3
14
4
1 1 ,9 4 0 .3
690
1 2 ,6 3 0 .3
—
35 0
2 8 7 ,4 7 0 .1
C h u v a s h .................... . -
985
22 , 0 8 3
155
3 ,7 0 7
310.5
8 2 0 9 .i
00
■4-
701
10, 355-9
8, 755-3
Ch e l y a b i n s k . . . . . .
2 5 5 ,0 8 7 .0
3 7 ,0 4 3 .0
2 9 2 ,1 3 0 .0
3 , 03 i .3
6 9 0 .0
66, 455-2
(1) Subm itted to Dr. Nansen’s Representative in Moscow b y M. Lander, Plenipotentiary R epresentative of the Soviet Government attached to all Foreign
Relief Organisations.
—
66
—
a n d to m a k e p o s s i b le t h e r e s t o r a t i o n of n o r m a l e c o n o m ic a c t i v i t y
(i) in the famine
area.
A c o m p a r i s o n of t h e f ig u re s g i v e n b y t h e P e t r o v s k y A g r i c u l t u r a l A c a d e m y , a calcu­
l a t i o n b a s e d on t h e fig u re s h a n d e d b y M. P o p o v t o D r. N a n s e n ’s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e in Sep­
t e m b e r , a n d t h e f ig u re s s u p p l i e d t o D r N a n s e n ’s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e b y M. L and er show
t h e p o s i t i o n in t h e M id d le a n d L o w e r V o lg a a r e a s a s follow s, t a k i n g t h e rural and
u r b a n p o p u l a t i o n , a c c o r d i n g to t h e c e n s u s of 1920 a s 14 ,5 1 6 ,0 0 0 a n d 1,947,000 respecti­
vely.
NET CROP
Millions Millions
of
desyatins of poods
P e tro v sk y A g ric u ltu ra l
A c a d e m y .......................
C alcu latio n b ased on
M. P o p o v ’s figures
h a n d e d to D r. N a n ­
s e n ’s re p re se n ta tiv e
in S ep tem b er. . . .
A l l - R u s s i a n C entral
F a m in e ..........................
R elief C o m m i s s i o n ’ s
figures (su p plied b y
M. L and er).
AMOUNT NEEDED TO GIVE
after
allowing
8 poods per
desyatin
for seed
NET YIELD
NET AIELD
per head
per head
of rural
o f total
Millions
of poods
population
population
SURPLUS
16 poods per head of rural
or deficit
and 10 poods
on
16 p o o d s
per head of Town population
per head
in millions of poods
rural r a t i o n
Rural
(in millions)
(in millions)
M illio n s
of
poods
SURPLUS
o r d e fic it
o n ru ra l
a n d u rb a n
M il lio n ;
of p o o d s
6.2
236.8
187.4
x2.9
II.4
236.2
19-5
48.8
68.3
6.7
220.2
166.6
II.4
IO.I
236.2
19:5
69.6
S 9 .1
6.0
I9 7 4
149.4
IO.3
9.1
236.2
i 9-5
86.8
1
1
106.3 I
I t w ill b e n o t e d t h a t in t h e t a b l e o n t h e V o lg a P r o v i n c e s g iv e n a b o v e , t h e crop esti­
m a t e of t h e P e t r o v s k y A g r i c u l t u r a l A c a d e m y f o r t h e V o lg a P r o v i n c e s is th e highest.
I t w ill b e o b s e r v e d t h a t a l l o w a n c e is m a d e i n th i s t a b l e fo r s o w in g a n a r e a equal to that
p l a c e d in c u l t i v a t i o n f o r t h e h a r v e s t of 1922.
If, h o w e v e r , a n a t t e m p t w as made to
r e s t o r e t h e s o w n a r e a of 1920 in t h e V o lg a P r o v i n c e s — 11,322 ,00 0 d e s y a t i n s — the deficit,
a l lo w in g 16 p o o d s as t h e a m o u n t n e e d e d p e r h e a d of t h e r u r a l p o p u l a t i o n , would be
1 0 9 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 p o o d s in t h e c a s e of t h e P e t r o v s k y A g r i c u l t u r a l A c a d e m y ’s estimate,
1 2 5 .0 0 0 .0 0 c i n t h a t of t h e e s t i m a t e b a s e d on M. P o p o v ’s S e p t e m b e r figures, a n d 149,000,000
a c c o r d i n g t o t h e f ig u re s s u p p l i e d b y M. L a n d e r , l e a v in g 6. 5.2, a n d 4 p o o d s respectively
p e r h e a d of t h e r u r a l p o p u l a t i o n . T a k i n g t h e w h o le f a m i n e a r e a a c c o r d in g to the cal­
c u l a t i o n b a s e d u p o n M. P o p o v ’s S e p t e m b e r figures, t h e t o t a l h a r v e s t w o rk s out at
4 5 0 .0 0 0 .0 0 0 p o o d s f r o m a n a r e a of 1 2 ,100,000 d e s y a ti n s , of w h i c h 1 1 0 ,5 0 0 ,0 0 0 poods from
a n a r e a of 2 ,6 3 3 ,4 0 0 d e s y a t i n s r e p r e s e n t s t h e p o s it io n in t h e f a m i n e - s t r i c k e n provinces
(;) The Russian Professor Mares estim ates the norm al am ount required to nourish the inh ab itants of rural districts
(including food for cattle, hoises, and p o ultry) at 26 1/2 poods per head per annum , and 15 poods per head for the urban
population.
—
67
—
of the U kraine ( i). E x c l u d i n g t h e U k r a i n e , t h e fig u re s s h o w t h a t 340,00 0,0 00 p o o d s
be o b ta in e d f r o m 9 , 5 0 0 ,0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s , g iv i n g 3 5.8 p o o d s p e r d e s y a t i n c o m p a r e d
with I? poods in 1920, a n d 12.5 in 1921. S u c h a y ie ld , t h o u g h b e lo w th e n o r m a l , w o u ld
produce even f r o m t h e d i m i n i s h e d a r e a a t o t a l c ro p n o t f a r b e l o w t h e m i n i m u m r e q u i r e ­
w o u ld
ments
of
de s y atins
the p o p u l a t i o n t a k e n a s a w h o le . I n r e g a r d to t h e U k r a in e , a n a r e a of 2,633,400
gives a y ie ld p e r d e s y a t i n of 4 2 f r o m a c r o p of 110,500,000 poods. T h is c o m ­
pares w ith figures of 2 , 1 7 0 ,0 0 0 d e s y a t i n s a n d 111,708,000 p o o d s , y i e l d i n g , 51.5 p o o d s
per desyatin, c o n t a i n e d i n t h e e s t i m a t e of t h e U k r a i n i a n h a r v e s t p u b li s h e d in A u g u s t
the U k ra in ia n S t a t i s t i c a l B u r e a u .
In r e g a r d to t h e o t h e r U k r a i n i a n P r o v in c e s , i n ­
in note (2) o n p a g e 28, i t is i n t e r e s t i n g t o n o t e t h a t in t h e c a se of O d essa , t h e figures
received by D r. N a n s e n ’s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e f r o m M. P o p o v in S e p t e m b e r g iv e a s o w n a r e a
by
cluded
of 1,181,000 d e s y a t i n s , a n e s t i m a t e d h a r v e s t of 4 5 ,1 2 9 ,0 0 0 p o o d s a n d a y ie ld p e r d e s y a t i n
of 38.2, w h erea s t h e f ig u re s p u b l i s h e d b y t h e U k r a i n i a n S t a t i s t i c a l B u r e a u in A u g u s t
show a sown a r e a of 1,063 ,00 0 d e s y a t i n s , a c ro p of 5 3 ^ 5 3 ,0 0 0 p o o d s , g iv in g a y ie ld p e r
desyatin of o v er 50 p o o d s . A c c o r d i n g , h o w e v e r , t o m o r e r e c e n t i n f o r m a t i o n f u r n is h e d
to Dr. N ansen’s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e b y t h e U k r a i n i a n R e d Cross, t h e s o w n a r e a in t h e O d e s s a
Province is 791,000 d e s y a t i n s , t h e c ro p 28,75 1,000 p o o d s , a n d t h e y ie ld p e r d e s y a t i n 36.3.
Finally, t h e A l l - U k r a i n i a n C o n f e r e n c e of R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of t h e F a m i n e - S t r i c k e n A re a s
in September p la c e d o n r e c o r d t h e f a c t t h a t i t h a d b e e n n e c e s s a r y t o m o d i f y t h e f a v o u r ­
able harvest p r o s p e c t s o b s e r v e d in J u n e a s a r e s u l t of s e v e r a l w e e k s of d r y w e a t h e r
which preceded t h e h a r v e s t i n g of t h e w i n t e r c r o p s : t h a t a la r g e p a r t of th e s e cro p s h a d
perished : t h a t t h e f a m i n e of 1921-1922 h a d e x h a u s t e d all s u p p li e s of seed in t h e h a n d s
of the p o p u la tio n a n d t h a t t h e c o n s e q u e n t d i m i n u t i o n of t h e n e t h a r v e s t of w i n t e r cro p s
in order to m a k e g o o d t h i s loss t h r e a t e n e d a c o n t i n u a n c e of f a m i n e in t h o s e d is t r i c ts
which had suffered in 1 921-1922.
I n r e g a r d , th e r e f o r e , to th e s e a r e a s ow ing t o t h e e x h a u s ­
tion of the p o p u l a t i o n p h y s i c a l l y , of all r e s o u r c e s fo r t r a d e a t t h e i r d isp o s a l a n d of t h e
increasing a b a n d o n m e n t of w o r k o n p e a s a n t f a r m s , t h e C o n fere n ce c a m e to t h e c o n c lu sio n
that famine d u r in g 19 22-1923, a l t h o u g h less a c u t e , w o u ld h a v e f a r m o r e s e rio u s r e s u lt s
than th a t of l a s t y e a r .
This is c o n f ir m e d b y a r e c e n t t e l e g r a m f r o m D r. N a n s e n ’s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e in M oscow,
"'ho s ta te s t h a t : " T h e r e a r e n o w d e f in i te i n d i c a t i o n s of a r e n e w e d f a m i n e d u r i n g th e
winter in th e s o u t h e r n U k r a i n e , i n t h e C r im e a , in p a r t s of S a m a r a , p a r t s of e a s t e r n S a r a t o v ,
in the K irg h iz R e p u b l i c , i n C h e ly a b in s k , T s a r i t s y n , B a s h k ir , V y a t k a , a n d t h e N o r t h e r n
Caucasus.” T h e t e l e g r a m a d d s t h a t i n t h e s o u t h e r n U k r a i n e m o r e t h a n o n e m illion
people are suffering f r o m h u n g e r i n t h e p r o v i n c e s o f E k a t e r i n o s l a v , N ik o la e v , O d e s s a a n d
Zaporozhye a n d t h a t t y p h u s is i n c r e a s i n g .
The s i t u a ti o n in t h e w h o l e of t h e f a m i n e a r e a a s s h o w n in t h e c a lc u la t io n b a s e d on
the figures h a n d e d b y M. P o p o v t o D r. N a n s e n ’s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e in S e p t e m b e r w ill b e
found in the fo llo w in g t a b l e ( th e r u r a l p o p u l a t i o n is t a k e n as 2 5 ,90 6,0 00 a n d t h e u r b a n
(1) th e provinces ta k e n are th o s e in c lu d e d in th e lis t 011 pa g e 28, of C h ap ter I I I .
—
68
—
as 4 ,1 2 7 ,0 0 0 , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e c e n s u s fig u re s fo r 1920 a n d t h u s on t h e ration scale
i n d i c a t e d 4 5 5 ,8 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s w o u l d b e n e e d e d ) :
Sown A rea
(million
desyatin s)
—
Year.
—
Yield
(million
poods)
des y atin
N e t Crop
(million
poods)
A m o u n t per head of
population :
Rural
1920
.
.
.
2 0 .8
523-9
2 5 .2
I 92I
.
.
.
1 6 .2
172. i
1 0 .6
1922
♦
.
.
12 .1
4 4 9 .8
37- 2
357- 9
43-i
353- 0
Urban
17-7
i -7
1 2 .0
13 ' 6
11.8
1.4
T h u s , a l lo w in g 16 p o o d s p e r h e a d of r u r a l a n d 10 p o o d s p e r h e a d of u r b a n population,
t h e r e w o u l d b e a d e f ic it t h i s y e a r a c c o r d in g t o t h e s e fig u re s of 6 3 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s in regard
t o t h e r u r a l , a n d 1 0 2 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s in r e g a r d t o t h e t o t a l p o p u l a t i o n .
T h e d if fi c u lt y of t h e p r o b l e m of d i s t r i b u t i o n is s e e n b y t h e f a c t t h a t t h e S o v i e t Govern­
m e n t h a s b e e n o b lig e d t o c o m m e n c e t h e c o lle c tio n of t h e F o o d T a x e v e n in d i s t r i c t s which
a r e s h o r t of c r o p s . I t is, o b v io u s l y , i m p o s s ib le t h a t t h e w h o le of t h e u r b a n population
i n t h e f a m i n e a r e a of 1921 s h o u l d b e fe d f o r t h e n e x t t w e l v e m o n t h s b y su p p lie s from
o th e r d istricts.
T h u s , b y t h e m i d d le of O c to b e r , 15,907,000 p o o d s h a d a l r e a d y been
c o l le c te d in p r o v i n c e s f a m i n e - s t r i c k e n l a s t y e a r (1). T h e p r o s p e c t s of t h e y e a r cannot,
h o w e v e r , b e f in a l ly d e t e r m i n e d u n t i l t h e a c t u a l y ie ld of t h e h a r v e s t is k n o w n . T h e dimen­
sio n s of t h e p r o b l e m w ill t h e n d e p e n d o n t h e on e h a n d , o n t h e fin a l figures re a c h e d , and,
o n t h e o t h e r , o n t h e a b i l i t y of t h e r a i l w a y s t o c o p e w i t h t h e p r o b l e m of distribution.
T h e r a i l w a y s i t u a t i o n h a s g iv e n rise t o a n x i e t y in R u s s i a d u r i n g t h e a u t u m n . Much
d is c u s s io n h a s o c c u r r e d in t h e R u s s i a n P r e s s r e g a r d i n g a n e w t r a n s p o r t crisis. In view,
t h e r e f o r e , of t h e a l m o s t i n e v i t a b l e n e c e s s i t y of t r a n s p o r t i n g fo o d s u p p li e s to the famine
a r e a of 1921 t h e r a i l w a y s i t u a t i o n m a y p r o v e t o b e a f a c t o r of t h e m o s t v i t a l importance
a n d m u s t t h e r e f o r e b e d w e l t u p o n in s o m e d e ta il.
D u r i n g 1922 R u s s i a n t r a n s p o r t h a s u n d e r g o n e a r e o r g a n i s a t i o n . A t t h e beginning
of 1918, s h o r t l y a f t e r t h e B o l s h e v i k s c a m e i n t o powder, r a i l w a y c o m m is s a r ie s were selected
b y t h e lo c a l S o v ie t s a n d r a i l w a y t r a d e - u n i o n i s t s , a n d in t h e c o u r s e of t h e Civil War it
w a s j u d g e d p o li t i c a l l y e x p e d i e n t b y t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t t o c o n f ir m t h e majority of
t h e s e a p p o i n t m e n t s a t a t i m e w h e n a c o n s id e r a b l e a m o u n t of h o s t i l i t y w a s manifested
o p e n l y or c o v e r t l y a g a i n s t t h e B o l s h e v i k s b y m a n y of t h e m o r e h i g h l y t r a i n e d and expe­
r ie n c e d r a i l w a y officials w h o s e a p p o i n t m e n t to or c o n t i n u a t i o n of t h e i r p o s t s w as, however,
n e c e s s a r y in o r d e r t o m a i n t a i n s o m e efficiency in t h e t r a n s p o r t se rv ic e s . N ow, however,
t h e C o u n c il of L a b o u r a n d D e f e n c e h a s d e c id e d to a b o lish t h e s y s t e m of commissaries
a n d t o d i s t r i b u t e t h e m a n a g e m e n t of t h e r a il w a y s u n d e r s e p a r a t e r a i l w a y boards, each
c o n t r o l l i n g a g r o u p of lines a n d s e r v in g a s f a r as p o ssib le a p a r t i c u l a r in d u strial area.
I t is s t a t e d t h a t t h e s e b o a r d s w ill b e a llo w e d a la rg e m e a s u r e of in d e p e n d e n c e and initia­
t i v e in t h e c o m m e r c i a l e x p l o i t a t i o n of t h e i r lines a n d i t w ill b e t h e i r d u t y to enter into
(1)
According to Ekonomicheskaya Z hisn for the 25th October, the to tal am ount collected up to the 15th Octo
for th e whole of Soviet Russia, excluding the Ukraine, and T urkestan, is given as 163.248,000 poods, which, converted
term s of rye. becomes 191,691,000 poods, and compares w ith 50,009,000 converted poods last year. T he am ou nt collatefrom the U kraine is given as 47,017.000 unconverted poods.
—
re la tio n s w i t h
6g
—
t h e p r i n c i p a l e c o n o m ic d e p a r t m e n t s of t h e S t a t e w i t h i n t h e a r e a s s u b j e c t
to their control. T h e y w ill h a v e u n d e r t h e i r c o n t r o l v a r io u s s u b s i d i a r y u n d e r t a k i n g s
necessary to t h e efficient o p e r a t i o n of t h e r a i l w a y s a n d a r e e n t i t l e d t o e n t e r in t o i n d e p e n ­
dent a g r e e m e n t s w i t h o t h e r b o d ie s f o r t h e s u p p l y of t h e m a t e r i a l s t h e y n e e d . T h r o u g h
the P e o p le ’ s
C o m m i s s a r i a t f o r T r a n s p o r t , t h e y a r e a t l i b e r t y to e n t e r in t o d ir e c t r e la tio n s
with any S ta t e D e p a r t m e n t e x c e p t t h e C o u n c il of P e o p l e ’s C o m m issa rie s, t h e A ll- R u s s ia n
C entral E x e c u tiv e C o m m i t t e e a n d t h e C o u n c il of L a b o u r a n d D efen c e.
T h e C om m isT r a n s p o r t , h o w e v e r , w ill r e t a i n g e n e r a l c o n t r o l of t h e r a i l w a y s y s t e m , a n d will
confirm t h e n o m i n a t i o n s of t h e m e m b e r s of t h e r a i l w a y b o a r d s w h o w ill b e a p p o i n t e d
by the Council of L a b o u r a n d D e f e n c e .
M a n a g e r s of lines w ill b e a p p o i n t e d b y t h e C o m ­
m is s a r ia t f o r T r a n s p o r t , a n d w ill b e r e s p o n s i b le to i t in a l l a d m i n i s t r a t i v e a n d te c h n ic a l
m a tte rs , a l th o u g h s u b o r d i n a t e to t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e b o a r d s in c o m m e r c ia l a n d b u sin e ss
sariat f o r
matters.
It is n o t y e t p o s s i b le t o j u d g e w h e t h e r th i s sc h e m e fo r a m o r e p u r e l y c o m m e r ­
cial and less p o li tic a l o r g a n i s a t i o n of t h e r a i l w a y s w ill i m p r o v e m a t t e r s .
B u t the
controversy r a g in g in t h e S o v i e t P r e s s r e g a r d i n g t h e h i g h ta riffs n o w o b t a i n i n g on t h e
ra ilw a y s — n o t w i t h s t a n d i n g w h i c h t h e r a i l w a y s c o n t i n u e to s h o w a h e a v y d e fic it—-and
the f a c t t h a t t h e r a i l w a y s a p p e a r f r o m r e c e n t i n f o r m a t i o n on ce m o r e t o h a v e r e a c h e d a
stage o f a c u te crisis, s h o w h o w d ifficult w ill b e t h e t a s k of t h e n e w b o a r d s ; in t h e p r e s e n t
circumstances h ig h ta riff s d o n o t a v a i l t o b a l a n c e t h e r a i l w a y b u d g e t , a n d i t m a y b e
doubted w h e th e r lo w e r ta riffs w ill p r o v e m o r e p r o f i t a b l e in v i e w of t h e a l m o s t c o m p le t e
absence o f
goods to t r a n s p o r t a n d of c u s t o m e r s w h o c a n p a y fo r t h e m w h e n t h e y a re
transported.
Recent r e p o r t s o n t h e r a i l w a y s a r e so d is c o u r a g in g as to m a k e i t a p p e a r p r o b a b l e
that the m o v e m e n t of s e e d - f r e i g h t s f o r t h e a u t u m n s o w in g m a y b e s e r io u s ly i n t e r f e r e d
with. A. V y s h i n s k y , w r i t i n g in E k o n o m ic h e s k a y a Z h i z n fo r S e p t e m b e r 13 th on t h e
seed cam paign, s p e a k s of t h e a r d u o u s s tr u g g l e a g a i n s t endless t r a n s p o r t difficulties.
Some light is t h r o w n o n t h e s e d ifficu lties in t h e issu e fo r t h e p r e v io u s d a y , w h e r e G. K r u min, the ed ito r of E k o n o m ic h e s k a y a Z h i z n in a l e a d e r e n t i t l e d " T h e G r a v i t y of t h e
Situation” , q u o t e d a t e l e g r a m o n t h e s t a t e of t r a n s p o r t in t h e U k r a i n e , s t a t i n g t h a t t h e
Ukraine Council of P e o p l e ’s C o m m is s a r ie s w a s p la c e d u n d e r t h e n e c e s s ity , o w in g to t h e
acute sh o rta g e of f u e l, of o r d e r i n g t h a t all s u p p li e s of coal in c o u rse of tran sit, on t h e
railways sh o u ld b e r e - a d d r e s s e d to t h e r a i l w a y d e p o t s , w i t h t h e e x c e p t io n of su p p lie s
consigned to t h e W a r M i n i s tr y , t h e N a v y , t h e L i g h t a n d W a t e r B o a r d s a n d a g r ic u ltu r a l implement fa c to rie s . T h e d i s t u r b i n g effect of s u c h d r a s t i c r e q u is i tio n i n g u p o n t h e
consumers w h o se f u e l is d i v e r t e d w ill b e r e a d i l y a p p r e c i a t e d . A n o t h e r te le g r a m i n d i c a t e s
a great s h o r ta g e of r o llin g - s to c k in t h e T s a r i t s y n d i s t r i c t , w h e r e t r a d e h a s b e e n h e ld u p
and the m o v e m e n t of ce r e a ls p r e p a r e d lo c a lly fo r t r a n s i t . R e t u r n i n g to t h e U k r a in e ,
the effect of t h e c o a l crisis h a d b e e n t o p la c e t e m p o r a r i l y o u t of a c tio n n i n e t y e n g in es
in good r u n n in g o r d e r . T h e R u s s i a n T e l e g r a p h A g e n c y ( R o sta ) o b s e rv e s t h a t if th is
continues, a c o n s id e r a b l e r e d u c t i o n of t h e r a i l w a y se rv ic es or t h e i r c o m p l e t e su sp e n s io n
will become i n e v ita b le , w h i l e R e u t e r r e p o r t s t h a t r a i l w a y traffic in t h e S o u t h e r n U k r a i n e
has been g r e a tly r e d u c e d o w in g t o t h e s h o r t a g e of fuel, a n d g r a in w h ic h h a s b e e n s u r r e n ­
dered to th e G o v e r n m e n t as t a x e s in k i n d is ly in g o u t in t h e o p e n a n d risk s b e in g u t t e r l y
—
70
—
r u i n e d , a s t h e r e is in s u f f ic ie n t t r a n s p o r t t o c o n v e y i t to c o v e r .
d e r s h a v e s t o p p e d w o r k t h r o u g h la c k of coal.
E k a t e r i n o s l a v iron f0Un
T h e E k a t e r i n i n s k a y a R a i l w a y h a s a l r e a d y c e a s e d to a c c e p t c o n s ig n m e n ts of cereals
T h e C e n t r a l B o a r d of t h e C oa l I n d u s t r y , i n s t e a d of s u p p l y i n g 6 0 w a g o n s of coal a day
in a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e t e r m s of t h e i r a g r e e m e n t w i t h t h e S o u t h e r n R a ilw a y s , o n ly supplies
50, a n d i t c a n s c a r c e ly b e sa id t o h a v e a n y i n t e r e s t in i n c r e a s i n g th e se su p p lie s inas­
m u c h a s i t is p a i d a p r i c e fo r t h e c o a l lo w e r t h a n t h o s e g e n e r a l l y o b ta in in g . In the
U k r a i n e , l o c o m o ti v e s a r e a l r e a d y b e i n g h e l d u p in t h e r e p a i r s h o p s , b e c a u s e it is known
t h a t t h e r e is n o fu e l to r u n t h e m . M. K r u m i n p r o c e e d s to p o i n t o u t in t h e a r t i c l e referred
t o t h a t t h i s s i t u a t i o n c o n s t i t u t e s a v e r y s e r io u s b l o w f o r t h e f o o d c a m p a i g n , a n d th a t in
t h e g e n e r a l p a n i c w h i c h s u p e r v e n e s , e a c h i n d i v i d u a l e n t e r p r i s e e n d e a v o u r s as b e s t it may
t o w e a t h e r t h e crisis, a n d t h e f u n d a m e n t a l p l a n s of t h e G o v e r n m e n t a r e completely
d i s o r g a n i s e d i n t h e g e n e r a l s c r a m b l e w h i c h t a k e s p la c e f o r t h e r e s t r i c t e d a m o u n t of trans­
p o r t av ailab le.
T h e r e is i n d e e d a n o t h e r s id e t o t h e p i c t u r e .
D u r i n g t h e s u m m e r of th is year the
i m p r o v e m e n t in h a r v e s t p r o s p e c t s a n d t h e g r a d u a l m a r k e t i n g of s u m m e r cro p s lightened
t o s o m e e x t e n t t h e d e p r e s s io n w e ig h i n g u p o n i n d u s t r i a l u n d e r t a k i n g s . T h e relative
le v e l of p r ic e s a n d f o o d h a s b e c o m e a l i t t l e less a b n o r m a l , t h o u g h t h e r a ti o is still an
e n o r m o u s b u r d e n u p o n t h e c o s t of p r o d u c t i o n of m a n u f a c t u r e d g o o d s. T h e im provem ent
h a s b e e n c h ie f ly n o t i c e a b l e in m i n o r i n d u s t r i e s , f o r t h e fuel a n d m e t a l lu r g ic a l industries
c o n t i n u e to b e se rio u s ly h a n d i c a p p e d — n o t a b l y in t h e D o n e t s B a s i n a n d t h e U ra l—by
t h e d iffic u lty of s u p p l y i n g t h e w o r k m e n w i t h r e g u l a r a n d sufficie n t s u p p lie s of food, the
d e p l o r a b l e c o n d i t i o n of t h e r a il w a y s , a n d t h e n e e d fo r n e w p l a n t .
T h e n e w e c o n o m ic p o li c y w h i c h r e i n t r o d u c e d f r e e d o m of e x c h a n g e w i t h i n Russia
h a s , h o w e v e r , u n d o u b t e d l y b e e n f o llo w ed b y a r e v i v a l of i n t e r e s t in c o m m e r c i a l and
i n d u s t r i a l life, its effects b e i n g c h ie f ly n o t i c e a b l e in t h e c h a n g e d c o n d i tio n of Moscow and
o t h e r to w n s . T h e m e r e f a c t t h a t s h o p s a r e a llo w e d to o p e n h a s r e m o v e d t h e impression
of M o sc o w a s a n e c o n o m ic a l ly d e a d c i ty , a n d o b s e r v e r s d e c l a r e t h a t t h e r e is undoubtedly
a f e e lin g of less d e s p a i r a m o n g t h e t o w n p o p u l a t i o n t h a n w a s t h e case tw o y e a r s ago when
t h e f e a r s in s p i r e d b y t h e E x t r a o r d i n a r y C o m m is s i o n w e r e a d d e d t o t h e gloom of eco­
n o m i c i n e r t i a . T h i s c h a n g e is d e s c r ib e d i n t h e r e p o r t of a n e x p e r ie n c e d tr a v e lle r for­
w a r d e d b y t h e S w e d is h G o v e r n m e n t .
" . . . P e t r o g r a d is lik e a n in v a l i d w h o , o n c o m in g o u t f r o m a s e rio u s o p e r a t i o n after
a lo n g t i m e u n d e r t h e a n a e s th e tic , r e g a in s c o n s c io u sn e ss, o p e n s h is e y e s a n d tests his
a b i l i t y t o m o v e . T h e l a s t t i m e t h a t I s a w t h e c i ty , tw o y e a r s a n d a - h a l f ago, i t was still
a s le e p a n d p a r a l y s e d . A t t h e p r e s e n t m o m e n t life is c o m in g b a c k a n d t h e b lo o d circulation
i m p r o v e s d a y b y d a y . T h e b a k e r s ’ s h o p s h a v e n o t b e e n so f u ll fo r a lo n g t i m e — n o t since
t h e o u t b r e a k of t h e r e v o l u t i o n . F o r o n e S w e d is h c r o w n (a m illio n ro u b le s ) I c a n obtain
i n t h e p a s t r y - c o o k s h o p s in t h e N e v s k y , w h ic h a r e a s c le a n a n d c o m f o r ta b le as little
t e a s h o p s in L o n d o n , t w o g la s s e s of h o t m i lk or t e a w i t h a s m a n y d e lic io u s w h i t e rolls as
I c a n e a t . A t a b l e d ’h ô t e d i n n e r a t t h e G r a n d H o t e l , c o n s is tin g of t h r e e d is h e s of the
f in e s t q u a l i t y , co sts 5.5 0 c r o w n s, a n d in m o r e s im p le r e s t a u r a n t s a 'm ill io n ’. I t is true
t h a t w a g e s a r e still low, v a r y i n g fo r w o m e n f r o m 50 to 250 a t t h e m o s t p e r m e nsem , and
—
71
—
for men fro m 60 t o 500 ( t h e s a la r ie s fo r m a n a g e r s s o m e t i m e s r e a c h i n g a s m u c h as 5,000,
j "m illiards” ). B u t R u s s i a n s h a v e f e w n ee d s.
" I t is n o t s u r p r i s in g , t h e n , if y o u see h o p e a n d 'joie de vivve on t h e faces of e v e r y o n e
you meet. T h e a n x i e t y of f o r m e r d a y s h a s a l m o s t v a n i s h e d . C riticism s a r e fa irly
openly m a d e h e r e a n d t h e r e , b u t t h e R u s s i a n s s a y : “T h e R e v o l u t i o n h a s g one to - d a y ;
all th a t is le ft is t h e ' n e p ’ [i.e. t h e n e w e c o n o m ic p o li c y ) ’. T h e ch ief b u s in e s s m e n
still feel, h o w e v e r, t h a t t h e C o m m u n i s t s a r e t h e i r m a s te r s , a n d e v e r y i n d i c a t i o n of new
o b s ta c le s to p r i v a t e i n i t i a t i v e is, of c o u rse , c a r e f u lly n o te d .
"T he a u t h o r i t i e s h a v e a v a i l e d t h e m s e l v e s of t h e e n e r g y a n d w o r k m a n s h i p a t th e ir
disposal to u n d e r t a k e all k i n d s of r e c o n s t r u c t i o n . T h e f irs t r e p a ir s to b e p u t in h a n d
are those for t h e s e w a g e c o n d u i t s , w h i c h fell in t o d is r e p a ir in p r e v io u s w in te r s , a n d for
the streets. T h is is a t r e m e n d o u s u n d e r t a k i n g .
"This e n t h u s i a s m f o r r e p a i r h a s a f f e c te d p r i v a t e citiz en s.
T h e old o w n e rs of h o u se s
are taking p o s s e s s io n a g a i n of t h e i r m a n s i o n s u p o n t h e c o n d itio n t h a t t h e y u n d e r t a k e
all costs of r e p a ir.
F e w of t h e m , h o w e v e r , h a v e t h e n e c e s s a r y f u n d s . B u t t h e t e n a n t s ,
or rather t h e o c c u p a n t s of t h e s e h o u s e s , u s u a l l y co m e to t h e i r aid f o r th i s p u r p o s e a n d
share th e co sts. A c h i m n e y - s w e e p t o l d m e t h a t his c o m p a n y h a d b e e n idle for th r e e
years, d u rin g w h i c h h e h a d w o r k e d a t t h e P u t i l o v f a c to rie s, b u t t h a t t o - d a y t h e r e w a s
plenty of w o r k f o r e v e r y b o d y . H is o w n e a r n i n g s w e r e 30 'm illio n s ’ a d a y ” .
On th e o t h e r h a n d , t h e c o n d i t i o n s of f a c t o r y p r o d u c t i o n h a v e n o t b e e n r a d ic a l ly
improved. I t is t r u e t h a t i n c r e a s e d s u p p l y of fo o d h a s b r o u g h t a b o u t a fall in p rice s
which to so m e e x t e n t h a s s p r e a d to o t h e r a r t i c l e s a n d h a s h e l p e d to c h e c k t h e m e te o r ic
rise in th e v a l u e of p a p e r r o u b le s . B u t a c o m m e n t a r y f ro m th e s a m e S w e d is h s o u rce
makes th e follow ing o b s e r v a t i o n s o n t h i s s i t u a t i o n :
' T h e s t a b i l i s a t i o n is d u e p r i m a r i l y to t h e e x p e c t a t i o n of a g o o d h a r v e s t ; th i s h a s
induced th e p e a s a n t s t o sell t h e s t o c k s t h e y w e r e h o ld i n g in r e se rv e a n d h a s led to a fall
in the price of b r e a d , fo llo w e d i n its t u r n b y a r e d u c t i o n in t h e p rice s of o t h e r goods. O n
the other h a n d , t h e s t a b i l i s a t i o n h a s m a d e i t m o r e difficu lt for i n d u s t r i a l e n t e r p ris e s ,
both S ta te a n d p r i v a t e , t o fin d n e c e s s a r y c a p i t a l . O n e a f t e r a n o t h e r t h e y h a v e b e e n
obliged to s h u t d o w n e i t h e r o n a c c o u n t of o v e r - p r o d u c t i o n or s h o r t a g e of w o r k i n g c a p ita l.
In this w a y t h e n u m b e r of u n e m p l o y e d h a s b e e n c o n s id e r a b l y in c re a s e d . T h e t o t a l
cessation of p r o d u c t i o n f o r a c e r t a i n t i m e , h o w e v e r , w ill n o t b e v i t a l , in v ie w of t h e f a c t
that the p r e s e n t p r o d u c t i o n is less t h a n 15 % of n o r m a l p e a c e - t i m e o u t p u t , a n d also
because R u s s ia h a s n o e x p o r t i n d u s t r y t o b e a f f e c te d t h e r e b y . O n e r e s u l t of a c o m ­
paratively g o o d h a r v e s t w ill b e i n c r e a s e d p u r c h a s i n g p o w e r o n t h e p a r t of t h e p e a s a n t s ,
which m a y b r i n g a b o u t t h e r e o p e n i n g o f t h e f a c t o r i e s to t h e e x t e n t of t h e i r in s i g n if ic a n t
output of la s t s p r in g , t h a t is t o sa y , 7 t o 15 % of t h e i r p e a c e - tim e p r o d u c t i o n . ”
Such w e r e t h e v ie w s e x p r e s s e d o n ly a s h o r t t i m e ago. B u t m o r e r e c e n t a d v ic e s
indicate t h a t th e s e e x p e c t a t i o n s a r e e v e n n o w b e in g falsified.
A c c o rd in g to t h e M oscow
Isvestiya, t h e f in a n c ia l s i t u a t i o n in R u s s i a is g r o w in g w o rs e a n d m o r e e n t a n g l e d . T h e
G overnment h a s f a il e d t o s t a b i l i s e t h e S o v i e t r o u b le .
C osts o f p r o d u c t i o n a r e h ig h e r
than t h e prices re a lis e d . T h e t a x e s a r e in a r r e a r s . T h e n a t i o n a l i s e d e n t e r p r i s e s (sovkhozy) h a v e b e c o m e f in a l ly d is o r g a n i s e d a n d n o b o d y k n o w s w h o h a s t h e r i g h t to c o n tro l
—
them .
72
—
A n d a g a i n i t 'w a s r e p o r t e d t h a t t h e S e p t e m b e r o u t p u t of c o a l in t h e Donets basin
w o u ld b e l o w e r t h a n fo r A u g u s t as t h e m i n e r s w e r e l e a v i n g t h e mine.s in la rg e number
o w in g to t h e i r w a g e s b e i n g in a r r e a r s . L a c k of m o n e y h a s p r e v e n t e d t h e mines beirv-r
w o rk ed d u rin g th e second half of S ep tem b er.
I n s h o r t , t h e r e p o r t s i n d i c a t e t h a t w h ile t h e r e h a s b e e n a g r e a t im p r o v e m e n t in the
e x t e r n a l c o n d i t i o n s of t o w n life, a n d t h o u g h t h e r e is r e n e w e d b u y i n g a n d selling, largely
i n d e e d s p e c u l a t i v e , t h e c h a n g e is a t p r e s e n t c h ie f ly p s y c h o lo g ic a l a n d th e r e is as yet
li t t l e e v i d e n c e t h a t a f u n d a m e n t a l i m p r o v e m e n t h a s o c c u r r e d in e c o n o m ic conditions
o r t h a t t h e n e w m e t h o d s of o r g a n i s a t i o n h a v e y e t p r o v e d t h e m s e l v e s c a p a b l e of restoring
in d u strial p ro d u ctio n .
I n d e e d , i t c o u ld h a r d l y b e o t h e r w i s e u n t i l e x p e r ie n c e has shown
w h e t h e r t h e p e a s a n t is a b l e a n d w illin g t o p r o d u c e a n d m a r k e t a su fficie n t surplus to
m a k e p o s s i b le a le v e l of r e a l w a g e s w h i c h w ill e n a b le r e a s o n a b l y m a n a g e d industrial
e n t e r p r i s e s t o p r o d u c e w i t h o u t loss a t a r e a s o n a b l e price.
T h u s t h e f o u n d a t i o n - s t o n e of r e n e w e d e c o n o m ic life in R u s s i a is a g r a r ia n recon­
s t r u c t i o n , a n d m a n y p l a n s f o r t h i s p u r p o s e h a v e b e e n e l a b o r a t e d b y t h e S o v ie t Govern­
m e n t a n d la id b e f o r e t h e C o n f e r e n c e a t t h e H a g u e .
I n th i s c o n n e c t i o n th e following
s t a t e m e n t s h a v e b e e n e x t r a c t e d f r o m t h e m e m o r a n d a a n d e x p l a n a t i o n s w h i c h the Russian
D e l e g a t i o n s u b m i t t e d o n t h a t o c c a s io n :
" T h e . f ir s t m e a s u r e fo r a f f o r d i n g s o m e g u a r a n t e e to t h e p e a s a n t w a s t h e suppression
of t h e r e q u i s i t i o n of crops-— a m e a s u r e w h i c h h a d b e e n d i c t a t e d b y w a r c o n d i t i o n s — and
t h e s u b s t i t u t i o n of a t a x in k i n d in p la c e of it. A t t h e s a m e ti m e , b y p ro c l a im in g the
f r e e d o m of i n t e r n a l t r a d e , t h e p e a s a n t s w e r e g i v e n t h e p o s s i b ilit y of se llin g t h e i r produce
in t h e m a r k e t a n d s e c u r i n g in e x c h a n g e for t h e m t h e a r ti c le s of p r i m a r y n e c e s s it y which
t h e y n e e d e d f o r t h e i r f a m ilie s a n d t h e g e n e r a l c o n d u c t of t h e i r r u r a l life.
" O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , w h ile m a i n t a i n i n g o n e of t h e g r e a t e s t c o n q u e s t s of th e October
R e v o l u t i o n - —-the n a t i o n a l i s a t i o n of t h e l a n d w h i c h g u a r a n t e e d t o t h e p e a s a n t s for ever
p o s s e s s io n of t h e soil— t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t , b y a se rie s of la w s a n d d e c r e e s voted at
t h e E i g h t h a n d N i n t h A l l - R u s s i a n C o n g resses of S o v i e t s i n 1920 a n d 1 9 2 1, regulated the
r i g h t of p o s s e s s io n in t h e i n t e r e s t of a g r i c u l t u r a l d e v e l o p m e n t . T h u s t h e minimum
p e r i o d a f t e r w h i c h a n e w p a r t i t i o n of t h e soil m i g h t t a k e p la c e w a s f ix e d a t nine years,
w h i c h w a s i n t e n d e d to g iv e t h e p e a s a n t s t h e p o s s i b i l i t y of p r o f i t i n g b y t h e ameliorations
w h ich t h e y m ig h t m a k e on th e ir land.
In r e g a r d to p e a s a n t s w h o w e r e n o t in a position
t o w o r k t h e i r o w n la n d , t h e C o n g resses of S o v ie t s f o r 1921 g a v e t h e m t h e r i g h t of leasing
s u c h l a n d t o t h e i r n e i g h b o u r s f o r a p e r io d w h i c h w a s n o t to e x c e e d s ix y e a r s . Peasant
f a m ilie s w h o h a d n o t s u ffic ie n t l a b o u r to c u l t i v a t e t h e i r l a n d w e r e a l lo w e d t o em ploy sala­
ried la b o u r.
" T h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t w a s f u r t h e r e x e r c is e d b y t h e n e c e s s ity of in c re a s in g the area
of l a n d in c u l t i v a t i o n b y i m p r o v i n g t h e m e t h o d s b y w h i c h i t w a s c u l t i v a t e d — i n t r o d u c i n g
s c ie n t if i c p r o c e s s e s , i m p r o v i n g t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l i m p l e m e n t s in t h e h a n d s of th e peasants
a n d i n c r e a s i n g t h e c u l t i v a t i o n of cro p s c a l c u l a t e d to r e s is t t h e d r o u g h t w h ic h f r e q u e n t ly
o c c u r s in R u s s i a .
I t w o u l d b e s u p e r f lu o u s t o e n u m e r a t e all t h e s e m e a s u r e s , w h i c h can
b e f o u n d in t h e la w s p a s s e d b y t h e l e g is la tiv e i n s t i t u t i o n s of R u s s i a .
I t is s u f f i c i e n t to
s t a t e t h a t d u r i n g t h e a u t u m n a n d s p r in g o f 1920 a n d 1921 a n i m m e n s e w o r k has been
—
a c c o m p lis h e d
73
—
fo r t h e r e - e s t a b l i s h m e n t of a g r i c u l t u r e in R u s s i a , b u t t h a t u n h a p p i l y i t
has partly b e e n r e n d e r e d v a i n o w in g to t h e e x t r a o r d i n a r y d r o u g h t w h i c h m a n i f e s t e d
itself in the s o u t h - e a s t of R u s s i a a n d t h e U k r a i n e . ”
The R u s s ia n D e l e g a t i o n , h o w e v e r , s u b m i t t e d t h a t t h e i r p r o g r a m m e r e q u i r e d t h e
assistance of v e r y c o n s i d e r a b l e e x t e r n a l c r e d its .
O u t of t h e t o t a l c r e d its of 3 ,22 4 m i l ­
lion gold ro u b les w h i c h M. L i t v i n o v a s k e d for, 1,050,000 w a s f o r t r a n s p o r t , 750,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
for industry, 5 0 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 fo r c o m m e r c e a n d b a n k i n g , a n d 9 2 4 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 f o r a g r i c u l t u r e .
The detail of th is l a s t f i g u r e is a s fo llow s :
Irrigation a n d d r a in in g w o r k s .........................................
Seed s to c k a n d m o d e l f a r m i n g .....................................
A gricu ltu ral m a c h i n e r y .......................................................
F e r t i l i s e r s ...................................................................................
I n s e c t i c i d e s ...............................................................................
H u n tin g a n d f i s h i n g ............................................................
Motor t r a c t o r s ..........................................................................
E levators a n d r e f r i g e r a t o r s ...............................................
T o t a l ...........................................................................................
60
m illions.
390
—
210
30
30
—
—
—
45
—
123
—
36
924
—■
m illions.
On th ese i t e m s t h e f o llo w in g c o m m e n t s w e r e m a d e : •—
"Passing n e x t t o t h e i t e m s r e q u i r e d f o r t h e r e s t o r a t i o n of a g r i c u l t u r e in R u s s ia ,
it is necessary f irs t to d w e ll o n t h e c r e d i t s i n t e n d e d f o r i r r i g a t i o n a n d d r a i n i n g w o rk s ,
which in p re - w a r t i m e s w e r e of c o n s i d e r a b l e i m p o r t a n c e in R u s s ia . F o r e x a m p l e , in t h e
Crimea alone t h e s e w o r k s w e r e v a l u e d a t 19 m illio n ro u b le s a n d in t h e o t h e r lo c alitie s of R u s ­
sia 30 to 50 m illion ro u b le s . T h e w o r k of d r a i n i n g t h e s o u t h - e a s t (th e p r o v in c e s of S a r a t o v ,
Samara, U ra lsk , O r e n b u r g a n d D o n ) w a s s t a r t e d o n a n a r e a of 25 m illion d e s y a ti n s .
"F ro m t h e b e g i n n i n g of t h e i m p e r i a l i s t w a r , all w o r k w a s s u s p e n d e d , a n d d u r i n g
the war of i n t e r v e n t i o n , 1914-1919, all t h e i r r i g a t i o n w o rk s in t h e C rim ea w e r e d e s tro y e d .
The suspension of n e w w o r k a n d t h e d e s t r u c t i o n of t h e e x i s tin g w o r k s w a s o n e of t h e
reasons (especially .as t h e a r e a s of t h e s o u t h - e a s t s u b j e c t to d r o u g h t a r e co n c e rn e d ) of
the exceptional f a i l u r e of t h e c r o p s in 1921.
'T h e 60 m i llio n r o u b l e s a r e r e q u i r e d e x c lu s i v e ly f o r t h e r e c o n s t r u c t i o n of t h e i r r i ­
gation w orks in t h e C r im e a , T u r k e s t a n a n d E u r o p e a n R u s s ia . T h is p r o g r a m m e does
not include n e w w ells, n e w i r r i g a t i o n w o r k s , f o r t i f i c a t i o n of r a v in e s etc. T h i s l a t t e r
work would r e q u i r e f u r t h e r c r e d i t s a m o u n t i n g t o o v e r 100 m illio n ro u b le s .
I t w o u ld
be superfluous to m e n t i o n t h a t t h e y i e l d of t h e soil in c re a s e s m a n y t i m e s a f t e r w o r k of t h e
character d e s c r ib e d h a s b e e n c a r r i e d o u t .
"The se ed f u n d of t h e S t a t e ( e x c lu s iv e of t h e U k ra in e ) a m o u n t e d in 1916 to
567.000.000 p o o d s.
I n 1922 i t c o n s is te d o n l y of 2 90,000,000 p o o d s. T h e s h o r t a g e
therefore a m o u n t s t o 3 7 7 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 p o o d s , w h i c h r e q u ir e fo r t h e i r r e p l a c e m e n t a c r e d it of
39.000.000 ro u b les.
"In 1916, t h e v a l u e o f t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l i n v e n t o r y w as e s t i m a t e d a t 4 5 9 ,0 2 0 ,0 0 0
roubles. A c t u a l l y t h e q u a n t i t y of t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l i n v e n t o r y h a s fallen n o t less t h a n
by 5° % a n d a t t h e s a m e t i m e its q u a l i t y h a s d e t e r i o r a t e d a t l e a s t tw ic e.
Therefore
—
7t
—
t h e p r e s e n t v a l u e o f t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l i n v e n t o r y h a r d l y s u r p a s s e s 1 1 4 ,7 5 5 ,0 0 0 roubles
T o b r i n g i t u p to t h e 1916 s t a n d a r d a n a m o u n t of 3 4 4 ,2 6 5 ,0 0 0 r o u b l e s is r e q u i r e d . The
a m o u n t i n c l u d e s also a s u m for t h e r e s t o r a t i o n of t h e R u s s i a n f a c to r i e s pro d u cin g agri­
c u l t u r a l m a c h i n e r y . As, h o w e v e r , t h e o u t l i n e d p r o g r a m m é of r e s t o r a t i o n of t h e agricul­
t u r a l i n v e n t o r y to t h e 1916 le v el w ill r e q u i r e a c e r t a i n a m o u n t of t i m e , t h e R u s s i a n Dele­
g a t i o n h a s f o u n d i t p o s s i b le to r e d u c e t h i s t o t a l a m o u n t to 2 10 m illio n roubles.
“ A s r e g a r d s t h e c r e d i t s f o r t h e p u r c h a s e a b r o a d of f e r tili s e r s a n d insecticides, it
o u g h t t o b e k e p t in m i n d t h a t i n 1913 R u s s i a c o n s u m e d 4 2 1 /2 m i llio n p o o d s of fertilisers
o u t of w h i c h o n l y I I m i llio n p o o d s , v a l u e d a t 4 ,6 2 7 ,0 0 0 r o u b le s , w e r e p r o d u c e d in Russia
t h e b a l a n c e of 31 1/2 m i llio n p o o d s , v a l u e d a t 2 1 ,5 0 7 ,7 5 0 r o u b le s , b e i n g im p o rte d from
a b r o a d . T h e h o m e p r o d u c t i o n of f e r tili s e r s is a c t u a l l y q u i t e i n s i g n if ic a n t, as 75 % 0f
th e areas p ro d u c in g p h o sp h a te s h a v e b een se p a ra te d fro m R ussia.
T h e o u t p u t of the
r e m a i n i n g f a c t o r i e s a m o u n t s o n l y to 1 ,5 00 ,00 0 p o o d s . T h e in s e c t ic i d e s w e r e always im­
p o r t e d , a n d t h e w h o l e a m o u n t r e q u i r e d fo r t h i s p u r p o s e (30 m illio n ro u b les) is to be spent
abroad.
"45 m illio n s a r e r e q u i r e d f o r t h e r e s t o r a t i o n a n d r e - e q u i p p i n g of fishing an d hunt­
in g , t h e l a t t e r t r a d e u s u a l l y p r o d u c i n g a c o n s id e r a b l e q u a n t i t y of g o o d s fo r ex port.
a m o u n t is r e q u i r e d t o p u r c h a s e 1 0 0 ,000 g u n s , s h o t a n d p o w d e r a n d f ish in g tackle.
of
The
“ I n p r e - w a r d a y s p r a c t i c a l l y n o t h i n g o r v e r y li t t l e w a s s p e n t o n t h e development
t h e m e c h a n i c a l sid e of a g r i c u l t u r e .
I t is i n t e n d e d , f o r t h e p u r p o s e of raising the
s t a n d a r d of R u s s i a n a g r i c u l t u r e a n d i n t r o d u c i n g m e c h a n i c a l m e a n s of w o r k i n g the soil,
t o f o r m 200 u n i t s c o m p r i s i n g 50 t r a c t o r s ea ch . T h e c o s t of th e s e , inc lu d in g repair
s h o p s a n d s p a r e p a r t s , is e s t i m a t e d a t 123 m illions.
“ 3 6 m i llio n r o u b le s a r e r e q u i r e d f o r t h e r e s t o r a t i o n of t h e e x i s t i n g elevators and
r e f r i g e r a t o r s . P r e - w a r , t h e R u s s i a n S t a t e B a n k i n t e n d e d to b u i l d a s y s t e m of elev ato rs
a ll o v e r R u s s i a . T h e w a r , h o w e v e r , i n t e r r u p t e d t h i s s c h e m e a n d o n l y a s m a l l n u m b er
of e l e v a t o r s w i t h a t o t a l c a p a c i t y of 10 m illio n p o o d s w e r e c o m p le t e d . T h e l a c k of
a d e q u a t e f lo o rs fo r t h e s t o r a g e o f c o r n is c a u s i n g e n o r m o u s lo sses t o t h e tr a d e , a n d the
s p e e d y r e s t o r a t i o n of e l e v a t o r s is a m a t t e r of t h e f irs t i m p o r t a n c e . T h e a m o u n t re­
q u i r e d f o r t h e r e p a i r s o n e x i s t i n g r e f r i g e r a t o r s is e s t i m a t e d a t 5 m illio n r o u b le s .”
T h i s a c c o u n t of R u s s i a ’s a g r i c u l t u r a l r e q u i r e m e n t s , w h a t e v e r c r it ic i s m may arise
o n p o i n t s of d e t a i l , c a n n o t b e s a i d t o b e e x a g g e r a t e d . T h e d e l e g a tio n , how ever, in its
e x p o s i t i o n , r e c o g n is e s t h a t f o re ig n c r e d i t s a r e o n l y o n e of t h e m a n y f a c t o r s which may
c o n v e n i e n t l y b e g r o u p e d u n d e r f o u r h e a d s : t h e p h y s i c a l m e a n s of in c r e a s i n g production
a n d c h i e f ly i m p l e m e n t s a n d se e d s ; a t a x s y s t e m w h i c h le a v e s a p a r t of t h e p e a s a n t ’s sur­
p l u s f o r h is o w n d i s p o s a l ; a r e s t o r a t i o n of i n d u s t r y w h i c h w ill e n a b l e t h e peasant to
e x c h a n g e t h i s s u r p l u s f o r t h e g o o d s h e m a y d esire t o b u y ; a n d a n a g r a r i a n s y s te m which
w ill e n c o u r a g e a h i g h e r s t a n d a r d of a g r i c u l t u r e t h a n t h e p r e s e n t lo w le v e l to which it
h as sunk.
I t is t h e l a s t of t h e s e w h i c h i t is p e r h a p s t h e m o s t d ifficult t o achieve.
T h e s e difficu lties c a n n o t , h o w e v e r , b e q u i c k l y o v e r c o m e , n o r c a n t h e y be dealt with
i n t i m e t o a f f e c t t h e i m m e d i a t e f u t u r e . F o r t h e p r e s e n t y e a r t h e f a m i n e a re a s present
a p r o b l e m of t h e g r e a t e s t d ifficu lty . A s a l r e a d y in d i c a t e d , o n e of t h e after-effects 01
f a m i n e is t h e l a r g e n u m b e r of o r p h a n s w h o b e c o m e d e p e n d e n t u p o n S t a t e or private
—
charity.
75
—
T h is p r o b l e m m a y , p e r h a p s , h a v e b e e n in t e n s if ie d b y t h e f a c t t h a t , a t t h e
outset of relief w o r k , s p e c i a l e f f o rts w e r e m a d e to s a v e t h e c h ild r e n , a n d t h o u g h d u r i n g
the last few m o n t h s b e f o r e t h e h a r v e s t all t h e re lie f a g e n c ie s a d d e d a d u l t fe e d in g to t h e i r
a c tiv itie s ,
t h e o r p h a n p r o b l e m w ill r e m a i n a n i n s i s t e n t one f o r m a n y y e a r s t h r o u g h o u t
this p a r t of R u s s ia .
A p a r t f r o m th i s , u n i v e r s a l i m p o v e r i s h m e n t — in r e g a r d t o p e r s o n a l
effects sold for f o o d , l a c k of a g r i c u l t u r a l i m p l e m e n t s a n d m e a n s of o b t a i n i n g s e e d - c o r n
and
c a t t l e — m a k e s S t a t e a s s i s t a n c e n e c e s s a r y f o r s o m e y e a r s to c o m e , a n d th is n e e d h a s
been
g r e a t l y a c c e n t u a t e d b y t h e d e p l o r a b l e c o n d i t i o n s in R u s s i a p r i o r to t h e f a m in e .
im p o v e r i s h m e n t also m e a n s t h a t c o n d i t i o n s w ill c o n t i n u e w h i c h a r e u n d o u b t e d l y
T h is
favourable t o t h e s p r e a d o f e p i d e m i c s .
I t is fo r t h e s e r e a s o n s t h a t t h e A m e r i c a n R e l i e f
p r o p o s e s t o c o n t i n u e m e d ic a l r e l i e f a n d i t s w o r k fo r t h e c a r e of o r p h a n s
and t h a t m a n y of t h e o r g a n i s a t i o n s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l R u s s ia n R e lie f
Commission h a v e s i m i l a r l y d e c i d e d to c o n t i n u e t h e i r o p e r a t i o n s . F i n a l l y , a l t h o u g h t h e
A d m in is tr a tio n
actual resu lts of t h i s y e a r s h a r v e s t h a v e y e t to b e r e c e iv e d , i t se em s c le a r t h a t t h e r e w ill
be a c on siderable d e f i c i t in m a n y of t h e t w e n t y - e i g h t p r o v i n c e s m o r e o r less s e rio u s ly
famine-stricken in 1921 : t h a t f a m i n e is s t i l l s e v e r e in c e r t a i n d i s t r i c t s a n d is lik e ly to
continue i n v a r y i n g d e g r e e s of i n t e n s i t y i n o t h e r s : a n d t h a t t h r o u g h o u t th i s w i d e a r e a ,
a large p a r t of w h i c h is n a t u r a l l y s u b j e c t t o p e r i o d i c a l d r o u g h t , u n f a v o u r a b l e c lim a tic
conditions a r e li a b le to c a u s e a r e p e t i t i o n of t h e d i s a s t e r of 1921 a m o n g a p o p u l a t i o n
possessing n o r e s e r v e s of fo o d , w h o s e m e a n s of p u r c h a s i n g i t a r e a l m o s t e v e r y w h e r e
a n d w h o s e p h y s i c a l e n e r g ie s a n d p o w e r s of r e s i s t a n c e h a v e b e e n i m p a ir e d to
e x t e n t b y l a s t y e a r ’s f a m i n e . I n t h e s e c i r c u m s ta n c e s , t h e s i t u a t i o n of t h e s e
important p r o d u c i n g p r o v i n c e s of R u s s i a m u s t i n e v i t a b l y b e p r e c a r i o u s f o r a c o n s id e r a b le
e x h a u s te d
a gre a t
tim e
to com e a n d f a m i n e , p a r t i a l or c o m p l e t e , a m o r e f r e q u e n t m e n a c e t h a n h a s f o r m e r ly
been the case.
ANNEX
I
(a) T h e R u ss ia n L an d S ystem .
T he Russian l a n d sy ste m a n d t h e agricu ltural m e th ods associated w ith it are b y far the
m0st fundamental economic fac to rs w h ich control the m a teria l condition of Russia. I t is
important to r e m e m b e r t h a t th e sy s te m of la n d te n u re in 1914 was changing rapidly, and
that it w a s little m o re t h a n 50 years since th e serfs h a d been em ancipated (1861) a n d a free
peasantry b ro u g h t in to existence. T h e feudalism existing in Russia prior t o the em ancipation
was s o m e w h a t different from th e feudalism of W e ste rn Europe. T he p e a sa n try h a d finally
lost th eir personal l i b e r ty as la te as th e reign of C a tharine the Great. A b o u t half th e land of
European Russia w a s S t a t e dom ain, a n d t h e o th e r half th e p r o p e r ty of p r iv a te landowners, w h o
claimed to own b o t h th e la n d a n d th e serfs. B u t the p e a s a n t philosophy h a d always been t h a t t h e
landlord, w h o in f a c t up to th e s e v e n te e n th c e n tu r y h a d only been given a life te n u re of h i s
land, was merely t h e a g e n t of th e T s a r in a c tin g as the defender of the com mune, th e adm in is­
trator of justice, etc. T h e p e a s a n t ’s fo rm u la afte r he h a d lost his personal freedom w a s
“We are yours, b u t th e la n d is o u rs.” B u t R ussian feudalism resembled o th e r systems
in th a t th e serfs h a d th e use of ce rta in la n d in r e t u r n for w ork done on th e noble’s land, t h i s
work being occasionally c o m m u te d for p a y m e n ts in kind or money.
In t h e case of th e p r iv a te la n d o w n e rs th e a r ra n g e m e n t m ade a t th e em ancipation was t h a t
most of t h e la n d w hich th e p e a sa n ts h a d p reviously cu ltiv a ted for th e ir own needs was assigned
to the commune (Mir) a n d th e la n d lo rd was com p ensa te d b y the S tate, w hich levied from th e
peasant owners a r e d e m p tio n fee, w hich b e c a m e a p e r m a n e n t charge on the p e a s a n t’s p ro d u c ­
tion. In certain cases w h ere it was n o t possible to p a y th is tax, th e a r ran g e m en t was m ade
that the peasant received on e-fo urth of th e la n d of w hich he had form erly enjoyed th e produce
free of redemption t a x . T h e la n d u n assig n ed rem ained t h e p ro p e rty of th e noble. A cause of
complaint in this direc tio n was t h a t th e grazing land formerly shared w ith th e p e a s a n try w ent
to the proprietors. T h re e significant effects of th e em ancipation were th erefore :
(а) Discontent a m o n g th e p ea sa n ts t h a t th e la n d assigned to th e nobles, which th e y regarded
as belonging to th e m , h a d been aliena te d. T h is a t t i t u d e m a d e th e m peculiarly susceptible to
any political p a r t y w hich held o u t th e h o p e of this la n d being restored to them .
(б ) The s e ttin g u p of a considerable n u m b e r of holdings which were m uch smaller th a n had
been considered necessary to feed a p e a s a n t fam ily u n d er serfdom. I t is estim ated t h a t in
27 provinces of R u ssia t h e are a of la n d prev io u sly enjoyed b y the p e a s a n try for their own use
was reduced b y 10,688,000 acres or 16 % of t h e area previously cultivated b y th e m (1).
(f) The p e a s a n t’s la n d was b u r d e n e d w ith a t a x estim a te d a t a b o u t 10 % (2), w hich had
to be met out of t h e p ro d u c e of his land, w hereas previously in th e m a jo rity of cases his obli­
gation was m et b y p u t t i n g in a ce rtain a m o u n t of labour on his la n d lo rd ’s land.
The em ancipation did not, however, m o d ify th e com m un e (Mir), an d th ro u g h o u t th e greater
Part of European R u s sia the p e a s a n ts ’ la n d rem ained sub je ct to periodical re d istrib ution and
(1) Pavlovsky,
(2) W allace-R ussia.
-
;8
-
was held b y ea ch in dividual in s c a tte r e d strips. A t t h e d a te of th e em ancipation about threeq u a r te rs of th e acreage allocated to p ea sa n ts in E u r o p e a n R ussia was held b y redistributarv
ru ra l c o m m u n e s (i). T he co m m u n al system was, however, n o t so p re v a le n t in the Ukraine
w here m o re individualistic m e th o d s were trad itio n a l a n d th e p ea sa nt, on emancipation, received
his la n d as freehold su b je c t to he re d e m p tio n tax.
T he en su in g half c e n tu r y saw th e p o p u la tio n m ore th a n doubled, a n d th e tendency, started
in 1861, of establishing p ea sa n ts w ith holdings too sm all for th e a d e q u a t e su p p o r t of a family
was em phasised b y this increase a n d cre ate d th e “ la n d h u n g e r ” of Russia. T he increase of
p o p u la tio n was th e n a tu ra l consequence of th e b re a k -u p of th e tra d itio n a l social and economic
conditions. I t is to be n o te d t h a t th e p e a s a n t rem a ine d legally a t ta c h e d to the commune
a n d even th o u g h he h a d m o ve d to th e to w n a n d only re ta in e d an insignificant am ount of land
he rem a in e d liable to his sh a re of th e c o m m u n e ’s r e d e m p tio n ta x . D u rin g t h e ’eighties and
’nineties a n a t t e m p t was even m a d e to s tr e n g th e n th e a t t a c h m e n t of th e p e a sa n t to the com­
mune, in o rd e r to p re v e n t th e difficulties created b y a n u n a t ta c h e d agricultural proletariat for
w ho m th e re w ere n o t a d e q u a te openings in th e v e r y lim ited industries of Russia.
A tt e m p t s w ere m a d e to deal w ith th e im p o v erish m e n t of th e p e a s a n t in various ways. On
th e one h an d, g r e a t efforts w ere m a d e b y th e S ta t e from the ’eighties o nw ards to enable peasants
to lease or to b u y la n d from the big proprietors, an d p a rtic u la rly b y m e an s of the institution
in 1882 of th e P e a s a n ts A gricu ltu ra l B an k, b y w hich ad vances w ere m a d e to enable them to
p u rc h a se la n d fro m th e p roprietors, a lth o u g h on n o t v e r y fav o u rab le term s. U n der th e eman­
cipation, 120 million desy atin s came into th e h ands of th e peasants. B y 1905 a f u rth e r 16 million
d e s y a tin s h a d been acquired b y th e p e a s a n try either b y whole villages, b y associations of pea­
s a n ts or b y in dividuals. As a resu lt of th e ag ra ria n m o v e m e n t of t h a t y e a r the redemption
t a x was finally abolished. T h e dim ensions of th e problem , however, o u tstrip p e d th e benefit
afforded b y t h e p e a s a n ts ’ b ank . T h e policy of th e C a det P a r t y in the first D u m a for meeting
th e s it u a ti o n cre ate d b y th e growing p rolétarisa tion of th e p e a s a n t was to secure larger holdings
for th e whole of th e p e a s a n tr y b y m o re drastic expro p riatio n of th e la n d e d pro prietors. But
th e policy of t h e G ov ern m e n t w hich was em bodied in th e S tolypin reforms of 1906 was to create
a body of m o re su b stan tial peasants, b y enabling those w ho wished to do so to leave the com­
m u n e a n d h a v e their num ero us strips s c a tte r e d all over th e com m unal area, consolidated and
m a d e freehold. Betw een 1906 a n d 19 13 more th a n 2 1/2 million p ea sa n ts applied to leave the
c o m m u n e a n d o b ta in possession of their land, and a llo tm en ts h a d been m a d e in the case of
1,800,000 p ea sa n ts, involving nea rly 26 million desy atin s of com m unal la n d (2).
Before t h e W a r, therefore, ag ric u ltu ra l R ussia included th e following classes :
(a) T h e la n d ed p roprie tors whose ow nership was steadily reduced a n d whose cultivation
fell still m ore th r o u g h the leasing of la n d to farm ers or to p ea sa n ts (3).
(b) T h e w ea lth ie r p e a sa n ts who cu ltiv a te d l a n d b o u g h t or leased from th e la n d e d proprietors
or who af te r 1906 h a d left th e com m une.
(c) T h e sm aller p ea sa n try , a considerable n u m b e r of w hom h a d holdings too small to sup­
p o r t th e m se lv es an d their families, an d who h a d th erefore either t o hire themselves as agricul­
tu r a l la b o u re rs to th e la n d ed proprietors or richer peasants, or to m ig ra te in to in dustrial employ­
m e n t, le av in g some m e m b er of th e fam ily to cultiv a te the holding. T he industries of Russia,
w hich d eve lope d g re a tly d u ring this period, were la rgely m a n n ed b y w orkp eople who retained
a connection w ith ru ra l life in this way.
(1) P avlovsky.
(2) R ussian Year-book, 1916.
(3) I t is to be observed th a t when land was sold to lan d speculators or others who d id no t belong officially to the
class of peasants, i t was considered still as landed property. B ut when sold to the peasants i t was classified by Russian
statistics as peasants’ land. On the whole the purchases by peasants through the Peasants Bank were in small quantities,
an d th e distinctio n corresponds to some ex ten t to a difference in the scale of cultivation.
—
79
—
Id) Finally th e re was an' entirely landless class which grew up from peasants who had
their holdings in th e com m u ne.
These conditions of la n d te n u re are largely responsible for th e b ackw ard condition of a g ri­
culture in Russia.
U n d e r th e sy stem of periodical redistribution, th e incentive t o im prov e
the quality of an in d iv id u a l p lo t of la n d is dim inished, an d in deed th e fear was n o t entirely
absent that if a p a r tic u la r p lo t were m a d e exceptionally fertile, th e cu ltiv a to r’s share a t the
next redistribution w ould be reduced.
Fertilisers were very in a d e q u a te ly used on th e land
of the peasants, it being th e cu sto m still m 1914 in m a n y districts of the black ea rth co u n try
(or the manure to be c a r te d o u t of the village a n d b u r n t or used as fuel. Agricultural implements were prim itive a n d plough in g w as m u c h too superficial. Much of the land in some of
the best wheat-growing areas of R ussia w as th u s being ruined b y co n s tan t grain-cropping w ith o u t
renewing the e x h a u ste d pro p ertie s of th e soil.
These difficulties w ere intensified b y in a d eq u a te
attention to the q u a lity of th e seed-corn. In spite, however, of these draw backs th e average
yield of grain from la n d in th e h a n d s of th e p ea sa n ts rose between 1861 a n d 1910 from 29 poods
per desyatin to 43 poods. On th e o th e r h and, th e yield of la n d in the h ands of the proprietors
increased from 33 poods to 54 poods, an d this h ighe r s ta n d a r d was an im p o rta n t factor in e n a b l i n g
Russia to export grain. Indeed, th e higher yield on the la n d of th e proprietors added some
240 m il l i o n poods to th e h a rv e sts of Russia,'— a n a d dition equal to nearly h alf her annual export.
But even on these larg e e states th e yield was v e ry low, the yield for Russia as a whole being
much the lowest in E urope.
Before the W ar, therefore, R ussia w as fac ed b y a serious agricultural problem ; the rapidly
growing numbers of th e p e a s a n tr y were on t h e whole becoming im poverished and were n o t
increasing their o u t p u t of g ra in sufficiently to feed themselves on an ad e q u ate sta nd ard. The
cultivated area was h a r d ly increasing a t all, a n d it has been claim ed t h a t cereals would not
have been exported a t all b u t for the p o v e r ty of th e peasantry, which k e p t down the s ta n d a r d
of consumption in Russia.
The G overnm ent’s policy, a p a r t from th e a t t e m p t to give secu rity of tenure an d to im prove
conditions by agricultural education, w as to en courage migration to the v a c a n t lands of Siberia,
and the movement in this direction before th e W a r was very considerable. B u t even in Siberia
the facilities available for sa tisfa c to ry c u ltu re w ere v ery restricted an d th e pea sa n t to o k his
methods with him. In th e first few yea rs of this policy the G overn m ent was faced b y a b a c k ­
ward movement on t h e p a r t of th o se families w h o h a d no t succeeded in their new homes, and,
having spent their savings, r e tu r n e d c om pletely ruined, b u t more effective m ethods overcam e
these difficulties, a n d on th e whole, in th e te n y e a r s prior to th e W ar, there was a considerable
net influx into Siberia, th o u g h b a d h a rv e sts in 1911 an d 1912 caused a renewal of the b ac k w ard
movement. These r e tu r n in g em igrants a d d e d to th e num b e rs of the landless p easantry,
and the situation of R u s s ia ’s a g ric ultu ral p o p u la tio n remained u n se ttle d on the o u tb re a k
of War.
During the E u ro p e a n W a r t h e m o b ilisa tio n of armies caused a sh ortage of agricultural
workers and a t the s a m e tim e, th r o u g h th e rise in prices, caused a considerable im p ro v e m en t
■n the peasant’s economics conditions. B u t his la n d hunger rem ained u n a b a te d and there
W£S a feeling abroad t h r o u g h o u t R ussia t h a t t h e p e a s a n ts would be rew arded if the war p ro v ed
successful by receiving from th e T s a r th e la nds w hich had so long been withheld. A fter th e
Revolution in F e b r u a r y 1917, this was t h e s it u a ti o n in which the various parties m ade their
appeal to the peasants. B o th th e Social R evolutio naries a n d th e Bolshevik a n d M enshevik
sections of the R ussian Social D em ocratic L a b o u r P a r t y held o u t to them th e hope of dispossess­
ing the landed proprietors. B u t d u ring t h a t y e a r in m a n y p a r ts of Russia the p ea sa n ts t h e m ­
selves began in d e p e n d e n tly to seize a n d p a r t i t i o n am ong them selves th e la n ded estates, an d
after the Revolution of O cto b e r 1917 a divergence of view becam e e vid ent betw een th e m an d
the newly Soviet G o v ern m e n t. T h e p ea sa n ts w ere chiefly intereste d in securing for them selves
as much land as possible a n d holding it as p r i v a t e property .
The Bolsheviks were, on th e c ontra ry, opposed in principle to p r iv a te p r o p e r ty in an y
sold
3
—
8o
—
f o r m , a n d in f r a m i n g t h e i r a g r a r i a n p o li c y w e r e p r i m a r i l y c o n c e r n e d w i t h e lim in a tin g the cl a d iv is io n s w h ic h v a r y i n g d e g re e s of w e a l t h a n d p o v e r t y h a d c r e a t e d i n r u r a l R ussia, an d to this
e n d w i t h t r y i n g to r e d u c e t h e a m o u n t of la n d , c a t t l e a n d a g r i c u l t u r a l e q u i p m e n t in the hands
of t h e ric h e r p e a s a n t s in o r d e r t o b e n e h t tfto se w n o w e r e o r p o o r l y p r o v i d e d to r or landless
T h i s i n t e n t i o n f o u n d e x p r e s s io n i n t h e a g r a r i a n le g is l a ti o n o f t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t durino19 17 a n d 1918.
I t is n o t e a s y t o t r a c e t h e h i s t o r y o f t h e a g r a r i a n m o v e m e n t i n R u s s i a fr o m 1917 Up to
t h e p r e s e n t tim e .
I t is d ifficult t o d e c id e to w h a t e x t e n t t h e v a r i o u s d ecrees a n d regulations
o f t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t w ere a c t u a l l y c a r r ie d i n t o effect t h r o u g h o u t t h e c o u n t r y and how
f a r t h e p e a s a n t s t h e m s e l v e s t o o k a c t i o n w h i c h is n o t re f le c t e d i n t h e official decisions of the
G o vernm ent.
In a d d i t i o n , h o w e v e r, t o a r t ic l e s o n a g r i c u l t u r e a p p e a r i n g f r o m tim e to time
i n t h e S o v ie t P re s s, s e v e r a l i n t e r e s t i n g b o o k s h a v e b e e n p u b l i s h e d in M o sc ow d urin g recent
m o n t h s . T h e s e m a k e i t p o s s ib le t o t r a c e tw o d i s t i n c t p e r i o d s in t h e h i s t o r y of the changes
w h i c h h a v e o c c u r r e d in t h e c o u rs e of t h e R e v o l u t i o n in th e d i s t r i b u t i o n of l a n d in Russia. The
first of t h e s e p e rio d s m a y b e s a i d to h a v e l a s t e d f r o m 1917 t o t h e close of t h e Civil W a r towards
t h e e n d of 1920. T h e c h a n g e s w h i c h m a r k t h e s e c o n d p e r i o d t h e n b e g a n , a n d th e y are still
in c o u rs e of d e v e l o p m e n t .
A n a t t e m p t h a s b e e n m a d e t o s u m m a r i s e b e lo w t h e Soviet legisla­
t i o n r e f e r r i n g to t h e s e p erio d s, a n d to g iv e s o m e i m p r e s s io n of w h a t a c t u a l l y o c c u rr e d throughout
t h e c o u n t r y d is tric ts .
B y a d e cre e of O c to b e r 2 6 th , 1 9 17, t h e r i g h t of p r i v a t e o w n e r s h i p of l a n d in Russia was
a b o l is h e d a n d all la n d , t o w h o m s o e v e r i t b e lo n g e d , w a s d e c l a r e d t h e p r o p e r t y of th e people.
T h e r i g h t of u sin g i t w a s t r a n s f e r r e d to t h o s e w h o a c t u a l l y w o r k e d u p o n it. T h is w as intended
to a p p l y as m u c h t o l a n d e d p r o p e r t y w h ic h h a d b e e n a c q u i r e d b y t h e p e a s a n t s as well as to
t h e e s t a t e s of t h e S t a t e , t h e C h u r c h a n d t h e l a n d o w n e r s . H i g h l y c u l t i v a t e d e sta te s were not
t o b e p a r t i t i o n e d u n d e r t h e decree, b u t w e r e to p a s s to t h e S t a t e o r t h e v illa g e c o m m u n e accord­
in g to t h e i r size a n d im p o r t a n c e , fo r t h e p u r p o s e of b e in g u s e d as m o d e l f a r m s or for agricultural
t r a i n i n g a n d re s e a rc h . T h is le d t o t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t of t h e s o -c a lle d “ s o v - k h o z e s ” or Soviet
f a r m s , w h ic h t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t e n d e a v o u r e d s u b s e q u e n t l y to e n c o u r a g e widely. Muni­
c ip a l l a n d a n d l a n d o w n e d b y r u r a l d i s t r i c t co u n cils c o n t i n u e d to r e m a i n u n d e r th e control
o f t h e s e b o die s.
T o g e t h e r w i t h t h e la n d , a ll a g r i c u l t u r a l e q u i p m e n t a n d li v e s t o c k w a s confiscated and
t r a n s f e r r e d to t h e S t a t e or th e c o m m u n e a c c o r d i n g to t h e i r a m o u n t a n d r e l a ti v e importance,
a l t h o u g h i t w a s s t i p u l a t e d t h a t th is w a s n o t t o a p p l y to p e a s a n t s m a ll-h o ld e rs . H ired labour
w a s a b o lish e d , a n d all R u s s i a n citiz e n s w h o d e s ire d to w o r k t h e la n d , w h e t h e r b y their own
l a b o u r or t h a t of t h e i r f a m il y or i n a s s o c ia t io n w i t h o th e rs , re c e iv e d t h e r i g h t to do so. All
l a n d o n c o n f is c a tio n w a s d e c la re d to b e t r a n s f e r r e d t o a g e n e r a l S t a t e f u n d for distribution
b y t h e c e n t r a l a n d lo c a l a u t h o r it ie s , b e g i n n in g w i t h s u c h c o m m u n e s a s w e r e o rg an ised without
r e g a r d to class d is ti n c ti o n s , in m u n i c ip a l a n d r u r a l a re a s a n d e n d i n g w i t h t h e provincial admi­
n i s t r a t i o n in e a c h R u s s i a n p ro v in c e .
T h e d e c re e d i d n o t, h o w e v e r, co in c id e w i t h t h e w ish es of a t all e v e n t s t h e m o r e well-to-do
a n d w e a l t h y p e a s a n t s , w h o w e re r e l u c t a n t , o n t h e on e h a n d , t o see a n e x t e n s io n of the com­
m u n e b y t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n in t o i t of t h e la n d le s s p e a s a n t s w h o m t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t wanted
t o s u p p l y w ith la n d , a n d w h o d esired , o n t h e o th e r, to d iv i d e u p t h e l a n d i n t h e i r ow n way either
as p r i v a t e p r o p e r t y in t h e full sen se of t h e w o r d o r in t h e s e n s e in w h ic h t h e y h a d possess eg
i t u n d e r t h e old c o m m u n a l s y s t e m . T h e S o v i e t th e o r y , o n t h e c o n t r a r y , a i m e d a t allocating
t h e u s e of l a n d to all w h o m i g h t d e sire t o w o r k u p o n it, a n d also a t e n c o u r a g i n g co-operative
o r s o m e fo r m of j o i n t m e t h o d of w o r k in g it.
T h is d e cree p r o v i d e d fo r t h e p e rio d ic a l r e d i s t r i b u t i o n of l a n d in a c c o r d a n c e w ith the growth
of t h e p o p u l a t i o n , t h e in c re a s e in t h e p r o d u c t i v i t y of t h e l a n d a n d t h e g e n e r a l raising of the
s t a n d a r d of a g r i c u lt u r e . T h e l a n d of th o s e w h o m i g h t l e a v e t h e c o m m u n e re v e rte d to the
g e n e r a l l a n d f u n d o f t h e c o m m u n e , t h o u g h in t h i s case th e n e a r e s t r e l a ti v e s of t h e form er tenants
o r p e r s o n s i n d i c r t e d b y t h e l a t t e r w e re a c c o r d e d a p r i o r c la im t o t h e l a n d o n its r e d i s t r i b u t i o n .
—
8i
—
In such cases, it was laid d o w n t h a t w ork done for th e am elioration of th e la n d should be paid
for where its results were still o p e ra tiv e on th e reversion of the la n d to the com m une.
In localities w here th e la n d f u n d pro v ed insufficient for the needs of the local population,
the surplus po pulation w as called u p o n to em igrate, the S ta te organising a n d defraying th e
cost of emigration. L andless pea sa nts, und esirable m em bers of th e com m une, deserters a n d
others were to go first, a n d t h e e m igration of others was to be determ ined b y m u tu a l ag re em e n t
or by lot.
This d e c re e was reg a rd e d as a te m p o r a r y m easu re s u b j e c t t o the d e c i s i o n of th e C o n stitue nt
Assembly. However, af te r th e u n tim e ly dissolution of t h a t b o d y in J a n u a r y 1918, m ore p e r ­
manent legislation followed, em b o d ied in th e decree of the All-Russian Central E xec u tiv e C om ­
mittee on the socialisation of th e land, d a t e d F e b r u a r y 19th, 1918, an d signed b y the P re sid e n t
and m e m b e rs of the P re sidium of th e All-Ru=sian Central E xecutive Com mittee, th e P re sid e n t
of the Council of P eople’s Commissaries an d th e People’s Commissary for Agriculture. This
decree w as largely sim ilar in te n o r to t h a t of O ctober 26th.
The Soviet farm s are a g a in foreshado w ed in it. T h e Soviets were accorded th e r ig h t to
acquire for agricultural e x p lo ita tio n b y p aid G o v ern m e n t labour, land s fo rm erly belonging to
the State, the Church, a n d th e lan dow n ers. A t th e sam e time, surplus profits derived b y
individual agricultural w orkers or associations of th e m due to the fertility of th e ir allotm ents or
convenient pro xim ity to m a rk e ts, w ere to be ta k e n b y th e S ta te for use in the public welfare.
Trade in agricultural m a c h in e r y a n d seeds a n d b o th in tern al and external tr a d e in grain were
declared to be the m ono p o ly of th e G o v ern m e n t. W i th regard to th e allocation of la n d to
those in urgent need of it, it w as s ti p u la te d t h a t suc h allocation should n o t exceed w h a t was
actually necessary to s u p p o r t life. Girls a n d boys u n d e r 12, m en over 60, a n d w omen over
50 were exem pted from a g r ic u ltu ra l work. T h e r ig h t to use th e la n d was n o t transferable,
while the rights of a person or g ro u p of persons to explo it th e land were su b je c t to cancellation
in cases where th e y fo rm a lly refused to w o rk i t or w ere obviously unwilling to do so, where
the land was exploited b y illegal m e a n s (e. g., b y hired labour), where it was used for purposes
not legally perm itted, a n d in cases of d e a t h or th e dissolution for one reason or a n o th e r of asso­
ciations of agricultural la b o u re rs c u ltiv a tin g a given plot. W here serious illness prev e n ted
a tenant from w orking his la n d , th e local S o v ie t was charged w ith m a k in g te m p o ra ry provision
lor this purpose, an d in cases of d e a th a n d the liq u id a tio n of associations of workers, th e Soviets
took charge of the la n d th u s le ft u n te n a n te d . W h e r e his rig h t to the use of la n d was cancelled,
the tenant was entitled to receive c o m p en sa tio n from the local Soviet a uthoritie s in respect
of improvements he h a d m ade, p ro v id e d t h a t he could p rov e he h a d received a sufficient re tu rn
from them and t h a t th e b enefits derived from th e m m ig h t be expected to con tin ue after the
cessation of his tenure.
The general design of this policy was, therefore, to b en e fit th e landless p ea sa n ts an d those
who were insufficiently p ro v id e d w ith la n d a t th e expense of th e land-ow n ers’ estates an d the
more prosperous of th e p e a s a n t proprieto rs. On th e one h and, i t was in te n d e d to dispossess
these classes and to tran sfe r th e ir la n d to a c om m on fu n d for distribution am on g all who were
prepared to cultivate it eith er in d iv id u a lly or collectively : on the other, th e la n d parcelled
out in this way was to be lim ite d in ea ch case to a n area n o t larger th a n was sufficient to provide
the cultivator w ith enough for him self a n d those d ep e n d e n t on him to live on. T hus th e initial
legislation of the Soviet G o v e r n m e n t a im e d a t destroying th e large an d moderate-sized farm s
in Russia on which th e b u lk of th e cereals exp o rte d ab ro a d h a d been form erly produced, and
m substituting for th e m a g r e a t n u m b e r of small p e a sa n t holdings, farm ed m ostly b y those
"'hose insufficient allo tm en ts a n d landless condition before th e R evolu tion h a d left th e m the
most backward m em bers of th e ag ric u ltu ral co m m u n ity . F arm in g on a n y t h in g like a large
scale was confined u n d e r th e new legislation to th e so-called Soviet F a r m s w hich it was decided
to establish. This policy w as fo re shadow e d in th e p a r t y pro g ra m m e of th e Bolsheviks before
the October Revolution, in w h ich th e y h a d pledged them selves to redress the grievances of
poor peasants a n d h a d en c o u rag e d th e m in th eir disc o n te n t again st th e la ndow ners an d
ECONOMIC C ON D I T I ON S IN RUSSIA.
—
82
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t h e well-to-do pea sa nts, in th e la t t e r of w h o m th e y saw one of th e g r e a te s t obstacles to the
es ta b lis h m e n t of B olshevik influence in the villages. A fter th e O cto b e r Revolution, however
th e Bolsheviks show ed them selves disinclined to give th e p e a s a n ts m ore th a n the smallest
a llo tm e n ts co m p atib le w ith the possibility of s u stain in g life ad e q u a te ly , p a r tl y because of their
desire to reduce all m en to e q u a lity (the la n d fu n d for d istrib u tio n being in reality not verv
large) p a r tl y because th e y feared th e p oor p e a sa n ts would r a p id ly acq u ire th e outlook of the
richer p e a s a n t pro p rie to rs if given larger a llo tm e n ts an d w ould form in th e villages a strong
p e a s a n t class w ith p ro n o u n c e d a n ti-C o m m u n ist instincts.
T h e forcible requisitions, i n s t itu te d b y t h e Soviet G o v e rn m e n t in th e villages h a d as their
obje ct b o th t h e supp ression of th e so-called « K u la k s » o r w e a lth y p e a s a n ts as well as the wrest­
in g of grain from th e m for feeding th e tow n sp e o p le a n d th e A rm y . T h is is evident from the
Decree passed b y t h e A ll-R ussian Central E x e c u tiv e Com m ittee on 13th May, 1918. By it all
w orkers an d landless p e a s a n ts w ere in v ite d to p a r tic ip a te in t h e struggle against the richer
p ea sa n ts. T his Decree, w h ic h is one of th e m o s t im p o r t a n t of th e several D ecrees published
d u rin g 1917-1919, a n d em b o d y in g th e food policy of the Soviet G o v ern m e n t, has been referred
to in C h a p te r II. W hile confirm ing t h e m o n o p o ly of cereals a n d th e establishm ent of fixed
prices a n d t h e necessity of c o n d u c tin g a merciless struggle a g a in st th e so-called « bag men »
w ho sp e c u la te d in corn, t h e D ecree obliged everyone in possession of cereals to surrender
w ith in a w eek afte r th e p u b lic a tio n of th e Decree, all supplies o v er a n d above such quantity
as was necessary for sow ing t h e fields a n d for his personal c o n s um ption , until th e following
h a r v e s t according to th e scales fixed b y law. T hose who disobeyed w ere liable to n o t less than
te n y e a r s ’ im prisonm en t.
I t is difficult to d e te rm in e how f a r the class of p e a s a n t p ro p rie to rs has suffered from the
effects of th e Revolution, a n d d o u b tf u l w h e th e r the sta tistic s available give a n y reliable picturc
of th e e x t e n t to w h ich t h e a re a of la n d in th e ir possession has decreased. Tw o tables, relating
to th e changes w hich h a v e ta k e n place in r e g a rd to th e la n d are s e t o u t below :
(1) T h e rela tiv e a re a of p e a s a n t farm s in 10 R ussian provinces in 1919 compared with
1917. These figures are ta k e n from a s t a t e m e n t m a d e b y A. I. R yk o v , P re s id e n t of th e Supreme
Council of P eo p le’s E co n o m y , in 1920 in r eg a rd to th e division fo th e lan d o w n e rs estates among
th e landless p e a sa n ts a n d those who w ere insufficiently p ro v id e d for. R y k o v showed that
in 32 provinces of E u r o p e a n Russia, 20 m illion desyatins o u t of 23 million belonging to the
lan d o w n e rs h a d b ee n divided up in this way. T he 3 million d esy atin s left over were utilised
b y th e Soviet G o v e rn m e n t for th e f o rm a tio n of Soviet farm s a n d sta tio n s for agricultural
research.
PEASANTS W I T H
LESS T H A N
LA ND LE SS
PEASANTS
PRO VI NC E
Moscow . . . . .
V lad im ir.................
P e tro g ra d . . . .
N ov go rod . . . .
V o l o g d a ................
R y a z a n ..................
P e r m ......................
S m o len sk ................
E k a te rin b u rg . . .
V y a t k a ..................
1917
1910
23'4
1 2 .7
6 .6
1 1 .9
1 8 .0
4 .8
1 2.9
1 3 .7
2 6 .0
8 .9
10. I
7-7
a-s
11. i
3- 3
1 2 .2
2 desyatins
1917
1919
PE AS AN TS W I T H
PEAS ANT S W I T H
2-6 desyatins
6-10 desyatins
10-16 desyatins
1917
1919
1917
1917
1919
1917
8 .2
1 .4
0-3
3 -o
4 2 .8
34-8
6 .4
2 .2
0 .7
—
5 0 .8
2 8 .2
4 7 .2
7 1 .0
6 3 .1
16.9
18. S
2 .6
0 .2
—
0 .4
0 .8
0 .2
0 -5
0 .1
—
4-3
—
—
3 0 .7
4 6 .3
4 2 .0
3 0 .9
3 9 .4
4 4 .2
1919
—
19. 7
56-3
—
5-7
3-o
1 3 .2
2 .8
T5-7
1 6 .8
6 .2
2 .6
6 .9
0 .6
1 .7
0 .4
3-8
8 .3
3-3
2.3
1. r
0-7
6 0 .8
1 .8
9 .2
1 6.7
13- r
1 6.5
2 7 .8
36.3
9-9
5-6
2 .8
1 .0
0 .6
0.1
44-3
57-5
43-0
43-s
49-4
-9
2 4 .6
4 8 .7
2 2 .8
1 6 .8
5 0 .8
7-7
3 2 .6
49.0
4 1 .6
i
MORE THAN
16 desyatins
7 8 .8
2 3 .2
1 7 .9
2 0 .2
8 .7
7 .6
1919
PE A SAN TS. WITH
5 5 -2
63-5
44-5
4-9
W ITH
36 -9
37-5
5.0
3-8
PEASANTS
5 6 .6
—
0 .8
i *9
0.1
0.4
0.7
-
(3)-Prof.
-
A rticle « On th e Q uestion of the Change i n Field Cultivation
1916-1920 », p u b l i s h e d in Rural and Forest E conom y” ,
1921, P e o p le ’ s C om m issariat for A g ricu ltu re g i v e s the f o l l o w i n g t a b l e w h i c h i n d i c a t e s the e x t e n t
t0 which t h e d i v i s i o n o f th e l a n d i n t o s m a l l holdings has r e s u l t e d i n the d i m i n u t i o n in the a r e a
under cultivation p e r farm :
K o n d ra tie v
in
83
an
in P easant A g r i c u l t u r e d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d
N U M B E R OF FARM S
S O W N A R E A IN
( i n o o o ’s )
o o o ’s d e s y a t i n s .
SOW N A R E A
p e r
fa rm
in desyatins
1916............................................................................
5,644
17,423
4-97
I
2 ,8 8 4
1 7 ,6 7 3
3 -o o
5-945
14,648
2 .46
9!7.........................................................................................
19 1 9..........................................................................................
At the same tim e, co m p arin g 1917 w ith 1919, th e re were 6 .5% of the to ta l n u m b e r of farms
in European R ussia w ith no sow n a re a in th e la tte r year, as against 11.4% in 1917. F arm s
comprising from 1,4 desyatins a n d th e larger farm s of from 8 to 22 desyatins had increased
respectively from 2 8.4% a n d 7 .7 % in 1917 of the to ta l n u m b e r of farms to 55.2% and 9.1 % in
1919. Those from 4,8 desyatins, on th e co n tra ry , h a d decreased from 21.6% of the to ta l in 1917
to 16.4% in 1919. This in fo rm a tio n is ta k e n from an article b y M. D ubrovsky, entitled ,,The
Revolution an d A g ric u ltu re ” w h ich a p p e a r e d in R u ra l and Forest Economy, Nos. 1 an d 2. an
official publication of th e P eople’s C om m issariat for A griculture.
Thus it will be seen t h a t in th e 1 0 provinces m e n tio n e d in T able I . th e n u m b e r of landless
peasants in 1919 still c o n s titu te d 7-7 while th e average percentage of holdings from 2-6 desyatins
had fallen from 41.6 to 36.3 an d th e la rg e r holdings from 10-16 desyatins a n d ab ove 16 desyatins
respectively represented in 19 19 on ly 1.0 and 0.1 as ag a in st 2.8 and 0.6 in 1917. Table 2. based
on information covering th e w hole of E u ro p e a n R ussia indicates th a t 6.5 % of the n u m b e r of
farms in the various provinces in 1919 h a d no sown area, as against 11.4% in 1917. A t the
same time it is ex tre m e ly in te re stin g to n o te th a t, whèreas the percentage of m iddle sized farms
from 4-8 desyatins in e x t e n t h a d fallen to 16.4% of to tal n u m b e r in 19 19, as against 21.6% in
1917, the larger farm s of from 8-22 d esy atin s h a d increased slightly to 9.1 % in 1919 as against
7.7% in 1917. Meanwhile, how ever as show n in T able 2 th e average sown are a per farm over
5,945,000 farms in R ussia in 1919 was. 2.46 desyatins, as ag a in st 4.97 desyatins for 5,644,000
farms in 1916. T hus, b y th e end of 1919 a n d th e beginning of 1920 there were signs t h a t certain
of the larger farms, w hich a p p e ar to h a v e rem a ine d in t a c t w ere beginning to increase their area
at the expense of th e middle-sized a n d small farms, in m a n y of which it was becom ing increas­
ingly difficult to c a r ry on ag ric u ltu ral a c tiv ity , owing to lack of labour, e q u ip m e n t and livestock.
Such acquisition of la n d as took place in this w ay was m ade in defiance of th e decrees of the
Soviet Government referred to above, a n d w as often accom panied by th e illegal use of hired
labour, of which in th e circum stances described there was a plentiful supply. I t is clear, th e re ­
fore, that the process of d isin teg ratio n in ag ric u ltu re was n o t so sweeping an d general as often
believed, and t h a t to w a rd s th e en d of th e first period of Soviet agrarian legislation certain co n ­
trary influences were beginning to m a k e them selves felt.
Summarising th e results of th e first period of Soviet ag ra ria n legislation, i t is evident th a t
partly proceeding from th e s p o n ta n e o u s action of th e peasants, p a rtly due to the policy of th e
Soviet Government, th e re was a gen e ral d isin teg ratio n of la n d in Russia. The n u m b e r of small
farms have increased g re a tly a n d th e m a jo r ity of th e m b y 1920 appe ar to have been able only
with the greatest difficulty to m a in ta in a n y area in cu ltiv a tio n at all. T h e middle-sized
farms not only found i t difficult to c o n tin u e in active existence, b u t by 1920 in m a n y cases were
quite unable to c a rry on a n d were being sp lit u p into an d am ong th e sm aller farm s an d to a ce r­
tain extent being a d d e d to th e la rg e r ones. T h e situ atio n created b y the in a b ility of the towns
to produce m a n u fa c tu re d goods a n d of th e p ea sa n ts in consequence to b u y any, b y the abolition
of the market for th e free exchange of com modities, an d the restriction of p riv a te tra d e to
meagre and hazard o u s illegal channels, a n d th e d e te r re n t effect of requisitions u p o n the activity
-
84
-
of th e p e a s a n t farm er, h a d been ag g ra v a te d b y th e d istu rb in g influences and destruction of
t h e Civil W ar. D ep riv e d of a n y m a r k e t to w hich to send th e ir goods as formerly, th e peasant
w as beginning to replace his form er m a rk e t crops of w h e a t a n d barle y b y ry e and oats, and in
gen e ral to reduce his p ro d u c tio n to little m ore t h a n w as necessary to s u sta in himself and his
fam ily. T here was in consequence a g rea t fall in agricultural pro d u ctio n , accompanied by an
increasing difficulty in feeding th e tow ns an d t h e A rm y. A lready, therefore, in the spring of
1919 th e S o v iet G o v e rn m e n t h a d b eg u n to realise t h a t to a rr e s t th e decline in agricultural pro­
d u c tio n was a v ita l m a t t e r u p o n w hich the s ta b ili ty of th e G o v e r n m e n t itself and th e political
existence of th e B olshevik p a r t y depended to a g r e a t extent. U n d e r th e influence o f th e food
crisis Lenin, who eighteen m o n th s before, h a d en c ouraged th e fo rm a tio n of C o m m itte e s o f Poor
P e a s a n ts in th e villages for th e purpose of o rganising th e stru g g le ag a in st the rich peasants
modified his a t t i t u d e a n d declared t h a t th e in te re sts of th e m o d e ra te ly p ro s p e ro u s peasant
m u s t be safe g u ard ed a n d t h a t i t was necessary to m a k e a distinction b etw e en th e rich peasant
a n d th e c a p ita list la n d o w n e r an d bourgeoisie. N o th in g was done as yet, however, to restore
th e m a r k e t a n d freedom of tr a d e : b u t it w as felt t h a t th e p a r ti tio n of th e la n d h ad gone too
far, a n d t h a t ag ric u ltu ra l p ro d u c tio n h a d b ee n adversely affected b y it. To this, therefore
th e legislation of the G o v e rn m e n t was confined. In these circum stances, th e D ecree of 19th
F e b r u a r y , 1919, re p rese n ts no m ore th a n a n a p p r o a c h to th e second period of w h a t m ay be
c o n v e n ie n tly described as th e second period of S o v ie t a g ra ria n legislation.
W hile p roviding t h a t all la n d n o t p a r titio n e d prior to its p u b licatio n could not in future
be d is trib u te d am o n g in d iv id u al cultivators, th e decree of th e F e b r u a r y 19th, 1919, laid chief
em ph asis on the necessity of facilitating a tr a n sitio n from in d iv id u alist form s of land cultivation
to those in which com m u n ities associated them selves to g e th e r for agricu ltural work, and
p la in ly s ta te d t h a t all form s of individual la n d cu ltiv a tio n were to be regarded as obsolete. It
w as considered t h a t th e b es t m eans of assisting this tran sitio n was to e x te n d th e encouragement
g iv e n to th e e s ta b lis h m e n t of S oviet F arm s a n d v o lu n ta r y unions of agricultural workers in
fo rm e r decrees, a n d for this purpo se the P eople’s Com m issariat for A griculture was empowered
u n d e r th e decree to give prem ium s to efficient w orkers on such lands. I t was expressly stated
t h a t no la n d s u n d er th e control of Soviet or o th e r public bodies could be partitioned and dis­
t r ib u te d to in dividual cultivators. Moreover, th o se who h a d secured a u th o risatio n s to organise
S o v iet farm s a n d associations of agricultural w orkers were accorded p rio rity in the choice of
la n d from the S ta te la n d fu n d , a n d land was only to be allocated to ind iv id u al cultivators after
th e r eq u irem en ts of th e form er h a d been p r o v id ed for. A tte n tio n was also draw n in t h e decree
to th e uneconom ical results of try in g to w ork strip s of la n d s itu a te d far a p a r t from one another.
F inally, th e provincial la n d d e p a rtm e n ts were in v e ste d w ith wide pow ers to assume control
of an y land, to w hom so e v er it m ig h t belong, w ith a view to p re v e n tin g th e e x h a u stio n of the
soil a n d ta k in g m easures to increase its p ro d u c tiv ity .
T h e period 1919-1920 is, therefore, m a r k e d b y a more d eterm in e d effort of the Soviet
G o v e r n m e n t to stop th e process of la n d d isin teg ratio n a n d to la y th e fo u n d atio n s of increased
a g r ic u ltu ra l p ro d u c tio n b y th e organisation of S o v iet F a rm s on a large scale, w hich were to
show b y th e ir efficient m e th o d s an d high s ta n d a r d s of p r o d u c tio n an exam ple which it was
h o p ed w ould be gene rally followed th r o u g h o u t th e country. T h e S oviet F arm s, however, and
th é vario u s associations for collective agric ultural w ork failed com pletely to justify the hope
e n te r ta in e d of them . In th e first place, th e to t a l n u m b e r of lands exploited in this w ay amoun­
ted in F e b r u a r y 1919 to o n ly 14,551, em ploying 466,491 agricultural w orkers an d having a total
a r e a of 1,463,189 desyatins. T he insignificant proportions of these figures are clear, as is indi­
ca te d b y M. S em y o n Z agorsky in “ L ’E v o lu tio n actuelle du Bolchevisme R usse” , w hen it is real­
ised t h a t th e to ta l a r e a of land in E u ro p e a n R ussia is 410,407,889 desyatins, t h a t the rural
p o p u la tio n is 80,000,000 a n d t h a t the n u m b e r of la n d ed estates in 1913 was 827,211. In a large
n u m b e r of cases, th e S oviet F a rm s and la n d s w orked collectively were insufficiently supplié
w ith ag ric u ltu ral in s tru m e n ts an d cattle. T h e following ta b le shows th e percentage of deficit
in agÀ cultural m a c h in e ry a n d c a ttle in the S pring of 1921 :
Churns. • • • • • •
Separators..................
Ploughs.......................
D r ills .
Sheep and g o a t s . .
40
100
33
69
89
Harrows. . . . . .
58
Winnowing-machines
67
85
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
Chaff-cutters. . . .
Thrashing-M achines.
D raught-horses . . .
Cows . . . . . . . .
B u l l s ............................
P ig s...............................
84 %
=6 %
A -2
°L
H a r v e s t e r s ....................
It is not, therefore, r e m a rk a b le t h a t the sy stem of Soviet a n d collective farm ing should
have become th e s u b je c t of serious criticism in th e Soviet Press. Economic L ife writes as
follows on this su b je c t : “W e a re c o n s ta n tly faced w ith economic absurdities, as, for example,
when some Soviet F a rm s are fo u n d to possess horses b u t no oth er supplies necessary for p r o ­
duction : while in others th e re are ploughs, harrows, thrashers, b u t no horses, halters, harness, etc ,
Most of th e farm s h a v e no p e r m a n e n t s u p p ly of labour, a n d all th e w ork is done I.y labourers
hired by the day, w ho are indifferent to th e condition of th e la n d th e y w ork on. T he w ork is
done extremely negligently, and, w h a t is worse, eve ry th in g thievable is stolen— bridles, halters,
saddles of ploughs, if n o t th e entire plough a n d som etim es the horse as well. Briefly, the
situation of the Soviet estates in th e R epublic is such t h a t th ro u g h o u t th e whole period of their
existence th e y h a v e p ro v ed inferior to th e ta s k im posed u p o n them and in the m a jo r ity of cases
are inferior to th e p e a s a n t holdings themselves. I t is u n d e rsta n d a b le t h a t in these conditions
production on S oviet es tates is v e r y small an d th e la ck of fodder ad d s still more to their unproductivity.
T he a d m in is tra tio n is c h a rac terise d b y absence of devotion or conscientiousness
to their task. T he la b o u re rs are as b a d as th e a d m in is tra tio n .” It was also contended th a t
the Soviet authorities em ployed pressu re in o rd er to induce the pea sa nts to organise collective
agriculture an d som etim es reso rte d to a r m e d force w ith a view to suppressing th e opposition
which the Soviet fa rm s a n d collective holdings aroused in m a n y rural areas. In p a r ts of Russia,
the peasants a p p e a r to h a v e opposed th e Soviet F a r m s a n d collective holdings in the fear th a t
they represented a n a t t e m p t to restore th e large estates which the Revolution h a d sw ept away.
According to th e M in s k Star, th e E x e c u tiv e C o m m ittee of th e W h ite R ussian Republic was
much exercised in 1921 b y th e d istu rb e d s ta te of feeling am ong th e p easants on this subject,
and it was s ta te d in a r e p o r t to th e C om m ittee t h a t th e p e a s a n t was disinclined to th in k t h a t
the land belonged to him unless he h a d received it as the result of a rep a rtitio n b y lots. S u b ­
sequent to 1921 the a c tiv e p ro sec u tio n of th e policy of encouraging Soviet F arm s seems to have
been aban d o n ed
The continued re p a rtitio n of la n d all ov er Russia, m ore especially during 1918 an d 19!9,
had created in m a n y d istricts so m e th in g a p p ro a ch in g a s ta te of anarchy. D isputes am ong
the peasants were assum ing serious p roportions, a general disintegration of rural life was taking
place, and the G o v e rn m e n t w as forced a t l a s t to pass legislation w ith a view to prev e n tin g fu rth e r
partitions.
The decree of A pril 30th, 1920, declares :
“Recognising t h a t th e f re q u e n t a n d w asteful p a rtitio n s of la n d ta k in g place a t the present
time are inevitably ac com panie d b y a d im in u tio n in agricultural p roductivity , h inde r the proper
and extensive tilling of th e fields a n d th e ir fertilisation, a n d create am ong p ea sa n t farm ers
uncertainty as to w h e th e r th e y will be able to enjoy th e o u tla y th e y m a y m ake on the ir farms,
the Council of P eople’s Commissaries decrees t h a t com plete an d partial rep a rtitio n s of ploughed
lands in rural com m unities o bserving com m unal forms of agriculture shall be allowed only
on the sanction of th e local a g ric u ltu ral a u th o ritie s."
Complete r e p a rtitio n s of la n d w ere fo rb id d e n until th e com pletion of the su rv ey w ork laid
down in the S t a t u te on Socialist L a n d R econstruction, dated F eb ru ary 14th, 19 19, in all cases
where such p a rtitio n s to o k place d u rin g 1918 a n d 1919, in connection w ith th e te m p o r a r y dis­
tribution of the la n d fund. T h e c o u n t y la n d d e p a r tm e n ts could give perm ission for complete
repartitions, with th e o b je ct of equalising th e plots of la n d w orked b y agricultural labourers
°n the expiration of th e d ates to be fixed b y th e provincial la n d d ep a rtm e n ts. Such periods
were not, how ever, to be longer t h a n is necessary for th r e e ro ta tio n s of crops to take place from
th e tim e of th e la s t p a rtitio n . T his in effect involves th e p rohibition of p a r titio n for nine years
one r o ta tio n of crops being u n d e rsto o d to cover a period of th ree years. R epartitions of land
before th e usual tim e fixed for th e m were only to be allowed w here special local condition'
m a d e this absolute ly necessary. T he im p o rta n c e a t tr ib u te d b y th e S oviet G overnment to pre
v e n tin g f u r th e r p a r ti tio n is seen b y th e f a c t t h a t th e A ll-R ussian Central E xecutiv e Committee
in May 1922 felt i t necessary em p h a tic a lly to confirm th e provisions p rohibiting partitions under
this decree.
T he fam in e of 1921, following th e p a rtia l fam ine of 1920, com pleted a long chain o f disas­
tro u s ev e n ts in th e ag ric u ltu ral life of Russia, a n d le ft th e S oviet G o v e rn m e n t no alternative
b u t to seek som e p ractical s e ttle m e n t of th e la n d problem , based on recognition of th e peasants'
d e m a n d s for se cu rity of te n u re a n d th e se ttin g u p of effective m a chinery for adjusting the rela­
tions of th e local p o p u la tio n in r u ra l areas an d aim ing a t th e creation of conditions in which
a g r ic u ltu ra l w orkers of in d u stry , know ledge a n d c a p a c ity could a p p ly their energies freely
T h e s u b s t itu ti o n of th e F ood T a x for th e Food L evy, w hich h a d been associated with th e period
of forcible requisition d u rin g th e Civil W a r, to o k place u n d e r th e decree of M arch 2 3 rd , 1921
a n d was in t e n d e d to relieve th e p e a s a n ts of th e excessive b urden s they h a d h a d to b e a r owino
to the a r b i t r a r y seizure of w h a t w as in m o st cases all th e ir supplies over and above the bare
m in im u m needed to sa tisfy th e ir o w n w ants. T h e first p a r a g ra p h of the decree states th a t the
F o o d T a x is established for th e p u rp o se of p ro m o tin g th e u n h a m p e re d c o n d u c t of agricultural
w o rk b y according th e ag ric u ltu ral w ork er g re a te r freedom in disposing of the produce of his
la b o u r. O n th e following M arch 29th, a f u rth e r decree m itig a te d the b u r d e n of th e peasants
b y reducing from 423,000,000 to 240,000,000 poods th e a m o u n t of produce to be delivered by
th e m to th e S ta t e u n d e r th e new ta x . T he previous d ay a n o th e r decree was published giving
th e p e a s a n t th e r ig h t to dispose as he wished of the surplus produce rem aining in his possession
a f te r p a y in g th e F ood T ax.
Follow ing on these concessions, th e resolutions w ith regard to agricultural questions passed
b y th e 9 th A ll-Russian Congress of Soviets re p rese n t a definite b re a k w ith th e previous policy
of th e S o v iet G o vernm ent, an d a lth o u g h n eith er th e y nor th e su b se q u e n t legislation in which
th e y w ere em bodied in d icate m ore t h a n a p a rtia l a n d te n ta tiv e ap p ro a c h to the solution of
th e problem , th e y u n d o u b te d ly c o n s titu te a change of g r e a t im porta nce . T h e resolutions of
t h e 9 th Congress provided t h a t p e a sa n ts who w ished to leave th e co m m u n e w ith the land belong­
ing to th e m were free to do so on each p a r ti tio n of land, t h a t th e y were free to exercise a choice
as to th e w a y in w hich th e y should cultiva te th e land, an d t h a t each a g ra ria n com m une might
decide b y a m a jo r ity of votes th e form of cu ltiv a tio n w hich i t elected to ad o p t. The deprivation
of p e a sa n ts of their la n d a n d the r e p a rtitio n of la n d w ere to be stric tly regula te d by law. The
falling aw a y in th e cu ltiv a tio n of m eadow s w as to b e p u t a stop to, th e ir a n n u a l partition was
to cease a n d th e y w ere to be a t ta c h e d to th e villages adjoining th e m for the purpose of safe­
g u a r d in g th e p e a s a n ts ’ interests a n d am elio ra tin g th e general condition of m eadow lands. The
p e a s a n ts w ere once more enjoined n o t to proceed too often to a re p a rtitio n of land. Poor farms
or f a rm s where, for one reason or another, it w as n o t possible to secure a d e q u a te results, might
be leased o u t tem porarily, p r o v id ed t h a t th e te n a n t was in a position to w o rk the additional
la n d as well as his own p lo t w ith his own la b o u r a n d t h a t of those associated with him. In
th e decree published in accordance w ith these resolutions on M ay 22nd, 1922, i t was laid down
t h a t “ farm s te m p o ra rily fallen in t o desu etu d e as a resu lt of famine, fire, loss of labour, cattle
or o th e r reason, m a y be le t o u t on lease either in whole or in p a rt, in r e tu r n for money, produce
or o th e r r e m u n e ra tio n .” T h e te r m of suc h a lease w as in no case to exceed one r o t a t i o n of crops,
a n d w here no regular ro ta tio n w as observed, n o t m ore t h a n th ree years, although in special
circ u m sta n ce s it m ig h t be prolonged b y th e V olost E x ec u tiv e Com m ittees, so as to include not
m ore t h a n tw o ro tatio n s or six years, w here th e re a re no regular ro tatio n s. If after that time
th e lessee is still found u n ab le to ru n his farm, the l a t t e r will pass to th e local land fund to meet
t h e d e m a n d s for la n d of th e c o m m u n ity in question.
-
8;
-
Meanwhile on J a n u a r y 19th, 1922, th e A ll-R ussian Central E xecutive C om m ittee passed
a decree in accordance w ith th e resolutions of the 9 th Congress, establishing a central Agricul­
tural C o m m i s s i o n , u n d e r th e presidency of M. I. Kalinin, the P re sid e n t of the A ll-Russian Central
E x e c u tiv e C om m ittee, w ith the o b je c t of ta k in g measures to resuscitate agriculture a n d com bat
the d e c lin e in agricultural life in Russia. Included as m em bers of the Commission were Y a k o ­
venko, People’s C om m issary for A griculture; Ossinsky, form erly P eople’s Commissary for A gri­
culture and now A s sista n t Com missary; a n d T sy u ry u p a, form erly P eople’s Commissary for Food
and now acting in co n c ert w ith A. I. R y k o v , during L enin’s illness, as P re sid en t of the Council
of People’s Commissaries. S u bseque ntly, su b o rd in a te agricultural commissions w ere set up
under the central b o d y in all the provinces, counties and volosts in Russia, for the purpose of
reporting on th e general ag ric u ltu ra l s itu a tio n and of investigating and providing, in collabora­
tion with the central Commission, for th e se ttle m e n t of disputes on la n d questions.
The inauguration of th e new economic policy in the su m m er of 1921 and th e placing of a
large number of enterprises form erly a d m in istered b y the G overnm ent on an economic basis,
re su lte d in m a n y of th e su rv iv in g Soviet F a r m s being closed up owing to their running a t a loss,
while State subsidies w ere w ith d r a w n fro m m o s t of th e others. Some w ere actually leased to
private persons for e x p lo ita tio n , in som e cases to those who h a d previously been m anagers of
them when th e y w ere r u n b y th e S tate.
The following ta b le, co n ta in e d in th e R e p o r t of the P eo p le’s Com m issariat for A griculture
to the 9th A ll-R ussian Congress of Soviets, shows the n u m b e r of Soviet farms appointed to
be leased out in 1921 :
P ro v in ces
N iz h e - G o r o d s k ............................................................
U fa ...................................................................................
S am ara............................................................................
P s k o v ..............................................................................
P e tro g rad .......................................................................
Smolensk........................................................................
K ostrom a........................................................................
T saritzy n ........................................................................
B r y a n s k .........................................................................
N u m b e r o f S o v ie t
F a m rs to b e
le a s e d o u t
51
13
67
45
135
161
14
62
23
T o ta l
S o v ie t
F arm s
81
32
86
102
4S
285
46
75
42
°/„ le a se d to
to ta l n o u m b e r of
S o v ie t farm s
6 3 ,7
4 0 ,6
77,9
4 4 ,1
5 4 ,4
5 6 ,4
3 0 ,4
8 2 ,0
54,7
No statem en t reg a rd in g the policy of th e Soviet G overnm ent in regard to agriculture if
complete w ithout som e m en tio n of th e Co-operative Societies. The developm ent of Co-operative
Societies in Russia h a d been rap id before a n d d u ring th e W ar, and some 20,000,000 of th e ag ri­
cultural population of R u ssia were served w ith goods th ro u g h the agency of th e Centro-Soyuz
or Central Union of C onsum ers’ Societies. T h e ap p ro p riatio n b y th e Soviet Gonverment, under
the decree of F e b r u a r y 19th, 1918, of co n tro l over in te rn a l an d external trade in agricultural
instruments, m a ch in e ry a n d seed w as in e v ita b ly calculated to affect the Co-operative Societies
which carried on a considerable tr a d e w ith th e p e a sa n ts in general and agricultural supplies.
Moreover, it soon b ecam e e v id en t t h a t th e re w ere influences a t w ork in th e Soviet G overnm ent
aiming at the n atio n alisa tio n of th e C o-operative Societies an d their tran sfo rm atio n into an
organisation in ten d ed to a c t as th e S o v iet G o v ern m e n t’s in term ed iary between the towns an d
the peasantry. D u rin g th e early p a r t of th e R ev o lu tio n an d the Civil W ar, the organisation of
the Co-operative Societies suffered considerably, b u t p ro b ab ly less t h a n other forms of economic
activity. As early as J u n e 1918, the C o-operative Societies were subjected to a certain am o u n t
of State control an d supervision. I t was, however, n o t until J a n u a r y 1920 th a t the ad vocates
of the nationalisation of th e Cooperative Societies succeeded in securing th e passing of a decree
by which the societies passed com pletely u n d er S ta te control. T h e Centro-Soyuz, on being
nationalised, was declared th e official s t a t e organ of R ussian co-operation, and it was through
this body th a t th e n eg otiatio n s in itia ted as a resu lt of th e S uprem e Council’s declaration on the
subject of trad e w ith R ussia were conducted. The efficiency of th e Co-operative m o v em en t
and th e scope of its work, g ra v e ly im paired before J a n u a r y 1920, r a p id ly deteriorated afteM any of th e leading co-operators declined to a c c e p t th e new legislation, a n d some of them were
im prisoned. W hile in m o s t cases old co-operative w orkers rem a ine d a t th e ir posts in the country
th e staffs were swelled w ith large n u m b e rs of n ew men, m ostly C om m unists, an d almost without
exception ig n o ra n t of th e history, organisation a n d functions of th e Co-operative Societies in
Russia. T h e modification of its policy b y th e Soviet G o v ern m e n t in th e spring of 1921 as
evidenced in th e abolition of th e F o o d Levy, th e s u b s titu tio n of th e F o o d T a x and the according
to th e p e a s a n t of th e r ig h t to dispose as he willed of his surplus produce, was accompanied by
a f u r th e r decree relieving th e C onsum ers’ Co-operative Societies in R ussia of the restrictions
im posed on th e ir ac quisition of supplies b y the legislation p roviding for th e Food Levy, empower­
ing th e m once m ore to c o n s titu te a n in te rm e d ia ry for p u rch a sin g a n d m a rk e tin g the surplus
p ro d u c e of th e pea sa nts. In a d d itio n to this, all citizens of th e R e p u b lic were to be regarded
as u n ite d in C onsum ers’ Societies, th e citizens of a given locality being auto m atica lly considered
as m e m b e rs of th e local Consumers, Co-operative Society. T hus, while giving the Russian Co­
o p e r a tiv e m o v e m e n t som e of th e freedom which i t form erly enjoyed, th e decree did away entirely
w ith t h e v o lu n t a r y c h a ra c te r of th e m o v e m e n t a n d in effect reg a rd e d th e whole population
as com pulsorily mobilised in Co-operative Societies. W ith in p a r tic u la r societies, citizens might
organise themselves, if th e y wished, into smaller groups or u n its for specific co-operative pur­
poses. All C onsum ers’ Co-operative organisations were to be u n ite d in Provincial Unions of
C o n su m ers’ Societies, a n d these again w ould be su b o rd in a te to th e Central B oard of Consumers'
Societies in Moscow, th e Centro-Soyuz. Finally, in th e sp rin g of 1922, th e Centro-Soyuz came
to an a g r e e m e n t w ith th e P e o p le ’s C om m issariat for Foreign T ra d e w h ereb y th e y might purchase,
th r o u g h th e ir own rep rese n ta tiv e s abroad, goods necessary to assist th e m in organising and
developing tr a d e w ith th e pea sa nts, w hich th e y were a u th o rised to resum e u n d e r the decree of
April 7th, 1921.
H o w f a r these changes, re-establishing th e Centro-Soyuz a n d its branches, although in a
different form a n d on a semi in d e p e n d e n t footing, as a m e d iu m of exchange between town and
c o u n t r y are likely to exercise an influence in k n it tin g to g e th e r once m o re th e severed ties between
th e to w n an d p e a s a n t p o p u la tio n of Russia, it is difficult to say. As is th e case w ith other
in d u s tria l a n d commercial organisations, w h e th e r th e y w ere nationalised or not, the CentroS oyuz has suffered g r e a t loss a n d depreciation of capital. U nlike o th e r industrial and com­
m ercial bodies, however, it has, n o tw ith s ta n d in g th e general disordering effects of the Revo­
lu tio n u p o n its organisation, succeeded in reta in in g in m a n y cases th e nucleus of its former
staff, inc luding a large n u m b e r of train ed co-operators, a n d these can h a rd ly fail gradually
to raise th e prese n t low s t a n d a r d of efficiency. T h a t some progress is even now being made
is in d ic a te d b y th e e s ta b lish m e n t in J u n e 1922 of th e Consumers’ Co-operative Bank, and it
is b o th in terestin g a n d encouragin g to observe t h a t inform ation received shows the operations
of th e new B a n k to be f a r m ore sa tisfac to ry a n d less abnorm al, in th e prese n t conditions of
w id es p re ad economic collapse a n d com plete fam in e in capital, t h a n those of the Russian State
B ank.
b)
T h e S ingle F o o d T a x ( 1 )
(Session of M a y 2 0 th , 1922)
REPORT BY BRYUKHANOV,
OF T H E COMMISSARIAT
FOR
FOOD
T h e food ta x , yielding to th e S ta te as it does real values, m u s t be reta in e d for some years
y et, in spite of all changes in economic policy. B u t the sy stem u n der w hich it was collected
(1) R ussian Information and Review, Ju n e 15th, 1923.
—
89
—
[aSt year has p roved to be u n sa tisfa c to ry an d m u s t be revised. T o simplify th e collection of
the tax and to rem ove bu rd en s a n d p e t t y irritation s from the shoulders of, p articularly, the
r e r peasantry, it w as decided to in s t itu te a single food ta x .
We rejected im m e d ia te ly th e idea of m aking the t a x in to a m oney tax, or of basing it on
income. After careful consideration we decided to reject th e ta x a tio n of cattle, an d to base
the tax o n the area of hayfields a n d arable land, th e q u a n t i t y of live stock only being ta k e n in to
account in fixing th e t a x as an elem ent m a k in g for the p ro sp erity or otherwise of th e farm.
R e d u c t i o n of or e x e m p tio n from ta x a tio n is also provided for the poorest farms, p a r ti c u ­
larly in the fam ine provinces.
W ide ex e m p tio n s are also provided for R ed A rm y soldiers w ithin
the ra nk s, f o r prisoners of w ar, fo r inva lide d soldiers of the Civil W a r, and for those R e d A rm y
soldiers w h o w ould be dem obilised in the period a fte r April 1st. T h e to ta l of all these exem ptions
will a m o u n t a p p r o x im a te ly to 5 p e r cent, of the proceeds of the tax.
In addition, we have
a]so p r o v i d e d certain exem ptions w ith a view to encouraging certain lines of a c tiv ity o n farms.
P r o f i t i n g b y th e experience of last year, the G o v ern m e n t has this y ea r limited itself to
estimating the sowing a re a a n d c o n s eq u e n t t a x for th e various provinces, leaving th e division
between the districts to th e local organs of th e provincial executive committees.
With regard to th e a m o u n t of th e ta x , we have acted on the principle t h a t this t a x m u st
be decreased y ea r b y year. T hus, in stea d of the 380,000,000 poods of rye units, reckoned for
last year’s tax, this y e a r we propose to collect 340,000,000 million, a reduction of 10 per cent.
RESOLUTION ADOPTED
After a brief discussion of th e rep o rt, th e session a p p ro v e d th e proposals, and also adopted
the following resolution :
(1) In o rd er to lighten the b u r d e n of ta x a tio n on the peasantry, the ta x due is to
be dinfiinished b y 10 per cent., t h a t is b y 4 lb. for every pood, for those ta xpaye rs who
fulfil th e ir obligations p ro m p tly .
(2) T he confiscation of a n y livestock or agricultural p la n t b y ad m in istra tiv e order,
on the gro u n d of n o n - p a y m e n t of th e ta x in kind, is absolutely forbidden. In the
event of n o n - p a y m e n t of th e t a x in kind, it is similarly forbidden for a n y court of
justice to ord er th e confiscation of w orking livestock, cattle, or agricultural p la n t
to an e x t e n t w hich w ould h in d e r th e w ork in g of th e farm.
(3) In order to preserve th e livestock in p e a sa n t establishments, the F o o d Com­
missariat is in s tru c te d to d raw up, w ith the a p p ro v a l of the Com m issariat for A gri­
culture, regulations for th e application of the food t a x designed to ensure th e preser­
vation of y o u n g a n d breeding cattle, a n d also guaranteeing th a t y o u n g an d breeding
cattle will n o t be ta k e n in to a c c o u n t in th e assessm ents for 1923-1924.
(4) In ord er to encourage th e p e a s a n try to u n d e rta k e fu n d a m e n ta l agricultural
im provements, ag ric u ltu ral societies which hav e been p erform ing for the last three years
considerable w o rk in irrigation, drainage, or th e sa nd-banking of ravines are to be
granted a red u c tio n of 10 per cent, of th e ta x e s on the im pro ved areas. The form and
extent of th e w ork w hich is to give th e rig h t to such a b a te m e n t of ta x a tio n are to be d eter­
mined b y the F ood C om m issariat in a g re em e n t w ith the Com missariat for Agriculture.
H O W T H E S I N G L E - F O O D T AX IS W O R K E D
(i)
In May of this y e a r th e A ll-R ussian C entral E xecutive Com m ittee accordingly issued a
decree establishing w h a t is know n as th e Single T a x in kind, or the Single F ood Tax.
(■) Russian Info>mation & Review, August i=r, 1922
— go
T he basis of the single food t a x is th e e s tab lish m e n t of a sy ste m w hereb y all the varieti
of agricultural produce, p ay a b le as ta x a ti o n in the year 1922-1923, are convertible into a standard
v a r ie ty of ag ric u ltu ral produce, selected as a unit
T he u n it in f a c t chosen is a pood of rye grajn
a n d the a m o u n t to be levied b y th e single food ta x , th r o u g h o u t the whole of the Russian Repub'
lie, was fixed a t 340,000,000 million u n its (i.e., poods of rye grain).
This does n o t m ean t h a t every p e a s a n t will have to p a y his a llo tted t a x in rye. The tax im
­
paya b le in certain basic ag ric u ltu ra l products, such as w heat, maize, barley, oats, and other
grain, flour, oil-bearing seed, p otatoes, hay, m e a t an d b u t t e r — a n d even these m a y be extended
a t the discretion of the food controlling authorities, if the ta x p a y e r wishes it. B u t a fixed
relation of values betw een these p r o d u c ts and a pood of rye is established, and ta x payments
in an y fo rm will be based u p o n this scale.
This rela tio n sh ip betw een the values of rye a n d o th e r a g r ic u ltu ra l p roducts m ust, accordin'»
to the decree, be established an d an n o u n c e d b y the C om m issariat for A griculture an d the Cen­
tral S ta tistic a l D e p a rtm e n t, in conjunction, before J u l y 20th, 1922. E ach of the different regions
of the R e p u b lic will have a se p arate scale of re la tiv e values, b ased in the first place upon the
es tim a te d S t a t e req u irem en ts in each kin d of a g ric u ltu ral p ro d u c t, and cu rre n t prices, and in
th e second place upon the p r o d u c tiv e characteristics of each region, an d also taking into con­
sideration th e necessity for encouraging th e c u ltiv a tio n of c e rtain v alu ab le crops and industrial
plants in ce rta in regions.
Similarly, b y J u l y 15th, 1922, th e C om m issariat for A griculture an d th e Central Statistical
D e p a r t m e n t in conjunction m u s t inform the various regions a n d provinces of the Republic
w h a t kinds a n d w h a t relative percentage am ounts of ag ric u ltu ra l produce th e y will be expected
to collect in ta x a tio n , these v a r y in g w ith the ag ric u ltu ra l peculiarities of th e district concerned.
T h e provincial food, agricultural, a n d s ta tis tic a l authorities will th e n in turn, upon this basis,
assign to each district of th e province, in accordance w ith its ag ric u ltu ral peculiarities, the kinds
a n d relative p ercentage am o u n ts of p ro d u c ts expected from it. L a titu d e is allowed to the
t a x p a y e r to v a r y these s ta n d a r d percentages in th e ev e n t of his being unable to p a y in accordance
w ith them .
T h e intercha n gea ble v alu e relationship betw een rye a n d o th e r produce, an d the relative
percentage a m o u n ts of each v a r ie ty of produce expected from th e ta xpaye r, having been thus
established, it rem ains finally to establish w h a t is the to ta l a m o u n t expressed in rye units which
each p e a s a n t will be expected to p a y in ta x a tio n afte r the 1922 h arvest. T he method of cal­
culating ta x a ti o n fairly, so as to correspond w ith the cap ac ity of the ind iv id u al taxpayer, is a
com plicated one, an d is explained in le ngthy instructions issued b y th e All-Russian Central
E x ec u tiv e Com m ittee. W e will a t t e m p t to give a brief s u m m a r y of th e principles on which
ta x a tio n is calculated.
Calculating the Tax. — T h re e basic factors are ta k e n into a c co u n t in calculating the
a m o u n t of t a x p ayable b y each individual.
(A)
F o r th e purpose of the tax, th e v a ry in g a m o u n ts of land per individual member of
farm a re divid ed into nine groups, as follows :
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
■ (6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
1/4 d esy atin and under.
A bove
1/4 to 1/2d esy atin inclusive.
A bove
1/2 to 3/4 d esy atin inclusive.
A bove 3/4 to 1 d esy atin inclusive.
A bove
1 to 11/2desyatins inclusive.
A bove
1 1/2 to 2desyatins inclusive.
A bove
2 to 21/2desyatins irtclusive.
A bove 2 1/2 to 3 d esy atin s inclusive.
A bove 3 desyatins.
—
91
—
The a m o u n t of ta x a ti o n for all land ab ove three desyatins per head is equal, so f a r as the
taX js based upon th e a re a of land.
The am ount of la n d is calculated in plough-land, an d for this purpose m eadow -land is t r a n s ­
lated in t o plough-land according to a scheme w hereby the Republic is divided into three regions—
coinciding roughly w ith th e ex tre m e N orth, an d th e Centre an d S o uth of Russia.
In th e first
region one desyatin of m e adow -land is ta k e n to equal one-third of a desyatin of plough-land;
in the seco nd region orie-half; a n d in the th ird region three-quarters.
É a t h Provincial Food
C omm ittee m ay v a r y the p r o p o rtio n for the d istrict under its control, in accordance w ith the
com para tive p r o d u c tiv ity of plough-land an d hayfields and the prices ruling in th a t district, b u t
p ro v id in g th a t the s ta n d a r d average is m a in ta in e d for the whole province.
Among the m em bers of th e fa r m are co u n ted all individuals working and depe n d en t on
the farm, including children a n d R ed A rm y soldiers on service, and prisoners of w ar1 (officers
count as two individuals fo r this purpose).
into
(B) For the purpose of th e t a x th e v a ry in g num bers of livestock per farm are divided
four categories, c o u n te d in large h orned c a ttle, nam ely :
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
No cattle.
Up to 2 inclusive.
From 2 to 4 inclusive.
Above 4-
Here, too, no g ra d a tio n of ta x a tio n is m a d e for all am o u n ts above four head of ca ttle per
farm. All livestock is tr a n s la te d into large h o rn e d c a ttle units in the following scale :
Large horned c a ttle a b o v e I 1/2 y e a r s old = I.
Sheep and g o ats = 1/8.
Pigs = 1/4Large horned c a ttle u n d e r 1 1/2 years old = 1/2.
(C) The final fa c to r in th e calculation of th e a m o u n t of tax payable by each individual
is the fertility of th e h arv e st. This is d e te rm in e d b y the Commissariats for A griculture and
Food and the C entral S ta tistic a l D e p a rtm e n t, w ith the ap p ro v a l of the Council of P eople’s
Commissaries ; an d n o t la ter th a n J u l y 20th, 1922, each province m u st be informed of the harvest
group to which it has been assigned. F o r th e purpose of th e single-food tax, eleven harv e st
groups will be established, s ta rtin g from a crop of tw enty-five poods per desyatin and m o u n tin g
by five poods per d esyatin to one h u n d r e d poods per desyatin (roughly, from 330 lbs. p er acre
to 1,300 lbs. per acre). T h e P rovincial Food Com m ittees m a y v a r y th e h a rv e st groups for
each of the districts a n d villages u nder their control if the crop is unequally distributed, provided
that the tax received from th e whole province is such as w ould have been received if the p r o ­
vincial harvest group h a d bee n equally applied.
Based upon these three factors, a ta b le of scales of ta x a tio n was established b y th e decree
on the single food tax . As a n illustration of th e a c tu a l a m o u n ts involved, we give below a p o r ­
tion of this table, including only th e h a rv e st groups Nos. I, VI, and X I — th e lowest, middle, an d
highest groups respectively.
T able
—
92
—
Scale of taxation per desyatin of land {meadow-land converted into plough-land) dependent upon
the fertility of the crop [harvest group) : the am ou n t of land per in d ivid u a l; and the number
of stock [converted into large horned cattle) per farm.
AMOUNT OF LAND PER
INDIVIDUAL
Above
Desyatins
None
10
20
Lbs
IO
20
20
20
30
30
40
40
60
80
100
1 20
Lbs
( 1 ) 1/4 an -! l e s s ...........................
( 2 ) 1 /4 a n d 1 /2 i n c l u s i v e . .
( 3 ) 1/2 a n d 3 /4 in c l u s iv e . .
(4 ) 3/4 a n d 1 i n c l u s i v e . . .
( 5 ) 1 a n d 1 1 /2 i n c l u s i v e . .
( 6 ) t 1/2 a n d 2 i n c l u s iv e . .
( 7 ) 2 a n d 2 1 /2 i n c l u s i v e . .
( 8 ) i 1/2 a n d 3 in c l u s iv e . .
' 9 ) A b o v e 3 .....................................
inclusive inclusive
60
SO
1 00
Lbs
IO
20
40
45
55
70
90
IT 0
I3O
HARVEST GROUP XI
HARVEST GROUP VI
HARVEST GROUP I
25 poods and less per desyatin
Number of cattle per farm
4
Lbs
3°
40
60
60
70
So
100
1 20
140
From 25 to 50 poods per desyatin 100 poods and o v e r p e r desyatin
Number of cattle per farm
Number of cattle per farm
None
inclusive inclusive
Lbs
20
60
110
140
170
210
250
290
Lbs
60
1 00
T40
180
220
260
300
Lbs
100
140
340
35°
330
38°
390
175
210
245
280
315
None
4
Lbs
14 0
180
21 0
240
270
300
Lbs
220
260
3 00
330
360
400
Above
inclusive in clu siv e
Lbs
260
300
Lbs
300
375
4m
450
340
380
420
460
5 00
490
540
340
370
410
530
5*0
4
Lbs
44.ï
480
340
380
410
440
47C
500
5! S
55°
590
530
560
600
340
A N N E X
II
Harvest Statistics.
The most serious difficulty in g ettin g co m p arativ e figures of the agricultural situation
in Russia arises from the chan ge in th e areas u nder consideration. An analysis has therefore
been m ad e of the p re -W a r sta tis tic s according to the various areas for which figures are now
quoted by the Soviet authorities. In th e first place, the whole of P olan d has to be omitted,
but Soviet Russia has also lost o u t of th e form er R ussia in E urope the provinces of Esthonia,
Livonia, Kovno, Courland, Bessarabia, p a r t of V itebsk, p a r t of V ilna an d p a r t of Grodno.
If an a v e r a g e for th e period 1909-1913 is ta k e n as s ta n d a r d th r o u g h o u t a p p ro x im ate ly the fo l ­
lowing deductions from th e fo rm e r figures for R ussia in E u ro p e have to be made.
TOTAL FIG U R ES
D ED U CT FOR
for R us sia in Eur ope
e x c lu din g P o la n d
in m illion
P R E -W A R
L ost Provinces
in mi llion
desyatins
in million
poods
PRODUCTION
of Soviet Russia in Europe
in million
desyatins
in million
in million
desyatins
All crops...........................
5 .1 9 8
76. 2
451
5-2
4 ,7 4 7
7 [.0
All cereals.......................
3 , 7 io
72.0
293
4-5
3=417
67.2
3,373
6 5 .O
235
3 .8
3 ,1 3 8
6 l .2
Chief cereals
( w h e a t .,
rye, barley a n d o a t s ) .
These figures, tog e th er w ith those for Asia an d the Caucasus, including Transcaucasia
and Turkestan, give us the basis of com parison w ith Soviet Russi.i an d its associated republics.
In many of the d ocum ents p ro d u ced b y th e C entral S tatistic al D e p a rtm e n t of the Soviet Govern­
ment, however, T u rk e s ta n an d th e Caucasus are om itted. In the following table, there­
fore, there have been set o u t th e various p re-W ar figures w ith which it is possible to make
comparison with c u rren t statistics. T here hav e been some changes between Asiatic an d E u ro ­
pean Russia (see A n n ex on P o p u la tio n Statistics), b u t th e y are n o t of great im portance and
in any case they do n o t v itia te com parison w hen totals for the whole of Soviet Russia are being
considered.
In addition to th e areas mentioned, there is also a fu rth e r area to be ta k en into account,
namely, territory- w hich rem ained in th e h an d s of the Russian Imperial G o v ern m en t a t the
time of the harvest of 1916. This is n o t b y a n y means th e same as the territo ry of Soviet
Russia, b u t it was ap p reciab ly less th a n the p re-W ar Russia in Europe. E xcluding t h e terri­
tory occupied by the Germans, the sown area of Russia in E urope (all field crops) fell between
'913 and 1916, according to d a t a furnished to the Inter-Allied Conference in P etrograd,
February ig i y t from 79.5.million desyatins to 73 million desyatins— a fall o, 8 per cent.
—
94
—
Sown Area, Harvest and Yield of Crops in Russia.
h a r v est
A RE A
CRO PS
Y EA RS
A ll field crops. . . .
OJd R u ssian E m p ire (excluding
A ll cereals.....................
P o l a n d ) .........................................
F o u r chief cereals . .
1909-1913
/A ll c r o p s ......................
S o v iet R u s s i a ................................All cereals........................
(Chief cereals.................
I909-I9I3
A ll c r o p s ......................
IAll cereals....................
Chief cereals.................
S o v ie t R u s sia (excluding C au­ AH c e r e a l s ...................
casus a n d T u r k e s t a n ) . . . .
I 909- I 9 ' 3
in million
desyatins
in million
95-o
6,147
67.0
90.2
4,569
4,142
50.7
5,696
4,276
63.5
50.0
50.2
S i -5
89.6
85-4
77-8
1916
1920
1921
1922
( i)
85 .3
8 1 .2
74-3
82. 5
5 6.8
49-1
4 5-0
in
poods
P « desyatin
51.0
3,907
64.0
50.0
50.3
48.0
30.6
32.6
45-o
5 ,4 8 9
4 ,0 7 9
3 ,7 4 9
3,-955
1 ,7 3 8
1,6x7
2,019
( i ) Area to which these figures ap ply is doubtful.
T he figures included in the preceding table for th e years 1920 an d 19 2 1 are those supplied
b y M. P o p o v to Dr. N an se n 's R e p re se n ta tiv e in Moscow early in J u l y of th is y e a r ( i ) Attached
to this d o c u m e n t was a s t a t e m e n t re la tin g to th e y e a r 1916, and, th o u g h it does n o t s t a te to
w h a t a r e a it relates, it m a y be.inferred t h a t it also applies to th e w hole of S oviet R u s s i a , exclud­
ing T u r k e s ta n a n d th e Caucasus. C om paring th e figures given w ith th e pre-W a r figures, and
also ta k in g in to a c c o u n t th e p o p u la tio n m e n tio n e d in th e s ta te m e n t, it w ould a p p e ar n o t impos­
sible t h a t T u r k e s ta n a n d th e Caucasus are included. A t th e sam e time, i t is unlikely t h a t they
could be includ ed u n d e r a n y of th e divisions of te rr ito r y w hich are s e p a ra te ly en u m erated .
F ro m th e in fo rm a tio n av ailable it is n o t possible to d eterm in e this question, and t h e figures
h a v e b een in se rte d in th e ta b le as doubtful.
I t is possible t h a t th e y afford a more accurate
basis .of com parison t h a n th e calculation from the p re -W a r statistics. I f so, i t i n d i c a t e s that
t h e su b s e q u e n t red u c tio n in sown are a a n d in h a r v e s t has been g r e a te r t h a n is i n d i c a t e d by
com parison w ith th e p r e - W a r basis. I n th e a t ta c h e d table th e figures are given in f u ll for each
province, a n d there h a s been a d d e d a c a lc u lated figure for 1922, b as e d u p o n th e sown area and
th e e s tim a te d yield in each province, th e figures of w hich w ere furn ished in S e p t e m b e r to
Dr, N a n s e n ’s officers in Moscow, as described in C h a p te r I V .
T h e p o p u la tio n in th e areas for w hich crop figures h a v e been g ive n ca n be ascertained from
t h e census figures in c lu d ed in A n n ex IX . T h e y a m o u n t to 1 3 5 1/2 millions b e f o r e the War,
a n d 131 1/2 millions in 1920. E x cluding T u rk e sta n an d the Caucasus, figures are respectively
122,700,000 an d 115,000,000 in 1920. T hese are figures w hich can reasonably be used in
considering th e p r o d u c tiv ity of R ussia per h e a d of population up to th e fam ine o f I92I> but
th e figures for 1922 are su b je c t to m uc h greater difficulty of estim ation, and only approxim ate
conclusions can be draw n.
T
(1) Reference note (2) on page 20 of this R eport.
a b l e
S e r v i n g A r e a , Cro p a n d P o p u l a t i o n T a b la f o r 7 9 2 0 ,
icj22.
H A R V E S T OF MOS T IM P O R T A N T C E R E A L S
SO W I N G A RE A
PO P U L A T IO N
1 9 2 1 ,
T O T A L H A R V E ST O F MOST
I M P O R T A N T C E R EA LS
(in 1 ,0 0 0 s o u ls , b o t h S e x e s)
(in
d esy atin
1 ,0 0 0 d e s y a tin s )
(in p o ods)
(in
1 ,0 0 0
poods)
C O NSU M ING P R O V IN C E S
L a te st
A nnual
a v a ilab le
V illag e
Tow n
T o tal
1920
for
average
192:
e stim a te s
1920 1921
L ate st
L ate st
a v a ilab le
av ailab le
e stim a te s
1920
I9iI
1905-1914
e stim ates
1922
A r c h a n g e l .............................................
326
75
401
42,8
41.9
43-1
49
7
50.1
53-9
36.4
2,146
2,258
1,569
W h ite R ussia S. S. R ......................
B ry a n s k .................................................
V i t e b s k ..................................................
i , 282
35 3
1 ,6 3 5
764-5
714.2
713-6
43
9
34-2
5 i-i
43-o
26,145
36,512
30,684
982
269.5
266.5
368.0
34
7
36.1
42.1
32.6
9,726
11,213
11,997
302.8
3 7 8 .2
39
8
3 6 .4
52.0
33-0
11,611
15,735
12,481
124
204
1,352
319-4
Vladimir. . . * ................................
V o l o g d a .................................................
Gomel ................................................................
1,125
163
i , 288
331-9
355-0
298,5
42
8.
33-3
39-3
40.7
11,048
13,947
12,149
835
78
913
240.3
244.2
283.4
48
6
36.1
55-4 .
41-3
8,670
13,521
11,704
i ,960
414
2,374
534-0
510.8
634-5
38
1
30.8
55-3
36.2
16,464
28,271
22,969
I v a n o v o - V o z n e s e n s k ......................
K alu g a ..........................................................
495
!&5
660
114-4
129.9
207.4
44
8
40.4
51.2
40-3
4,624
6,648
8,358
870
85
955
209.5
194-5
248.4
38 6
28.6
40.6
31-7
5,983
7,903
7,874
18.1
22.0
20.8
49
0
60.6
59-7
4 3 .1
1,097
X, 1 0 2
31
J 02
144
i , 204
255-3
253-7
166.6
42
0
44-3
41.0
37-8
11 ,308
1,314
10,390
6,297
i,3 4 4
1 ,3 4 8
2,692
200.6
200.7
318.6
45
4
45-7
i,5 5 2
255
1,807
608. 2
599-4
797-3
44 4
33-4
796
33 7 .3
42
K a r e l i a ..........................................................
K o s t r o m a ....................................................
M o s c o w ..........................................................
N iz h n y -N o v g o ro d ....................................
N o v g o r o d .............................................
O l o n e t s .................................................
P e t r o g r a d ...................... .... . . . .
P sk o v .....................................................
R y b i n s k .................................................
113
OO
858
1,148
3 6 .3
9,170
10,994
11,565
28.1
44-4
20,322
16,868
35,400
10,794
6
50.8
57-2
32.0
13,273
16,078
44 3
51.0
48.0
36.8
2,236
2,630
35-5
66.0
45-1
4 ,9 2 1
1 0 ,5 3 5
44 5
39-1
62.7
36-9
I I ,2 30
19,072
15,099
53 2
49-7
57-i
44.2
8,964
11,140
10,608
44-7
4 8 .6
10,590
8,4 4 3
7,3 2 2
20,762
3 8 ,9 8 5
41,077
110
906
261.5
281.2
202
T5
217
43-8
54-8
53-9
709
891
1,600
138.8
159-7
209.1
51
i , i 44
105
1,249
287.5
304-3
409.2
701
70
771
18 0 . 2
195-2
240.0
188.4
2
-
N o r th D v i n s l c ....................................
753
37
790
43 4
58-3
1,844
2,0 2 6
640.5
845-2
4 4-8
6 0 .8
1,623
1,814
37 2.8
375-5
434-8
47-9
633
125-3
152.9
524
65 1
113-1
123. X
171.7
187.0
49 6
45 0
46 9
49 2
32.3
T v e r ......................................................
C h e r e p o v e t s .........................................
Y a r o s la v ................................................
182
191
42
127
181.5
6 4 1 .8
163.8
S m o l e n s k .............................................
T o t a l .........................................................
21,897
5>i 6 7
27,064
6 , 254.8
7V 53°-4
43 9
591
6 ,3 1 1 .2
896
1,984
9,430 -
48.3
39-6
17,851
18,137
17,218
4 6 .4 5 3 . 0
5° . 2 6 2 .8
37-5
5,816
8 ,1 0 0
6 ,4 3 9
39-4
5,677
7 ,7 3 1
7 ,3 6 S
50.1
4 O .O
239,634
38.3
31 6 ,31 s'
301,2 83
S o w in g A r e a , C r o p a n d P o p u l a t i o n T a b le f o r 1 9 2 0 , 1 9 2 1 , 1 9 2 2 .
d is t r ic t s
and
HARVEST OF MOST IMPORTANT CEREALS
POPULATION
SOWING AREA
(in 1, 000 souls, b o th sexes)
(in 1, 000 desyatins)
Town
TOTAL HARVEST OF MOST
IMPORTANT CEREALS
r e p u b l ic s
Village
1
Total
1920
1921
de syat in (in poods)
La te st
available
estimates
An nua l
average fof
1920
19 21
(in 1, 000 poods)
La te st
available
estimates
1920
1905-1914
1921
Late st
available
estimates
U kra in e P rovinces :
V o l h y n i a ...............................
1,412
126
1,538
651.0
654-3
784.2
59.5
44-2
86.0
57-5
28,745
56,293
4 5 ,0 9 2
D o n e t s ....................................
2,262
850
3,112
1,385.0
1 ,391-9
1, 687.7
38.9
29.7
19-5
35-4
41,157
27,189
59,745
E k a t e r i n o s l a v ......................
1,415
367
1,782
1 , 115.0
1, 114.0
960.6
48.3
27. 2
14.1
4 2 .5
30,351
15,705
40,826
Z a p o r o z h y e ...........................
1,141
147
i , 288
1 ,494.0
1,400.0
1,024,6
50.2
29 .1
8.2
4 4 .4
43,505
11,501
45,492
K i e v .........................................
2,698
898
3,596
1, 087.0
943-0
1 , 552-4
73-2
53.2
77.6
75-4
57,815
73,131
117,051
K r e m e n c h u g ...........................
1,696
208
1,904
922.0
1 ,0 9 4 -5
945-5
5 8 .3
46.9
38.6
53-6
43,267
42,229
50,679
: 08
312
1,420
1, 342.0
1, 240,1
648.2
3 8 .9
31-7
11.4
37-3
42,477
14,104
24,178
i,3 7 °
581
1,951
1, 625.0
1, 624.9
1 , 181.4
43-4
38.0
26.9
38.2
61,828
43,686
45,129
2,322
403
2,725
1,028.0
1,058.0
1 , 232.1
68.9
33-5
87.8
53-i
34 ,4 4 9
92,899
65,425
P o l t a v a ....................................
2,031
224
2,255
1, 807.0
1, 810.3
1, 465.0
6l
. I
51.0
59-i
61.1
92,217
107,015
89,512
K h a r k o v ................................
2,008
460
2,468
1,007.0
1, 010.2
1 , 340.1
56.8
23.8
53-5
56.8
23,974
54,039
76,118
C h e rn ig o v ...............................
1,674
258
1,932
8 67.0
863.6
967.5
41.2
31.6
50.3
41.2
27,394
4 3 ,4 5 9
39,861
21,137
4 :834
25,971
14, 330.0
14, 204.8
13, 789.3
53-2
36.8
40.9
5°- 7
527,179
1,
O d e s s a ....................................
T
o ta l
................................
S o u th -E a s te r n P r o v in c e s :
K abarda
..................................................
4 1 .7 |
|
6 1 .5
55- S
I
/
1
581,250
6 9 9 , I 08
2,565
ECONOMIC C O N D I T IO N S IN
RUSSIA
S o w in g
A r e a , C ro p
a n d P o p u la tio n
(in 1,000 souls, both sexes)
HARVEST OF MOST IMPORTANT CEREALS
(in 1,000 desyatins)
per i desyatin (in poods)
Village
Total
1920
1921
TOTAL HARVEST OF MOST
IMPORTANT CEREALS
Latest
available
DICTRICTS AND REPUBLICS
Town
1 9 2 2.
SOWING AREA
POPULATION
PRODUCING PROVINCES
T a b le f o r 1 9 2 0 , 1 9 2 1 ,
estimates
(in 1,000 poods)
Annual
average for
1920
1921
available
estimates
1920
1921
Latest
available
estimates
1905-1914
A s t r a k h a n ................................
B a s h k i r .........................................
244
143
66.4
58.4
I I .0
16.4
5-7
II.0
71
387
1,269
82.6
1,198
731.2
570 .7
904.6
42.3
18.6
9.1
46. I
I . 351
13,608
V o r o n e z h ....................................
2,925
229
3,154
I , 4 i 4-7
849-5
909.8
46.0
28.7
27-5
42.3
388 .1
335- 6
184.8
42.8
38.7
12.9
39-8
896.6
39-5
38.8
19.5
39- 5
40. I
2 7- 9
10.2
50.5
50.6
379
642
5 , i 67
41,702
40,567
23,381
38,485
15,020
4,320
7,355
47,238
21,888
35,416
54-7
39,594
22,349
28,105
62.8
48,218
5, 46 2
10,645
48,218
52,178
64,277
V o t y a k ........................................
63 4
53
687
V y a t k a .........................................
1,947
105
2,052
I ,216.I
I ,122.8
1,442
540
1,982
986.6
802.4
513-8
54-7
347
360
707
53 5 - °
169.5
52.8
2,514
290
1-99
2,713
1,032.3
1,270.3
54-4
41.O
10
300
215-3
215-3
29.4
6.4
33 -4
6,324
1,383
4,723
1,371
1 , 5^5
712.2
611.7
I 4 I -4
707.6
40.2
144
4 8. 5
16. 7
55-2
53-4
11,895
3 3 , 75 4
37,786
958.9
373-8
44.6
24.4
30.5
37-9
22,166
2 5, 58 7
36,342
40.9
32.4
55-9
29, 337
2 2, 795
20,895
36.5
32.5
44.1
26,998
23,565
32,025
11.8
5-5
13-4
26.9
25, 33i
7,032
14,088
30.4
33,278
18,381
36,817
E k a t e r i n b u r g ...........................
C r i m e a .........................................
K u r s k .........................................
M a r i i .............................................
i , i 75-6
O r e l .............................................
P e n z a .........................................
1,597
1 50
i ,747
907.0
839-7
P e r m ............................................
1,461
331
1,792
716.7
703.6
R y a z a n ........................................
S a m a r a ........................................
2,032
124
2,156
740.6
726.2
2,486
335
2,821
2,152-0
724.5
1,282.7
523.7
53-5
49 -0
33-2
S a r a t o v .......................................
2,629
436
3,065
2,033.0
i , 367. 7
1,211.1
34-9
16.4
S i m b i r s k ....................................
1,436
207
1,643
845- 4
736.1
591.6
10.8
35-3
28,773
7, 93 7
20,883
3,143
2,638
252
3, 39 5
1,247.8
1 , 3 30 . 7
1,610.6
42 -5
53-9
34-o
T a m b o v ....................................
27.8
41.6
53-9
34,674
55, 391
86,8h
248
2,886
1,639.8
1,321.0
830.2
4 1 .i
28.5
6-3
36.1
46,682
8,275
29,970
3 13- 9
772. 1
34-o
12.7
1.8
14.1
6,884
329
4,426
46.7
3 6. 7
7-9
43-4
59-5
24,041
22,213
33,509
33,213
T a r t a r R e p u b l i c ......................
G erm an C o m m u n e .................
T u l a .............................................
419
U f a .............................................
T s a r i t s y n ......................
C h e ly a b i n s k ...............................
C h u vash T e r r i t o r y .................
T o t a l district .
.
G rand T otal
.
.
.
454
542-3
181.1
i , 724
739- 9
606.0
255
1 80
2,009
1,106.5
930.3
i , i 99
1,172.1
i , 1 59
182
i , 34i
738
20
36,953
4,803
97,720
17,518
1,530
35
1 94
1,754
1,019
48.0
32.5
30.0
847-3
745-7
22.6
1 3. 2
8.4
19.4
15,479
7,103
14,467
1,407.8
683.4
328.3
40.4
21,254
6,588
13,2 63
305.0
327 ■ 3
307 •3
I 5- I
28.8
9.6
758
37-1
47-5
6.7
31.8
8,778
2, I79
9,772
41,756
22,478.3
18,023.I
15,422.2
4 3- 3
25-8 i 21-4
41.8
j 580,7031 3 8 4 ,9 9 1 , 6 4 4 , 5 3 8
5 6 ,8 4 0 .8
49?114-4
4 5 >0 I 5 - 8
—
j 30 .61 32.61
44- 9
1 ^ , 738. 178^ 1 , 6 1 7 , 1 6 9 12 , 0 1 9 , 7 6 5
I I 5 ’ 23S
( 372 )
7 ,3 55 ( 2 2 , 1 3 4 )
A N N E X
III
The R ep o rt o f M r. H o o v e r on th e W o rk of the A m e rica n
R e lie f A d m in istra tion in R u ssia .
J u l y io th , 1922.
My
d e a r
M r. P r e s id e n t ,
The Congressional a u t h o r i ty for use of U. S. G rain Corporation funds in relief of th e Russian
famine expired on J u l y 1st, and it is, therefore, ap p ro p ria te t h a t I should s u b m i t a short interim
report as to th e general results so far a t ta i n e d — n o t only b y these funds b u t also those adm inis­
tered by the A m erican Relief A d m in istra tio n from o th e r sources. Final rep o rt m u st be delayed
until the receipt of ac co u n ts from R u ssia w hen d istrib u tio n of supplies is complete. I send
you herewith the accounts of the P u rc h a s in g Commission to J u l y 1st, showing all bids, acceptances,
prices, shipments, etc.
The Commission h as b o u g h t th r o u g h th e G rain Corporation and received from the W ar
Department th e following supplies, all b u t a sm all p o rtion of which have now been despatched
to the Relief A d m in istra tio n :
Tons
Com............................................................................................................................................
Corn g r i t s ...............................................................................................................................
W h eat.........................................................................................................................................
R y e .............................................................................................................................................
Prepared m i l k ......................................................................................................................
Medical s u p p l i e s ..................................................................................................................
248,418
92,841
41,120
21,074
21,596
3,400
...........................................................................................
428,449
T
o t a l
In addition to th e above, th e A m eric an R elief A d m in ist ation has for its own account and
that of other agencies acting th r o u g h i t d is p a tc h e d th e following materials, of which th e rice,
fats, sugar, cocoa, etc., are special a d d itio n s to the ch ild ren ’s ration :
S h o rt Tons
W h e a t...................................................................
Flour...........................................................................................................................................
Corn g r i t s ...............................................................................................................................
R ye.............................................................................................................................................
Rice............................................................................................................................................
Beans an d peas a n d special s e e d s .............................................................................
Prepared m i l k ......................................................................................................................
S u g a r ....................................................................
Fats............................................................................................................................................
C o c o a........................................................................................................................................
Medical supplies.....................................................................................................................
Miscellaneous, clothing, bags, soap, e t c .......................................................................
T o t a l ...............................................................
, 686
101,955
29,559
4 ,2 0 0
15, 76.3
9 , 295
3 3 , 5J 5
15,464
9,277
3,395
2,000
24 , 32T
h i
360,430
—
100
—
T h e to t a l of th e above m a te r ia ls han d led b y th e Relief A d m in istra tio n m a y be summarized
as follows :
S h o rt Tons
Cereals for seed a n d f o o d .................................................................................................
B e an s a n d p e a s
and
special se eds...............................................................
C ondensed a n d e v a p o rated m i l k ................................................................................
S u g a r.......................................................................................................................................................
F a t s .............................................................................................................................................
666,615
9 529^
5 5 ,iii
15,464
9,277
C o c o a ...........................................................: .........................................................................
Medical supplies, clothing, a n d s u n d rie s..............................................................................
T
F IN A N C IA L
o t a l ..............................................................................................
R E S O U R C E S
O F
T H E
A M E R IC A N
R E L IE F
3,395
29,721
788^878
A D M IN IS T R A T IO N
T h e e s tim a te d resources m obilized from all q u a r te rs b y th e A m erican Relief Administration
for d is trib u tio n u n d e r its agreed control will com prise the following ap p ro x im a te sums up to
the en d of the p r e s e n t ca m paig n. No app e al for public charity has bee n m ade by the Relief
A d m in istra tio n , because it w as considered t h a t m u c h larger financial m easures were not only
n ecessary to successfully m e e t th e situ ation, b u t also t h a t such appeal would greatly embarrass
our h o m e charities w hich h a v e been m uch s tra in e d d uring the p as t w in te r b y unemployment,
G eneral fund s of A m erican Relief A dm inistratio n, food r em itta n ces, su n d ry d o n a ­
tio n s .........................................................................................................................................
Congressional a u th o riz a tio n for food a n d seed ( to ta l available funds of U. S. G rain
C o r p o r a t i o n ) ...............................................................................................................................
Congressional a u th o riz a tio n of w a r supplies, m edical sup plies....................................
A m erican R e d Cross m edical supplies.................................................................................
Je w ish J o i n t D istrib u tio n C o m m itte e ..................................................................................
L a u ra S pelm an M em orial...........................................................................................................
Gold supplied b y S oviet G o v e rn m e n t..................................................................................
N a tio n a l L u th e ra n Council...................................
Men on i te C entral C o m m itte e ....................................................................................................
Volga Relief Society.....................................................................................................................
F e d e ra l Council of C hurches....................................................................................................
In te rn a tio n a l C om m ittee Y . M . C . A ..............................................................
T
o t a l
......................................................................................................................
$ 1 7 ,500,000
19,300,000
4,000,000
3,600,000
2,325,000
500,000
11,433,000
300,00}
200,000
200,000
90,000
50,000
$ 59,498,000
U n d e r th e stip u latio n s of our agreem ent w ith th e R ussian au th o rities, th ey h a v e furnished
all in te rn a l tran s p o rta tio n , warehouses, d istrib u tio n a n d eq u ip m en t a t th e ir own c o s t. Further­
more, th e Relief A d m in istration deducts a m arg in for th e service of rem ittin g f o o d orders from
persons in th e U n ite d S ta te s to specific persons in Russia. T he a m o u n t r e a l i z e d from this
m a rg in will ap p a re n tly exceed th e overhead of th e A d m in istratio n an d becomes a substantial
co n trib u tio n to th e ch ild ren ’s relief. Therefore, no single cent of ad m in istra tio n o r distribution
cost has been d ed u cted from Congressional funds o r . donations th ro u g h this o rg a n iz a tio n .
In ad d itio n to the ab o v e a m o u n ts the F rie n d s ’ Service C om m ittee, as the r e s u l t of public
appeals, h av e purchased $415,000 of supplies from th e A. R. A. a n d hav e m a d e some direct
sh ip m en ts to th e ir own d is trib u tio n agencies. F u rth e rm o re , the various c o m m u n i s t committees
in th e U n ite d S ta te s h av e secured public ch a rity for supplies sent d irec tly to th e S o v i e t authorities
es tim a te d b y th e m a t a b o u t $500,000.
DISTRI BU TIO N
T h e A. R. A. a d m in istra tiv e personnel a t ho m e an d abroad com prise a b o u t 2 0 0 Americans,
w ith a b o u t 80,000 Russians u n d e r their direction. T h ey were co n d u ctin g 15,700 kitchens an
—
101
—
distribu tin g stations, feeding in ro u n d n u m b e rs a b o u t 3,250,000 children and 5,300,000 adults,
a total of about 8,550,000 persons. This n u m b e r will so m e w h at increase up to h arvest. It
is of course impossible to s ta te th e n u m b e r of lives saved; it m a y be larger th a n the figures
imply because, if i t h a d b een necessary to divide th e n ativ e supplies a m o n g st all those fed by
the A. R- A., additional n u m b e rs w ould h a v e been starved before h a rv e st; theoretically, if
ten persons have tw o m o n t h s ’ food, all are likely to die in fo u r m o n t h s , whereas, if five are fed
from th e outside, all should survive.
The medical supplies have enabled th e g r e a t typhus, typhoid, smallpox, and fam ine-fever
epidemics to be k e p t u n d e r m e asu rab le control. Some millions of people have been inoculated
for various diseases, a n d o th e r s a n ita ry m easures p u t into force.
Iam advised b y o ur R u ssian staff t h a t the Relief A dm inistration is now reaching all accessible
persons whose lives are in je o p a r d y an d t h a t th e loss of life directly due to s ta rv a tio n ceased
some time since, a lth o u g h m o s t everyone in R ussia is hungry. There was considerable loss
of life early in th e w inter, w hich w ould h a v e been m uch a b a te d had th e Russian railw ays been
able to transport th e large surplus of supplies w hich the A m erican Relief A dm inistration m a in ­
tained in Russian ports.
The American Relief A d m in istra tio n supplies are sufficient to carry through until th e harv e st
and have in h and a su rp lu s w h ich will be d e v o te d to the f u r th e r su p p o rt of waif an d d e stitu te
children after th a t date.
The other A m erican organization s m e n tio n e d above as doing their own distribution are
providing for a p p r o x im a te ly 100,000 persons. In ad dition to the American effort, o u r advices
indicate that ab o u t 400,000 persons are b eing su p p o rted b y the com bined effort, of the other
countries of Europe. T he to ta l co n trib u tio n of all such countries am o u n ts to a b o u t $5,000,000
and the total supplies th e y hav e shipped to R u ssia h a v e been ab o u t 45,000 tons.
PROSPE CTS OF T H E N E X T HARVEST IN RUSSIA
It is too early to give a n a c c u ra te opinion as to th e results of this A ugust h arvest. The
Soviet authorities h a v e a n n o u n c e d t h a t it will be ample for n e x t year. I t is certain t h a t the
famine region will p ro d u c e th re e or fo ur tim es the q u a n tity of food it did last harvest, m ostly
due to the large sh ip m en ts of seed m e n tio n e d above. It also appears t h a t climatic conditions
are more favourable to th e h a r v e s t from the rem aining area of R ussia th a n they were la s t year.
The degeneration of a g ric u ltu re does not, how ever, promise m uch hope of surplus. W h a te v er
the supply m ay be, it seems likely there will be sporadic hardship in some localities, due to the
breakdown in d istrib u tio n ; e x tre m e p o v e rty will continue in the cities and the Jew ish co m m u n i­
ties, and furthermore, one resu lt of the shifting p opulation an d the ravages of famine has been a
considerable body of w aif a n d d e s titu te ch ild ren t h a t will require tim e for re-absorption. T he
great famine is, however, u n d e r control and th e situ a tio n promises m uch b e tte r afte r the harvest.
The possible extension of relief w o rk a f te r h a r v e s t requires more consideration before
decision is reached; in a n y event, the considerable resources o bta ined b y the Soviet authorities
from the confiscation of ch u rc h treasures specifically for relief purposes places them in a position
to care for a large p a r t of th e d e s titu te children. T he A m erican Relief A dm inistration would,
of course, endeavour to co-operate in a solution of the problem of children and others.
GENERAL
I cannot fail to refer to th e obligation we hold to the tw o h u n d r e d of our citizens who have
been engaged in the c o n d u c t of these operations, all of th e m at a personal sacrifice or danger and
nost of them under g r e a t h ardship. M any of our staff h a v e suffered from typhus, of which
■l r- Blandy died; four or five h a v e been retired from physical collapse. R a th e r t h a n to a tte m p t
—
ï 02
—
to re c o u n t th e ir in d iv id u al services, I tr a n s m it to y ou th e list of th e en tire personnel. Their
ta s k has been difficult b e y o n d description in a c o u n try of d e g e n era te tr a n s p o r t; w ith government
economic, a n d social life j u s t em erging fro m chaos.
I believe this effort has ste m m e d one of th e g r e a te s t c a ta s tr o p h e s t h a t has followed the
w ar. T here is a deep feeling of g r a ti tu d e in th e minds of th e R u s sia n people, and the result will
I am sure, be of la stin g sa tisfac tio n to th e A m eric an people. W i th o u t it, certainly m any millions
of people w ould h a v e died from s ta r v a tio n ; millions more w ould h a v e perished from the disorder
a n d disease t h a t w o u ld h a v e followed.
I w ish to express our ap p re c ia tio n of th e energetic efforts of the Shipping Board in the
m o v e m e n t of supplies, to th e N a v y for th e detail of destroyers, a n d to their officers for assist­
a n c e in h a n d lin g p o r t problem s in Russia, to th e A rm y for personnel a n d aid in supplies, j^e
co -operation of o th e r A m erican associations m e n tio n e d a b o v e h a s c o n trib u te d substantially
a n d a g r e a t m e asu re of co-operation has been o b ta in e d from R u s sia n officials.
I w ish to a d d t h a t this ac h ie v e m e n t w ould n o t h a v e been possible w ith o u t your unwavering
su p p o rt.
Y ours faithfully,
H erbert
HOOVER,
Chairm an, A m erica n R elief Administration.
A N N E X
IV
Work accom plished by th e In te rn a tio n a l C o m m ittee of th e R u ss ia n R elief F u n d s,
u n d er th e su p erin ten d en ce of D r. N an sen ,
fr o m
S ep tem b er 1 9 21
to
Septem ber
19 22 .
G eneva, O ctob er 1922.
On A ugust 15th, 1921, th e v a rio u s G o v ern m e n ts, Red Cross Societies, and im p o r ta n t p h ila n ­
thropic organisations, h a v in g bee n in v ite d b y th e I n tern atio n al Red Cross to m eet in Geneva
to discuss the terrible p ro b lem of the R u ssian fa m in e an d th e m eans for repairing this disaster,
decided to send relief to th e fam ine-stricken, pro v id ed t h a t the Soviet A uthorities g u ara n tee d
a free passage for foodstuffs across R u ssia a n d g r a n te d foreign delegates th e right of freedom
from restriction in su p e rv isin g th e d is trib u tio n of relief. Dr. N anse n was appointed High
Commissioner and proceeded to R ussia im m e d ia te ly . On A ugust 27th, he concluded w ith
M. Chicherin, P eople’s C o m m issa ry for F oreign Affairs, an agre em e nt w hich secured to the
organisation’s m em bers of th e In te r n a tio n a l C o m m ittee of the R ussian Relief Funds, all the
guarantees and privileges asked for.
As early as S ep te m b er, th e first co n sig n m e n t of foodstuffs was d esp atc h ed to the famine
area. One after ano th er, a ce rta in n u m b e r of G o v ern m e n ts and th e m a jo r ity of national Red
Cross Societies and E u ro p e a n p h ila n th r o p ic org anisations entered the h u m a n ita ria n crusade
which had been placed u n d e r t h e su p e rin te n d e n c e of Dr. Nansen.
More th a n 150 foreign delegates w ere se n t to organise and supervise the distribution of
relief. They h ad to stru g g le a g a in st g r e a t m a te ria l difficulties an d to w ork in districts rav a g ed
by epidemics. Five of th e m died, vic tim s of the ir self-sacrificing devotion.
The Soviet A u th o ritie s to o k p a r t in th e w o rk of th e In te rn a tio n a l C om m ittee of th e R ussian
Relief Funds b y tr a n s p o r ti n g th e foodstuffs a n d e q u ip m e n t of relief expeditions in sealed
wagons, granting free p o sta l a n d telegrap hic facilities an d supplying accom m odation, depots
and the subordinate R u ssian staff required.
In one year more t h a n 90,700 tons of foodstuffs were d istrib u te d am ong th e famine-stricken
by the organisations affiliated to the I n te r n a tio n a l C om m ittee of th e R ussian Relief F u n d s
or by Dr. Nansen himself, th a n k s to gifts to ta llin g 3,196,041.80 Swiss francs sent to the High
Commissioner direct.
The total funds a p p r o p r ia t e d b y th e I n te r n a tio n a l C om m ittee of the Russian Relief F u n d s
in its fight against th e fa m in e exceeds 4 2 ,0 0 0 .0 0 0 Swiss francs.
Moreover, in view of th e e x tre m e g r a v it y of th e situation, cereals to a v alu e of 2,575,000
Swiss francs were p u r c h a s e d o u t of R u ssian funds b y Dr. N an se n ’s agents in two countries,
members of the I n te r n a t io n a l C o m m ittee of the R ussian Relief F u n d s (Poland an d Roumania) and d is trib u te d a m o n g th e fam ine sufferers by the E u ro p e a n delegates in agree­
ment with the Soviet p le n ip o te n tia ry r e p re se n ta tiv e a tta c h e d to th e foreign relief o rg a ­
nisations.
, (1) In other parts of this report, i t will be noted t h a t the Internatio nal Committee of the Russian Relief Funds is
signaled “ International Russian Relief Commission” or I. R . R. C.
—
104
—
The funds pro v id ed b y in te r n a tio n a l efforts m a d e it possible for th e n u m ber of persons
receiving relief g ra d u a lly to be increased from 500,000 in M arch to 1,051,000 in June, and in
A u g u st to 1,637,000, as is show n in the following ta b le :
N u m b e r of F a m in e Su fferers receiving Food from the International Committee of the Russian Relief
F u n d s on A u g u st 15th, IÇ22.
Children
30 5 ,00 0
—
2 ,0 0 0
—
112,000
20 ,0 0 0
2 3 ,6 5 0
Adults
—
3 75,ooo
1,000
2 ,0 0 0
Total
3 0 5 ,0 0 0
375,ooo
3 ,0 0 0
2 ,0 0 0
292,000
6 ,0 0 0
2 ,2 0 0
4 ,0 0 0
180,000
6 8,684
44,700
19,200
9,40 0
11,600
21,600
2 3 ,4 0 0
—
15,000
i ,544
—
5,060
—
5,000
2 3 ,4 0 0
10,100
100
255
—
1,000
2 ,3 0 0
500
88 ,6 8 4
68,350
29,300
15,400
13,800
2S.600
5,060
15,000
6,544
355
2,300
1,500
0
0
0
o’
00
I n te rn a tio n a l " S a v e th e Children ’’F u n d , S a r a to v ( i ) .......................................
B ritish com m ittees, N an s e n a n d R u ssian fun ds, S a r a t o v ...............................
G erm an R e d Cross, S a r a t o v ......................................................................................
U n iv e rsity M u tu a l A ssistance A ssociation, S a r a t o v ..............................................
Q uakers, B u z u lu k (w ith th e as sistance of N o rw egian, D u tc h , N ansen a n d
R ussian f u n d s ) .............................................................................................................
Q uakers, K u s ta n i a ..............................................................................................................
Swedish R ed Cross, S a m a r a ...........................................................................................
D u tc h R e d Cross a n d C om m ittees, S a m a r a ...........................................................
Czechoslovak G o v e rn m e n t’s Com m ittee, S a m a ra
.............................................
N orw egian R e d Cross a n d C o m m ittees, S a m a r a ..................................................
N an s e n F u n d , S a m a r a ........................................................................................................
Swiss R ed Cross a n d “ S ave th e Children” F u n d C om m ittee, T sa ritsy n a n d
S a r e p ta .............................................................................................................................
Czechoslovak C o m m ittee a n d N a n s e n F u n d , C h e ly a b in s k ...............................
D a n is h R e d Cross, S im b irs k ...........................................................................................
I n te rn a tio n a l “ S a v e th e C hildren” F u n d , Moscow...............................................
E s th o n ia n R e d Cross, M o s c o w ......................................................................................
G erm an R e d Cross, M insk...............................................................................................
N an sen R efuge R elief F u n d , N o v o riss iis k ...............................................................
N ansen, S panish a n d N orw egian F u n d s , U k ra in e ................................................
N an sen F u n d in collaboration w i t h th e U k ra in ia n R e d Cross, U k ra in e .. .
C zechoslovak Mission in th e U kraine a n d C rim ea................................................
I n te rn a tio n a l “ S av e th e C hildren” F u n d , U k r a i n e .............................................
G erm an Red Cross, U k r a i n e ...........................................................................................
Swedish R ed Cross, G a m m a l s v e n s k y ........................................................................
N ansen Refugee Relief, K re m e n tc h u g ........................................................................
Ita lia n R e d Cross a n d “ Save th e C hildren” F u n d C om m ittee, T sa ritsy n .
B a p tists, M elitopol...............................................................................................................
N an se n F u n d , C rim ea.........................................................................................................
M ennonites, Sim feropol......................................................................................................
5 3 ,0 0 0
31,675
25,192
133,000
56,667
1 6 ,3 3 1
16,331
1 0 ,3 0 0
3 ,0 0 0
—
2 ,0 0 0
10,300
5,000
2 0,000
2 0 ,0 0 0
400
28,074
6 ,100
12,000
10,000
3, 5oo
1,000
70,925
6,100
32,000
30,000
7 34,4 20
902,896
i ,637,316
3,500
600
42,851
A t the p re s e n t tim e th e U n iv ersity M u tu a l Assistance Association is feeding I0,0C0 stu­
d en ts in R u s sian an d U k ra in ia n universities.
Dr. N a n s e n ’s special fu n d for in tellectual workers is su p p o rtin g 2,000 professors b y means
of parcels of foodstuffs.
T he Swiss “ Save the Children” F u n d has, moreover, received foodstuffs from Dr. Nansen
w hich will en ab le i t to feed 25,000 ad u lts in th e K a lm y k district, w here th e Swiss organisation
is u n d e rta k in g to s u p p o r t 25,000 children a t its own expense.
In addition, th e H ig h Commissioner has forw arded to Russia 1,200 tons of seed on behalf
of the Jew ish Colonisation Association, and, following the exam ple of th e A. R. A., has bought,
w ith R ussian funds, m ore th a n 80,000 tons of seed, w'hich h av e been h a n d e d over to the Com­
m issariat of A griculture.
(1) The relief work among children in Saratov is maintained by the funds of the British “ Save the Children’ Fund
(£484,000) and by £60,000 collected by the International “ Save the Children” F und in various countries.
—
105
—
The 91,700 tons of goods d e s p a tc h e d include over 100 tons of m edical requisites, medicjneSj v a cc ines, etc., se n t b y th e British, D anish, Swiss, Swedish a n d Czechoslovak Red Cross
Societies a n d a c o n sig n m e n t specially p rese n ted to Dr. N anse n b y the In te rn a tio n a l F ed era tio n
of Trades Unions. T h e fight ag a in st epidemics has been organised u n d e r th e supervision of
the r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of th e A n ti-ep id em ic Section of th e L eague of N ations.
The In tern a tio n a l F e d e r a tio n of T ra d e Unions, w hich is in fre q u e n t com m unication w ith
the I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o m m ittee of th e R ussian Relief F unds, w ithout, however, being officially
represented, has also se n t relief to th e valu e of 3,000,000 Swiss francs, p articu la rly to t h e
Chuvash district. T he goods s e n t by it are n o t included in the above statistics.
The great N ear E a s t Relief organisation, w hich carried o u t extrem ely u rg e n t w ork in Georgia
and Armenia, and th e group of B ritish organisations, of w hich the m ost im p o r ta n t is the Lord
Mayor of L ondon’s F u n d , are m e m b ers of the In te r n a tio n a l Com m ittee of R ussian Relief F unds.
A detailed account of the w o rk accom plished b y these organisations has been published by
Dr. Nansen’s S ecretariat.
,
The In tern atio n al C o m m itte e of th e R u ssian Relief F unds, in w hich all the above org an i­
sations w ere grouped, w as dissolved on S ep te m b e r 19th and replaced b y a simple conference
of the variou s R ussian Relief associations. Dr. Nansen, however, is proceeding w ith his w ork
in Russia a n d is co n tin u in g to place his techn ical services a t the disposal of those relief asso­
ciations which require th e ir assistance. In sp ite of th e im m ense requirem ents, it is nevertheless
probable th a t several org an isa tio n s will be forced, th ro u g h lack of funds, to suspend their a c ti­
vities next winter.
S ta n d a rd Parcels of F oo dstu ffs and Despatch of Clothing.
In response to n u m e ro u s req u e sts to th e I n te r n a tio n a l Red Cross Com mittee, a n d to
asking th e m to o b ta in facilities fo r th e desp atc h of foodstuffs to persons resident
in Russia, a service for f o rw a rd in g s ta n d a r d parcels has been organised.
The parcels, w hich cost 2 1/2 dollars, c o n ta in 15 lbs. of flour, 2 tins of condensed milk (sweet­
ened), 2 lbs. of an im al or v e g e ta b le fat, 2 lbs. of sugar, 2 lbs. of rice a n d 200 gram m es of tea.
Since it began its w ork, th e service of th e In te r n a tio n a l Com m ittee of the R ussian Relief
Funds and of D r. N a n se n 's Com m ission for fo rw ard in g parcels of foodstuffs has received over
70,000 orders.
In order to avoid th e delays in th e c a rry in g o u t of orders, occasioned b y tr a n s p o r t diffi­
culties last year, considerable reserves of parcels h a v e been form ed in th e d istrib u tio n centres
at Moscow, P etrograd, Minsk, Chelyabinsk, S a m a ra , S aratov, Novorossiisk, K h ark o v , Kiev,
Odessa and Kazan.
New centres h a v e re c e n tly bee n established a t R ostov-on-D on, a t Sevastopol and a t Tiflis.
More th a n 100,000 parcels h a v e b ee n d esp a tc h e d to Russia. W agon-loads of parcels are
sent off every week fro m Moscow to the ab ove towns, where distribution proceeds w ith o u t i n t e r ­
mission.
The reports of th e delegates of the Relief associations show that, although the general s it u a ­
tion has improved as a result of this y'ear’s h arv e st, R ussia will be far from possessing her req u ire ­
ments in foodstuffs u n til n e x t year. D istress will contin ue to be especially a c u te in the towns.
The intellectual classes in p a r ti c u la r need assistance from abroad.
Thousands of receipts signed b y recipients in all p a r ts of Russia are received a t Geneva
and forwarded to th e senders. T h e y are accom panied b y expressions of deep g r a titu d e on
the part of those w hom these foodstuffs h a v e saved from death.
A service for fo rw a rd in g p ackages of clothing has recently been established, an d the same
technical organisation is utilised for this purpose.
Dr. Nansen has a d d re ssed a n a p p e a l to universities an d learned societies on behalf of the
Dr. Nansen,
—
io 6
—
R ussian in telle c tu a l classes. T he g re a te r n u m b e r of universities in R ussia a n d the Ukraine
are one a f te r a n o th e r being “ a d o p t e d ” b y foreign seats of learning, w hich send them foodstuffs
re g u la rly th r o u g h th e parcels service.
A sim ila r a p p e a l h as j u s t been m a d e to the T ra d es U nion o rganisations on behalf of famine
stric k e n railw a y m e n a n d post, te le g ra p h and te lep h o n e em ployees in th e Southern Ukraine
a n d in th e V olga district.
Prospects for N e x t W inter.
A lth o u g h th e h a r v e s t in R u s sia a n d th e F e d e r a te d Republics has, on th e whole, been better
t h a n la s t year, th e s itu a tio n in t h e fam in e a re a s is still v e ry serious. A ccording to statistics
s e n t on S e p te m b e r 13th to D r. N a n s e n ’s re p re se n ta tiv e , b y M. L ander, ple n ip o te n tia ry delegate
of th e S o v ie t a u th o ritie s to th e foreign relief organisations, the deficit of th e harvest in the
fa m in e -stric k e n provinces of R u ssia (excluding the U k ra in e a n d Siberia) reaches 66,455,000
poods, o r over 1,000,000 to n s (1).
In th e A s tr a k h a n G o v ern m e n t, w here th e s it u a ti o n is worst, th e re only remain, after deduct­
in g seed-corn from th e h arv e st, 2.3 poods (36.8 kilos) of cereals p e r h e a d of rural population.
If it is ca lc u la te d t h a t th e u r b a n p o p u la tio n m u s t b e fed from, th e h a r v e s t in the Astrakhan
P ro v in c e th e re only re m a in 1.4 poods (22.4 kilos) p er head for th e whole year.
In th e U k ra in e th e h a r v e s t w as fair in c e rtain Provinces b u t v e r y b a d in others. The
re p r e s e n ta tiv e of the E p id e m ic Commission of th e L eague of N ations te leg ra p h s th a t the out­
b r e a k of fa m in e an d epidem ics in th e provinces of Zaporozhye, N ikolaev a n d Odessa is extreme­
ly severe. T he au th o ritie s possess no foodstuffs a n d c a n n o t even s u p p ly th e ir own hospitals.
T he K h erso n d istric t possesses only enough food to last u ntil O cto b e r an d is doomed unless
help is forthcom ing. O th e r d istric ts will be able to hold o u t longer, b u t b y the middle of Novem­
b e r th e fam ishing, w ho a lre a d y n u m b e r more t h a n one million, will be n e a rly two millions.
Medical assistance is a b s o lu te ly necessary. T h e doctors are fighting desperately, but arc
in need of medicines a n d foodstuffs, a n d th e ir salaries are only paid a f te r immense delay.
C hildren’s clothing is e n tir e ly lacking.
U nless jud icio u s a n d g en e ral assistance is forthcom ing, epidemics will b re a k out everywhere
a n d it will be im possible to keep th e m u n d e r control. E m ig r a tio n w o u ld be the inevitable
result, a n d th e d e a th - r a te w ould becom e en o rm o u s am o n g a p o p u la tio n w hose capacity for
re sis ta n c e h as been consid erab ly reduced b y fam ine.
Sim ilar rep o rts hav e bee n s e n t to Dr. N anse n b y all his delegates in th e Southern Ukraine
a n d th e Crimea.
T h e new s received fro m la s t y e a r ’s fam in e districts in R ussia is also v e ry serious.
I t will ce rtain ly be im possible for th e R u ssian Provinces w hich are n o t famine-stricken
to m a k e good the deficiency in th e V olga d istric t b y the ir own efforts. Previous statements
f o re c a stin g considerable e x p o rts of cereals w ere b ased on h a r v e s t e s tim a te s in June and July,
w hich h a v e since bee n found to b e f a r too optim istic.
I n a d d itio n to foodstuffs, it will be necessary to su p p ly th e R ussian a n d Ukrainian peasants
w ith im p le m e n ts w hich th e y u rg e n tly require a n d w ith tra c to rs to replace livestock, which has
b ee n te rr ib ly depleted.
T h e w in te r will c e r ta in ly be a difficult one in th e n on-fam ine-stricken districts of Russia,
w here th e service for f o rw a rd in g p ackages of clothing an d parcels of foodstuffs is continuing
i t s v a lu a b le work.
(1) See Chapter IV.
ANNEX V
T h e R ep ort of M . I v a n o v , P resid en t of th e U k rain ian Red Cross,
on F a m in e R e lie f in th e U k r a in e (i).
When considering th e causes, e x t e n t a n d consequence of th e famine, t h a t terrible scourge
which has for more th a n a y ea r afflicted millions of the in h a b ita n ts of Russia an d the Ukraine,
it is essential in th e first place to glance a t its economic consequences.
Agriculture. — A s is well known, agricultu re is of p a r a m o u n t im portance in th e U kraine,
the climate and soil being extrem ely fa v o u ra b le for agriculture of all kinds. If the population
of the Ukraine is considered from th e p o in t of view of th e u r b a n and rural population, it will
be found that, o u t of 25,451,300 in h a b ita n ts registered u n d e r the 1920 census, 20,891,700 were
inhabitants of r u ra l areas, the tow ns co n tain in g only 4,539,600, or ab o u t 2 0 % of the total p o p u ­
lation (2). Moreover, a large p ro p o rtio n of th e u rb an population, especially in the small towns,
is employed in agriculture an d m a rk e t-g ard en in g , so t h a t a b o u t 85 % of the to tal population
may be said to be engaged in agriculture.
The area of th e U kraine, w ithin its p re se n t borders, is 41,539,000 desyatins; before the war
26,585,000 desyatins, or 64 %, belonged to th e peasants, a n d 14,954,000, or 36 %, to the great
landed proprietors. T a k in g th e sta tis tic s of 1916 as an average, we find th a t the area under
cultivation usually a m o u n te d to 20 million desyatins and the harve st to 1,000 million poods of
grain and more t h a n 200 million poods of potatoes. T he population of the U k ra in e consumed
annually, for its ow n food supply, for^forage an d for seed, nearly 600 million poods of grain.
The balance, nearly 400 million poods, w as generally exported, p artly to the provinces of
Northern Russia, b u t p rincipally abroad. T h e shipm ents were m ade through Black Sea ports,
and formed an i m p o r ta n t co n trib u tio n to th e w orld’s trade.
Although clim atic conditions a n d th e q u a lity of the soil are exceptionally favourable, the
technical developm ent of agriculture in th e U kraine is v e r y backw ard, especially am ong the
small landowners. F o r this reason th e crops generally depend on the vagaries of the climate.
The southern a n d so u th -ea ste rn p a r ts of th e U kraine are peculiarly liable to be affected by
bad weather, as th e y consist of Steppes, sc an tily wooded a n d insufficiently supplied w ith water.
In this part of th e U k ra in e sowings a n d crops depend entirely on the rainfall, irrigation being
practically unknow n or only em ployed in the case of a small n u m b e r of estates.
The general ag ric u ltu ral situ atio n in th e U kraine in 1921 was som ew hat below th e average.
This was the n a t u r a l resu lt of the world war, and more p articularly of the two years of civil
warfare which was carried on w ith g re a t violence in the southe rn p a r t of th e Ukraine. The
(:) Presented to th e In tern atio n al Conference of Fam ine Relief Commissions a t Berlin, Ju ly 1922.
(2)
In the results of the Russian Census for 1920, published in the Statistical A nnual for 1918-1920, the population of
the Ukraine is given as 26,001,802 ; 20,837,974 are given as rural and 5,1^5,-828 as urban population. I t is possible th a t the
Ukraine Soviet Government has m ade an independent census more recently and th a t M. Ivanov is using these later figures.
—
io 8
—
troops of D enikin, P etliura, M akhno, W rangel a n d others caused th e grav e st damage to agriculture. All t h a t th e po p u la tio n possessed in grain an d o th e r produce w as ta k e n from themcattle, b e a sts of b u r d e n an d d r a u g h t animals were requisitioned for the requirements of thé
“ W h ite " arm ies, etc.
C om paring the a re a sown in the U kraine in 1921 w ith t h a t in 1916, we find a reduction of
a b o u t 15 % ; only 16,419,000 desyatins were sown in 1921, in stea d of 19,264,500 as in 1916
Moreover, th e y e a r 1921 was clim atically m ost disastrous for agriculture, particularly jn
the districts of the Steppes in the south-east. T he d r o u g h t was abnorm al, w ith an almost entire
absence of rain. As early as the a u t u m n of 1920 the rainfall w as practically nil, and the early
cold p re v e n te d the soil from being a d e q u a te ly moistened. This exc eptional drought continued
th r o u g h o u t th e spring of 1921 ; up to th e m o n th of May only 19.7 mm. of rain fell, whereas the
norm al ave rage for these districts is 4 7 .1 mm. ; the average te m p e r a tu re was 20 degrees, whilst
norm ally it does n o t exceed 15 degrees; for these reasons the soil w as com pletely parched, and
all plants were literally b u r n t up. This ab norm a l d ro u g h t, w hich h a d n o t been equalled for
more th a n e i g h ty years, caused a d e a r th in five of the provinces of the U kraine, those of Odessa
Donets, E katerin o sla v , Z aporozhye a n d Nikolaev. C om paring the average yield per desyatin
an d the to t a l crop in 1921 w ith th e average figures for th e last te n pre-w ar years (1905-1914),
we find t h a t th e h a rv e st of 1921 w as a b o u t one-third of the norm al h arv e st, as will beseenfrom
th e following table :
I 9 2 I CROP
per desyatin
PR O V IN C E S
PROPORTION
TOTAL CROP
in thousands o f poods
(in poods)
C h e r n i g o v ..............................................
V o lh y n ia ..................................................
P o l t a v a ............................................................
P o d o lia ............................................................
K i e v .................................................................
K r e m e n c h u g ................................................
K h a r k o v ..................................................
O d essa......................................................
D o n e t s .....................................................
E k a te rin o s la v ........................................
Z a p o ro z h y e ............................................
N ik o la e v ..................................................
T o t a l f o r t h e
w h o l e
U k r a i n e .
4 8 .8
4 8 .0
2 8 .7
4 0 .9
3 5 .9
2 6.1
2 0 .0
7 .6
9 .2
3 .7
3 .3
2 .9
2 0 .2
of 19 2 1 crop
as compared with
the normal
average
3 6 ,8 9 3 .4
4 7 , 359- 9
9 6 ,0 8 0 .2
8 1 ,6 1 9 .3
1 2 0 ,7 6 5 .2
6 5 ,5 7 6 .1
6 7 ,8 4 1 .8
7 5 ,4 6 2 .7
1 0 4 ,8 6 4 .0
9 4 ,9 6 3 .2
1 0 0 ,5 5 5 .4
93,^ 74- 5
4 4 ,7 4 9 .3
3 1 , 231- 7
5 1 ,5 6 9 .9
3 7 , 4 3 3-3
49 ,859.9
2 4 ,4 6 6 .4
2 0 ,2 2 0 .1
1 2 ,4 4 7 .1
1 2 ,9 3 4 .1
4 ,8 0 9 .5
5 , 118- 1
3 , 65 5-7
121 %
66
55
46
4 i
37
30
17
12
5
5
4
9 8 5 ,6 5 5 .7
2 9 8 ,4 9 5 .1
30%
These figures show th a t, w hilst th e crops in the seven n o rth ern governm ents which were
least affected were alm ost norm al or very little below th e average, th e southern provinces
suffered fro m such a severe sho rtag e t h a t the crops did n o t yield even the q u an tity used for
seeding purposes. It is, therefore, n o t surprising th a t th e m a jo rity of th e in h ab ita n ts began to
suffer from th e fam ine from the v e r y beginning of th e au tu m n .
T he relatively favourable s itu atio n in the no rth of th e U kraine gave rise to the hope that
the scarcity in the s o u th could be remedied. The terrible news from the Volga districts,
describing the h ardships of the sta rv in g population, p ro m p te d a desire on the p a r t of the Ukraine
G o v ern m e n t an d p opulation to go to the assistance of their suffering fellow-countrymen in
Russia a n d led to the d espatch of grain from the U kraine to the Volga; b u t a t the end of the
au tu m n , from N ovem ber 19 2 1 onw ard, news from the U kraine districts affected by the shortage
becam e m o re an d more disquieting, an d the relief of the p opulation of the southern provinces
began to be discussed.
As early as Decem ber 1921, the official statistics registered 1,158,996 starv in g in the five
provinces affected b y the shortage, a n d this figure continued to increase. T h u s in January 1922
i t was 1,895,000, in F eb ru ary 2,943,095, in March 3,248,491, an d the m ost recent statistics
—
109
—
o-ive the number of sta rv in g on A u g u st 1st as 3,664,902. T he to ta l p opulation in the fam ine
provinces being 9,699,30°, i t w ill be seen t h a t the n u m b e r of sta rv in g in J a n u a r y 1922 was 20 %,
% in February, 34.2 % in March, 38.7 % in April, and t h a t th e average from May to A u g u st
a m o u n t e d to 40 %•
E x c lu d in g from this figure children below 1 5 yea rs of age, th e n u m b e r
of sta rvin g children w ould be 1,894,000, i.e. 48 % of the to ta l sta rv in g population. T h e large
number of starving children is due to special circumstances, such as the large n u m b e r of orphans
and of children in th e U k ra in e w ith o u t hom es or shelter. T he activities of the W h ite armies
in the s o u t h of th e U k ra in e a n d the incursions of P e tliu ra ’s forces in the w estern provinces,
a c c o m p a n i e d by pogrom s involving the loss of the lives of thou sa n d s of ad u lt Jews, considerably
increased t h e nu m b e r of orphans. T h e shooting of immense num bers of w orkm en in th e South,
especially in the D o n ets coal basin b y th e armies of Denikin, fu rth e r increased the ir num ber.
It s h o u l d b e noted th a t, in a d d itio n to the sta rv in g U krain ian children, the G o v ern m e n t of the
Ukrainian Republic u n d e r to o k to provide for 20,000 starving children from the Volga; in actual
fact 29,142 children were pro v id ed for.
The deplorable s itu a tio n of the p o p u la tio n in the sou thern U kraine was rendered even more
wretched by the sprea d of various epidemics.
T he rapid spread of infectious diseases in the
Ukraine was due n o t only to fam ine, b u t also in a considerable degree to the consequences of
civil w ar and blockade.
T h e lack of m edicam ents, e q u ip m en t a n d hospital appliances, an d a
well-trained staff, m a d e th e cam p aign ag a in st epidemics an exceedingly difficult one. The course
of the epidemics rag in g in the U k ra in e will be seen from the ta b le appended, which has been
drawn up according to th e la te s t d a t a supplied b y the Public H e a lth Commissariat.
As has been s ta te d already, it w as n o t believed, im m ed iate ly afte r the h arv e st of 1921,
that the famine w ould a t t a i n the terrible dim ensions it has assumed, and therefore the organi­
sation of the cam paign ag a in st fam ine w as r a th e r delayed. T he organisation of famine relief
only began tow ards the end of 1921, first b y the G overnm ent, th e n b y the workers and social
organisations, an d a t th e beginning of 1922, treaties were concluded w ith foreign relief organi­
sations : Dr. N a n se n ’s Commission, th e A. R. A., the Czecho-Slovak Mission, the D u tch and
American Society of Mennonites, a n d the G erm a n Red Cross. G overnm ent relief consisted in
the despatch to th e sta rv in g provinces of cereals harvested in the more fo rtu n a te provinces, in
sums deducted from the salaries a n d w ages of employees and workers occupied in the service
of the State, and in th e organisation of th e exchange of m erchandise for corn and foodstuffs.
In this way it was possible to supply 574,000 poods of corn to the provinces in the so u th (up to
August 1st); 2,102,000 poods were delivered free of charge b y th e donors and 325,000 poods were
obtained in exchange for various kinds of merchandise.
The sum of 2,513 million roubles, realised from the sums deducted from salaries, from special
taxes and from th e sale of ch u rc h p ro p e rty , was provided. The U k ra in ia n workers rendered
most effective assistance to th e sta rv in g population. T heir com pulsory c o n trib u tio n am o u n ted
to 303,929 poods of corn (up to May 1st). Moreover, the workers in the D onets coal basin, by
working on Sundays, were able to e x tra c t 2,850,039 poods of p it coal, which were exchanged
for foodstuffs to be d e sp atc h ed to the sta rv in g districts. In addition, the w orkers’ syndicates
feed nearly 100,000 sta rv in g children a t th e ir expense.
The food-stuffs destined for th e s ta rv in g p opulation are distrib u ted in special refectories,
of which there are 1,207 in the afflicted areas. T he organisation and w orking of these refectories
were entrusted to th e U k ra in ia n R ed Cross.
Although the n u m b e r of the sta rv in g fed by U k ra in ia n and foreign organisations continued
to increase, il was im possible to assist everybody. According to the returns of May 1st, a to tal
°f 1,383,000, of w h o m 783,000 w ere a d u lts a n d 645,000 were children, were being fed. T he m ost
recent statistics record 523,824 persons fed b y U krainian go vernm ent an d social organisations,
and 1,298,658 b y f o re ig n . organisations, i.e. 1,822,482 persons, a b o u t half the n u m b e r of the
starving population. A m o n g th e foreign organisations sending regular relief we m u s t quote :
4 e A. R. A., which a t th e prese n t m o m e n t is feeding 1,132,666 persons; Dr. N anse n’s Commission,
which is feeding 101,636 persons, the A m erican Mennonites (43,556 persons); th e D u tch Mennon-
—
no —
ites (21,000 persons). Besides th e o rganisations j u s t quoted, which, as has been said, are sendi
regular relief, others also are collaborating in this w o rk : the Czechoslovakian Mission for Fami
Relief, th e Je w ish Social C om m ittee, th e G erm an Red Cross, w hich supplies chiefly medical and
sa n ita ry aid, a n d the e m ig r a n t w o rk e rs’ syndicates in America, which h av e collected 25,000 dollars
w ith w hich 30 wagons of corn, te n w agons of flour an d three w agons of medicaments were
b o u g h t a n d se n t to the Ukraine.
Besides its w ork in th e refectories, th e U k ra in ia n R e d Cross has carried on an untiring cam
paig n ag a in st th e epidemics, as f a r as has been possible w ith its lim ited resources in money
m e d ica m e n ts a n d sa n ita ry m aterial, as well as in m edical staff. As a resu lt of this campaign'
a m a rk e d decrease in the n u m b e r of cholera cases d u rin g the last few m o n th s m a y be recorded’
T h e difficulties of the medical w ork of th e R ed Cross m a y be a p p re cia te d if we ta k e into account
th e fa c t t h a t o n May 1st th e R ed Cross h a d only 5,436 beds a t its disposal in th e epidemic hos­
pitals, w hereas th e n u m b e r of cases was 615,810. T he organisations of Dr. Nansen, the A. R A
a n d the In te r n a tio n a l Red Cross h a v e been of in v a lu ab le assistance in this campaign.
W e h a v e a lre ad y seen t h a t to w ard s h a rv e st time in 1922, the n u m b e r of starving persons
in th e various provinces w hich h a d suffered from the fam ine of 1921 a m o u n te d to a b o u t 40 %
of th e to ta l p opulation of these districts. T he s t a t e of this y e a r 's h a rv e st in the Ukraine justified
th e hope t h a t it would be possible ap p re cia b ly to im prove the situ atio n of the population of the
regions w h ich suffered in th e previous year. B u t a careful su rv ey of th e ag ricultural conditions
in these provinces will show t h a t we m u s t n o t exp e ct an y m a rk e d im p ro v e m en t.
T h e reduc tion in th e a re a sow n in the U kraine in 1920-1921, w hich reached 15 % of the
n o rm a l average, to o k place m ainly in the so u th e rn provinces. W hereas the a r e a sown
a c tu a lly increased in several n o r th e rn provinces, e.g. Chernigov a n d P o lta v a, and o nly very
slightly decreased in others, the decrease in the so u th e rn provinces, w ith th e exception of
Odessa, was as follows :
D o n e ts ...............................
E k a te rin o s la v .................
Z a p o r o z h y e ..................
N ik o la e v ...........................
1 ,5 7 9 ,4 0 0 d esy a tin s as com p ared w it h 2 ,4 0 0 ,6 0 0 desyatins.
1 ,4 8 4 ,0 0 0
—
—
1,7 5 8 ,2 0 0
—
1 ,6 6 3 ,0 0 0
—
—
1 ,9 6 6 ,0 0 0
—
1 ,3 6 6 ,0 0 0
—
—
1,9 73,1 00
—
T he decrease in th e a re a sow n is in close relation to the decrease in cattle, beasts of burden
a n d d r a u g h t animals, especially horses, which show a decrease of 463,900, as against 4,890,900
in 1916; there were only 3,626,000 a t the beginning of 1921. T h e s am e sho rtag e m u s t be recorded
in respect of ag ric u ltu ral im plem ents. F ro m 1917 on, the U k ra in e practically ceased to obtain
supplies of m a chinery an d e q u ip m e n t; frontiers being closed an d reserve stocks exhausted, most
factories engaged in th e m a n u fa c tu re of im p lem en ts closed down, a n d th e im p le m e n ts and machines
in use, w hich i t has n o t bee n possible to renew since 1914, h a v e become w orn o u t and useless.
The sho rtag e of 19 2 1 d ea lt a v e ry severe blow a t th e a lre a d y shaken r u ra l economy. Losses
in ca ttle increased to an a larm in g e x ten t, the p ea sa n ts b a rte re d the ir la s t remaining tools for
bread, a n d a large n u m b e r of small enterprises ,were
ruined. All this led to a fresh decrease in
th e area sow n in 1921-1922, an enorm ous decrease of a b o u t 3,000,000 desyatins, so m e 2,000,000
of w hich are in th e provinces suffering from th e shortag e of 19 2 1.
C om paring the p re se n t q u a n t i t y of livestock in th e five g o v ern m e n ts referred to, with
t h a t of 1916, we h a v e the following ta b le :
H o rses.....................................................................
C a t t l e ..............................................
43 -25
S h e e p ..........................................
4 6 .2 5
P ig s ...............................................
18.25
47%
of th e 1916 figure.
%
—
%
%
—
—
T he n u m b e r of horses, including colts, has decreased b y 52.8 % , b u t as th e latter are now
m ore n u m erou s th a n the full-grown animals, only a b o u t one-third of the n u m b e r of horses avail­
able in 1916 for agricultural w ork are left.
—
Ill
—
The crop e s tim a te for this y e a r is a b o u t 627,000,000 poods, which, if evenly distributed,
be sufficient f o r th e needs of th e whole population.
Nature, however, has d istrib u te d th is h a rv e st most unequally\ T h e crops h a v e been p a r ­
ticularly good in th e g overnm e nts t h a t were n o t affected b y last y e a r ’s scarcity, whereas heavy
crops c a n n o t be expected in th e affected governm ents, owing to th e sm aller area sown. If a surplus
b e forthcoming a t all, it ca n only be on com paratively large e s ta te s of more t h a n four desyatins;
of the total n u m b e r of th e estates in th e southern governm ents, scarcely more th a n one-third
are of that size. T w o -th ird s will, therefore, hav e no surplus, an d it m ust even be expected th a t
half of those tw o-thirds will hav e e x h a u ste d their ressources tow ards the end of the year, and
will need to be helped over into th e follow ing year.
The danger of a fresh fam ine is, therefore, more threa te ning th a n before. T he results of the
famine may be even more serious this y e a r th a n last; the population, being in the last stage
of exhaustion, will n o t now hav e th e str e n g th needed to carry on the fight ag a in st the evils
threatening it.
For this reason th e C entral F a m in e Relief Com m ittee of th e P an -U k rain ian E xecutive
Council has resolved n o t to relax its efforts, b u t to direct th e m into another channel b y making
the restoration of r u r a l econom y its p rin c ip a l aim.
From the ab ove facts it will be seen t h a t the cam paign a g a in st famine m u s t be conducted
this year in two directions :
{a) Relief for th e sta rv in g p o p u la tio n ;
[b) Work for th e purpose of r e c o n stru c tin g agriculture.
Direct relief of th e sta rv in g p o p u la tio n should take th e form, as heretofore, of th e m a in te n ­
ance of relief centres, children’s homes, refuges and hospitals, etc. G reat efforts m u s t be made,
in particular, to help orp h an s a n d homeless children, the n u m b e r of whom, as has already been
said, is extremely high in th e U kraine, a n d whose situ atio n w ould no t be benefited directly by
an improvement in agriculture.
The second b r a n c h of relief w ork— the reconstruction of agriculture— will be m uch more
extensive and m uc h more difficult. E v e r y th in g possible m u s t be done to bring the area under
cultivation up to t h e n o rm al average. In o rd e r to do so, i t will be indispensable to have n o t
only the grain necessary for sowing, b u t also the im plem ents an d ca ttle necessary to improve
the technical system an d m e thods of w ork, etc.
According to th e figures of th e A g ric u ltu ra l Commission, the U kraine needs 900,000 head
of cattle, which, a t p re-w a r prices, w ould rep rese n t a sum of 54 million gold roubles; and her
wants in m achinery a n d im plem ents, e s tim a te d a t pre-war prices, would a m o u n t to 300 million
gold roubles. T he im p ro v e m e n t of th e technical side of agriculture and of cultivation, etc.,
would also need a large outlay.
Ukraine agriculture, even th o u g h left to its own resources, would und o u b te d ly succeed in
extricating itself fro m the plight to w h ich it is a t present reduced, b u t t h a t would take too long.
Thus, it would be t e n or tw elv e years before the n u m b e r of ca ttle increased to th e norm al
figures if no outside help were fo rth c o m in g . T he supply of im plem ents and machines w ould
involve an even g re a te r period of time.
For this reason th e im p ro v e m e n t a n d reconstruction of agriculture in the U kraine, which
is of such great im p o rta n c e for th e whole world, as well as th e re-establishm ent of rural ind ustry
in its various branches, such as the su g a r in d u stry , tobacco cultivation, the m a n u fa ctu re of
refined alcohol, etc., could n o t be accom plished w ith o u t help from abroad. This help m igh t
consist of credits to be opened for th e g r e a t com panies alre ad y existing, such as the “ Selo-Technique”, which provides m achines a n d im p le m e n ts for the r u ra l p opulation on easy term s, or the
Selo-Pomoshch", w h ich advances loans on land. Besides these companies, credits would have
to be opened for co-operative com panies, as well as for various groups of the population. The
formation of companies for the c u ltiv a tio n of large areas of land on th e concession system will
also undoubtedly h a v e to ta k e a large p a r t in the reconstruction of agriculture in th e Ukraine.
These undertakings w ould be carried on w ith im proved m a ch in e ry an d would become, so to
w ould
—
112
—
speak, model farm s. F ro m this p o in t of view, th e Soviet G o v e rn m e n t of the Ukraine places
g re a t hopes in th e organisation of sy ndicates of the n a tiv e R ussian a n d U krainian workmen
to w hich w ould be allotted large t r a c ts of land on th e concession system.
In view of th e im m in e n t danger, n o t only to th e U k ra in e b u t to all the rest of Europe pre
sented b y th e epidemics raging in th e U kraine— a dan ger w hich Dr. N a n se n ’s Commission has
n o t o m itte d to m entio n on m a n y occasions— a serious effort m u s t be m ade to com bat these
epidemics.
I m p ro v e m e n t of the m edical an d s a n ita ry a rra n g e m e n ts a n d th e despatch of medical
staff will n o t be sufficient; it will be necessary also, a n d above all, to im p ro ve the general sanitary
situation of the U kraine. F or this reason it w ould be necessary to arrange for assistance to
be given on a large scale to the U k ra in ia n Red Cross b y th e opening of th e credits essential for
the im m e d ia te p u rchase of the m a teria l which it needs for its work.
N u m b e r of case of E p id em ic Diseases registered by the U kraine P u b lic Health Commission
fro m J a n u a r y 1st to J u n e 1st, 1922.
DISEASE
T y p h o id F e v e r ...................................................... .......................
E x a n t h e m a t i c F e v e r ......................................... ................
R e la p sin g F e v e r..................................................... .......................
F e v e r (G en eral)...................................................... .......................
D y s e n te ry ............................................................... .......................
M easles....................................................................... .......................
S c a r l a t i n a ............................................................... ...........................
D i p h t h e r i a ........................................................... .......................
S m a ll-p o x .................................................................. .......................
M u m p s....................................................................... .......................
W h o o p i n g - c o u g h ................................................. ...........................
G lan d ers ( S i b e r i a n ) ............................................. ...........................
S c o r b u t i c ........................................................... .......................
1922
1921
56,873
229,828
226,475
3 7 ,5 1 9
14,547
17,393
7,775
4,981
6,901
3,8 4 2
2,475
305
6,8 9 6
80,166
125,929
194,922
13,227
7,579
29,847
21,457
10,390
30,175
2,868
3,665
249
3,489
615 ,8 10
523,963
10,042 centres of cholera infection h a v e b een reg istered ; th e n u m b e r of people infected up to Ju ly ist, 1922,
w as 36,125.
ANNEX
VI
S ta tistics of In du strial Production.
In order to render th e p ic tu r e of the p rese n t condition of Russia more complete, the following
tables, showing the p ro d u c tio n of some of the m ore im p o rta n t minerals, textiles and m anufactu red
goods, are given.
The figures in these tab les are ta k e n from the Soviet sources quoted in the footnotes. Con­
siderable discrepancies exist betw een th e d a t a derived from the various Soviet sources and even
between, in some cases, th e to ta l figures a n d th e items of which these totals are composed.
The figures are rep rod uce d here as published, w ith o u t an y a t te m p t to regulate these discre­
pancies.
I . — C oal In d u stry .
i. P roduction of Coal (*).
( I n m illions of poods.)
YEAR AND MONTH
DON ETZ
295
798
1 8 9 4 ........................................
1 9 0 4 .............................
,543
URAL
TURK EST AN
WE S TE R N
EASTERN
SI BE RI A
S IB E R IA
I I
(2 )
(2 )
(2)
(2 )
13
(2 )
(2 )
(2)
(2)
l8
28
42
i
1 9 1 4 ........................................
1,6 8 4
1,626
84
,743
l8
8
4
4
53
70
8 8 .4
92
83
76
58
30
—
8
24
—
11
57
38
—
9
60
78
82
80
58
53
56
62
43
7
49
78
1 9 1 5 ........................................
I 9l 6 ........................................
i
I 9I
7 ........................................
1,510
i g i S ........................................
541
338
92
98
48
42
273
330
I 92I ........................................
CAUCASUS
14
31
73
1 9 1 3 ....................................
I 9I 9 ........................................
1920 ........................................
MOSCOW
43
23-4
8 .4
10
11
10
3-5
4
3-4
(2 )
33
30
T OTAL
33'
909
1,744
1, 917-9
1 ,8 8 7 .5
2 ,0 6 0 .0
1 ,8 2 4 .4
730-3
511
446
S'S
1922
January .....................
February................
March................
April....................
May . . . .
June................
First 6 months, 1922.
4 2 .3
43-2
4-5
5-4
4 0 .7
27
3 0 -4
3i -4
2 1 5 .0
4-5
5-2
6 .6
—
5-7
5-4
1 .1
1 .4
1 .9
20.7
(1)
(2 )
8 .2
7 .8
—
—
(2)
37-9
(2 )
7-
(2 )
4 4 .6
(2)
6 .4
0)
(1)
2)
( 2)
( 2)
( 2)
( 2)
(2 )
(
(2 )
i
(2 )
(2)
(2)
61 .6
63.1
60 .8
44-9
31 2 .9
(1} The total output in the Caucasus, including Turkestan, and in Eastern Siberia taken together was 1.4 million poods in January and
i million poods in February.
-3
(2) No statistics.
(*) For the d ata given for the period 1894-^917 see Statistical A nnual of the R ussian Industrial Union, St. Petersburg,
!912’ and the Financial Bulletin, official organ of the M inistry of Finance.
For the data given for the period 1918-1921, see Statistical A nnual, 1918-1920, Moscow, 1921.
For the data given for the y ear 1922, see Ekonomicheskaya Z hizn for the year 1922.
ECONOMIC C O N D IT IO N S IN RU SSIA
—
2.
114
—
Production of Coke and Briquettes (i).
(In th o u sa n d s
of poods.)
Coke
B riquettes
I9I3- •
270.9
—
19 14 .........................................................................................................
2 7 7 .9
20.4
1915...............................................
1916...............................................
19 17 ...............................................
254. S
269.4
227.3
23.8
18.3
9.4
43
191S.........................................................................................................
191 9 .........................................................................................................
1920 ...............................................
3.
0.97
3
1.5
0.5
N u m b e r of W orkm en and O utput per m an in the Donetz B asin (1)
Year and month
I 9 I 3 .........................................................................................................
19 17 .........................................................................................................
191 8 .........................................................................................................
A v erag e
A v e ra g e o u tp u t
number
per workman
of w o rk m en
fir; p o o d s )
170 ,0 00
2 7 0 ,0 0 0
145,000
763
848
370
192 0 ...................................................
115,000
200
1921
—
—
—
—
—
—
1922
—
—
—
— ,
—
1 31,500
135,70 0
128,600
8 2,40 0
9 7 ,1 63
106,018
114,166
1 2 9 ,500
118,600
8 8,500
7 8 ,5 0 0
8 1 ,6 0 0
8 2 ,9 0 0
177
241
2.37
215
369
415
465
327
365
452
343
375
382
J a n u a r y .....................................................................................
M a rc h .........................................................................................
J u n e ..........................................................................................
S e p t e m b e r ...............................................................................
O c to b e r......................................................................................
N o v e m b e r ................................................................................
D e c e m b e r.................................................................................
J a n u a r y ....................................................................................
F e b r u a r y .................................................................................
M a rc h .........................................................................................
A p r il...........................................................................................
M a y ...........................................................................................
J u n e ..........................................................................................
II.
1.
— N aphtha Industry.
Production of N aphtha (1).
( I n t h o u s a n d s of p o o d s .)
Year
1 8 9 1 ..........................................
1 9 0 1 ..........................................
I 9 I I ..........................................
1 9 1 3 ....................................
I 9 I 4 ....................................
I 9 I 5....................................
1 9 1 6 ..........................................
I 9 I 7 ....................................
1 9 1 8 ..........................................
I 9 I 9 ....................................
1 9 2 0 ..........................................
1 9 2 1 ..........................................
Baku
Grozny
Oth er regions
......................
......................
.....................
......................
......................
275
6 7 1 .5
475-7
467-3
428
—
—
—
......................
......................
......................
443-6
479-2
403.8
34-6
75-2
73-3
98.4
88.1
102.7
97.8
2 5 .2
......................
......................
......................
(1) F r o m t h e s a m e sources as T a b le 1.
525-3
37-7
1 75 - 5
1 5 6 .2
5 2 .8
81.7
Total
275
706. 3
60S. I
561
75-2
2 0 .6
23.6
37-3
19-5
2 1 .0
15-4
6 .2
5-2
8-4
■
55°
569
602
523
2 33
269
231
243
Year and
1922
Grozny
B aku
m o n th
Other regions
T o ta l
:
J a n u a r y ..........................................
F e b r u a r y .........................................
M a r c h ...............................................
A p r il........................................
J u n e ...................................................
6 m o n t h s , 1 9 2 2 ..........................
• •
7- i
15-4
0 .6 2 0
O.4OO
0 .6 1 5
0 .6 5 6
0 .8 0 0
0 .8 6 2
3 .9 6 2
7 .0
77
•
7 .0
7 .6
8 .4
.
.
45- o
9 2 .8
23-1
2 1 .8
2 4 .4
22. 4
2 4 .8
24 .8
4 -3
I I
2. N u m b e r of W ells exploited in the B a ku District.
On ist J a n u a r y 1 9 1 3 ...........................
—
1 9 1 6 ...........................
192 0 ...........................
192 1 ...........................
192 2 ...........................
On 1st F e b ru a ry 1922..........................
On i s t M arch 1922................................
2 ,5 8 8
2,9 7 5
1 ,7 3 4
933
1,1 1 3
1,155
1 ,2 5 0
1922 :
A p r i l ............................................................
M a y ..............................................................
J u n e .............................................................
III.
1.
P R O D U C T IO N
Years
IN
THE
390
293
1915....................................................
231
1916 ........................................................................
314
1917....................................................
1918....................................................
222
22
99
1 1 ........................................................................
1920.
I4.O
2.
— Ores.
Iron Ore (1)
Millions of poods
1913..............................................................
1914..............................................................
1,280
1,278
1,136
K R IV O I
ROG
D IS T R IC T
Years
1921
Millions of poods
..............................................................
1922 :
J a n u a r y ......................................................
F e b r u a r y ..................................................
M a rch .................................................
A p r i l .........................................................
M a y ............................................................
O .5 1 7
—
—
i .i
0.899
0.911
Other Ores (2).
13
19
(in millions
of poods)
Copper. . .
Manganese.
Asbestos .
Magnesium.
Salt. . . .
40
15
-5
i
4 .0
12 2
(in millions
of poods)
(in millions
of poods)
0 . 228
0 .3 2 0
0 .0 9 1
I
0 .2 8 0
O.79O
0 .4 6 7
1 .0
60
Ek ^ Statements of the Economic Situation of the Soviet Republic in 1920 and 1921. Special Supplement published by
mmicheskaya Zhizn, Moscow, 1921 and 1922 ; Ekonomicheskaya Zhizn, 1922.
(2) Statistical A nnual 1918-1920. Moscow, 1921.
—
1 16
3. Gold (1).
Poods
Years
...........................
4 ,0 5 6
1 9 1 9 ..........................................
...........................
...........................
1 ,8 5 9
1 ,8 8 5
1 9 2 1 ..........................................
Years
93
94
95
I I ...............................
I I ...............................
I I ...............................
1 9 1 6 ...............................
1917...............................
I", poods
• • • •
82
4. P latinum (i).
Poods
Years
Years
In pood:
93
94
95
I I ..............................
I I ..............................
I I ..............................
1 9 1 6 ...............................
I
9I 7..............................
. . . .
...........................
38
115
IV. — Heavy Metals (i).
N um ber of Works.
Years
9 3............................
9 ............................
9 5............................
I I
I H
I I
1 9 1 6 ....................................................
...........................
...........................
Total
In operation
223
223
153
148
9 7............................
9 9............................
I I
1 9 2 0 ..................................................
280,626
295,797
343,850
13 9
14 5
146
86
I I
1 9 1 8 ....................................................
...........................
V.
I.
4 27,602
452,374
1 1 3 ,0 6 1
54 ,0 8 8
6 1 ,0 2 9
63
22
212
Number
of workers
— Metallurgy.
Production of P ig Iron (2 ).
( I n t h o u s a n d s of poods.)
Year
S o u th
a n d m o n th
93
..........
I I .........................................
1914
1 9 1 5 .........................................
1916
..........
1 9 1 7 ..........
1 9 1 8 ..........
1 9 1 9 .........................................
1 9 2 0 .........................................
1921
..........
C e n tre
U ral
Total
1 1 ,9 0 9
55,766
52,444
50,273
2 4 9 , 206
224,969
4 6 ,0 1 7
2 3 1 ,8 6 4
43,945
l
.
.
1 ,6 9 6
904
1 0 ,5 5 7
7 ,1 5 7
9 ,6 6 9
9 ,0 2 5
3 ,2 0 4
1 ,6 1 0
1 ,1 0 8
• • • •
1 ,7 6 9
997
■ • ■ •
• • • -
1 6 7 ,5 3 9
1 7 6 ,1 4 8
• •
1 3 1 ,5 5 5
.
.
.
.
• ■
.
.
1 5 ,6 6 1
3 ,6 0 8
5, o i 3
4 ,2 8 5
256,837
84, 523
3I , 468
6 ,9 1 4
7,025
6,205
(1) Statistical A nnual 1918-1920. Moscow, 1921.
(2) Statements 0/ the Economic Situation of the Soviet 'Republic in 1920 and 1921. Special Supplement oj EkonoM4
ckeskaya Z hizn, Moscow, 1921 a n d 1922.
Statistical A nnual 1918-1920. Moscow, 1922.
For the year 1922. Ekonotnicheskaya Zhizn, 1922.
Economic Bulletin of the In stitu te of Economic Research, attached to the Academy of Agriculture of Moscow, July I92"
-
ii7
~
Y ear
an d m o n th
T o ta l
1922 :
Ja n u ary . • •
February. . .
March. . . ■
April . . . .
May..................
June . . . .
6 m onths 1922
2.
1,149
4S2
1.935
1,058
296
480
1,835
2, 207
77S
2.415
5,401
3, 566
Production of Ingots (1)
( I n th o u s a n d s of poods.)
and month
1913 .....................
19 14 .....................
19 15.....................
1916 ......................
1 9 I / .....................
1918 .........................
1919 .....................
1920..................
192 1.....................
South
Centre
Urals
166,575
37,347
171,369
151,702
161,638
109,067
7,326
4,869
2,680
40,395
41,351
41,337
28,331
55,346
56,870
57,6 27
259,268
268,634
250,680
57,911
50,606
9,250
4,840
260,881
1 , 0 1 5 ( 2)
7,973
2,443
0. I
43 ( 2)
1922 :
Ja n u ary . . . .
F ebruary. . . .
432
2,547
M a r c h .....................
A p r i l .....................
2,834
188,004
24,549
12,152
9,875
9,0 4 6 (3)
6,513
1,343
659
1,448
3,450
O
ON
CO
' May......................
Ju n e .....................
6 m onths 1922 .
7,195
3,719
T o ta l
1 ,0 91
4,282
9,963
3. Production of R olling M ills (1).
( I n th o u s a n d s of poods.)
and month
I 9I3......................................................
I 9I 4 ...............................................................
I 9I 5......................................................
1916......................................................
I 9I 7 ...............................................................
1918.....................................................
I 9I9 ..............................................................
1920...................................
1921........................................
1922 :
J a n u a r y ............................................. i
February. . ......................................
March. . . .
A p r i l ..................
May......................
June.....................................................)
6 months 1922. . .
C e n tre
Urals
T o ta l
140,993
32,415
34, l 6l
32,940
4 0 ,8 1 2
214,220
1 3 0 ,3 0 2
34,573
4 0 ,9 8 7
89,547
5,142
2 0 ,8 0 2
3 8 ,8 3 7
,2 33
9 ,4 3 7
218,692
198,855
205,862
1 4 9 , 186
21,8l2
4 ,2 8 3
2 ,5 3 0
4 ,1 3 2
i o ,945
1,151
1 , 2 7 3 (2)
8 ,5 1 2
12,226
12,619 (3)
1 4 3 ,9 1 6
1 2 5 ,6 4 s
7
2,563
■
1 ,6 8 1
(2)
4 0 ,6 1 5
4 0 ,2 6 7
4 ,1 0 7
j1
2 ,0 2 3
682
2 ,2 3 8
4,943
1 ,1 7 4
2,725
3,412
7,668
1
^
(1) From the same sources as Table 1.
(2) For the first half of 1921.
(3) For the whole of r9 2 i.
S o u th
1,193
339
3,216
1,021
-
4.
118
—
Production of Locomotives and W agons (1).
Y ears
L o c o m o tiv e s
W agons
1913............................................................................
609
20,429
! 9 i 4 ...........................................................................................
191 5 ..........................................................................................................
191 6 ..........................................................................................................
191 7..........................................................................................................
191 8 ...........................................................................................
i 9 r 9 ...........................................................................................................
192 0 ...........................................................................................................
1921 ( h a l f - y e a r ) ................................................................................
762
31,674
—
—
13,000
5,000
1,9 00
854
950
5.
200
74
90
73
Production of A gricultural M achines (2).
1913
P l o u g h s ....................................
H a r r o w s .....................................
R eap in g -M ach in es..................
T h ra s h in g M achines. . . .
S c y th e s .......................................
S ickles.........................................
W i n n o w i n g - F a n s ..................
C o rn -D rills ...............................
VI,
i9
66 7 ,000
127,000
h i , 000
110,180
4 6 ,0 0 0
2 5 2 ,0 0 0
49 ,0 0 0
of
• • •
. . .
. . .
8 8 ,8 3 8
7 ,33 6
2,319
i , 73 i
972,545
451,271
3,638
1,058
1921
9 8 ,9 00
6,700
10,300
1,600
776,000
776,000
—
—
(3).
Cotton.
S p in d le s
3 ,4 5 7 ,1 1 6
6 ,0 9 0 ,8 6 9
9 , 11 2 ,0 00
O
O
O
2.
1920
— T e x tile Industry
N um ber
Years
16
133,40 0
2 5 ,4 0 0
2 2 ,2 0 0
2 2 ,0 0 0
8 ,2 0 0
6 0 4 ,2 0 0
9 ,8 0 0
13,688
68,435
1.
1890...............................
1900...............................
I 9 I 3 ......................
I 9 I 4 ......................
1920...............................
883
616
410
A m o u n t of raw
c o tto n w o rk ed
(in p o o d s )
Am ount
o f y a m w o rk ed
(in poods)
8 ,3 2 8 ,0 0 0
7,300,000
14,400,000
16,000,000
16.100.000
25.713.000
24.600.000
825,000
23,588,433
825,000
Stocks of Cotton in the C ountry (4).
On 1st D ece m b e r 1 9 1 4 ...................................................................
I 9 I 7 ....................................................................
—
1 9 1 8 ................................... , .................................
—
1 9 1 9 .......................................................................
O n 1 st A u g u s t 1920...........................................................................
On 1 st J a n u a r y 1 9 2 1 .......................................................................
On 1st J a n u a r y 1 9 2 2 .......................................................................
On i s t A u g u s t 1 9 2 2 ........................................................................
1 4 ,2 4 5 ,0 0 0 poods.
7 , 72 3 ,0 0 0
—
1 ,6 9 4 ,0 0 0
—
4 ,3 0 0 ,0 0 0
—
8 ,5 7 6 ,2 5 7
—
7 ,5 0 0 ,0 0 0
—
6 ,5 3 0 ,0 0 0
—
4 ,5 0 0 ,0 0 0
—
(1) Statistical A nn u a l for ig i8 -ig 2 0 . Moscow, 1922.
(2) Statistical A nnual for ig i8 -ig z o . Moscow, 1922. Report of the Commissariat for Agriculture to the IXth Congress
of Soviets in 1920.
(3) Statistical A nnual of the Russian Industrial Union, St. Petersburg, 1913. Statements of the Economic Situation »/
the Soviet Republic in ig2o and 1921. Moscow, 1921-1922.
(4) See Report presented by the Supreme Council of People's Economy to the V U Itk A ll-Russian Congress of Sonets, 1920
Alsu A. R y k o v , th e Economic situation of the Country and the Outlook as Regards its Future, an article i n Ehonoitticksh )1
Zhizn, i s t October, 1922.
—
J
u p
.
—
Linen.
Number
N umber
of Spindles
of Looms
4 1 6 ,30 0
212,662
15,048
8,228
Years
1914.
1920.
4.
Amount,
of yarn worked
(in poods)
Production
of Fabrics
(in square
archines) *
3 , 133,000
1 4 5 ,4 0 0 ,0 0 0
8 0 0 , OCO
25,948,880
Production of L in e n Yarn.
Weight of flax
worked
Before th e W a r ......................................................................................
1916 .............................................................................................................
1917 .............................................................................................................
1918 .............................................................................................................
1919 .............................................................................................................
1920 .............................................................................................................
192 1.............................................................................................................
3 ,3 2 5 ,0 0 0 poods.
4 ,1 6 5 ,0 0 0
—
3 ,2 5 0 ,0 0 0
—
1 ,5 7 0 ,0 0 0
—
9 4 7 ,000
—
8 0 6 ,0 0 0
—
53° , 8 3°
—
Com parative D ata w ith regard to In d u stry in 1913, 1920, 1921
a n d
d u r in g
the half-year from 1st October, 1921 to 1st A p ril, 1922.
PRODUCTION DURING THE HALF-YEAR
PRODUCTION IN
PRODUCTION IN I92I
1920
_ 'A s a "
PRODUCTION IN I9I3
N o.
As a
T o ta l
I
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
p e rc e n ta g e
of
1920
p ro d u c tio n
As a
APRIL, I922
As a
percen ­
ta g e
As a
percen ­
ta g e
p ro d u c-
pro d u c-
As a
percen ­
ta g e
o f 1913
p ro d u c-
T o ta l
31
104
1 .6
3 7 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
1 3 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
6 ,5 0 0 ,0 0 0
166
112
I25
>38
108
125
42
46
2- 3
2 .9 2
1 1.8
4. 6
5 , 3 H , 300
48
699
168
107
164
142
132
148
4 .1 4
16
6. 8
20.5
7 .4
1 7.2
2 5 .4
43-8
7 ,7 0 3 ,0 0 6
1 ,4 2 2 ,7 3 2
333 ,88 8
307
346
119
5 0 3 ,1 9 1
133
3 ,9 0 0 ,0 0 0
124
177-5
240
162
200
108
3 6 .5
17.8
2 7 .8
48
4 7 -o
7 .6
10
7-4
p ercen ­
ta g e
o f 1920
p ro d u c-
1 ,7 3 8 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
5 6 4 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
6 3 8 ,4 0 0 ,0 0 0
4 8 6 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
2 3 2 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
1 0 ,4 0 0 ,0 0 0
27
41
1 .6
5 3 6 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
2 4 1 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
1 0 ,4 0 0 ,0 0 0
2 5 7, 4° ° , 000
609
2 0 ,4 9 2
6 ,3 3 0 ,0 0 0
90
854
2 .4
1 4 .8
4. 2
7 ,5 0 0 ,0 0 0
73
950
11 9
( l ) 4 2 ,2 1 1 ,0 0 0
1 6 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
2 , 4OO, O O O
2 ,0 9 3 ,0 0 0
l 6 , 500,000
5 ,0 3 4 ,0 0 0
8 2 5 ,0 0 0
560,000
8 0 0 ,0 0 0
6 ,1 3 2 ,0 0 0
1 1.9
5 -i
27 • 5
3 8 .0
3 8 .0
8 ,6 6 1 ,0 0 0
172
1,192,369
145
7 ,2 3 3 ,0 0 0
113
5 4 ,8 8 0 ,0 0 0
9 ,1 0 0 ,0 0 0
8 2 ,8 0 6 ,0 0 0
6 ,3 1 0 ,0 0 0
2 ,2 6 0 ,0 0 0
4 ,8 5 0 ,1 8 1
1 1 .0
2 5 .0
5-8
7 ,1 0 4 ,0 0 0
2 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
5 ,5 4 2 ,2 4 9
113
90
114
1 2.9
22
6 .7
2 ,1 0 0 ,0 0 0
9 0 0 ,0 0 0
3 , 063 ,44 5
67
80
63
59
90
55
2 ,5 1 6 ,3 5 6
2-5
4 ,2 2 0 ,0 0 0
167
4 .2
i ,2 0 0 ,0 0 0
48
2 8 .5
1 7 ,1 5 8 ,3 6 7
21. 4
1 6 ,5 0 0 ,0 0 0
96
2 0 .6
1 0 ,8 0 3 ,7 2 0
125
131
27
1 0 0 ,8 7 4 ,0 0 0
genuine p ro d u c ts :
2 0 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
Coffee a n d te a m a n u f a c tu r e d (in
s u b s titu te s :
p o o d s).............................................
8 0 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
Chemical p ro d u c ts — acids (in
po o d s).............................................
1 5 - 5 71 , 46 4
Chem ical p ro d u c ts — bases (in
12 ,0 1 4 ,8 7 5
po o d s).............................................
3 ,8 0 3 ,0 0 0
M atches m a n u fa c tu re d (in cases).
P h a rm a c e u tic a l p r o d u c t s (in
k i l o g s . ) .....................................
T o ta l
1st
5 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0
us
4 2 .7
100
80
in
4 1 2 ,0 2 6
73
530,830
66.s
1 .2
su b s titu te s
1 ,9 0 3 ,4 4 8
12.3
2 ,6 9 8 ,1 6 6
141
17 .3
1 ,6 0 6 ,1 5 0
168
119
2 0 .6
6 7 7 ,522
6 3 4 ,0 0 0
5 .6
1 ,0 0 1 ,5 2 1
785,856
148
124
8-35
20.5
1 ,4 1 9 ,6 9 4
16.5
587,781
418
186
282
149-5
2 3 .6
31
74Q,S03
15.O
1 ,1 4 2 ,7 5 4
153
23
66 7 ,626
178
1-7
2 6 .7
(1) In 19H(2) V v tlro = 1 2 .3 l i t r e s .
C f . Narodiioe KJtozaistvo, N a ti o n a l Econom y, o f f i c i a l o r y n n o f t h e S u p r e m e C o u n c i l o f N a t i o n a l E c o n o m y , M a y
Ig 22.
120
0
10
11
12
Coal e x tr a c te d (in poods) . . .
N a p h t h a e x tr a c te d (in p oods) .
Iro n ore e x tr a c te d (in p o o d s) .
C ast iron m a n u f a c tu r e d (in
po o d s).............................................
L o co m o tiv e s m a n u f a c tu r e d . .
W a g o n s m a n u f a c tu r e d . . . .
E le c tro -te c h n ic a l p ro d u c ts (in
gold ro u b les)................................
C o tto n y a rn (in poods) . . . .
W oollen y a rn
—
. . . .
F la x y a rn
—
. . . .
N u m b e r of skins p r e p a r e d . . .
N u m b e r of b o o ts a n d shoes
m a n u f a c t u r e d ............................
P a p e r m a n u f a c tu r e d (in poods).
S u g a r m a n u fa c tu re d (in poods).
Alcohol m a n u fa c tu re d (in vedros) ( 2 ) .........................................
percen ­
ta g e
of 1913
p ro d u c-
ISt OCTOBER, I92I
A N N E X V II
S ta tistic s of T ransportation
This Annex on T r a n s p o r t S tatistic s is a collection of figures relating to th e sta te of the
railways and w a te r w a y s in R u ssia before an d d uring the Revolution. Since the R evolution
o f October 1917, th e s ta tis tic s published fro m time to tim e in official publications of the
S o v i e t Government are th e only figures u p o n w h ich a ju d g m e n t regarding the w o rk of the t r a n s ­
port services in R u ssia ca n be form ed. T h e difficulty of prep a rin g reliable statistics in a co untry
in a state of revolution is obvious, a n d has b een m entioned more th a n once in the course of the
present Report. T he figures therefo re given in this A n n ex are such as m a y perhaps m ake p o s­
sible an ap p ro x im a te ly co rrec t an d n o t a precise conclusion on the operation of rail an d w ater
transport in R ussia d u rin g th e last few years. In m a n y cases several sets of figures, each differing
from the other, are availa b le in regard to v a rio u s aspects of tr a n s p o r t, b u t it would n o t be pos­
sible to decide which, if any, of these figures are a p p ro x im a te ly a c cu ra te w ith o u t an o pportun ity
of enquiry and in v e stig a tio n in R ussia itself.
In th e circumstances, therefore, those figures
only have been in cluded in th e A n n e x in reg a rd to which there is reason to suppose t h a t they
illustrate more or less clearly th e position of t r a n s p o r t in Russia recently.
I .
—
R
a
i l
w
a
y
s
1. — Development of R a ilw a y System s (1).
Length of the R a ilw a y System .
Year
Versts
isïs.........................................
1850.............................................................................................................................................
i8 6 0 .............................................................................................................................................
1 8 7 0 .........................................................................................................................................
1880.............................................................................................................................................
1890.
.....................................................................................................................................
1900. .
.....................................................................................................................
1913.............................................................................................................................................
467
1,487
10,221
21,124
28,346
49,742
6 5 ,0 0 0
2. — Length of L in e operated (2).
1st J a n u a r y 1913.................................................................................................................
—
1 9 1 4 .................................................................................................................
—
1915.................................................................................................................
6 5 ,0 0 0
6 4 ,7 0 0
6 5 ,0 0 0
(1) Statistical A n n u a l of the M in istry of W ays and Communications, St. Petersburg, 1910-1915.
(2) Bulletin of the People's Commissariat of W ays and Communications, 1918, N° 5, cited by M.
M}iie des Soviets.
Z ago rsk y
in La Repu-
—
12 2
—
Versts
Year
i s t J a n u a r y 1916..................................................................................................................
~
I 9 I 7 .................................................................................................................
6 5,000
64,526
—
I9 '8 ............................................
53,290
—
—
—
I 9 I 9 .................................................................................................................
1920.................................................................................................................
1921.................................................................................................................
23,770
48,410
60,921
1 9 2 2 .....................................................................................................................................
63,823
3.
—
Condition of Rolling-stock (1).
(a) Locomotives.
Jan. ist
of locomotives
in running order
Percentage
of Locomotives
not in running
order
Number of engines
in running order
Per 100 versts
of line operated
1 9 1 6 .....................................................
. . . .
16,033
15-16
15-16
16.8
I 9 I 7 .....................................................
1 9 1 8 .................................................
■ • • •
17,012
1 6 .8
. . . .
I 9 I 9 .....................................................
• ■ ■ •
1 4 ,5 1 9
4 ,5 7 7
47- 7
27
19
58.1
10
I 9 M .....................................................
1915 .....................................................
1 9 2 0 .....................................................
1 9 2 1 .....................................................
J a n u a r y 1 9 2 2 ...............................
F e b r u a r y 1 9 2 2 ..........................
M a r c h 1 9 2 2 ....................................
A p r il 1 9 2 2 ......................................
. . . .
. . . .
. . . .
3,969
7,683
6,5 81
. . . .
6 ,564
28
28
27
26
3 1 -I
57-2
7-9
6 2 .3
6 4 .4
I3-1
9-7
9.9
10.3
64-3
62-7
(b) Wagons.
Owing t o la ck of in f o rm a tio n i t is n o t possible to give in resp e ct of w agons a t a b l e similar
to t h a t set o u t above in r eg a rd to locom otives. T h e B ulletin of the People's Commissariat
for W a ys and C om m unications, Nos. I . a n d 4 . 1 9 2 2 , includes fhe following figures s h o w i n g the
p e rc e n ta g e of w ag ons n o t in r u n n in g o rd er :
Year
1 9 1 6 .....................................................................................................
3 .7
1 9 1 7 .....................................................................................................
4-2
19 18......................................................................................
Jan.
Febr.
M arch
A pril
Percentage
of wagons out
of order
7-5
1919........................................................................
l6.6
1 9 2 0 .....................................................................................................
1 9 2 1 .....................................................................................................
1 9 2 2 .................................... ...............................................................
1 9 2 2 .....................................................................................................
1 9 2 2 .....................................................................................................
1 9 2 2 .....................................................................................................
IÇ .O
20.9
28 . 8
28.8
2 9.6
29.8
(i)
Up to the year 1920 : Bulletin of the People’s Commissariat for Ways and Communications. 1918, No. io, a
Ekonomicheskaya Zhizn, 8 ih April 19 1 9 ,10th September 1919 and 7th March, 1920. F or 1920-1922 : Bulletin of the Psopt*
Commissariat for Ways and Communications, 1922, Nos. 1 and 4.
—
1 23
—
4 - — In te n sity of R a ilw a y Traffic (i).
T R A IN S
YEAR AND MONTH
Total number
LOCOMOTIVES
per verst
Total number
per verst
of locomotiveof train-versts
1920 ..................................
1921 ...................
..
W AG ON S
Average
distance
covered daily
by
a locomotive
Total, number
of axle-versts
covered by
goods wagons
(in thousands)
per verst
per day
Average
distahce
covered daily
by a goods
wagon
419,648,780
111,536,405
108,837,030
13.0
57 2 , 376 , 2 5 4
24.6
I 11 . 6
5- 8
180,938,324
841.9
324.6
174, 811,138
55-8
19,589,476
6,326,948
70.2
32.6
4-7
9.3
7-5
81.6
5 ,9 7 8 ,4 4 3
257-1
3 i -5
8,264,54s
7,397,066
8,884,700
4.2
4.1
h ,
, 5!2
10,679,205
12,707,161
13,367,806
14,608,546
6.0
6 -5
68.6
66.1
69.1
191-9
1 92.6
208.8
7.0
73-5
379,794
341,448
409,076
467,470
245-5
27.1
26.2
28.1
38.0
7-4
78.5
5 1 4 ,8 4 7
261.9
38-4
IÇ 22 :
January ..........................
February.........................
March.................................
April..................................
May ...................................
9 , 3 9 3 , 38 o
10,406,546
877
4-5
4-9
5 -3
5.
6.9
— R a ilw a y Traffic (2).
Amount of goods
Y ear
(in tiU io n s
Average number
o f lo a d e d w a g o n s
of poods)
1913................................................................................................
1916 ................................................................................................
191 7 ................................................................................................
1920 ................................................................................................
192 1................................................................................................
Per
8 ,0 0 0
9 ,7 0 0
7,2 0 0
3,6 5 8
3 ,2 3 4
33,643
31,164
3 0 , 1S2
10,738
9 ,7 8 0
The average n u m b e r of loaded w agons per d ay in 1922 w as : in J a n u ary , 8 , 361 ; in F eb ru ary ,
8,141 ; in March, 9,837; in April, 9,042, a n d in May, 10,078.
6.
— R epairs to R o llin g Stock in the R ailw ay Workshops.
(a)
Locomptive Repairs (3).
Year
Heavy Repairs
Number
of Locomotives
Running Repairs
(Number
of Locomotives
1 9 1 3 ............................................................................................................................
1,385
7,005
1 9 1 4 ............................................................................................................................
2 ,1 6 0
10,067
1915................................................................................................
1916. .
...................................................................................
1917 ................................................................................................
1918 ...............................................................................................
19! 9 ................................................................................................
1920................................................................................................
1,936
2,227
1,780
1,059
644
697
10,162
11,699
10,036
5 ,7 7 4
4,847
6,3 5 0
(1) Journal of M eans of Communication (official organ of the Commissariat of Means of Communication), Nos. 1 and 4,
!922* Statistical A nnual 1918-1920, Moscow, 1922.
(2) Journal of M eans oj Communication, Nos. 1 and 4, 1922.
(3) Statistical A n n u a l 1918-1920, Moscow, 1922. For the year 1921, see National Economy (Narodnoe Khozaistvo).
"lay 1922.
—
(b)
124
—
Production of Locomotives and Wagons (i).
Year
Locomotives
Wagons
191 3 ...............................................................................................
609
20,429
1914...............................................................................
762
3M74
191 5...............................................................................................
191 6 ...............................................................................................
191 7 ...............................................................................................
191S...............................................................................................
191 9 ...............................................................................................
192 0 ...............................................................................................
192 1...............................................................................................
883
916
410
200
74
9°
73
—
—
13,000
5,000
1,900
854
95°
II.
—
T
r a f f ic
N
on
a v ig a b l e
W
a ter w a y s
(2)
1. — Length of R iver and Canal Routes.
P rincipal B a sin s and R ivers in 1921 (E uropean R ussia).
L E N G T H O F SEC T IO N S
TO T A L L E N G T H
Non-navigable
OF BA S IN S A N D RIV E R S
B a sin of th e C aspian S e a .........................................
Volga b a s in ......................................................................
B a sin of th e B la c k Sea a n d th e S ea of A zov. .
K u b a n b a s i n ................................................................
D n ie p e r b a s i n ...............................................................
D o n b a s in ........................................................................
B asin of th e B a ltic S e a ..................................................
V istu la b a s i n ...............................................................
N iem en b a s s in ...............................................................
W e s te rn D v in a b a s i n .............................................
B asin of th e A rctic O cean........................................
N o r th e rn D v i n a ...................................................... ....
P e c h o r a .............................................................................
M ezen.................................................................................
2.
8 5 .4 6 4
77 , 4 4 i
3 2 , 110
2 ,0 4 0
19,445
6 ,2 4 6
31,565
4 3 ,2 6 7
38 ,8 42
11 ,144
1,447
8,5 3 7
314
23,243
—
329
2,852
4 1 ,0 26
18,503
24,747
21 , 982
11, 9 s 1
379
6 ,9 3 8
3,977
4 ,6 4 6
—
709
4 ,9 2 8
57,007
26,817
6 ,8 3 2
6 ,0 0 1
371
i ,059
7,4 53
3, 1 4 0
i , 5°4
783
216 ,1 46
48, 7 97
Navigable for rafts
Navigable
4 ,3 8 2
17,450
16,617
9,015
214
4,870
1,955
3,676
—
9
1,017
1,017
5,234
2,005
836
118,68 0
38,669
3 ,3 1 3
— M erchant M arine.
STE AM A ND M O T O R - P R O P E L L E D
V ES SE LS
S A IL IN G V E S S E L S AND SMA LL CRAFT
SEA
B a l t i c ................................................................
W h i t e ................................................................
C a s p i a n ......................................................
B lack a n d A z o v ...........................................
T
o t a i .................................................
I92I
1913
38
197
21
l 65
49
273
41
259
350
185
379
254
873
83O
48
.
I9 2I
(1) See N o te 3 on preceding page.
(2) Ekonomickeskaya Zhizn for 1921 and 1922. N o iy M ir for 1921 and 1922.
ig l3
1921
750
79
371
35»
303
2,587
i , 103
807
485
545
—
125
—
3- — T onnage and Freight-carrying Capacity of the M erchant M arine.
PASSENGER AN D GOODS
MER CH AN T VESSELS
VESSELS
(for goods)
SEAS
LIGHTERS
Freightcarrying
capacity
Tonnage
2 1 6 ,1 8 2
1 8 ,0 8 9
1 8 4 ,0 8 9
2 6 ,0 9 1
2 5 ,3 0 2
1 ,8 6 4
1 0 ,5 0 7
863
1 9 4 ,5 9 6
2 6 ,9 5 4
Tonnage
Freight-
Carrying
capacity
of lighters
Tonnage
capacity
1916.
Oceanic. .
Inland. .
T otal . .
IÇ 22
1)
.
19,953
2 4 1 ,4 8 4
963
6i,
7 ,6 9 3
o n
6 ,1 5 9
6 8 ,7 7 4
7 ,1 2 2
6 ,7 1 6
■■
Oceanic. .
Inland. .
Total. .
.
3 7 ,7 5 0
3 ,6 1 9
4 3 ,5 1 8
6 ,3 0 2
1 3 ,8 9 2
883
2 2 ,8 0 9
1 ,9 2 5
728
6 4 ,8 2 0
5 1 ,6 4 2
4 ,5 0 2
6 6 ,3 2 7
8 ,2 2 7
6 5 ,5 4 8
47
6,793
( i) E x c l u s i v e o f v e s s e l s i n n e e d o f r e p a i r .
4.
— Composition of the M erchant M a rin e in the Regions of the Volga, the Neva and the Northern
D w in a , according to the returns of 1919-1920.
STE AM A N D M OT O R -P R O P EL LE D VESSELS
Number
of vessels
DISTRICTS
Volga...........................
Mariisky S y s t e m .
Northern....................
T otal .
.
.
H.P.
Steam
Motor
1 ,3 2 2
250
751
73
(nominal)
With solid cargo
(actual)
Number
93 375-5
1 64
25
3 0 ,0 7 6 .4
,
2 4 ,6 8 3 .4 2 ,061.6
6 ,448.0
8 4 3 .2
2 ,2 3 7
348
124,506.9 32 ,9 8 1 .2
5.
S A IL IN G VESSELS A N D S M A L L CRAFT
3 ,7 0 6
6 ,1 i s
763
With liquid cargo
Tonnage
Number
Tonnage
19 1 ,1 3 1 ,8 0 0
9 5 ,9 6 0 ,4 5 0
18,401,100
787
16 0
16
1 1 7 ,451,500
6 ,3 6 6 ,3 0 0
1 0 9 ,9 0 0
963
1 23,927,700
1 0 ,5 6 4 3 0 5 , 4 9 3 - 2 5 0
Total
Number
4,493
6,275
759
Tonnage
3 0 8 ,5 8 3 ,3 0 0
1 0 3,326,750
1 8 ,5 1 0 ,9 0 0
1 1 ,527 4 3 0 , 4 2 0 , 9 5 0
— In la n d W aterw ays Fleet. S h ip p in g in 1920.
D IS T R IC T S
TYPE O F V E S S E L
M a riisk y
A c tu a lly ru n n in g
Volga
D n ie p e r
DonK uban
N o rth W est
N o rth
S ib e ria
III
196
:
Steam and motor for passengers a n d
freight. . .
Steam and motor river tugs. . . .
jrteam and m otor for use in ports. .
arges and other craft for tra n sp o rtln£ solid cargoes. . . .
53
395
3,6 2 6
S09
128
64
100
43
1,330
154
h
17
23
1 ,8 8 6
77
13
63
34
376
527
6,
n o
•— ■
126
—-
—
DISTRICTS
TYPE OF VESSEL
Volga
M a riis k y
D n ie p e r
D onK uban
N o rth W est
North
—
Siberia
total
A c tu a lly ru n n in g :
B a rg es a n d o th e r c ra ft for tr a n s ­
p o r tin g liq u id cargoes.......................
B a rg es a n d o th e r c r a f t fo r use in
p o r t s .......................................................
235
5
240
—
90
—
15
—
(1)
(1)
212
287
(1)
(1)
(1)
18
17
57
131
114
(1)
(1)
319
54"
(o
(o
6
16
47
24
1 27
—
In;
U n d e r re p a ir :
S te a m a n d m o to r .....................................
B a rg e s a n d o th e r c r a f t.......................
68
30
—
H a n d e d over to o th e r a d m in is­
tra tio n s , u n s u ita b le fo r n a v i­
g a tio n , d e stro y e d b y fire,
su n k , etc. :
S te a m a n d m o to r....................................
B a rg es a n d o th e r c r a f t.......................
34
286
—
(i) N o d a ta a v a ila b le .
6. —■ Traffic on In la n d N aviga ble W aterw ays (i).
(In m illions of poods.)
YEAR
CORN
SALT
WOOD
NAPHTHA
OTHER ARTICLES
1913 ....................................
I 9 I 4 ....................................
229
235-7
2 2 7 .8
93-2
10.1
1 8 .2
2 4 .9
—
51
5 6 .2
I , l6 6 .I
1, 0 9 2 . 4
719.2
666.3
217-9
22-3 . 4
3 2 8 .7
3 2 2 .3
4 3 2 .7
385-1
100.4
5 T7 - 1
44 3-0
314-3
256. 9
8 2 .2
5 0. 9
124.3
—
I9l6
.........................
I 9 I 7 ....................................
i g i S .........................
I 9 I 9 ....................................
1920.....................................
1921 (8 m o n th s). . . .
1922 (6 m onths'). . . .
53-5
5 0 .2
2 9 .6
1S.9
22
—
-
17-5
108 .0
167-5
80.9
( i) Statistical A nnual 1918-1920, Moscow, 1921. Ekonomicheskaya Zhizn, 1922.
TOTAL
2, 2 8 1 . 9
2 , I49.6
1, 747-7
1, 451-7
441.2
333-9
665.5
233-0
260
A N N E X
VIII
In the tables w hich follow are given statistics showing the notes in circulation and the
issues during each half-year fro m 1914 to 1917 a n d for each m onth since O ctober of the la tte r
year when the Soviet G o v e r n m e n t cam e into power; the index n um be rs o f articles of prime
necessity a n d of the m o n t h ly food ratio n , to g e th e r w ith the rates of exchange fixed b y the S tate
B a n k fro m 19th October, 1921 to the 8 th S e p te m b e r 1922 a n d those on the open m a rk e t since
that la tte r date, as given b y th e special C o m m ittee on E xchange Q uotations.
These statistics are o b ta in e d from th e sources m e ntioned in th e footnotes to each table.
It will be observed t h a t the new economic policy of the Soviet regime has h a d no restraining
effect u p t o the p rese n t on the n o te issues.
D u rin g the c u r r e n t year th e note circulation has
doubled itself a p p r o x im a te ly once in e v e ry six weeks.
The index n u m b e r of th e prices of necessities, w hich is calculated by the Economic Institute
attached to th e P e tr o v s k y A gricu ltu ra l A c a d e m y a n d the Price B ureau of th e Economic and
Financial D e p a rtm e n t of t h e M inistry of F inance, is used for determ in ing the valu e of the gold
rouble, on which th e b u d g e t of th e S t a t e is now based.
The com parative m o v e m e n t of th e note circulation an d prices since O ctober 19 2 1 was
as follows :
new
Note
Circulation
Date
1921
1922
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
O cto ber i s t ...................................................
J a n u a r y i s t ...................................................
F e b r u a ry i s t ................................................
M arch i s t .......................................................
A pril i s t .......................................................
M a y i s t ..........................................................
J u n e i s t .........................................................
J u l y i s t ..........................................................
A u g u s t i s t .................................................. .
Price Index
100
.................................
387
664
.................................
................................
................................
................................
................................
................................
! >065
i , 790
.........
(492) <
699
1 ,3 9 4
2,1 0 5
2 ,8 1 9
5,701
4,713
7,117
10,535
6 ,5 0 s
7,2 0 4
7,854
It will be noted t h a t in spite of th e v io le n t j u m p in prices between April an d May of this
year, the two series alm o st coincide a t th e end of J u ly .
The price inde x of th e s t a n d a r d food r a ti o n shows alm ost exactly th e sam e m ov e m en t
between April and M a y as does t h a t of t h e E conom ic I n s tit u te a tta c h e d to the P e tr o v sk y A gri­
cultural Academy, from 764 to 1,401 for Moscow an d 440 to 832 for K h a rk o v .
Unfortunately, i t is n o t possible to calcu late th e value of the total circulation in terms of
a foreign currency w ith a n y accuracy, as it w as only on the 12th S ep tem ber t h a t the rates of
exchange in the free m a r k e t b e g a n to be q uoted.
It will be noted t h a t these rates are ap p ro x i­
mately three times as high as th o se prev io u sly fixed by th e S ta te Bank. If, however, th e
total circulation a t t h e begin ning of A u g u s t be converted into pounds sterling according to
the rate of exchange ruling on th e 12th S ep te m b er, its value will be found to be appro x im ate ly
£16,000,000, w ith w hich m a y be c o m p a re d the value of the pre-war circulation, w hich a m o u n te d
to approximately £ 180,OOO,OOO.
(1) Average o f the month.
128
—
I.
— •
N o t e s
—
C ir c u l a t io n
i n
( i )
(R oubles, 000,000,000’s om itted.)
1914
DATE
On is t
ist
-— i s t
— ist
— ist
— ist
— ist
— ist
— ist
— ist
— ist
— ist
—
(i)
J a n u a r y ....................................
F e b r u a r y ....................................
M a rc h ............................................
A p r i l ..............................................
M a y ................................................
J u n e .............................................
J u l y .............................................
A u g u s t .........................................
S e p te m b e r...................................
O cto b er.........................................
N ov em b er. , ............................
D e c e m b e r.....................................
A t
th e
tim e of th e
fa ll of
th e
i - 7
—
—
—
—
—
i - 7
I9 I5
1915
3 - o
5-8
1917
9 - 3
—
—
—
—
—
IC)l8
24.0
2 5 - 9
6 .8
3- 9
1 3 .2
I9 -i(i)
21 .7
27-3
30-3
34-5
3 7 -o
4 0 .0
4 2 .6
4 4 .9
47 -7
50.5
53-5
1919
19=0
57-5
6 1 .6
6 5 .4
7 1 .2
77.1
8 8.5
9 7 .0
109.1
122-9
144 .9
166.8
189 .2
221 .7
2 5 6 .9
28 9 .7
337-3
384-4
447-3
508.5
577-4
6 4 8 .0
74 1 .9
859-5
99 2 .3
1921
1922
1,165.3
i , 295-9
1,484.9
1,683.4
i , 9 i 3-9
2 ,1 1 9 .0
2 , 343-8
2,8 0 4 .8
3 , 507-4
4 , 531-1
6 ,4 8 1 .4
9 ,8 4 6 .4
17.540.6
30,092.4
48,256.5
81,114.8
■27,749.0
213,563.7
322,461.9
477,354-8
P ro v is io n a l G o v e rn m e n t.
II. —- N
ote
Issu e s
(2)
(R oubles, 000,000,000’s om itted)
MONTH
1914
J a n u a r y .......................................................
F e b r u a r y .....................................................
M a rch ...........................................................
A p r i l ...........................................................
M a y ...............................................................
J u n e ..............................................................
J u l y ..............................................................
A u g u s t.........................................................
S e p te m b e r..................................................
O c t o b e r .......................................................
N o v e m b e r .................................................. 1
D e c e m b e r ..................................................
—
—
—
—
th e
tim e o f th e
fa ll of th e
0.9
1.0
3-9
-3
2 .8
2
-5
3-5
IÇlS
1919
1920
1-9
4.1
35-2
1.4
3-8
5-8
3 -o
19 »
13-8
117.6
132.8
1,950-3
3,365-0
4.2
5-9
2-5
3 -o
ii.4
2.6
12.1
8-5
9.8(1)
2 .6
3 -o
2 2 .0
2 1 .9
2 2 .4
2-3
4.0
3 2 .5
173.0
7,694.2
164.2
943-6
1 6 ,3 7 5 - 3
14.7
33-5
93-9
1922
12,551.8
I 30-3
189.3 18,164.;
198.5 32,858.3
230.5 46,634.2
205.I 85,814.7
224.8 108,898.2
461.0 154,892.9
702.6
1,023.7
32.8
47.6
47.1
62.9
61.2
68.9
70.6
2 .3
2 .8
2 .8
5-9
•9
1
(1) A t
1917
1915
459,814.2
P ro v isio n a l G o v e rn m e n t, O c to b e r 2 3 rd , 1917.
(1) Economicheskaya Z hizn, 1921, 1922.
(2) F or the years 1918-1921 :the report presented by M. Sokolnikov to the Hague Conference; Economic BtdkW
of th e In stitu te of Economic Research of the Academy of Agriculture ac Moscow, 1922. F o r 1922 : Prof A. Sokolo',
“ T axation and the S tate Budget” (Ekonomicheskaya Z hizn, September 22nd, 1922).
F o r the years 1914 'l 9 ]‘ '
Professor Z a g o rs k y , L a République des Soviets, Paris, 1921.
1 29
—
jjj_
__
In d e x
N umbers
(f o r
of
th e
tow ns
—
P r ic es
of
in
w hole
th e
A r tic les
of
of
P rim a ry
N e c essity
(i )
R u s s i a .)
General index prepared for the whole of R u ssia by the E conom ic Institute of the A cadem y of A g r i­
culture, and by the Prices B u rea u of the Econoviic and F in an cia l Department of the M in istry
oj Finance.
Date
1921 : 1st
— ist
— 1st
— ist
1913
S e p t e m b e r .....................................
O c to b e r............................................
N o v e m b e r.......................................
D ece m b e r........................................
.........................
Preceding Month
100
6 ,2 8 5 ,3 0 5
102
127
12 6
1922 : i s t J a n u a r y ...........................................
.........................
3 1 , 5 3 9 , 5 0 0 (2)
—
i s t F e b r u a r y .........................................
i s t M a r c h ..............................................
1 st A p ril..................................................
i s t M a y ..................................................
i s t J u n e ( 3 ) .............................................
i s t J u l y ...................................................
i s t A u g u s t..............................................
.......................
4 4,804,305
—
.........................
.........................
.........................
200
.......................
8 9 , 4 1 4 ,3 1 2
1 9 4 , 9 5 1, ” 3
365 , 573,200
4 1 7 , 315,400
.......................
5 0 3 ,60 7,400
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
IV.
—
Cost
of
a
Monthly
151
271
114
III
R a t io n
of
3,600
Ca l o r ie s
10 9
per
D iem
(4)
(R ou bles, oo o ’s o m itted)
Date
1922 :: 2 n d J a n u a r y ..................................
— 15*
—
.........
1st F e b r u a r y ..............................
—
— 1 5 th
—
..............................
1 s t M a r c h ........................................
—
— 15 t h
...................................
1st A p r i l ........................................
—
— 15*
—
........................................
—
1 s t M a y .............................................
• — 1 5 th — .............................................
—
1 st J u n e ........................................
— 15 t h —
........................................
—
1 s t J u l y ............................................
—
1 5 th — .............................................
—
1 st A u g u s t ..................................
— :5 t h
—
.........
Moscow
. .
.
.
Kharkov
1 ,5 3 2
2 ,5 9 3
3 ,3 3 3
4,737
5 ,5 1 8
9, i n
1 1 ,4 1 2
16, n o
2 2 ,0 2 0
21,580
Odessa
—
—
—
—
.
.
.
•
■
.
.
.
•
■
.
.
.
•
■
.
.
.
•
■
4 ,0 1 8
5 ,068
7 ,878
9 ,904
17,349
.
•
•
•
•
.
•
•
.
•
•
•
•
.
•
■
.
•
■
•
•
.
•
■
.
•
■
•
•
.
•
•
3M 10
34,9 6 0
34 ,6 3 0
23,350
3 5 , T30
3 i ,730
34,9 00
23,370
2 8 ,7 6 0
2 4 ,2 2 0
41,465
24,470
6,155
7 ,1 7 4
1 9 ,1 2 7
25 ,7 0 0
3 6 ,0 3 0
2 8 ,6 3 1
2 0 ,5 0 0
2 6 ,8 2 0
2 9 ,1 0 3
25,112
31 ,2 0 0
38,437
2 6 ,2 6 0
3 2 ,4 9 3
(1) Econoniche ska y a Z hizn 1921, 1922.
(2) Average of the m onth.
(3) Economicheskaya Z hizn, No. 196 September 2nd, 1922.
( k
Economicheskaya Z h izn , 1922. The norm al m onthly ration of 3,600 calories a day includes; 48 1. of rye flour, 12 1.
coffee^ ^°Ur? 7*5 ^
oatmeal, 3 1. of fat, 2.5 1. of sugar, 30 I. of potatoes, 10 1. of sauerkraut, 2 1. of salt and 0.5 L of
ECONOMIC C O N D IT IO N S IN RU SSIA
9
—
V.
—
R
ates
130
of
—
E x c h a n g e (i )
(R oub les, o o o ’s o m itted )
DATE
DOLLAR
STERLING
1 9 th O cto b er 1921 (1)..............
1 4 th J a n u a r y 1922 ....................................
18 th F e b r u a r y 1922....................................
9 t h M arch 1 9 2 2 .........................................
8 th A pril 1 9 2 2 .........................................
8 t h M ay 1 9 2 2 ..............................................
8 t h J u n e 1922.............................................
8 t h J u l y 1922.............................................
8 th A u g u s t 1922........................................
8 th S e p te m b e r 1 9 2 2 ................................
12 th S e p te m b e r 1922 (2 ).........................
1 8t h
—
.......................
1 9th
—
.......................
20 t h
—
.......................
2 is t- 2 3 r d
—
. . . . . .
......................
2 7 th
—
140
200
530
520
750
1, 9 3 0
2 ,4 0 0
2 ,3 0 0
2 ,4 0 0
2 ,4 0 0
7 ,0 0 0
7 ,1 0 0
6 ,9 0 0
7 ,9 0 0
6 ,9 0 0
7 ,2 2 0
475
850
2 ,2 5 0
2 ,3 0 0
3 ,3 0 0
8 ,6 0 0
1 0,60 0
10,80 0
10,900
10,900
30 ,0 0 0
31,00 0
3 0 ,0 0 0
3 0 ,0 0 0
3 0 ,0 0 0
32 ,0 0 0
(1)
Economicheskaya Zhizn,
1921,
GERMAN MARK
O.4
6.8
31
55
135
140
190
400
3 .3
610
8.8
560
600
600
—
1,900
i ,790
T .2
2-5
2.6
3-0
5-5
2 .5
6 .2 5
5-o
4-7
4-7
4-7
4-7
1922.
( 2 ) R a t e s o n t h e o p e n m a r k e t o f t h e Bulletin o f t h e S p e c i a l C o m m i t t e e o n E x c h a n g e .
Ecotiomicheskaya Zhizn , N o s . 2 0 5 , 2 1 0 - 2 1 5 o f S e p t e m b e r 1 3 t h , a n d S e p t e m b e r I 9 t h - 2 4 t h , 1 9 2 2 .
(1) R ates fixed b y th e S tate Bank.
SWEDISH KR.
1,790
1,790
1,920
GOLD ROUBLE
68
100
270
260
400
1,000
1,250
1,200
1,200
1,200
3,200
3,450
3,375
3,375
3,375
3,5oo
A N N E X
I X
The population of th e R u s sia n E m p ire increased before the W a r in accordance w ith the
following figures (in th o u sa nd s) :
1858
1897
94,215
9,456
2, 5 5 5
Russia in Europe (50 G o v ernm ents).
59,415
P o l a n d ............................................................
F in l a n d ............................................................
4 ,7 6 4
T o t a l .........................................................................
6 5 ,9 2 6
1,747
1 0 6 ,2 2 6
1907
h i
, 279
11,139
2,925
1913
1 2 5 ,6 8 4 .
1 1 ,9 6 0
3,i97
125,343
1 4 0 ,8 4 1
1 0 ,6 5 4
6 ,8 9 4
9 ,1 1 8
12,513
Russia in A sia.
4,309
4,321
Caucasia. . . .
Siberia..................
Central A sia . .
9,249
5,727
7,722
9,788
10 , 9 5 7
T o t a l ...................................................
8 ,6 3 0
2 2 ,6 9 8
2 6 ,6 6 6
33,258
T otal R u ssian E m p ir e . . .
74,556
1 2 8 ,9 2 4
1 5 2 ,0 0 9
174,099
The area of th e c o u n try a n d th e d e nsity of the p o p u la tio n in the la st of these years was
as follows :
GOVERNMENT
sq. miles
European R u s s i a ...........................................................
P O PU L A T IO N
1 ,8 6 7 ,7 3 8
4 3 ,8 0 4
8 5 ,7 6 8
1 2 5 , 6 8 3 , Soo
1 1 ,9 6 0 ,5 0 0
,
.
1 ,9 9 7 .3 1 0
143, 114,900
Transcaucasia...................................................................
9 5 ,4 0 5
4 ,8 3 1 ,8 8 2
7 1 0 ,9 0 5
4 2 0 ,8 0 7
2 3 5 ,1 2 0
Poland......................................................................................
Ciscaucasia.........................................................................
T o t a l
R u s s i a
i n
E u r o p e .
.
.
Siberia......................................................................................
Steppes....................................................................................
T u rk e s ta n .............................................................................
Trans-Caspian p ro v in ces.............................................
T o t a l
T o t a l
R u s s i a n
7 ,0 4 2 ,2 0 0
9 ,7 8 8 ,4 0 0
3 ,8 9 3 ,2 0 0
,
6 556,700
67-3
2 7 3 .0
6 3 .8
71-7
73-8
2 .0
5-5
5 0 7 ,5 0 0
1 5 .6
2 .2
A s i a .............................
6 ,2 9 4 ,1 1 9
2 7 ,7 8 8 ,0 0 0
4 .4
(e x clu d in g F in la n d ).
8 ,2 9 1 ,4 2 9
1 7 0 ,9 0 2 ,9 0 0
2 0 .6
R u s s i a
E m p i r e
5 470,600
D E N S IT Y
per sq. mile
i n
The change in p o p u la tio n a n d in are a since th e W a r b eg a n is shown b y th e following table
extracted from the S ta tistic a l A n n u a r y , 1918-1920, p ublish ed b y th e C e n tral S tatistic al Administration of Russia (Moscow, 1921-1922).
132
—
—
PO PU LA T IO N I N
A REA
T E R R I T O R IE S
T o ta l
1920
P e r sq u are
POPULATION
Total
IS 1914
Per square
s q u a re m ile s
1 ,4 5 2 ,5 4 4
66 ,4 8 5 ,9 7 2
4 5 -8
7 2 ,037,6x5
1 ,1 9 0 ,5 3 2
6 0 ,1 6 3 ,9 0 0
5 0 .5
6 5 , 436,915
49-6
55-0
to r ie s ...................................................................
R e p u b lic o f th e C r i m e a ............................
N o r th e r n C a u ca s ia a n d D o n ...................
R e p u b lic o f W h ite R u s s i a ........................
R e p u b lic o f U k r a i n i a .................................
262,012
14 ,887
24. i
51-2
23,02 3
172,52 4
6 ,3 2 2 ,0 7 2
761,600
6 ,8 5 0 ,8 4 6
1 ,6 3 4 ,2 2 3
2 6 ,0 0 1 ,8 0 2
1 5 0 .7
6,600,700
677,600
6,812,100
1,902,800
27,680,400
25.2
45 ï
59.5
82.6
160.4
T o t a l s ...................................................
1, 777,412
i o i , 734,443
57-2
109,110,515
61.4
S ib e r ia .................................................... ' . . .
K ir g h iz R e p u b l i c ...........................................
R e p u b lic o f T u r k e s ta n ..................................
R e p u b lic o f D a g h e s ta n .................................
R e p u b lic o f A z e r b a ija n .................................
R e p u b lic o f A r m e n ia .....................................
R e p u b lic o f G e o r g ia ......................................
R e p u b lic o f th e F a r E a s t ......................
4 ,1 6 2 ,5 2 7
8 3 4 ,048
570,841
13,578
9 ,2 5 7 ,8 2 5
2 .2
6 .1
12.6
1 8 .8
6 2 .4
8 0 .6
7,62 3,500
r.8
5-4
n .6
55-8
62.9
78.6
84.0
2.4
T o t a l s ..................................................
6 ,3 0 0 ,4 3 0
4'2
I. R ussia in E u r o p e ...........................................
a) P ro v in c e s .........................................................
V) R e p u b lic s
II.
III.
IV .
V.
and
s e lf-g o v e rn in g
t e r r i­
1 1 4 ,4 3 4
59-9
7 1 .0
R ussia in A sia.
V I.
V II.
V III.
IX .
X.
X I.
X II.
X III.
33,590
15,066
25,470
6 4 5 , 3 io
5 ,0 5 8 ,5 5 5
(1 )
( i)
(1 )
(1 )
V)
(1 )
7,20 1 ,5 5 1
798,181
2 ,0 9 6 ,9 7 3
4 , 472,700
6,631,200
757,500
1,81 1 ,7 2 5
2 .8
2,111,400
1,184,600
2,140,100
1,567,500
2 9 ,8 1 1 ,6 0 4
4-7
26,488,500
1 ,2 1 4 ,3 9 1
2 ,3 7 2 ,4 0 3
93-i
(i) E s tim a te s fo r 1916.
T h e d a t a for 1920 given in th e above ta b le are those o b ta in e d b y th e census initiated on
A u g u s t 28th t h a t year, in so fa r as it has been possible for the C en tral S tatistic al Administration
of R u ssia to com plete it. E s tim a te s h av e been reso rted to for T ran s-C au casia and Turkestan
as w ell as for certain regions of Asiatic R ussia a n d of th e U k rain e; for th e first two regions the
d a t a m u s t be considered m erely as v ery cru d e ap p ro x im atio n s. T h e estim ates for 1914 are
b as ed u p o n th e census of 1897 a n d th e official r e tu rn s of b irth s a n d d ea th s, d eduction having
been m a d e of 5 to IO % on a c c o u n t of e v id en t over-estim ates of th e p o p u la tio n in various districts.
V e ry considerable changes h av e been m a d e in th e a d m in is t ra tiv e divisions of Russia since
t h e Revolution. U p to 1917, E u ro p e an R u s sia was composed of th e following territories : fifty
provinces of E u ro p e a n R ussia proper, te n P olish provinces, a n d th re e provinces of Northern
Caucasia.
T h e te rrito ry lost b y R u s sia am o u n ts to 817,000 square kilom etres w ith a total population
of a b o u t 27,720,000, acco rd in g to the v ario u s n a t io n a l census d a t a of 1920 or 1921, namely :
F in la n d , 3,332,000 i n h a b ita n ts ; E sth o n ia, 1,750,000; L atvia, 1,728,000; Lithuania (without
Vilna), 2,700,000; to P o la n d (with Vilna), 15,373,000; B essarab ia (to Roum ania), 2,345,000;
K a rs (in Trans-Caucasia, to Turkey), 492.000 in h a b ita n ts.
R o u g h ly co rresponding to th e n o n -R u ssian eth n ic un its of E u ro p e a n Russia th e r e has been
f o rm e d 3 p e rm a n e n tly allied republics (the U kraine, W h ite R u s sia a n d th e C rim ea), 3 auto­
n o m o u s republics (the m o s t i m p o r t a n t of w hich is th e T a r t a r R ep u b lic with2, 8 5 0 , 0 0 0 inhabitants)
a n d 11 regions w ith v a r y in g degrees of self-governm ent. E u ro p e a n R u s sia proper is now divided
in to 42 provinces w hich b y th e official sta tis tic s is classified acco rd in g to th e natu re of the soil
as t h e Region of Simple Soil, to th e n o r t h a n d th e w est (2,045,180 s q u a re km. w i t h 28,967,084
in h a b ita n ts ), a n d th e Region of Black Soil, to w a rd s th e s o u th a n d s o u th - e a s t (1 ,0 3 8 ,3 0 2 square
km. w ith 31,196,816 in h a b ita n ts ). Several n ew provinces h a v e b ee n created and th e frontier:
of th e old ones h a v e changed, th e details of w hich will be fo u n d in A n n e x IX.
Siberia is now d ivided into 9 provinces a n d one allied republic (form erly 4 provinces an
—
133
—
T he K irg h iz R e p u b lic a n d th e R epublic of T u r k e s ta n are largely cre ate d from
R ussian p rov inces of C e n tral Asia.
T r a n s - Caucasia is d ivided in to 4 republics, all m e n tio n e d in th e above table.
It s h o u l d also b e n o te d t h a t som e te rritorie s prev io u sly considered as p o rtions of Asiatic
Russia h a v e becom e p a r t s of th e a d m in is t r a tio n sy ste m of E u ro p e a n Russia, and vice versa.
Thus, t h e district of K u rg a n , fo rm e rly p a r t of Tobolsk, is n o w included i n t h e new province of
Cheliabinsk, while t h e provinces of O re n b u rg a n d U ralsk , form erly in E u ro p e a n Russia, and
the district o f B ukeev, fo rm e rly in th e p rovince of A s tr a k a n , are now in c o rp o ra te d in the
Kirghiz R e p u b l i c a n d th u s c o u n te d to A siatic Russia.
Tabulation of t h e Census figures rev e al a m o st s t r i k i n g d i s p r o p o r t i o n of t h e sex es in
European Russia, a n d p a r ti c u la r l y so in th e r u ra l districts :
t errito ries).
fo rm er
U rban population.
M a le
F e m a le
42 E uropean p ro v in ces.....................
The U k r a i n e .................................... .
Other auto n o m o u s r egi ons . . . .
4 ,0 1 0 ,7 1 2
4,7 7 6 ,0 9 7
2, 354,982
I , I 3I , 53I
T o t a l , E u ro p e a n Russia.
7,497,225
2,808,846
1,281,649
8,866,592
T o ta l
8,7 8 6 ,8 0 9
5 ,1 63,828
2 ,4 1 3 ,1 8 0
1 6 ,363,817
R u ra l population.
42 E uropean pro v in ces..............................
The U k r a in e ...................................................
Other au to n o m o u s re g io n s......................
2 2 ,6 3 6 ,5 4 5
9 ,6 5 5 ,8 3 0
6 ,0 8 8 ,2 9 7
2 8 ,7 4 0 ,5 4 6
1 1 ,1 8 2 ,1 4 4
7 ,0 6 7 ,2 6 4
2 0 ,8 3 7 ,9 7 4
E u ro p e a n R ussia . .
3 8 ,3 8 0 ,6 7 2
46,989,954
8 5 ,3 7 0 ,6 2 6
T o tal,
51,377,091
I3, i 55, 56i
The number of m e n in E u r o p e a n R u s s ia w a s th u s exceeded b y th e n u m b e r of w om en to the
extent of 10 millions, o r b y a b o u t 22 p er cent. T his deficit of m en is ascribed la rgely to the
enormous casualties su s ta in e d d u r in g th e G r e a t W a r as well as d uring the m ilita ry operations
of the revolutionary period. I t ap p e a rs t h a t t h e m en on ac tiv e m ilitary service h a v e n o t been
included in the census r e tu r n s ; th is w ould, a t th e time, ac c o u n t for upw ards of 3 million men.
The deficit of m en is m o s t p ro n o u n c e d in C e n tra l Russia, n o r th of Moscow, an d is less felt
towards the south, w ihle in th e re m o te regions i t is negligible.
Details regardin g th e age incidence of th e p o p u la tio n h a v e been ta b u la te d for a b o u t onefourth of the country, b u t th e selection of g o v e rn m e n ts is fairly rep rese n ta tiv e of th e whole.
It appears th a t th e d ecrease has o cc u rre d p a r ti c u la r l y am ong m en of m ilita ry age (18 to 39 years)
and among children u n d e r 6 y ea rs of age (due to th e decreased natality ). The p roportion of
children remains high as a consequence of th e high n a t a l i t y before 1914 an d because of th e re la ­
tively greater s u r p lu s - m o r ta lity of a d u l ts ; in th e area, w here th e ages had been compiled, ab o u t
40 per cent, of th e p o p u la tio n w ere children u n d e r fifteen years of age.
The population of th e large cities was, in 1920 :
In European R u s s i a : Moscow 1,028,218 (2,017,173 in 1917); P e tro g ra d 705,908 (1,905,589
in 1910); Saratov, 187,750; S a m a ra , 175,633; R o s to v on Don, 176,770; K ra snodar, 143, 137;
Kazan, 146,495; T ula, 129,147; A s tr a k h a n , 122,648.
In the Ukraine: Odessa, 434,857; K iev, 365,737; K h ark o v , 284,435; E katerinoslavl, 164,270;
Nikolaev, 108,820.I n Siberia and th e K ir g h iz R e p u b lic : Omsk, 144,525; Irk u ts k , 103,920; O renburg, 108,768.
ANNEX X
N o te on N e w T erritorial D iv isio n s.
A co n sid erab le r e a r r a n g e m e n t of t e r r i t o r y has ta k e n pla ce in R u ssia since the Revolution
of O c to b e r 1917. I n a d d i tio n to t h e f o r m a t i o n b y t h e S o v iet G o v e r n m e n t of a number of new
R epublics, s e v e r a l n e w p ro v in c ia l divisions h a v e b e e n m ade.
In r e g a rd to te rr ito r y which has
ceased to f o r m p a r t of R ussia, t h e B a ltic P ro v in c e s h a v e gone to fo rm the new independent
S ta t e s of E s th o n ia , L a t v i a a n d L ith u a n ia , t h e p rov inces f o rm e r ly in c lu d e d in the Kingdom of
P o la n d now fo rm p a r t of t h e P o lish R e p u b lic , th e fo rm e r G r a n d - D u c h y of F in la n d is now the
i n d e p e n d e n t R e p u b lic of F in la n d , B e s s a ra b ia is now p a r t of R o u m a n ia , a p o r tio n o f t h e NorthW e s te r n P r o v in c e of V ite b sk has b ee n ceded to L a tv ia , a n d p a r ts of Minsk (now k n o w n as White
R ussia) a n d V o lh y n ia now b elong to P o la n d .
W i t h a view to m a k in g as clear as possible th e p r e s e n t divisions of te rr ito r y within Euro­
p e a n R u s sia, th e follow ing ta b le show s :
1. T h e p ro v in ce s as t h e y w ere in 1913, t o g e th e r w ith th e c o u n ties c o m p o s i n g each
of the m .
2. T h e changes, if any, in r e g a r d to each of t h e a b o v e pro v in ce s which have taken
p la ce since 1913.
3. T h e p ro v in ce s as t h e y a r e to - d a y , w ith th e c o u n tie s com p o sin g them .
PROVINCES
PRO V IN CES
CHANGES,
to g e th e r
w ith
c o m p o sin g
th e
th e m
to g e th e r
c o u n tie s
in
1913
if a n y , w h ic h h a v e ta k e n p la c e sin c e
1913
with the counties
them as at present
constituted
c o m p o sin g
L A K E PR O V IN C ES
P etrograd.
P e tro g ra d .
S chlusselbu rg .
T sarsk o e Selo.
N o v a y a L adog a.
Luga.
P e te rh o v .
Y a m b u rg .
G dov.
K r o n s t a d t C o u n ty h a s b een c reated o u t of th e p a r t
of th e P e tr o g ra d C o u n ty w hich b ore t h a t nam e.
T sarsk oe Selo has been ren am ed D etsk o e Selo.
P etro g rad
Schlesselburg.
D etskoe Selo.
L u g a.
N o v a y a Ladoga.
G dov.
K r o n s ta d t.
Y am burg.
A rchangel.
Archangel.
A rchangel.
K h o lm o g o r /
Mezen.
P inega.
O nega.
S h en k u rsk .
A lex an d ro v sk .
K em
P ech o ra.
Petrograd.
P ech o ra h a s gone to form p a r t of t h e n ew Z y ry a n
P rovince, w ith th e ex ception of a b o u t o n e-q u arte r,
w hich includes t h e to w n of U st-T sy lm a a n d th e co u n ty
of U st-V ash sk . K e m C o u n ty now form s p a r t o f th e
new p ro vince k no w n a s th e K arelian Com m une w ith
th e ex cep tio n of th e M u rm an d istric t, w hich rem ains
a t ta c h e d to A rch an g el P rovince.
Archangel.
Kholm ogory (Emets).
Mezen.
P inega.
Onega.
Shenkursk.
M urm an.
Ust-Vashsk.
Ust-Tsylm a.
—
PROVINCES
1 35
-
CHANGES,
together with th e counties
if any, w hich h av e ta k en p lace since 1913
composing them in 1913
Novgorod.
Novgorod.
Novgorod.
Borovic i.
Demyansk.
Kirilov.
Kresttsy. .
Staraya Russa.
Tikhvin.
Vstyuzhna.
PROVINCES
to gether w ith th e counties
com posing them as a t p resent
constituted
T h e c o u n tie s o f C h e re p o v e ts k , T ik h v in , K ir ilo v ,
U s ty u z h n a a n d B e lo z e rs k n o w fo r m th e n e w p ro v in c e
o f C h e re p o v e ts k .
I t w il l b e seen t h a t th e V a ld a i C o u n ty h a s b een re ­
n a m e d B o lo g o e , w h ile a n e w c o u n ty — M a la y a V y s h e ra —
ly in g to th e n o r th - w e s t o f th e c it y o f N o v g o ro d , appears
t o h a v e b ee n fo rm e ^ o u t o f p a r t o f K r e s tts y C o u n ty .
N o v g o ro d .
B o r o v ic h i.
D em yansk.
K r e s tts y .
S ta ra y a R ussa.
B o lo g o e . (V a ld a i).
M a la y a V y s h e ra .
Bel z rsk.
Cherepovetsk.
Valdai.
Pskov.
Porkhov.
Pskov.
Ostrov.
Novorzhev.
Opochka.
Velikie L u k i.
loropets.
Kholm.
S a m e as in 1913.
Vitebsk.
Vitebsk.
Vitebsk.
Drissv..
Sebezh.
Nevel.
Polotsk.
Lepel.
Gorodsk.
Velizh.
Dvinsk.
Rechitsa.
Lyutin.
T h e c o u n tie s o f D v in s k , R e z h its a a n d L y u t in n o w
b e lo n g to th e in d e p e n d e n t S ta te o f L a tv ia .
T h e c o u n tie s o f O rs h a a n d S e n n o , fo r m e r ly b e lo n g in g
t o th e P ro v in c e o f M o g ile v , h a v e n o w b een tra n s fe rre d
t o V ite b s k P ro v in c e .
Olonets.
Olonets.
Povenets.
Vitegra.
Pudosh.
Lodeinoe P J e .
Petrozavodsk.
Kargopol.
V ite b s k .
D ris s a .
Sebezh.
N e v e l. e
P o lo ts k .
L e p e l.
G o ro d s k .
V e liz h .
O rsh a .
S enn o .
Olonets.
P e tro z a v o d s k a n d O lo n e ts C o u n tie s h a v e been ta k e n
a w a y fr o m th e O lo n e ts P r o v in c e a n d n o w fo r m p a r t o f
th e n e w ly e s ta b lis h e d K a r e lia n C o m m u n e , w h ic h lie s
b e tw e e n L a k e O n e g a a n d th e s o u th -e a s te rn F in n is h
fr o n t ie r .
K a r g o p o l h a s b e e n tr a n s fe r r e d fr o m O lo n e ts C o u n ty
t o t h a t o f V o lo g d a .
T h e c o u n ty o f P o v e n e ts h a s b e e n re n a m e d Ch nga .
L o d e in o e P ole.
V ite g r a .
P udosh.
C h u n ^a .
K a re lia n Commune.
T h e K a r e lia n C o m m u n e is a n e w p ro v in c e fo rm e d o u t
o f p a r t o f th e c o u n ty o f K e m p re v io u s ly b e lo n g in g to
th e A r c h a n g e l P ro v in c e , a n d th e P e tro z a v o d s k a n d
O lo n e ts C o u n tie s p r e v io u s ly b e lo n g in g to O lo n e ts P ro ­
P e tro z a v o d s k .
O lo n e ts .
Kem .
v in c e .
a
-
PROVINCES
136
—
CHANGES,
together w ith the counties
composing them in 1913
i f any, which have taken place since 1913
Vologda.
Vologda.
V o lo g d a .
G ry a z o v e ts .
K a d n ik o v .
T o tm a .
V e ls k .
N ik o ls k .
V e lik y U s ty u g .
S o lv y c h e g o ls k .
Y a re n s k .
U s t-S is o ls k .
PROVI NC ES
to g eth er w ith the counties
com posing them as at prsc„t
constituted
V e lik y U s ty u g , N ik o ls k , a n d S o lv y c h e g o v s k n o w
fo r m p a r t o f th e n e w N o r th e r n D v in 1 P ro v in c e .
U s t-S is o ls k a n d a p a r t o f Y a re n s k C o u n tie s n o w fo r m
p a r t o f th e n e w Z y r y a n T e r r it o r y .
K a r g o p o l C o u n ty
h a s b e e n tra n s fe rre d fr o m O lo n e ts P ro v in c e to t h a t o f
V o lo g d a .
V o lo g d a .
V e ls k .
G ry a z o v e ts .
K a d n ik o v .
T o tm a .
K a r g o p o l.
Cherepovets.
A l l th e c o u n tie s in c lu d e d in th e n e w p ro v in c e o f
C h e re p o v e ts fo r m e r ly b e lo n g e d to th e p ro v in c e o f N o v ­
g o ro d .
C h e re p o ve ts.
T ik h v in .
K ir ilo v .
U s ty u z h n a .
B e lo z e rs k .
N orth D vina.
N o r t h D v in a is a n e w p ro v in c e fo rm e d o u t o f th e
th re e c o u n tie s o f th e fo r m e r V o lo g d a P ro v in c e m e n ­
tio n e d a b o v e a n d a p a r t o f Y a re n s k w it h Y a re n s k
to w n .
V e lik y U s ty u g .
N ik o ls k .
Solvychegodsk,
Y a re n s k .
Z y ry a n Territory.
Z y ry a n T e rrito ry is a n ew province fo rm ed o u t of th e
c o u n tie s o f U s t-S is o ls k a n d Y a re n s k , fo r m e r ly b e lo n g in g
to th e V o lo g d a P ro v in c e , a n d th re e -q u a rte rs o f P e c h o ra
C o u n ty , fo r m e r ly b e lo n g in g to A rc h a n g e l P ro v in c e .
N O R T H -W E S T E R N
Sm olensk.
T h e c o u n ty o f M s tis la v , w h ic h fo r m e r ly b e lo n g e d to
th e p ro v in c e o f M o g ile v , h as n o w b ee n a d d e d to S m o ­
le n s k P ro v in c e .
M ogilev.
M o g ile v .
O rs h a .
P echora.
P R O V IN C E S
Sm olensk.
S m o le n s k .
B e lo i.
D o ro g o b u z h .
D u k h o v s h c h in a .
G z h a ts k ,
E ln a .
Y ukhnov.
K ra s n o e .
P o re c h y e .
R o s la v l.
S ychevka.
V yazm a.
U s t-S is o ls k .
T h e p ro v in c e o f M o g ile v as fo r m e r ly c o n s titu te d h a s
cease i t o e x is t. W it h th e e x c e p tio n o f th e c o u n tie s
A l l th e c o u n tie s are similar,
w it h
th e addition of
M s tis la v .
—
c o m p o sin g
them m 1913
—
P R O V IN C E S
PROVINCES
together w ith the counties
137
C H A N G E S, '
i f any, which have taken place since 1913
together w ith the counties
composing them as a t present
constituted
Mogilev (c o n tin u e d ).
Bykhov.
K lim o v ic h i.
Gorky.
Gomel.
o f O rs h a a n d S e nn o , w h ic h h a v e b een tra n s fe rre d to
V ite b s k P r o v in c e , a n d o f M s tis la v , tra n s fe rre d to S m o ­
le n s k P ro v in c e , a ll th e fo r m e r c o u n tie s a re n o w in c lu d e d
in th e n e w p ro v in c e o f G o m e l.
R ogachev
Senno. _
Chaussi.
Cherikov.
Mstislav.
Gomel.
I n a d d itio n to th e te n c o u n tie s m e n tio n e d a b o v e as
fo r m e r ly b e lo n g in g to th e o b so le te M o g ile v P ro v in c e ,
th e n e w p ro v in c e o f G o m e l is co m p o se d o f fo u r c o u n tie s
— M g lin , N o v o - z y b k o v , S ta ro d u n , a n d S u ra z h , a n d th e
c o u n ty o f R e c h itz a fr o m th e fo r m e r M in s k P ro v in c e .
Minsk.
Minsk.
Bobruysk.
Borisov.
Igumen.
Mozyr.
Rechitza.
Slutsk.
Novogrudek
Pinsk.
W hite Russia.
T h e re is n o lo n g e r a M in s k P ro v in c e .
T h e w h o le o f N o v o g r u d e k C o u n ty , fo u r - fifth s o f
P in s k C o u n ty , th e w e s te rn h a lf o f M in s k , h a lf o f S lu ts k
a n d o n e - fifth o f B o r is o v C o u n tie s n o lo n g e r b e lo n g to
R u s s ia , h a v in g b e e n tr a n s fe r r e d to P o la n d .
C E N T R A L
IN D U S T R IA L
Pereyaslavl-Zalesky
Sudogda.
Yuriev-Polsky.
Shuya.
Suzdal.
M in s k .
B o ris o v .
B o b r u is k .
Ig u m e n .
M o z y r.
S lu ts k .
P R O V IN C E S
Vladimir
Vladim ir.
Alexandrov
Grokhovets.
Kovrov.
Murom.
Melenki.
Pokrov,
Vyazniki.
G o m e l.
B ykov.
G o rk y .
K lim o v ic h i.
M o g ile v .
R ogachev.
C h a u ss i.
C h e rik o v .
M g lin ,
N o v o -z y b k o v .
S ta ro d u b .
S u ra z h .
R e c h itz a .
V la d im ir.
S h u y a a n d th e n o r th e r n p a r t o f th e c o u n ty o f S u z d a l
n o w fo r m th e s o u th e rn p a r t o f th e n e w p ro v in c e o f
Iv a n o v o -V o z n e s e n s k . T h e p a r t o f S u z d a l ta k e n a w a y
fr o m V la d im ir P ro v in c e is n o w k n o w n as T e ik o v o
C o u n ty .
P o k r o v C o u n ty n o lo n g e r e x is ts : th e s o u th e rn p a r t
h a s b e e n a d d e d to th e p ro v in c e o f M o s c o w a n d is n o w
k n o w n a s O ry e k h o v o -Z u e v o C o u n ty ; th e re s t fo rm s
th e n e w c o u n tie s o f K ir z a c h a n d K o lc h u g in o .
V la d im ir .
A le x a n d r o v .
G ro k h o v e ts
K o v ro v .
M u ro m .
M e le n k i.
V y a z n ik i
P e re y a s la v l-Z a le s k y
Sudogda.
Y u r ie v - P o ls k y .
S u z d a l.
K ir z a c h .
K o lc h u g in o .
u
-
138
-
PROVINCES
PROVINCES
CHANGES,
to g e th e r w ith th e c o u n tie s
c o m p o s in g th e m i n 1913
if a n y ,
w h ic h h a v e
t a k e n p la c e s in c e
1913
K o strom a.
K o s tr o m a
Bui.
Galich.
K ologriv.
M a k a r iev.
N e r e k h ta .
Soligalich-C hukhlom a.
V o rn a v in .
V etlu g a.
Y u re v e tz -P o v o I sk y .
K in esh m a.
t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e counties
c o m p o s i n g t h e m as at present
c o n s titu te d
K ostrom a.
K in e s h m a a n d p a r t of Y u re v e ts-P o v o lsk y now form
th e n o r th e rn p a r t of th e n ew province of Iv anov oVoznesensk. T h e p a r t of Y u re v e tz -P o v o ls k y r e m a in ­
ing in K o s tr o m a h a s b een r e n a m e d K overnino.
A new co u n ty — S ereda— h a s been fo rm ed a p p a r e n tly
o u t of N e r e k h ta a n d included in th e province of I v a ­
novo-V oznesensk.
K o stro m a.
Bui.
G lich .
Kologriv.
M akariev.
N e re k h ta .
S o lig a lic h - C h u k h lo m a .
V o rnav in.
V etluga.
K overnino.
Ivanovo-Voznesensk.
A new pro v in ce fo rm ed o u t of th e n o r th e rn p a r t s o f
V ladim ir a n d so u th e rn p a r t of K o s tro m a P rovinces
m e n tio n ed ab ove.
Iv ano vo-V ozn esen sk is a p p a r e n t l y p a r t of S h u y a
C o u n ty , o u t of w h ich a n ew c o u n ty of Ivanovo-V oznesensk h a s been form ed.
K a lu g a .
K alu g a.
B oro v sk .
Kozelsk.
L ik h v in .
M aloyaroslavets
Medin.
M eshchovsk.
M osalsk.
P e rem y sh l
T a ru s a .
Z hiz d ra.
Ivanovo-Voznesensk.
S huy a.
Teikovo.
Y urev ets-P o v o lsk y .
Sereda.
K in .s h m a ,
K aluga.
Z h iz d ra C o u n ty n o w fo rm s one of th e n o r th e rn coun­
tie s of t h e new B r y a n s k P ro vince. A new co u n ty
called S p ass-D em yan sk , in th e w estern p a r t of K alug a,
o n th e b o rd e rs of th e S m olensk P rovince, a p p a r e n tly
o u t of p a r t s of th e Mosalsk.
K aluga.
B orovsk.
Kozelsk.
L ik hvin .
M aloyaroslavets
Medin.
Meshchovsk.
Mosalsk.
Perem yshl.
T aru sa.
S pass-D em yansk,
T h e so u th e rn p a r t of P o k ro v C ounty , as seen above,
h a s been tra n sfe rre d from th e p rovince of V lad im ir to
t h a t of Moscow, w here i t form s th e n e w O ryekhovoZ uevo C o unty.
Oryekhovo-Zuevo
M oscow .
Moscow.
B ogorodsk.
B ronnitsi
D m itro v .
Klin.
K o lo m n a .
M ozhaisk.
Podolsk.
R ovza.
S erpukh ov.
Svenigorod.
V ereya.
Volokolam p sk.
~
139
—
PROVINCES
PR O V IN C E S
C H A N G E S,
together with the counties
composing them in 1913
if any, which have taken place since 1913
Y aroslav.
Yaroslav
Yaroslav).
Danilov.
Lyubiin.
Mologa.
Romanov-Borisoglebsk.
Rostov.
Rybinsk.
Uglich.
Poshekhonye.
Myshkin.
T he co unties of R y b in sk , Mologa, Uglich, Poshek­
h o ny e a n d M yshkin n o w form p a r t of th e new R ybinsk
P ro v in c e.
Y aroslavl.
Danilov.
L yubim .
Rom anov-Borisoglebsk.
Rostov
Tver.
Tver.
Tver.
Staritsa.
Rzhev.
Zubtsov.
Ostaslikov.
Torzhok.
Vyshny-Volochok.
Kashin.
Kalyazin.
Korcheva.
Bezhetsk.
Visegonsk.
together with the counties
composing them as at present
constituted
T h e co u n ty of V isegonsk n o w form s p a r t of th e pro­
vince of R y b in s k .
T ver.
Staritsa.
Rzhev.
Z ubtsov .
O stashkov.
Torzhok.
V yshny-V olochok
K ashin.
K alyazin.
K o rchev a
Bezhetsk.
R yb in sk.
A p a r t of V isegonsk C o u n ty , tra n sfe rre d as described
a b o v e to th e n ew R y b in s k P rovince, has been estab­
lish ed a s a new c o u n ty — K r a s n y -k h o lm .
CENTRAL
A G R IC U L T U R A L PR O V IN C E S
Tula.
Tula
Aleksin.
Belev.
Bogoroditsk.
Efremov.
Epifan.
Kashira.
Krapivin.
Novosil.
Odoyev.
Chern.
Venen,
T ula.
Sam e as in 1913.
-
Orel.
Orel.
Bolkhov.
R ybinsk.
Visegonsk.
Myshkin.
Poshekhonye.
Uglich.
K ra sn y -k h o lm .
Orel.
T he cou nties of K arach ev , B ry ansk, Sevsk a n d T rubchevsk n o w form p a r t of th e n ew p r vince of B ryan sk .
Orel.
Bolkhov.
—
th e C o u n tie s
—
PR OV INCES
PROVINCES
to g e th e r w ith
140
CHANGES,
if
any,
w h ic h
have
ta k e n
together
p la c e
sin c e
1913
c o m p o s in g th e m in 1913
)rel (continued).
Orel (c o n tin u e ).
D m itr v sk .
E le ts.
L iv n y .
M alo-A rkhangelsk.
M tsensk.
K ro m y .
B ry a n s k .
Sevsk.
T ru b ch ev sk .
K a ra c h e v .
T h e p rovince of B ry a n s k h a s been form ed o u t of th e
abov e-m en tio n ed counties, to g e th e r w ith t h a t of Z hiz­
d ra, form erly in th e p rov ince of K aluga.
Tam bov.
Tam bov.
Borisoglebsk.
E la tm a .
K irsano v.
K ozlov.
L ebed yan.
L ip e tsk .
M orshansk.
S h a ts k .
S passk.
T em nik ov.
U sm a n .
D m itro v sk .
E le ts.
K ro m y .
L iv n y .
Malo-Arkhangelsk.
M tsensk.
B ry a n s k .
K ara c h e v .
Sevsk.
T rub chov sk .
Z hiz d ra.
K u r sk .
K u rsk .
K u rsk.
Belgorod.
D m itrie v .
F a te z h .
G raivo ron .
K orocha.
L gov
R y lsk .
O b o y an .
N ovy-O skol.
Stàry-O skol.
Sud zha.
T im .
Shchigry.
P u tiv l.
R ya za n .
Ryazan.
E go revsk.
D ankov.
K asim ov.
M ikhailov
O ranienburg.
P ron sk .
R y a zh sk .
Z araisk .
S ap ozhok .
Skopin.
Spassk.
w i t h th e Counties
c o m p o s in g th e m as at present
c o n s titu te d
T h e sam e as in 1913
T h e only chang e is th e fo rm a ion of a n ew cou nty
k n ow n as S passk-K lepiki, a p p a r e n tly o u t of K asim ov
a n d R y a z a n Counties.
R yazan.
T h e sam e as 1913, wil
th e exception of Spassl
Klepiki.
T am bov.
T h e sam e as in 1913
—
PROVINCES
together
i4 i
—
CHANGES,
w ith th e c o u n tie s
composing t h e m
in 1913
if any, which have taken place since 1913
Voronezh .
Voronezh.
Voronezh.
Nizhnedevitsk.
Zemlyansk.
Zadonsk.
Korotoyak
Ostrogozhsk.
Biryucli.
Valuiki.
Pavlovsk.
Bobrov.
Novokliopersk.
Boguchar.
T he sam e as in 1 9 1 3
T H E
V O L G A
P R O V IN C E S
Penza
Penza.
Penza.
Krasn sbodsk.
Saransk.
I sar.
Mokshansk.
Gorodishche.
Chembar.
Kerensk.
Narovchat.
Nizhny-Lomov.
T he sam e as in 1913.
Nizhny-Novgorod.
Nizhny-Novgorod.
Avdatov.
Arzamas.
Knyaginin.
Lukoyanov.
Sergach.
Balakhna.
Semenov.
Vasil.
N izhny-N ovgorod.
T h e c o u n ty of Vasil h a s been ren am ed Vasilsursk,
a n d th e n o rth e rn p a r t of it has been form ed into a new
c o u n ty called V oznesensk.
G o rb ato v C o u n ty has
been re n a m e d P av lo v .
Samara.
Samara.
Buguruslan.
Buzuluk.
Stavropol.
Bugulma.
Nikolaevsk.
Novo-Uzensk.
PROVINCES
together w ith the counties
composing them as at present
constituted
T he sam e as in 191 , w ith
th e ex ceptio n of th e new
V oznesensk C ounty.
Sam ara.
B u g u lm a C o u n ty now form s p a r t of th e newly created
T a r t a r R e p u b lic ; N ov o-U zensk h a s been transferred
to S a r a to v P ro v in c e ; th e d istric t of E k a te rin e n s ta d t
(no w re n a m e d M a rx s ta d t), form erly p a r t of Nikolaevsk
C o un ty , a n d th o se of R ov no e an d U rbach , form erly
p a r t s of N ovo-U zensk C ounty, now form p a r t of th e
n ew ly c reated p ro vince k no w n as the G erm an L ab o u r
C om m une.
T h e N iko laev sk C ou nty has been ren am ed P u gachev
C oun ty , while a n en tirely new c o u n ty — B alakovo—
a d jo in in g th e Volga, h as been form ed o u t of w h a t was
fo rm erly a p a r t of N ikolaevsk C ounty.
S am ara.
B uguruslan.
B uzuluk.
P ugachev
Melekes.
Stavropol.
—
PROVINCES
to g e th e r w ith
142
—
PROVINCES
C H A N G E S,
to g e th e r
th e c o u n tie s
if
any,
w h ic h
have
ta k e n
p la c e
sin c e
1913
c o m p o s in g
C o m p o sin g th e m in 1913
S im b irs k .
S im b irs k .
S im birsk.
A la ty r.
A r d a to v .
B u in sk .
K o rsu n .
Sengilei.
S yzran .
K u rm y sh .
A considerable p a r t of th e c o u n ty of K u r m y s h is
now in clud ed in th e n ew ly form ed C huv ash T e rrito ry ;
th e new C huvash c o u n ty of Iv ressy w as form erly situ a ­
te d in th e S im birsk P ro v in c e, a p p a r e n tly in th e c o u n ty
of B u in sk. T h e o th e r p a r t of Buinsk h as gone to th e
T a r t a r Republic.
T h e sam e as in 1913, except
as regard Kurmysh and
th e te rrito ry formerly
included in AlatyrCounty
an d Buinsk.
T a rta r Republic.
K a za n .
K azan.
Y a d rin .
K o sm o d e m y an sk .
L aish ov.
M a m ad y sh .
Spassk.
S vy azhsk .
T e ty u sh i.
C h eb oksary .
Chistopol.
T sarev o k o k sh a isk .
T sivilsk.
the counties
as at p re s e n t
constituted
w ith
th e m
T h e K a z a n P ro v in c e has now ceased to ex ist, a n d
t h e cou nties w hich fo rm erly com posed i t h a v e now
gone to fo rm th e T a r t a r R e p u b lic , th e M arii T e rrito ry
a n d th e C h u v a sh T e rrito ry .
I t will be seen t h a t th e n ew ly form ed T a r t a r R e p u b ­
lic h a s seven cou nties, w hich form erly belon ged to
t h e K aza n P ro v in c e; in a d d itio n to th is th e c o u n ty of
E la b u g a , form erly in V y a tk a P rovince, M enselinsk
C o u n ty , form erly in U fa, a n d B ugulm a, fo rm erly in
S am ara, hav e b een a d d ed to it. T h e c o u n ty of E u in s k
fo rm erly belon ged to Sim birsk.
K azan.
E lab ug a.
L aishov.
M am adysh.
S vyazhsk.
Spassk.
T ety u sh i.
Chistopol.
M enselinsk.
B u g u lm a.
Buinsk.
M a rii territory.
T h e n ew ly fo rm ed M arii T e rr ito ry consists of th e
c o u n ty of T sa re v o k o k sh a is k , now know n a s K rasn o k o k sh a isk , a n d K o s m o d e m y a n sk (b o th co unties fo r­
m e rly belonging to t h e K a z a n P rovince) a n d S erpur,
p a r t of th e c o u n ty of U rz h u m in th e V y a tl a P rovince.
K rasnokokshaisk.
K osm odem yansk.
S erpur.
Chuvash territory.
T h e C heb ok sari, T ziv ilsk a n d Y a d rin co u n ties of th e
n e w C h u v a sh T e rr ito ry a p p e a r all to h a v e belonged
fo rm erly to th e K u r m y s h C o u n ty in t h e K aza n P ro ­
v ince. T h e new Iv re s sy C o u n ty , on t h e o th e r h an d ,
seem s to h a v e b e e n p a r t o f Buinsk C o unty, in th e P ro\ i n c e of S im birsk .
Y adrin .
Tzivilsk.
Cheboksari.
Ibressy.
V otyak territory
T h e V o ty a k T e rr ito ry h a s been form ed so m e w h at
l a te r th a n th e o th e r new territo ries, a n d i t h a s been
f o u n d e x tre m e ly difficult to determ in e its bo u n d aries
p recisely. A b o u t h a lf th e co u n ty of G lazov a n d threeq u a rte rs of th o se of M alm y zh a n d S arapu l, all fcrm erly
in th e V y a tk a P ro v in c e, to g e th e r w ith th re e -q u a rte rs
of E la b u g a C o u n ty , also form erly in V y a tk a , a re in­
clud ed in th e V o ty a k T e rrito ry , a lth o u g h in no case
a re th e to w n s of M alm y zh , Glazov, S arap u l a n d E la b u g a
so included.
T h e to w n s a n d som e p a r t of th e co unties of M alm zyh
a n d G lazov co n tin u e t o belong to V y a tk a P rovince,
w hile E la b u g a , as h a s b een seen ab ov e, belon gs to
th e T a r t a r R epublic, a n d S arap u l (see below) to th e
P ro v in c e of P erm .
Glazov.
Debessy.
Selta.
Izevsk.
Mozga.
—
pr o v in c e s,
143
—
CHANGES,
together w ith the counties
if any, which have taken place since 1913
composing them in 1913
In a d d itio n to this, a b o u t h alf t h e fo rm er P erm co unty
of O k h an sk com pletes th e V o ty a k te rrito ry .
T h e h a lf of th e form er G lazov C o u n ty retains th a t
n a m e ; th e p o rtio n s of M alm zyh, S arap u l, E la b u g a and
O k h a n s k C o un ties m en tio n ed are now know n respec­
tiv e ly a s S elta, Izhlosk, M ozga an d Debessy.
Nolinsk.
Orlov.
Slobodskoy.
Urzhum.
Glazov.
Malmyzh.
Kotelnich
Sarapul.
As h a s b een seen ab ov e, th e tow n a n d p a r t of the
c o u n ty of S a ra p u l h a v e been tra n sfe rre d to th e P ro­
vinces of P erm .
P a r t of G lazov E la b u g a an d M alm­
y z h h a v e gone to form th e new V o ty a k T erritory, while
i t will t e seen t h a t a n e w co u n ty , Sovietsky, h a s been
fo rm ed o u t of a p a r t of Y a ra n sk .
T h e o th e r p a r t of E la b u g a , a s h as b een seen, is in­
cluded in th e T a r t a r R e pu blic. P a r t of U rzhum
C o u n ty , w ith t h e tow n S ernu r, h a s gone to Marii P ro­
vince (S o v ie tsk y is p ro b a b ly t h e to w n K u k ark a).
Scrdobsk.
Volsk.
T saritsyn.
V yatka.
K otelnich.
Slobodskoy
Orlov.
Nolinsk.
Y aran sk .
U rzh um .
M alm yzh (p a rt
G lazov (part)
Sovietsky.
Saratov.
Saratov.
Saratov.
Atkarsk.
Balashov.
Khvalinsk.
Kamyshin.
Kuznetsk.
Petrovsk.
V otyak territory (continued)
Vyatka.
VyatkaVyatka.
Yaransk.
PROVINCES
together with the counties
composing them as at present
constituted
T s a r its y n C o u n ty has been tra n sfe rre d from S ara­
to v P ro v in c e to th e n ew ly-fo rm ed province of th a t
n a m . T h e n o r th e rn p a r t of K a m y s h in C ou nty has
b een tra n s fe rre d to th e n ew ly-fo rm ed G erm an L abour
C o m m u ne, u n d e r th e n a m e of G oloi-K aram ysh County.
T h e w hole of th e fo rm er S a m a ra co u n ty of NovoU zensk , p re v io u sly in t h e S a m a r a P rovince, h as been
tra n s fe rre d to t h e p r e s e n t S a ra to v P rovince u n d e r the
n a m e o f D rg a c h C o u n ty . A n e w c o u n ty — P k ro v sk fo rm erly in S a m a ra P ro v in c e, a n d situ a te d opposite
t o th e to w n of S a r to v , h a s b een created and included
in th e p r e s e n t S a r a t v P ro vin ce.
T h e so u th e rn p a r t of A tk a r s k has been form ed into
a new c o u n ty called E la n .
S arato v.
A tk arsk .
B alash ov
K hvalinsk.
K am y shin.
K uznetsk.
P etro v sk .
Serdobsk
Volsk.
D ergach.
N ovo-U zensk.
P okrovsk.
E lan.
T saritsyn.
T h e c o u n ty of T sa ritsy n fo rm erly belonge 1 to S ara­
t o v P ovince. N ik o laev sk ay a a n d L en in sk counties
a r e n e w ly form ed, bein g th e tw o halves of w h a t was
T sa ro v C o u n ty in th e A s tr a k h a n P ro ince. T h e new
c o u n ty k n o w n a s th e te r rito r y of th e R e d A rm y, w ith
t h e to w n of S a re p ta , is p a r t of th e form er Chorny-Y ar
C o u n ty in th e A s tr a k h a n P ro vin ce. T h e counties of
U ry u p in , U st-M ed v ed itsk a n d N izhe-C hirsk fo rm erly
b elonged to th e D o n P rovince.
Astrakhan.
A strakhan.
Krasny Y a r.
Chorny Y ar.
T saritsy n .
N ikolaevskaya.
L eninsk.
T e rrito ry of th e Red A rm y.
Uryupin.
U st-M edveditsk.
Nizhe-Chirsk.
A strakhan.
T h e w estern p a r t of th e c o u n ty of E n o ta e sk now
form s p a r t of th e new province know n a s th e K alm y k
T e rrito ry .
A strakh an.
E n o ta e sk .
K ra sn y Yar.
—
PRO V IN C ES
144
—
CHANGES,
to g e th e r w ith th e c o u n tie s
if any, w hich have taken place since 1913
c o m p o sin g th e m in 1913
PROVINCES
together with the counties
composing them as a t Dre«.„(
constituted
A stra k h a n (continued).
A stra k h a n (continued).
T h e co u n ty of T sa ro v now form s p a r t of th e new ly
established T sa ritsy n P ro vince, w here tw o counties,
th o se of N ik o laev sk ay a a n d L eninsk, hav e been form ed
o u t of it.
Tsarov.
E n o ta e sk .
U fa.
U fa.
S o m ; of th e n o rth -w e s te rn p a r t of U fa is n ow in­
cluded in th e n e w ly established B a sk h ir R e p ublic, to
w h ich also t h e w hole of th e cou t y of S te rlita m a k an d
p a r ts of t h a t of U f a a n d Z la to u st h a v e been tran sferred ,
M enzelinsk C o u n ty , form erly th e n o rth -e a s te rn p a r t
of U fa P ro v in c e, n o w form s p a r t of th e T a r t a r R e ­
public.
Ufa.
B elebey.
B irsk.
Z la to u st
M enzelinsk.
S terlitam a k .
Ufa.
Belebey.
Birsk.
Z latoust.
Perm.
P erm .
Perm .
S olikam sk.
K u n g u r.
O k h ansk .
Osa.
C herdyn.
K rasn ou fim sk .
E u ro p e a n
counties.
All th e E u ro p e a n counties of w h a t w as form erly the
P erm P rovince, w ith th e exception of K rasn oufim sk
C ou nty, w hich h a s becom e p a r t of th e new E k a te r in ­
b u rg P rovince, now form th e n ew ly c o n s titu te d p ro ­
vince of P erm .
V erkh oturie.
E k a te rin b u rg
Irb it.
K am y sh lo v .
S hadrinsk.
A siatic
counties.
In a d d itio n to th ese counties, a p a r t of th e c o u n ty
of S arapul, fo rm erly belonging to th e V y a tk a P rovince,
in now included in P erm P rovince.
i
P erm .
K u ng ur.
O khansk.
Osa.
Solikam sk
C herdyn.
S arapul.
E katerinburg.
T h e coun ties of V erk h o tu rie, E k a te rin b u rg , Irb it,
K a m y sh lo v a n d S h a d rin sk now form p a r t of th e new ly
created E k a te r in b u r g P rovince. P a r t of E k a te r in ­
b u rg has been fo rm ed in to a n e w c o u n ty of K am en sk.
I t h as b een seen ab ov e t h a t p a r t of th e counties of
O k h ansk a n d a p a r t of S arap u l h a v e been tran sferred
from P erm P ro v in c e to form t h e new pro vin ce know n
as th e V o ty a k T errito ry .
Orenburg.
O renburg.
T ro itsk.
Chelyabinsk.
V erkh ne-U ralsk
Orsk.
T he g re a te r p a r t of O renb urg C o un ty, co m prising the
n o rth e rn d istric ts, is now included in th e new ly-form ed
B a sk h ir R e p u b lic . T he rem ain in g te r rito r y of Oren­
b u rg C o u n ty is included, to g e th e r w ith a sm all p a r t of
O rsk C oun ty , in cluding th e to w n of O rsk, in th e newly
form ed K irg h iz R epu blic, w'here b o th r e m n a n ts are
no w know n a s form ing to g e th e r th e p re se n t P rovince
of O renburg.
T h e w estern h a lf of V erk hn e-U ralsk C o u n ty now
form s p a r t of t h e B a sh k ir Republic.
T he eastern p a r t of V erkh ne-U ralsk C ou nty , to g e th e r
w ith th e whole of th e T ro itsk a n d Chelyabinsk Counties,
now form s p a r t of th e new C hely ab insk P ro vince.
Krasnoufinsk.
V erkhoturie.
E k aterin b u rg
Irb it.
K am shlov.
Shadrinsk.
K am ensk.
—
p r o v in c e s
145
—
PR O V IN C E S
C HANGES,
together with the counties
any, which have taken place since 1913
composing them in 1913
together with the counties
composing them as at present
constituted
K irg h iz R epu blic Provinces.
T h e n ew ly form ed R e p u b lic of Kirghiz is p a r tly in
E u ro p e a n R u ssia a n d p a r t l y in A siatic Russia. O ren­
b u rg , B ukeev, a n d U ralsk m a y b e regarded as p a r t of
E u ro p e a n R u ssia, a n d t h e rem aining provinces of it,
A siatic.
I t will b e seen t h a t o n ly th e provinces w ith in th e
K irg h iz R e p u b lic h a v e b een given, w ith o u t a n y of th e
co u n ties o r o th e r su bdivisions of te rrito ry included in
th e m .
T h e p re se n t O ren b u rg P ro v in c e is com posed of some
s o u th e rn a n d s o u th -e a s te rn d istric ts of O rsk a n d th e
so u th e rn p a r t of O re n b u rg C o unty.
O renburg.
U ralsk.
Bukeev.
Akm olinsk.
S em ipalatinsk.
A k tyu binsk.
K u sta n ai.
C helyabinsk.
T h e new C h ely ab insk P ro v in c e h a s received from th e
fo rm er O ren b u rg P ro v in c e th e cou nties of Chelyabinsk,
T ro itz k a n d th e eastern h a lf of V erkh ne-U ralsk . T he
n ew c o u n ty of M yassky h a s been c reated o u t of a p a r t
of T ro itz k , a n d t h e c o u n ty of K u rg a n o u t of Tobolsk
P ro v in c e (Siberia).
Chelyabinsk.
V erkhne-U ralsk.
K urgan.
Z la to u st.
M yassky.
B a sh kir Republic.
T h e w hole of S te r lita m a k C o u n ty a n d a p a r t of Ufa
C o u n ty h a v e been tra n s fe rre d fro m Ufa Province to the
n ew ly fo rm ed B a sh k ir R e p u b lic . I n ad d itio n to this,
som e so u th -w estern d istric ts of Z la to u s t C o u n ty and
t h e w e s te rn h alf of V erk hn e-U ralsk , also form erly in
P e rm P ro v in c e, th r e e -q u a rte r s of O rsk a n d th e N orth E \ste rn p a r t of O ren b u rg C o u n ty (b o th form erly in
O ren b u rg P ro v in c e) a re in clu d ed in th e te rrito ry of
th e B a sh k ir R e p u b lic . T h e re a re also fairly num erous
B a sh k ir co m m u n ities in t h e P ro v in c es of C helyabinsk
a n d O ren b u rg .
NORTH
CAUCASUS
AND
BLACK
SEA
S terlitam a k .
Ufa.
Z la to u st (p art)
O rsk (co unty)
O renburg.
V erkhne Uralsk.
P R O V IN C E S
Stavropol.
Stavropol
Alexandre v sk.
N ovo-G rigorevsk.
Medvezhensk.
Svyatoi Krest.
Turkmen T erritory
K uban.
Kuban.
Zabubansky.
Ekaterinodar.
Yeisk.
Temryuk.
E k a 'e r i n o ’a r h as been re n a m e d K rasn o d ar, M aikop
h a s been re n a m e d L a b in sk a y a , a n d a new co u n ty —
T a m a n — h a s b een form e 1 o u t of p a r t of T em ry u k
C o u n ty .
M aik o p .
Batalpashinsk.
Kavkazaya.
ECONOMIC C O N D ITIO N S IN R USSIA
B a ta lp ash in sk
Y eisk.
K rasn od ar.
L a b in sk a y a
Tem yuk.
T am an.
—
PROVINCES
146
—
CHANGES,
to g e t h e r w ith t h e c o u n tie s
c o m p o s in g th e m in 1913
i f a n y , w h ic h h a v e t a k e n p la c e s in c e 1913
p r o v in c e s
to g e th e r w ith the counties
c o m p o s in g th e m as a t prese|lt
c o n stitu te d
—
T H E
U K R A IN E
Chernigov.
Chernigov.
Chernigov.
B orzn a.
G lu kho v.
G o rod ny a.
K o n o to p .
K ozelets.
K rolevets.
N o v g o ro d S eversky.
O ster.
S osnitsa.
Mglin.
N o vo -Z y bko v.
S ta ro d u b .
S u ra zh .
N ezh in .
T h e coun ties of Mglin, N ovo -Z y bk ov , S ta ro d u b a n d
S u ra z h no w form p a r t of th e P ro v in c e of Gomel,
K ie v .
K ie v .
K iev.
B erdy chev.
K anev.
L ip ov e ts .
R a d o m y sl.
S k v ira.
Z v en ig o ro d k a.
T a rash ch a.
U m an.
V asilkov.
C herkasy.
Chigirin.
T h e co un ties of C herkasy a n d Chigiri 1 now form
p a r t of th e new K re m e n c h u g P rovince.
A new c o u n ty — Chernobyl—h a s been f rm ed o u t
of th e n o rth -e a s te rn p a r t cf R a d o m y sl C o u n ty , while
t h e c o u n ty of P erey aslev , fo rm erly in P o lta v a P rovince,
h a s been tra n sfe rre d to K iev P rovince.
K a n e v C o u n ty h a s b e e n r e n a m e d Boguslav.
V asilkov is called B elaia Tzerkc.v.
T h e cou nties of L u ts ' , D u b n o , K rem en ets, O strog,
R o v n o , K ov el a n d V ladim ir-V olyn now form p a r t of
P oland .
T h e so u th e rn p a r t of th e c o u n ty of O vruch h a s been
form ed in to th e n ew c o u n ty of K o ro ste .
Z h ito m ir.
Staro-Konstantinov.
Z aslav l.
N ovgorod-Voivn.
O v ru ch.
K o rosten.
Podolia.
P odolia.
K am em etz-P o d o lsk .
M ogilev-Podolsk.
Y am p o l.
B ra tsla v .
G aysin
L etichev ,
Kiev.
B erdychev.
Boguslav.
L ipovets.
R adom ysl.
Chernobyl.
S kvira.
T arashcha.
Zvenigorodka.
U m an.
PereyaslavL
B elaia Tserkov.
V olhynia.
V olhynia.
N ovgorod-V olyn.
Z h ito m ir.
Z aslav l.
S ta ro -K o n s ta n tin o v .
O v ruch .
L u ts k .
Dubno.
K re m e n e ts
O strog.
Rovno.
K ovel.
V ladim ir-V olyn.
Chernigov.
B orzna.
G lukhov.
G orodnya.
K on oto p.
K ozelets.
K rolevets.
Novgorod-Sever ky.
Oster.
Sosnitsa.
N ezhin.
T h e c o u n ty of B a lta n o w form s p a r t of th e new ly
c reated p rov in ce of Odessa. T h e so u th -w estern p a r t
of V in n itsa C o u n ty h as b een re c o n stitu te d as a se p a ra te
c o u n ty b earin g th e n am e of Z hm erin ka. L itin C o u n ty
h a s been re n a m e d K h m eln ik .
T he sam e as in 1913. witl I
th e e xcep tio n of the loss
of B alta and the creation I
of Z h m e rin ka Count)', f
—
PROVINCES
together with th e c o u n tie s
14 7
—
CH A N G E S ,
if a n y , w h ic h h a v e t a k e n p la c e s in c e 1913
ng th em in 1913
composing
PR O V IN C E S
to g e th e r w ith th e c o u n tie s
c o m p o sin g th e m a s a t p re s e n t
c o n s titu te d
Podolia (continued).
Litin.
Olgopol.
proskurov.
llshitsa.
Vinnitsa
P o lt.va
Poltava.
Poltava.
Gadyach.
Kobelyaki,
T h e coun ies of K horol, K rem ench ug a n d Zoloto­
n o sh a now fo rm p a r t of th e new pro ince of K rem en­
chug.
K onstantinograd
Sam e as in 1913, ex cept as
regards K horol, K re­
m ench ug an d Z oloto­
nosha.
Lokhvitsa.
Lubny.
Mirgorod.
Pereyaslavl.
Piryatin.
Romny.
Zenkov.
Zolotonosha.
Khorol.
Kremenchug.
K remenchug.
T h e new K re m e n c h u g P ro v in c e h a s been f rm ed ou t
of th e co unties of K re m e n c h u g , K h o ro l a d Z oloto­
no sha, belonging fo rm erly to th e province of P o ltav a,
C h e rk asy a n d Chigirin belon ging form erly to K ie v P ro ­
v ince, a n d th e g re a te r p a r t of A lex an riy a C ounty
f o rm e rly in clu ded in K h erso n P rovin ce.
IEkaterinoslav,
Ekaterinoslav.
Novomoskovsk.
Pavlograd.
Rostov.
Verkhne-Dnep -ovsk.
Alexandrovs!:.
Bakhmut.
Slavyanoserbsk.
Mariupol.
E katerinoslav.
T h e c o u n tie s c f A le x a n d ro v sk , S la v y a n c s e rts k
B a k h m u t, a n d T a g a n r o j n ow form p a r t of th e new
D o n e ts P ro v in c e .
K rivo l-R o g fo rm erly p a r t of th e pro vince of K herson,
in w hich it seem s to h a v e been included in E liz av etg ra d
C o u n ty , h as n o w been tra n sfe rre d to t h e E k aterin o slav
P rovince, w h ere i t is a se p a ra te county.^
I Kharkov.
Kharkov.
Akhtyrka.
Bogodukhovsk.
Kupyansk.
Lebedin.
Zmiev.
Summi.
Valki.
Volchansk.
Izyum.
Starobelsk
K rem ench ug .
K horol.
Z olotonosha.
C herkasy.
Chigirin.
A lexandriya.
E k aterin o slav .
V erkhne-D neprovsk.
N ovom oskovsk.
P avlograd.
K rivel-R cg.
N ikopol.
K harkov.
S taro belsk C o u n ty a n d p a r t of Izy u m (now known
a s S lav y an sk ) n ow fo rm p a r t of th e new provin ce of
D o n e ts
K harko v.
A k h ty rk a.
B godukhovsk..
K u p y an sk .
Lebedin.
Zm iev.
Sum m i.
Valki.
Chuguev-V olchansk
Izyum .
-
PROVINCES
148
-
pr o v in c e s
CHANGES,
to g e th e r w ith th e c o u n tie s
c o m p o s in g
th e m
in
1913
if
any,
w h ic h
have
ta k e n
p la c e
s in c e
1913
D on Province.
T ag an ro g .
R o sto v .
N ovo-C herk ask.
F i r s t D i s t r i c t of th e Don.
S econd D istric t of th e D on.
Salsk.
U st-M edv editsk.
K h o p e rsk .
D on etz.
together with the counties
composing them as at
present
constituted
D on Province
T h e w hole of th e t e r r i t o r y form erly com prised in
th e T ag an ro g C o u n ty is n ow included in th e new D o­
n e ts P rovince. A p a r t s t i l l re ta in s th e sam e nam e—
T a g a n ro g C o u n ty ; th e n o r th e rn p a r t form s p a r ts of
tw o n ew cou nties in th e D o n e ts P rovince— Y uzovo
a n d C histy ako vo , while a sm all p a r t is included in th e
n ew c o u n ty of A lexan d ro v sk -G ru sh ev sk y .
Rostov.
Millerovo.
Konstantinovskaya
V eliko-Knyazheskaya
Ust-Khopersk.
Odessa.
T h e co un ties of Odessa a n d T iraspol h a v e been tra n s ­
ferred from th e form er p rovince of K herson to th e
n ew ly establish ed O dessa P rov in ce.
B a lta C o u n ty is fo rm ed o u t of p : r t of th e c o u n ty of
B a lta , form erly in P o d o lia P ro vince, a n d p a r t of A n a ­
n ie v C o u n ty , form erly in t h e prov ince of K herson.
O lvicpo l-P erv om aisk C o u n ty is form ed o u t of p a r t
of th e o th e r p a r t of B a lta a n d a n o th e r p a r t of A naniev.
T h e c o u n ty of V oznesensk h a s been form ed o u t of
t h e rem ain in g o r s o u th e rn p a r t of A n an iev C ounty.
W ith t h e excep tion of a sm all p a r t , including th e
to w n of N ovo-C herkask, t h e w hole of th e c o u n ty of t h a t
n a m e is now included in t h e D o n ets P ro vince a n d form s
th e g r e a te r p a r t of th e c o u n ty of A lex an d ro v sk -G ru ­
sh e v sk y m en tio n ed ab o v e.
T h e F i r s t D istric t of th e D o n h a s been renam ed
K o n s ta n tin o v s k a y a ; i t h a s lo s t a sm all p o rtio n of its
te r rito r y to A lex an d ro v sk -G ru sh ev sk y C o u n ty in th e
D o n e ts P rovince.
T h e Second D istric t of th e D o n, now k now n a s N izheC hirsk, h a s b een tra n sfe rre d , to g eth er w ith K hop ersk,
ren am ed U ry u p in , a n d t h e eastern p a r t of U st-M ed­
v e d itsk , to th e n ew ly fo rm ed T sa ritsy n P rov in ce. T h e
w estern p a r t of U st-M ed v ed itsk form s th e new c o u n ty
of U st-K h o p ersk .
Salsk c o u n ty h as b e e n ren am ed V eliko-K nyashesk a y a , a f te r its p rin cip al to w n .
D o n ets C oun ty, th e c a p ita l of w hich w as fo rm erly
K a m en sk ay a, h as lo st th is to w n a n d a little ad d itio n a l
te rrito ry , to A lex an d ro vsk-G ru shev sky C o u n ty in th e
D o n ets P rovince ; th e r e s t of D on ets C o u n ty h as been
r e n a m e d Millerovo
Odessa.
Tiraspol
B alta.
Olviopol-Pervomaisk
Voznesensk
D oneis Province.
T h e counties of B a k h m u t a n d S lavy ano serbsk,
fo rm erly p a r t of E k aterin o slav , now form p a r t of th e
D o n ets P rovince. S lav y ano serbsk h a s been renam ed
L u g an sk . A p a r t of i t , to g e th e r w ith a sm all p a r t of
B a k h m u t a n d a considerable p a r t of T ag anrog (form ­
erly belonging to th e D o n P rovince), form s th e new
c o u n ty of C histyakovo. S lav yan sk C o u n ty h as been
n ew ly c reated a n d rep re sen ts t h e so u th e rn h alf of Izy u m
C o u n ty , h av in g been d e ta c h e d from K h a rk o v P rovince
a n d included in th e D o n e ts P rov in ce.
B akh m u t.
Slavyansk
Grishino.
Starobelsk.
Mariupol.
Lugansk.
Taganrog.
Alexandrovsk-Grushe\ ?
Chistyakovo.
Yuzovo.
—
PROVINCES
together w ith
the counties
composing t h e m in 1 9 1 3
-149
—
CHANGES,
if any, which have taken place since 1913
PROVINCES
together with the counties
composing them as at present
constituted
G rishino is a new c o u n ty form ed o u t of th e western Donets P rovince (C o n t’d)
p a r t of B a k h m u t.
S ta ro b e lsk h a s b een tran sferred to D o n ets P rovince
fro m K h a r k o v .
M ariu po l C o u n ty h a s been tran sferred to D onets
P ro v in c e fro m E k a te rin o s la v Province.
Y u zo v o c o u n ty is a new creation, being th e south ern
p a r t of B a k h m u t a n d th e n o rth e rn p a r t of T aganrog.
T he p r e s e n t T ag an ro g C o u n ty is all t h a t is left after the
tra n sfe r of th e p a r ts m en tio n ed a b o v e to C histyakovo
a n d Y u zo v o . I t shou ld b e n o te d t h a t th e w hole of
th e te r rito r y in clu ded in th e form er T ag an ro g C ounty
has b e e n tra n s fe rre d from th e D on P ro v in c e to th e new
D o n e ts P ro v in c e.
A lex an d ro v sk -G ru sh ev sk y C o u n ty is a new co u n ty
fo rm ed o u t of a sm a ll p a r t of th e F i r s t D istric t of the
D o n , th e g re a te r p a r t of N ovo-C herkask C o u n ty an d
th e to w n of K a m e n s k a y a , to g e th e r w ith a sm all p a r t
of t h e D o n e ts k y C o u n ty , in w hich t h a t to w n form erly
w as. T h e w h ole of th e te r rito r y com prised in th e p r e ­
se n t A lex an d ro v sk -G ru sh ev sk y C o u n ty w as therefore
fo rm erly in th e D o n P rov in ce.
L u g an sk , a s m e n tio n e d ab o v e, is th e n ew nam e for
S lav y an o serb sk C o u n ty . I t is to b e n o ted, however,
t h a t i t includes n ow a p a r t of D o n e ts k y C o u n ty (form ­
erly D o n P rov ince) a n d a sm all p a r t of S tarobelsk
(fo rm erly K h a rk o v C o u nty ).
Crimean R epublic
Taurus Province.
Dniepr,
Yalta.
Eupatoria.
Simferopol.
Theodosia.
Melitopol.
Berdyansk.
T h e P ro v in c e of T a u r u s h a s ceased to ex ist. T he
co unties of P erek o p , E u p a to ria , Simferopol, T heodosia
a n d Y a lta n o w form t h e new b y established Crimean R e­
p u b lic .
D n ie p r C o u n ty has been tran sferred to th e newly
form ed N ik o laev P ro v in c e a n d re n a m e d Aleshky.
Perekop.
E u p ato ria.
Simferopol.
Theodosia.
Y alta.
A lexandrovzk-Zaporozkye.
T h e co un ties of M elitopol a n d B e rd y a n s k h a v e been
tra n sfe rre d to th e n e w p ro v in ce of A lexandrovsk-Z apo ro zhy e. G ulai Pole C o u n ty in th e l a tte r province
is form ed o u t of a p a r t of A lex and ro vsk , an d VelikiT o k m a k o u t of p a r t of M elitopol.
Kherson.
Kherson.
Alexandria.
Tiraspol.
Elizavetgrad.
Nikolaev.
Ananiev.
A lexan drov sk - Z ap orozhye.
Melitopol.
Gulai Pole.
Y eliki-Tokm ak.
Berdyansk.
N ikolaev.
T h e K h erso n P ro v in c e h a s ceased to exist. P a r t of
th e c o u n ty of t h a t n am e, to g e th e r w ith N ikolaev a n d
E liz a v e tg ra d C ounties, now form p a r t of th e new pro­
vince of N ikolaev . O dessa a n d T iraspo l Counties,
to g e th e r w ith th e rem ain in g p a r t of K herson C ounty,
w hich h a s been tra n sfe rre d to Odessa C ounty, now
fo rm p a r t of th e new prov in ce of Odessa.
N ikolaev.
E lizavetgrad.
Kherson.
Alesky.
PROVINCES
PROVINCES
C H A N G ES,
t o g e th e r w ith th e c o u n tie s
c o m p o s in g th e m in 1913
K h e rso n (co n tinued).
if a n y ,
w h ic h
h a v e ta k e n
p la c e
s in c e
1913
tog eth er w i t h t h e c o u n tie s
composing t h e m a s a .t Present
constituted
A n an iev C o u n ty h as b e e n d ivided in to th ree p a r ts N ikolaev (continued).
a n d h a s d isa p p e a re d e n tire ly a s a se p ara te co u n ty .
O ne p a r t , to g e th e r w ith h a lf of B a lta C ounty, in P odolia
P rovince, now form s th e new B a lta C o u n ty in Odessa
P rovince. A n o th e r p a r t of A n aniev, to g e th e r w ith
t h e o th e r p a r t o f B a lta , form s a new c o u n ty of OlvioP o l-P erv o m aisk , also in O dessa P ro v in c e. T he re m a in ­
in g or so u th e rn p a r t n o w form s th e new c o u n ty of
V oznesensk in Odessa P rov in ce.
A lex an d riy a C o u n ty n o w form s p a r t of th e new p ro ­
vince of K rem en chu g.
ANNEX XI
B ib liog rap h y.
The list of b oo ks s e t o u t b e l o w m u s t n o t b e r e g a r d e d as a c o m p l e t e b i b l i o g r a p h y of R u s s i a n a n d f o r ­
tin literature o n e c o n o m i c q u e s t i o n s r e l a t i n g to R u s s i a .
It d o e s no m o r e t h a n i n d i c a t e a few of th e
■orks which m ay b e r e f e r r e d t o f o r g u i d a n c e o n R u s s i a n e c o n o m ic a n d social q u e s tio n s .
In re g a r d to '
terature subsequent to 1917, t h e e x t e n s i v e b i b l i o g r a p h y s h o r t l y to b e p u b li s h e d b y t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l
bour Office has b e e n r e s o r t e d to.
PUBLISHED
T IT L E
siiJECT
OF W O R K
A U T H O R OR P U B LIS H E R
CATION
I
-eneral
Pre-W ar
C entral S t tistical C om m ittee P etro p rad
A n n u al
M in istry of F in an ce
1896
M in istry of F inance
1900
M in istry of F inance
1911-
A n n u al P u b licatio n
of th e M inistry of F inance
S c h u l t z e -G a v e r n i t z
S tu ttg a rt
French
& Russian
French
& Russian
French
& Russian
Russian
Russian
1915
1898
(G erh a rd t), Prof.
K0VALEVSKX..(Maxim), P r. (1)
O z e r o v (I. K h.), Prof. (2)
P aris
Moscow
1898
1906
R ussian
F in n -E notaevsky
P etro g rad
1911
Russian
19091912
1912-
Russian
M a r t o v (L.), M a s l o v (P. I.)
a n d P o t r e s s o v (A. N.)
P u b lish ed b y t h e new spaper
R yech
Russian
1915
A nnual
T h e W a r a n d the N a tio n a l E cono m y of
P r o k o p o v ic h (S. N.) (3)
Moscow
1916
D u rin g
R ussia.
the W a r (V o in a i N arodnoe K hozyaistvo).
(P re-R evo­ R u ssia , its trade a n d commerce.
lu tio n ary ) R u ssia : H e r Econom ic P a st and F u ture.
R a f f o l o v ic h (A .) (4 )
G o l d s t e i n , Prof. (5)
L ondon
New -Y ork
1918
1919
II
neral
The R u ssia n S ta tistica l A n n u a l (S ta tistichesky E zhegodnik R o ssii).
R u ssia ’s Sources of P roduction ( P roizvoditelniya s ili R ossii).
R u ssia at the end o f the i ç th C entury.
(R ossiya v K ontse D evyatnadsatevo Veha).
R eview o f F in a n c e, T rade and In d u stry
(W eekly).
R u ssia n N a tio n a l E co nom y (N arodnoe
K hozyaistvo).
D ie volksw irtschaflichen S tu d ten aus
R ussland.
Le R ég im e économique de la R u ssie.
A lb u m des diagram m es su r l’économie
nationale de la R ussie. 9 vol.
T w en ty Y ea rs of R u ssia n P u b lic E co­
n o m y l 8 g o - i g i o ( Sovrem ennoe K h o z­
yaistvo R o ssii).
Factors in the R u ssia n R evolution at the
beg in n in g of the 20th century. 5 vol.
S ta tistica l a n d E conom ic A n n u a l of the
N ew spaper „ R yech’ ( E zhagodnik
R yechi) IÇI2-IÇ15.
Statistica l A bstract for the p rin c ip a l and
other fo re ig n countries.
R ussian
md^emker °* t^ie ^ US3^an A cad em y of S cience, M em ber of th e form er Council of S ta te , som etim e P rofessor of P u b lic Law in th e University oj
2; Member of the fo rm e r Council of S tate, som etim e Professor F inance in th e U niversity of Moscow.
.
,, J*lnister of Food and of Comm erce an d In d u stry in th e Russian. Provisional G overnm ent, 1917 and one o f th e principal leaders of the CoopeMovement in Russia.
11 p — Jr of Economics a t th e U niversity of Moscow, and in th e Moscow Commercial In stitu te .
151 0rmely Financial A gent of th e R u ssia n G o v ern m e n t a t P a ris , E d ito r of D ictio n n aire d ’Econom ie p o litiq u e.
—
1 52
—
PUBLISHED
SU BJEC T
PERIOD
TITLE O F W ORK
DATE
AUTHOR OR PU BLISH E R
rEMa$ks
AT
CATION
General
(continued)
R ecueil des lois d u Gouvernement des
III
Moscow
I9I7Russian
P o st-R ev o ­
ouvriers et des p a ysa n s IÇ IJ -IÇ 2 2 .
1922
lu tio n a ry S ob ra n ie TJzakonenii i R a sporyazhen ii
Russian
Rabochevo i K restya nskavo Pravitelstva).
Stenographic R eports o f the Congress
Moscow
I9I7Russian
o f Soviets of W orkers, Soldiers a nd
1922
P easants D eputies, IÇ IJ-IQ 2 2 .
(Steno graphicheskiye Otchety V serossiikevo S ’ezda R abochikh, K rasnoarm a s k ik h i K resty a n sk ik h D eputator).
T h e results of the Census of IÇ 20 of the C entral S tatistic a l B ureau Moscow
I92I
Russian
P o pula tion of Soviet R u ssia .
& FrendJ
(R ezu lta ti P erepisi N a selen ia v 1920
godu.)
Moscow
S ta tistica l A n n u a l i ç i 8 - i ç 2 0 (S ta tisI92I
Russian
tich esky E zhegodnik).
& Frencil
S u p re m e Council
Moscow
Two
Y ears o f the D ictatorship of the
I92I
Russian
of Peoples E co n o m y
P roletariat IÇIQ-IÇ 2 0 (D va Goda D ikta tu ri Proletariata).
S u p re m e Council
Moscow
T h e P u b lic E conom y of Soviet R u ssia
I92IRussian 1
of Peoples E co n o m y
IQ22
i n IÇ 2 0 an d IÇ 2 I .
I92I(.N arodnoe K h ozyaistvo R o ssii v 1920
Russian 1
i IÇ 2 I godakh).
1922
Moscow
S up rem e Council
I9 I7
P u b lic E conom y : Official M o n th ly R eview
Russian 1
of P eop le’s E co n o m y
{Narodnoe Khozyaistvo').
o n w ard s
1917
Russian 1
P u b lic E conom y of the U kraine (N a ­ Official p ublication of th e K iev and
U krain e S oviet G o v ern ­ K h ark o v o n w a r d s
rodnoe K hozyaistvo U kra ini).
m ent
French 1
1922
P eo p le’s C om m issariat
Moscow
E conom ic B u lle tin (M o n th ly) of the I n s ­
& Engliil
for A griculture
titu te of E conom ic Research attached
to the P etrovsky A g ricu ltu ra l Academ y.
U kra in ia n Statistical B u lle tin (m onthly) Official p u b licatio n of th e K iev and 19201922
( S tatisticheskii B u lleten U kraini).
U kraine s ta tis tic a l B u reau K h a rk o v
Also 1
1921London
R u ssia n Inform ation a n d R eview (Collec­ R u ssian T ra d e D elegation
1922 published!
tio n o f R eports on Bolshevism in
in Freni
R u s s ia ( A bridged edition of P a r­
liam entary P a p er C. M . D . 8 . R u s ­
s ia N o . I . IQIQ).
R eport of the P arlia m en ta ry C om m ission
to collect Info rm a tio n on R ussia.
C. M . D. 1240. R u ssia N o . I , IQ 2I.
French 1
1917
T ro is aspects de la R évolution russe.
V a n d e r v e l d e (E.)
P aris
7918
L ondon
T h e E clipse of R u ssia .
D il lo n (E. J .)
1919
L ondon
B olshevism .
S pa rgo (Jo h n )
1919
»
T h e T ru th about R u ssia .
R ansome (A rthur)
Gemuie
D a s Bolschevistische R u ssia n ’.
Leipzig
1919
V orst (H an s)
L es B olcheviki.
B r isson (É tienn e)
P aris
1919
1920
T h e Greatest F a ilu re in all H istory.
L on don
S pargo (Jo h n )
1920
»
T h e Practice and T heory of Bolshevism. R u s s e l l , T h e Hon. B ertrand
1920
D ie W irtschafts politischen Probleme
V a r ga (A.) (1)
Vienna
der proletarischen D iktatur.
1920
N e lla R u ssia bolshevica.
Milan
M a g r in i (Lucieno) (2)
1920
U ne L égislation com m uniste.
L a b r y (R ao u l)
P aris
1
(1) Sometime Professor of Po itical Economy in the University of Budapest. President o T the Supreme Cunci of
ian Soviet Government, 1919.
(2) Editor o f 11Secofo.
P e o p le 's E co n o m y
n th e H u f i l
—
153
—
PU B L IS H E D
T IT L E OF WORK
SVIJECT
D ATE
A UTHO R O R P U B L I S H E R
REMARKS
AT
CATION
General
IflllilDfi)
P o s t-R e v o ­ R eport o f the B r itis h L abour Delegation B r i t is h T r a d e s U n i o n C o n g r e s
to R ussia.
lu t io n a r y
K l ib a n s k i
(confiant) D ie G esetzgebung der B olcheviki.
L a R épublique des Soviets (B ila n écono­ Z a g o r s k y ( S e m y o n ) , P r o f . ( i )
London
1920
L e i p z ig
P a r is
1920
I9 2 I
P a r is
N ew -Y o rk
P a r is
B e r lin
P a r is
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
1922
French
B r u t sk us, B uk o v e tsk y ,
P e tro g ra d
Zv e r e v , etc
T he E conom ic R eviva l (E konom ischeskoe
B ogolepov, P rof
P e tro g ra d
V ozrozhdenie).
a n d St e in , P ro f.
P our la R u ssie ( e t B u lle tin d 'in fo rm a ­ E d i t e d b y L e b e d e v ( V . A .)
P a r is
tio n s pour la R ussie).
& Z e n z i n o v (V .M .)
T he R u ssia n E conom ist.
R u s s i a n E c o n o m i c A s s o c i a t io n
London
1922
R u s s ia n
1922
1-2
I92OI
I
N o s 1-6
19 2 1 1922
R u s s ia n
m iq u e).
L e M irage d u Soviétism e.
H o sc h jl l e r (M a x )
T he E conom ics o f C om m unism .
P a s v o l s k y (L.)
Le B olchevism e, v u p a r u n R usse.
S l o n im (N.)
Sow jet R u ssla n d in Z ahlen IÇ 2 I.
Sp ecta to r
L 'É v o lu tio n actuelle d u Bolchevism e russe. Z a g o r s k y ( S .) , P r o f .
(2)
A v e c p r é f a c e d e M . E . V a n d e r v e ld e .
É conom iste. É d i t i o n d e l a S o c i é t é t e c h ­
n iq u e r u s s e à P e t r o g r a d . N 08. 1-5*
L a R evue E conom ique
k iy a Z a p isk i).
(E konom iches- T h e U n i o n o f R u s s i a n
In ­
d u str ia lists, F in a n ciers and
M e r c h a n ts
In d u stria l a n d L abour Inform ation,K )22. I n t e r n a t io n a l L a b o u r O ffice
P a r is
92
92
92
92
92
N °i 1-4
Pre-War
culture
R u s s ia n
1 922
G eneva
1 922
(P ublished fo rtn ig h tly).
Agri-
R u s s ia n
& E n g lis h
F rench
& E n g lis h
1908
Recueil des données statistiques et écono­
P u b lis h e d
S a in t R u s s ia n
m iques, concernant l'in d u strie agricole b y t h e M i n i s t r y o f A g r ic u lt u r e P e t e r s b u r g o n w a r d s & F r e n c h
en R u ssie et dans les p a ys étrangers.
1914
L 'In d u s trie agricole en R ussie.
P u b lis h e d
S a in t - ’
R u s s ia n
R u ssia n S ta tistica l A n n u a l.
R eports o f the L a bours o f the L ocal Com­
m ittees established in accordance w ith
the Decree o f 1 902 i n connection w ith
A gricu ltu ra l In d u stry ( 5 8 v o lu m e s ) .
T h e A g ricu ltu ra l C ensus o f 1905.
b y t h e M in is t r y o f A g r ic u lt u r e P e t e r s b u r g
C e n tr a l S t a t i s t i c a l C o m m it t e e P e t r o g r a d
M i n i s t r y o f A g r ic u lt u r e
E d ite d
b y t h e M in is t r y o f A g r ic u lt u r e
L 'E m p ir e des T sa rs.
L e r o y -B e a u l ie u ( A n a to le )
T he A bo lition o f Serfdom (P adenie kre- I V A N Y U K O V ( I . I .) , P r o f . (3 )
postnovo prava).
T h e L a n d an d those who w ork it. (Z em lya
i zem ledieltzy). 2 v o l .
A B a d H arvest a n d a N a tio n a l C alam ity
(N eurozhai i narodnoe bedstvie).
P easant E conom ics i n the S o uth of R ussia.
(Y u zh n o -R u ssko e K restyanskoe K h o*
zyiastvo).
T h e P easantry a n d Leasehold (K restya n ska ya V nenadeln aya A rendd).
K h o d s k y ( L . V .) , P r o f . ( 4 )
E r m o l o v ( A . S .) ( 5 )
& French
R u s s ia n
& French
R u s s ia n
*
P e tro g ra d
P e tro g ra d
1907
R u s s ia n
P a r is
P e tro g ra d
1881
1882
EngVsh 1896
R u s s ia n
P e tro g ra d
1891
R u s s ia n
P e tro g ra d
1891
R u s s ia n
P o st n ik o v
(A .
S .)
(6 )
P e tro g ra d
1891
R u s s ia n
K a r ysh ev
(N .
I .)
(7 )
P e tro g ra d
1892
R u s s ia n
^
s.0r
Economics at the U niversity of Petrograd.
, ~omet_ime Professor of Political Economy at the University of Petrograd.
n
Professor at the Polytechnical Institute at Petrograd.
,t ™ 'essor of Finance at the University of Petrograd.
p°®e^me Minister for Agr culture.
Uhw r
°r-of Political Economy and Dean of the Faculty of Economics in the University of Petrograd; som etim e Editor of V estn ih E u ro p y and
an(i Member of the Imperial Duma; until his death in September, 1922 a Member of the Petrovsky Agricultural Academy at Moscow
ell-known Economist Statistican and Zemstvo Worker,
5
—
154
—
PUBLISHED
SUBJECT
TITLE OF WORK
A U TH O R OR PU B L ISH E R
remarks
AT
A g r i-
c u ltu re
(continued)
P re -W a r
(cnoliiincd)
I s s a i e v (A . A .), P ro f. (1 )
B a d H arvests a n d F a m in e {N eurozhai i
Golod).
V o r o n t s o v ( V . V .) ( 2 )
T h e P easant C om m une {K restyanskaja
O bshchina).
H u r v ic h
T h e E conom ics of the R u ssia n V illage.
R u ssia n A g ricu ltu ra l S ta tistics ( Selsko- F o r t o n a t o v (A . S .) , P r o f . ( 3 )
K h o zya istven n a ya S ta tistik a R ossii).
S k v o r t s o v (A . f.) 4 )
T h e E conom ic Causes of the F a m in e in
R u ssia {E konom icheskaya P richin a
Goloda v R o ssii).
C h u p r o v (A . I.), P ro f. (5 )
T h e In flu e n ce of H arvest a n d Corn Prices
on certain branches of R u ssia n N atio n a l a n d P o s t n i k o v ( A . S .), P r o f .
E conom ics (V liy a n ie Urozhaev i K hlyebnykh T sye n n a nekotoriya storony
R u sska vo N arodnavo-K hozyaistra.
2 vols.
S v v a t l o v s k y (V. V.)
T h e R epartitio n of the L a n d ed E states in
R u ssia {M ob ilisa tsiya Z em elnoi Sobst
vennosti v R ossii).
S e m e v s k y (V . I.) , P r o f .
T h e P easant question in R u ssia during
the X V I I I t h a n d the first h a lf of the
X l X t h centuries (K re stya n sky vopros
v R o ssii v X V I I I i v pervoi polovine
X I X v. v.) 2 v o ls.
S i m k o v i c h (V.), Prof.
D ie F eldgem einschaft in R usslan d.
« N ik o lai-O n »
N i k o l a i H istoire d u développement
économique de la R u ssie dep u is Vabo­
lition d u servage.
V e ss e l o v sk y (6)
'he P easant question a n d the P easant
M ovem ent in R u ssia (.K restya n ski
vopros i K restyanskoe dvizhenie v
R u ssii).
C h u p r o v (A .A .), P ro f. (7 )
D ie Feldgem einschaft.
É tu d es su r la question agraire {paysanne). M a n u i l o v (A . A . ) , P r o f . (8 )
Collection of A rticles under the E d i­
torship o f P rofessor M a n u ilo v (Sborn ik statei po K restya n sko m u Voprosu
pod red a ktsiyu P rof. M anuilova).
2 VOl. 19O4-I9O 5.
K a u fm a n n , P ro f. (9)
M ig ra tio n and Colonisation (Pereselenie
i kolonizatsiya).
L a Crise agraire en R u ssie.
A fa ssa
T h e R u ssia n P easant and A utocracy, P oli­
S i m k o v i c h , P r o f . ( V .)
tical Science quarterly.
Th
L a w of the P easant C om m une
I s g o e v ( A . S .)
(Obshchestvennoe Pravo).
R u ssia a n d R eform .
F a r e s (S ir B e r n a r d ) ( g ) ( io )
P etro g rad
1092
R ussian
P etro g rad
1892
R ussian
N ew -Y ork
Moscow
1892
1893
R ussian
P etro g rad
1894
Russian
Moscow
R ussian
P e tro g ra d
Russian
P etro g rad
R ussian
S tu ttg a rt
P aris
1898
1899
P etro g rad
1901
Russian
S tra sb u rg
Moscow
1902
1904-
Russian
1905
P etro g rad
1905
P aris
1905
1 6
Russian
Russian
1907
(1) Sometime Professor of Political Economy in the Universities of Moscow and Petrograd.
(2) Well-known Economist and Zemstvo Statistician.
(3) Professor of Statistics in the Petrovsky Agricultural Academy a t Moscow.
(4) Sometime Professor a t the Petrovsky Agricultural A cademy at Moscow.
(5) Sometime Professor of Political Economy in the University of Moscow and E d ito r of Russkiya Vedomosti.
(6) Well-known Zemstvo Vorker, sometime secretary of the free Economic Society at Petrograd and Editor of the Journal Ze.mstuo Work.
(7) Professor of Statistics a t the Petrograd Poly technical Institute.
(8) Sometime Professor of Political Economy in the University of Moscow and the Moscow Commercial Institute, Rector of Moscow Univctfi:
member of the former Council of State, Minister of Public Instruction in the Russian Provisional Government, 1917, sometime Editor of Russkiya Vrdow
(9) Professor of Statistics at the Petrograd Polytechnical Institute.
(10) Professor of Russian and D irector of the School of Slavonic Studies in the University of London.
—
SUBJECT
PERIOD
155
TITLE OF WORK
—
PUBLISHED
DATE
AUTHOR OR PUBLISHER
REMARKS
AT
CATION
Agri­
culture
(inliioti)
Pre-War
(continoed)
T h e A g ra ria n M ovem ent in R u ssia , Y a le
S im kovich (V.), Prof.
R eview .
L a C rise R usse.
M il y u k o v (Paul), Prof. (i)
T he N eed s o f the V illage (N u zh d y D eL v o v (P rince N. N.) (2)
revni). Collection o f Articles. 2 vols.
& S t a k h o v i c h (A.A.)(2)
T he L a w s o f A g ra ria n E volution (Z a k o O ganovsky , Prof. (3)
nom ernost A g ra rn o i E vo lu tsii). 2 vols.
T he A g ra ria n question (A g ra rn y V o ­ D olgorukov (Prince P. D.)
pros) (sb ornik statei) 2 vols.
& P e t r un k e vic h (I. I.)
T he A g ra ria n question in R u ssia ( A g ra r­
Maslov
n y V opros). 2 vols.
The A g ra ria n P rogram m e of the SocialL e n i n (N.)
Dem ocracy at the tim e of the first R u ssia n
R evolution (A g ra rn a ya program m a S o cial-D em okraticheskoi P a rtii vo vrem ia
P ervoi R u ssk o i R evolutsii).
Politico-Econom ic
T h e A g ra ria n M ovem ent in R u ssia
S ociety a t P etro g rad
d u rin g the years 1905-1906. A collec­
tio n o f A rticles published by the
(A grarnoe D vizhenie v R o ssii v 1 9 05IQOÔ godakh).
E ssa y s on the A g ra ria n E vo h d io n ( Ocher- L y a s h c h e n k o (P. I.), Prof.
k i A g ra rn o i E vo lu tsii). 2 vols.
On the question of the E volution o f A g r i­
S u kh an o v (N. A.)
culture (K voprosu ob evolutsii Selskavo khozyiastva).
C h u pr o v (A. I.), Prof.
T h e N e ed s of the S m a ll P easant (N u z h ­
d y M elkovo Zem ledyelya).
Chuprov (A. I.), Prof.
T h e L a w o f the çth N ovem ber, 1906 (P o
povodu U ka za 9 N o ya b rya , iç o ô ) .
W it te (Count) (4)
N otes on the P ea sa n t Q uestion ( Z a p isk i
po K resty ia n sko m u Voprosu).
K ocharovsky (V.)
T h e “M i r ” (R u ssk a y a Obshchina).
I lyin (V . I. A.) (5)
T h e D evelopm ent of C apitalism in R u ssia
(R a zv itie K a p ita lis m a v R ossii).
T h e P easant L a n d B a n k 1883 -1910
S ac (A.)
(K re sty a n sk y P ozem elny B a n k )
T h e A g ric u ltu ra l A rea s o f E uropean C h e l in t s e v (A. N.), Prof. (6)
R u ssia (Selskokhozyaistvenniye R a io n y
R o ssii).
T h e C ereal T ra d e on the D om estic R u s ­ L ya sh c h e n k o (P. I.), Prof.
sia n M a rket (K h leb n a ya torgovliya na
v n u tren n ykh ry n k a k h R ossii).
P reyer
D ie russische A grarrefrom , 1913.
Changes i n Cereal P roductionin R u ssia
due to the general E volution o f A g r i­
culture (P erem eny K h leb n o i P ro d u k
ts ii v R o ssii v sv ia zi s obshchim razv itiem Selskavo K hozyaistvo).
C h e l i n t s e v
(A.
N.), Prof.
D,_ W Sometime Professor of Russian History at the U niversities of Moscow and Sofia and Editor of th
vv i StCr *or foreign Affairs in the Russian Provisional Government, 1917.
W 11 ^n°Wn ^ems*vo Worker and Member of the former Cunceil of State.
) Well-known Zemstvo Statistician; Member of the Petrossky Agricultural Academy,
J orroer Minister of Finance and President of th e Council of Ministers
Pseudonym of Lenin.
) rofessor at the Kharkov Commercial Institute.
10
3
4
5
I9O7
Paris
1907
1905
1907
English
Russian
P etrograd
and Moscow
Petrograd
1907
Russian
1907
Russian
P etrograd
I908
Russian
P etrograd
1907
Russian
P etrograd
19 0 7
Russian
P etrograd
I9O 8
Russian
Moscow
1909
Russian
Moscow
1907
R ussian
Moscow
1907
Russian
P etrograd
1907
R ussian
Moscow
P etro g rad
1907
I908
R ussian
R ussian
Moscow
I9II
R ussian
K h ark o v
I9II
R ussian
P etrograd
I9 I 2
R ussian
S tu t t g a r t
I9 I2
K h ark o v
191
Russian
& G erm an
Russian
P etrograd
Newspaper R y e c k , member of the Imperia
3
—
156
—
PU BLISH E D
SU B JE C T
TITLE OF WORK
AUTHOR OR PU BLISH E R
remarks
AT
ca'tio'"
A g r i-
P re -W a r
c u ltu re
(continued)
(continued)
D u rin g
th e W a r
T h e C onditions fo r the D evelopm ent of K a b l u k o v (N. A.), P ro f. (1) Moscow
P easant E con om y in R u ssia (Ob
u s l o v i y a k h ra zvitiya K resyanskovo
K h ozyaistva v R ossii).
S k v o r t s o v (A. I.), Prof.
T h e E conom ic A rea s of R u ssia (E kon oP etro g rad
m ich eskiye R a io n y R ossii).
W ie t h -K n u d s e n
B a n kru fra ze u n d A grarreform in R u ssBerlin
land.
A gricu ltu re a n d the Cereal T ra d e bet­ L y a s h c h e n k o ( P . I.), Prof. P e tr o g ra d
ween R u ssia an d G erm any (Zernovoe
K h ozyaistvo i khlebotorgoviya otr.oshen iy a R o ssii i G erm anii.
R ésulta ts p ré lim in a ires d u recensement E x tr a o r d in a r y Com m ission
P etro g rad
on S u pp ly
agricole de la R u ssie de 1916.
T h e R u ssia n Cereal H arvest of IÇ IJ T h e S pecial C om m ission on
S u p p ly ; L o sitsk y (A. E .)
( U razhai v R o ssii v I Ç I J go du).
C hu prov S o ciety for PolictioT h e Cost of L iv in g . 3 vols.
E co no m ic R esearch
Stenographic R eport of the Proceedings F o o d Congress of T ow ns a n d Moscow
of the Food Congress o f T o w n s and
Z em stvo s
Zem stvos.
T h e State and D evelopm ent of R u ssia n C h e l i n t s e v (A. N .). P rof.
K h a rk o v
A gricuilure, according to the returns
of the 1916 Census. (Sostoyanie i razvitie russkovo selskovo khozyaistva po
d a n n im Selskokhozyaistvetinoi Perep is i 1916 goda i Zhelesnodorojnich
Perevozok).
( t ) P r o f e s s o r o f S t a t i s t i c s a t t h e U n iv e r s ity o f M o sc o w a n d w e ll-k n o w n Z e m s tv o w o rk e r.
1914
Russian
1914
Russian
1914
Russian
1915
Russian
19161917
Russian
& French
1917
19151916
19151916
Russian
1918
Russian
Russia 1
Russian
157
D
u r in g
the
R
—
evolution
dealing w ith th e q u e s tio n of ag ric u ltu re a n d th e ag ric u ltu ral in d u stry , p u b lished before
1919, exp resses g e n e ra lly th e sa m e o pinions w hich were p re v a le n t in R u ssian lite r a tu re
before the Revolution of M a rc h 1917.
1,1
following is a list of w o rk s w h ich a p p e a r e d in S o v iet Russia, a fte r 7 th N o vem ber, 191 7.
L ite ra tu re
-t h N o v e m b e r ,
P U B L IS H E d
SUBJECT
TITLE OF WORK
PERIOD
AUTHOR OR PUBLISHER
REMARKS
AT
CATION
Agri­ During th e Code o f L a w s of the W orkers an d P ea ­ S ta te P ub lishin g D e p a rtm e n t
sa n ts G overnm ent (Sobranie uzakoof th e S oviet G o v ern m en t
culture Revolution
n e n ii i rasporya zhenii Raboche-K restya n ka vo P ravitelstva).
Collection o f Decrees o f the P eople's P eo p le’s C om m issariat
C om m issariat o f A g ricu lt u r e ,ic )iy -iç 2 2
fo r A g ricultu re
Collection of Decrees o f the C om m issariat
o f F ood, IQ IJ-1 9 2 2 (S b o rn ik i D ekretov K o m m issa ria ta Z em ledeliyia i
.
P rodovolstviyd).
Statistica l A n n u a l IQ 18-IQ 20 (S ta tis- C e n tral S ta tis tic a l B ureau
tichesky E zhegodnik).
R etu rn s o f the A ll-R u ssia n A g ricu ltu ra l C e n tral S ta tis tic a l B ureau
C ensus of IC)20. Vols 1-4 ( Ito g i Vserossiis k o i Selskokhozyaistvennoi P erepisi).
P e o p le ’s C om m issariat
R eport o f the P eo p le's C om m issariat of
A g ricu ltu re to the I X the A ll-R u ssia n
for A g riculture
Congress o f Soviets ( Otchet K o m m is sa ­
ria ta Z em ledeliya I X S 'e zd u Sovetov).
E conom ie R u ra le et Forestière. R evu e C o m m issariat of A g riculture
m ensuelle (Selskoe i L esnoe K hozyastvo).
Moscow
7 Nov.
19171922
R ussian
Moscow
19171922
19171922
R ussian
Moscow
1921
R ussian
a n d French
Moscow
1921
Moscow
1921
Moscow
Moscow
W ill the B olsheviks reta in Power? ( U der
zh a t-li B o lsh eviki G osudarstvennuyu
V last?
L e n i n (N.)
P tro g rad
T h e S tate a n d R evolution ( Gosudarstvo
R evolutsiya.
L e n i n (N.)
P etro g rad
T h e Strug gle fo r B rea d (B orba za K lieb
L e n i n (N.)
Moscow
T he B olsheviks a n d the P easan ts (B ols­
h ev ik i i K restyanstvo).
L e n i n (N.)
Moscow
Z u r A g ra rp o litik der B olscheviki.
T h e L a n d R evolution i n R u ssia .
So cia lism a n d A g ricu ltu re (S o zia lism
Selskoe K hozyaistvo).
L e n i n (N.)
L e n i n (N.)
Vienna
L ondon
Moscow
M i l y u t i n (P. N .) ( 1 )
j i ) F o r m e r l y P e o p l e ’s C o m m i s s a r y f o r A g r i c u l t u r e i n t h e S o v i e t G o v e r n m e n t a n d
es '-0niin i s s a r y f o r S o c i a l W e l f a r e .
Russian
R ussian
Russian
N os 1-3
1921
N os 1-6
1922
1917
R ussian
(Published
in various
languages)
(Published
1917
in various
languages)
(Published
1918
in various
languages)
(Published
1920
in various
languages)
1921
1919
Russian and pu­
1920
blished fij instal­
ments in u Rii.vsischvKorrespimdenz” (or 1920
V i c e - P r e s i d e n t o f t h e S u p r e m e C o u n c i l o f P e o p l e ’s E c o n o m y ; n o w
-
158
T IT L E OF W ORK
SUBJEC T
AU TH O R OR P U B LIS H E R
CATION
Agric u ltu re
(continued)
D u rin g th e A gricu ltu re in So viet R u ssia .
R e vo lutio n A collection o f A rticles prepared i n con­
(continued)
nection w ith the A ll-R u ssia n Congress
o f Soviets (Zem ledelie v Sovetskoi
R o ssii)
T h e F ood C onsum ption o f the R u ssia n
P easant (P ita n ie R usskavo K resty a n in a ).
T h e E conom ic P o lic y d u rin g the period
o f T ra n sitio n (E ko n o m ika Perekhodnavo P erioda).
T h e A . B . C. of. C om m unism ( A zb u ka
K o m m u n izm a ).
T h e P easa ntry d u rin g the W ar a n d the
R evolution (K restya nstvo v V o in e
R evolutsii).
L e M irage d u Soviétism e.
L 'É v o lu tio n actueUe d u Bolchevism e
R usse.
B olschevism us u n d B a u ern revolution.
III
In d u stry
P re -W a r
Moscow
Ï9I9
(S.)
Moscow
1920
B u k h a r i n
(N.)
Moscow
1921
B u k h a r i n
(N.)
Moscow
1921
Moscow
1921
P aris
P aris
1921
K
l e p i k o v
K h r y a s h c h e v a ,
M ,,e
( i )
(M ax)
(S em yon ) P ro f
H o s c h il l e r
Z a g o r s k y
Berlin
O lberg
T h e A ll-R u ssia n In d u stria l C ensus of M in istry of I n d u s tr y an d P etro g rad
l ç o 8 ( P ro m ishlennaia P erepis v R o ssii) •
Com m erce V arsor
M in is tr y o f In d u stry a n d Comm erce Sta ­ Scientific C om m ittee of Mines P etro g rad
tistica l A n n u a l o f the M in in g In d u stry.
C a p ita u x E trangers.
B r a n d t (A.)
P e tro g ra d
Vols I -I I
Vols III -I V
T h e R u ssia n F a ct ry I ts P a st a n d P re­ T u g a n - B a r a n o v s k y P ro f. ( 2 ) P etro g rad
and Stuttgart
sent.
T h e R u ssia n Coal a n d Iro n In d u stry .
P e tro g ra d
D e n (V.), Prof.
T h e T ra d e U n io n s in the M eta l In d u stry .
Moscow
K a f e n h a u s ( L . B .)
T h e M etallurgical In d u stry in R u ssia .
P etro g rad
G l i v i t s (I.)
T h e C om bustible M in e ra ls in R u ssia .
P e tro g r d
K a r s u k h i n (M.)
T h e P roductive Resources of R u ssia T h e U nion of R u s sia n In d u s­ P etro g rad
M em orandum p u blished b y ......
tria lis ts a n d M e rch a n ts
P o st-R ev o Collection o f Decrees o f the S uprem e
C ouncil o f P eople's E conom y. (Sborlu tio n a ry
n ik D ekretov i P ostanovlenii Vyshavo
Soveta N arodnavo K hozyaistva).
R eport o f the Suprem e C ouncil o f Peo­
ple'1s E cono m y to the V l l l t h A ll-R u s­
sia n Congress o f Soviets (Otchet V y s­
havo Soveta N arodnavo K h ozyaistva
V I I I S 'e z d u Sovetov).
P eople's Speech a t the I V t h Congress of
C ouncils o f E conom y (Rech proiznesennaya n a cheivy rtom S'ezde Sovetov
N arodnovo K hozyaistvo.
T h e N e w L egislation on In d u stry and
Commerce (Zakonodatelstvo p o novoi
p o litike P rom yshlem nosti i T o r go li).
S u p re m e Council
of P e o p le ’s E co n o m y
Moscow
S u p re m e Council
of P eo p le’s -Econom y
Moscow
R
y k ov
(A. I.)
(3)
S up rem e Council
of P eop le's E c o n o m y
1922
1922
1909-
Russian
1911
Annual
Russia i
Russian
1899
1901
I9I4
1914
Russian
German
Russian
Russian
Russian
Russi n
Russian
19 7 -
Russi n
1910
1907
1910
1911
1922
1920
Russian
Moscow
Russian
Moscow
Russian I
(1) Writer on Agricultural Questions in “Selskoe i Lesnoe Khozyiaistvo” (Rural and Forest Economy) published by the
Agriculture.
(2) Som etim e Professor of P olitical Economy in the U niversity of Petrograd and the Petrograd Polyteclinical Institute.
(3) Formerly President of the Supreme Council of People’s Economy, in the Soviet Government ; now President of the
en ce and Vice-President of the Council of People’s Commissaries.
P eo p le's
C om m issa riat 1 ^
•n d f t l
C o u n c - i o f Labour 1
■
—
159
—
----- ---------P UBLISH ED
SUBJECT
PERIOD
TITLE OF WORK
DATE
AUTHOR OR PU B LISH ER
REMARKS
AT
CATION
The R ég ula risation o f In d u stry ( R eguA r s k y (R.)
Mos ow
Industry Post-Revo­
lirovanie P rom yshlennosti).
lutionary
((•i!innfd)
M il y u t in (P . N .)
(continued) Econom ic O rganisation o f Soviet R u ssia .
London
The P u b lic E con om y o f Soviet R u ssia
M il y u t in (P. N .)
Moscow
(N arodnoe K ho sya istvo Sovetskoi R ossi.
a n d Berlin
W irtschaftzleben u n d wirtschaftlicher A u fL a r in (M. A.) (1) a n d
Berlin
bau in Sow jet R u ssla n d (IQ IJ-1920).
K ritzman (L.)
R u ssia n In d u stry after the W a r (R u ss G r in e v e t s k y (K . D .), Prof.
ka y a P rom yshlennost node voini).
(2)
L ’In d u strie R u sse et la R évolution.
L a b ry (Raoul)
Paris
D ie W irtschaftzorganisation Sovjet
G o ldsc hm id t (A.)
B e.lin
R usslands.
R appo rts présentés a u C ong es de l ’A sso­ Association In du strielle, F i­
P aris
ciation industrielle commerciale P a n nancière e t Commerciale
russe à P a ris, en 1 921.
R u sse à P aris.
P roduction des ou tils et m achines a g ri­ I Z M A I L O V S K A Y A (P. L .)
Mos ow
coles en R ussie.
L ’In d u strie russe après la révolution (R u sP e s t r j e t s k y , P rof.
Berlin
ka y a P rom yshlennost posle R evolutsii).
L a L u tte p o u r le pétrole et la R u ssie.
A po st o l (P. N.) et
P aris
M ic h el so n (A. A.)
L a Débâcle des Soviets et la R estauration L ’A ssociation F inan cière, In ­
P aris
E conom ique de la R u ssie. M ém oires
d u strielle e t Commerciale
présentés à la Conférence de Gênes p a r
e t le Com ité des B anqu es
V A ssociation F in a n c ière, commerciale
russes à P aris.
et p a r le C om ité des B an ques russes à
P a ris.
Comité des R eprésentants des B anques C om ité des R e p résen tan ts des
Paris
russes à P a ris. M ém o ire élaboré à
B anqu es russes à P a ris.
l’occasion de la Conférence de L a H aye.
J u in IÇ 22.
M ém oires élaborés à l’occasion de la A ssociation In du strielle, Com­
Paris
Conférence de L a H a ye. J u i n IQ22.
m erciale et F in ancière russe
à P aris.
L es C a p ita u x étrangers en R u ssie ( In o s Moscow
tra n n iye K a p ita li v R ossii).
L 'O rgan isatio n de l’In d u strie et les condi­
Geneva
B u re a u In tern atio n al
tions d u travail dons la R u ssie des
d u T rav ail
Soviets.
Pre-War
, IV
-oamerce
j'l -®rmcr l y
m
Compte rendu su r le commerce extérieur M o n th ly a n d an n u al edition
de la R u ss e.
of t h e M in istry of Com­
m erce a n d I n d u s try
L e Commerce intérieu r de la R u ssie.
M in istry of Commerce
a n d I n d u s tr y
D er russische Getreide H andel.
Y u ro v sk y
T h e Cereal T ra d e on the D om estic R u ssia n L y a s h c he n k o (P. I.), Prof.
M a rket (K h leb n a ya T o rgovliya na
V n u tre n n ik h R y n k a k h R ossii).
W itch evsky
H andels,-eoll u n d industrielle p o litik R u ss­
lands.
T h e C ustom s P o licy o f R u s s ia d u rin g the\ S o b olev (M. N .), Prof. (3)
Second h a lf o f the i ç t h C entury (T a -\
m ozhennaya P o litik a R o ssie V techeniel
V toroi P o lo vin i i ç v0 stoletiya).
I9 I 9
Russian
1920
1920
Russian
R ussian
G erm an
G erm an
and Russian
Russian
I9 2 I
I9 I9
I9 I9
1920
921
1921
Russian
and
French
Russian
I92I
Russian
1922
1922
1922
1922
1922
Russian
1922
French
and
English
P etro g rad
A nnual
P etro g rad
1904
Russian
and
French
Russian
and French
S tu t t g a r t
P etro g rad
1910
1912
S tu ttg a rt
1907
P e tro g ra d
1911
R ussian
Russian
P e o p e ’s C o m m i s s a r y f o r L a b o u r a n d M e m b e r o f t h e P r e s i d i u m o f t h e S u p r e m e C o u n c i l o f P o e p l e ’ s E c o n o m y f n t h e S o v e t G o v e r n m e n t .
/ ° ^ essor a t t h e M o s c o w T e c h n o l o g i c a l I n s t i t u t e .
nrofessor o f P o l i t i c a l E c o n o m y a t K h a r k o v U n i v e r s i t y
and
K h a r k o v C o m m e rc ia l I n s titu te .
—•
SUBJECT
PERIOD
TITLE OF WORK
i6o
—■
AUTHOR OR PUBLISHER
PUBLISHED
AT
remarks
CATION
P eo p le’s C o m m issariat
Commerce P ost-R ev o­ Collection of Decrees concerning F oreign
for F oreign T ra d e
T ra d e (S b o rn ik D ekretov i Postanov(cnnlinoed)
lu tio n a r y
le n ii po V n esh n ei Forgovlei).
P eo p le's C o m m issariat
B u lle tin of the P eo ple's C om m issariat for
for F oreig n T ra d e
F oreign T ra d e ( V estn ik K om m issaria ta V nesh n ei Torgovlei).
D anje a n
L e Commerce russe et la R évolution.
R egelung des H andels u n d V erkhers in H a h n u n d Libienfeld-Toal
R u ssla n d , Gesetze u n d Vertràge der
S o w j etregierung.
T ra n s p o rt
P re -W a r
P re -W a r
1922
Russian 1
Moscow
19211922
p
1
Russian 1
P aris
Jena
1920
1921
M in istry of W a y s
Statistical A n n u a l o f the M in is tr y of
P etro g rad
a n d C om m unicatio ns
W a ys and C om m unications (Ezhegodn ik M inisterstv a P u te i Soobshchen iy a ).
M inistère d e s Voies
L e T ra fic des m archandises su r les Che­
P etro g rad
de C o m m u nication
m in s de fer (IÇOQ-IÇII). 3 vols (Perevozki p o Z h eleznym Dorogam).
K ie /
L e T ra fic des M archandises su r les Che­ B i l i m o v i c h (A. D .), Prof. (1)
m in s de fer russes
M i g u l i n (P . P .), P ro f. (2 ) P etro g rad
Our R ailroad T ra n sp o rt P olicy.
P eo p le’s C om m issariat of
P o st-R e v o ­ Collection o f Statutes an d R egulations
o f the P eople1s C om m issariat o f W ays W a y s a n d C om m unication s
l u tio n a r y
and C om m unications.
T h e N e w R a ilw a y Statutes o f the Soviet P e o p le ’s C om m issariat of
R ep u b lic (N o v y U stav Zheleznikh D o- W a y s a n d C o m m u n ic a tio n s
rog).
T h e B u lle tin o f W a y s a n d Com m unica­ Official P u b licatio n of th e
tions ( V estn ik p u te i soobshcheniya).
P e o p le ’s C o m m issariat of
W a y s an d C om m unication s
O p p e n h e i m , P rof.
R u ssia from the p o in t o f view of W ays and
C om m unication s (R o ssiya c tochki
zren iya p u te i soobshcheniya).
F in an ce
Moscow
M inistry of F in ance
T h e C entenary of the M in is tr y of F i­
nance, 1802-1902. 2 vols.
T h e N a tio n a l E co n o m y a n d F inance of
O z e r o v (I. K h .), Prof.
R u s s ia in the ig th an d 20th Centuries
(N avodnoe K hozyaistvo i F in a n s i R ossi
1 9 1 20 em oibm iya).
K o s k h o r o v (I. N.)
R u ssia n F in ance, 1892-1901. 2 vols.
G u r i e v (A. A.)
M o n eta ry R eform in R u ssia , 3 vols. (Denezh n a ya R eform a v R ossii).
M i g u l i n (P. P .), Prof.
R u ssia n State Credit, 3 vols (R u ssk y
G osurdavstenny K red it).
O ur F in a n c es ( N a s h i F in a n s i).
M i g u l i n (P . P .), Prof.
T h e H isto ry o f P aper M o n ey in R u s­ K a u f m a n n (I. I.), Prof. (3)
s ia ( Isto riy a B u m a zh n y k h Detieg
R ossi),
T h e F in a n c es of R u ssia ( R u ssk iya F i­ K h r u l e v (S. S.) (4)
n a n si).
Annual
Russian!
1914
Russian!
1902
Russian!
1903
Russian!
Moscow
1917
1922
Russian!
Moscow
1922
RussiaJ
1917
Russiatl
Moscow
1922
Moscow
1922
Russia!
P etro g rad
1902
Moscow
1905
Russian 1
Frencl!
Russia!
P etro g rad
P etro g rad
P etro g rad
1903
18941897
18991903
P e tro g ra d
P e tro g ra d
P etro g rad
Russia!
Russi™
Russia*
1909
Russia!
Russia!
1913
Russifl
1905
(1) Professor of Political Economy a t th e U niversity of Kiev.
(2) Sometim e Professor of Finance at the University of Petrograd, member o f the former Council of State and Editor o f Ritssky Ekononi- I
Russian Economist).
. f
(3) Sometime Professor of Political Econom y and Statistics a t the University of Petrograd and member of the Central S t a t i s t i c a l Comi HI
(4) Sometime Minister for S tate Contro lin the former Russian Government.
—
5CBJECT
PERIOD
TITLE OF WORK
i 61
—
AUTHOR OR PUBLISHER
"
■
Collection o f Decrees an d Statutes con­
P eo p le’s Com m issariat
finance During the
cerning F inance.
for F in ance
War and
f(Hiluuru;
P eo p le’s Com m issariat
the Revo- B u lle tin o f the P eople's C om m issariat
for F in a n c e (W e e k ly Review ). ( V estn ik
for F in an ce
lution
N arodnavo K o m m issa ria ta F inansov).
L es F in a n c es russes p endan t la guerre.
E lia sh ev (B.)
P aris.
D a s P apiergeldvesen in R ate-R ussland.
F e it e l b e r g
Q uestions of credit. Collection o f A rticles.
S ta te B an k
B anque et M o n n a ie. D ette de l'É ta t.
C om ité des re p ré se n ta n ts des
B anq ues russes à P aris.
Q uestions o f F in a n c ia l P o licy ( V oprosi P r e o b r a z h e n sk i (E . A .) ( i )
F in a n so vo i P o litik i).
Problem s o f F in a n c ia l P o lic y (P roblem i
S O K O L N IK O V (G. I.)
F in a n so vo i P o litik i).
L a D ette p u b liq u e de la R u ssie. R ecu eil R affolovich , A postol ,
d'articles.
M ic h e l s o n , B er n a t s k y et
N o vitsk y
1 VII
1 Labour
Pre-War
R eports o f F a cto ry Inspectors.
M in istry of Com m erce a n d
In d u s try
N u m b er a n d classification o f the R u ssia n
P ogozhev (A.),
W o rkin g Class.
A c a d e m y o f Science
C onditions o f L ife o f the W o rkin g Class
P a sh it n o v (K . D .)
in R u ssia .
Post-R evo­ Codes o f L abo ur L a w s (K o d ex zakonov
lutionary
T ru d e).
Collection o f L a w s o f the P eople's Com­
P eo p le’s Com m issariat
m issa ria t o f L a b o u r (S b o rn ik Z akonov
of Labour
N arodnavo K o m m issa ria ta T ru d a ).
ctL ab o u r" (:T ru d ).
A ll-R ussian C entral Soviet
of T ra d e Unions
R eports o f the A ll-R u ssia n Central So­ A ll-R u ssian C en tral Soviet
viet of T ra d e U nions.
of T ra d e Unions
R eports o f the A ll-R u ssia n Congress of A ll-R u ssian Congress of R ed
R ed T ra d e U nions.
T ra d e U nions
T h e L a b o u r B u lle tin ( V estn ik T ro u d a). A ll-R ussian C en tral Soviet
Official P u blication.
of T ra d e Unions
M a teria l rela tin g to L a b o u r S tatistics
P e o p le ’s C om m issariat
( M a teria li po S ta tistik e T ru d a ).
fo r L a b o u r
L abour C onditions i n Soviet R u s s ia .
I n te rn a tio n a l L a b o u r Office
T h e O rganisation o f In d u s tr y a n d the I n te rn a tio n a l L a b o u r Office
C onditions o f L a b o u r in Soviet R u ssia .
I
I
PUBLISHED
CATION
Moscow
19171922
9 2 [1922
Moscow
R ussian
R ussian
P aris
1919
Berlin
R ussian
P aris
1920
1922
1922
Moscow
1922
R ussian
Moscow
1922
R ussian
P aris
1922
Russian
P e tro g ra d
1885-
R ussian
P etro g rad
1921
1901
Russian
Moscow
1908
R ussian
Moscow
1920
Moscow
19171922
V arious
languages
R ussian
Moscow
1922
R ussian
Moscow
19181921
19181922
1918
R ussian
Moscow
Moscow
R ussian
R ussian
onw ards
Moscow
G eneva
19181921
1922
G eneva
1920
(i) Member of the P r e s i d i u m o f t h e P e o p l e ’s C o m m i s s a r i a t f o r F i n a n c e : M e m b e r o f t h e C e n t r a l C o m m i t t e e s o f t h e R u s s i a n
n te m a tio n a l;; M e m b e r o f t h e C e n t r a l P
Politic.
o litic a l A d m in is tra tio n o f th e R u s s ia n com m u n is t P a rty .
ECONOMIC CO N D ITIO N S IN RUSSIA
REMARKS
AT
Russian
F rench a n d
E nglish
F rench and
E nglish
C o m m u n is t P a r ty a n d of
A N N EX X II
T h e D e n sity an d P er ce n ta g e of S tarv in g P o p u la tio n .
PROVINCES A N D C O U N TIES (U E ZD S )
N U M BER
S T A R V IN G
PERCENTAGE
of starving
per sq. kilom.
starving
23-45
66.15
33-77
21.03
8 4 .6 8
PO P U LA TIO N
(2 ,6 7 3 ,0 0 0 )
2 ,4 2 9 ,4 7 5
S a m a r a .......................
2 ,8 1 9 ,9 6 9
103,603
B u g u ru s la n ( i). .
B u z u lu k ..................
M e l e k e s ..................
S ta v r o p o l . . . .
Pugachev . . . .
B a la k h o v ................
S a m a r a ..................
568,332
63 3,9 6 2
255,907
11 5,27 4
46 9,5 4 8
105,356
56 0,35 9
19 ,425
2 5,52 3
14,972
95 ,27 1
42 9,9 0 7
T s a r its y n .....................
1 ,2 0 0 ,5 1 0
110,580
4 0 5 ,7 5 0
4.01
33-8o
172,800
2 2 .3 4
13-57
9 0 .0 0
4 .9 0
79-83
34-90
3- i 9
6 .1 7
2 .7 6
6 0 .0 0
T s a r i t s y n ................
K ra sn o a rm e is k .
N ik o laev sk . . . .
L e n i n s k ..................
N . C h irsk ................
U s t M ed v ed itsk . .
K n o p e rsk . . . .
191,99 3
120,480
94,205
125,3 49
17 0.00 0
2 4 7 .0 0 0
25 1.0 0 0
S aratov.........................
3,063,422
S a r a t o v ..................
V o l s k .......................
D e rg a c h y . . . .
N o v o u z e n sk . . .
P o k ro v s k ................
K a m y s h in . . . .
A tk a rsk . . . . .
E l a n .........................
K h r a lin s k . . . .
B a la s h o v ................
K u sn e tsk . . . . .
P e tr o v s k .................
S erd o lsk ..................
43 7,2 3 9
22 7,7 7 9
8 9 ,1 6 5
105,122
G e rm a n C o m m unity.
A stra k a n ......................
C h u v a sh R epublic,
M arii C herem iss. .
V o ty a k ..........................
7,39 3
32,089
7 ,7 3 4
(8 ,4 00) (2)
24,297
31 ,95 9
(20,000)
18,190
656,077
536,811
257,467
151,55s
352,384
114.000
7 5 .2 0 0
4 3 ,7 5 0
102.000
123.500
5 0 .2 0 0
55-40
13-95
75-05
90-43
28.71
76.72
9 4 .6 2
5 0 .0 0
2 0 .0 0
1,383,890
14.38
27 6.50 0
161.000
6 6 ,5 0 0
8 4 ,0 0 0
128.000
157.5 00
34 .6 2
2 8 .6 4
139.5 00
I I . 14
39-09
30-53
10-35
8 .3 6
6.2 1
8 .1 4
80.23
7 ,4 0 8
7,3 7 2
192.000
123.000
4 4 .0 0 0
4 6 .0 0 0
6 0 .0 0 0
4 54,3 6 8
(19,624)
262,625
13-38
57.80
38 7,1 4 8
21,050
17,166
159,736
225.161
336,851
2 39,315
4 0 5 ,7 0 4
22 0,25 9
29 4,08 5
3 0 3 ,0 0 s
758.161
30 0,0 6 9
6 85,0 4 9
96 ,28 7
5.621
32 ,155
(1 ,8 5 0 )
12,518
6,288
11,882
5,266
45-17
6 3 .2 4
7 0.68
74-58
I 3-56
79.91
8 0 .1 3
69-95
30-32
19.98
1 5.64
1 9.80
8 1 .0 0 0
3-85
20.92
43-31
9 8 .0 6
15 ,428
74 3,420
3 34 ,2 00
28,888
508,082
17.59
7 4- !7
21.70
(1) It w ill be seen that in the case of Buguruslan, Buzuluk and of Marii that the number of starving, according to Soviet
available was greater than that given for the actual population of these areas. Evidently a mistake has occurred owing perhaps to r*. ■
changes in administrative boundaries, b ut it is n ot possible to do more than draw attention to it.
(2) Areas in brackets have been calculated approximately.
—
p ro v in c e s a n d
c o u n t ie s
(u e z d s )
i
63
—
NUMBER
P O P U L A T IO N
kilom.
of
s ta rv in g
STARVING
PERCENTAGE
per sq. kilom.
sta rv in g
Simbirsk. .................................................
1 ,6 5 6 ,6 8 2
Kalmyk- . . - .........................................................
Bashkir R epublic................................
126,256
1 ,2 6 8 ,1 3 2
I03 , 3
!4
1,364,831
50,000
999,630
Chelyabinsk..................................................
1 ,3 4 3 ,7 3 0
107,995
424,317
3-92
(19,992)
2 0 ,3 7 5 ( 1 )
(24,948)
(7,14 0)
(2 6,88 0)
(6 ,888 )
3 9,948
122,621
167,883
4 0,582
100,042
7 5,862
1-99
11.01
1 ,2 9 2 ,5 8 4
18.36
42,327
98,767
Chelyabinsk.........................................
Kurgan.................................................
Tioitsk .......................................................................................
Kurtamysh ..........................................................................
Verkhne Ü ralsk .............................................................
Myassk . - .........................................
P/a. . . .
j. .........................................
Vyatka. ■ ■ ..............................................
3 2 .2 4
0.51
9 .6 8
8 2 .3 8
39.6 0
78.83
32
6 .0 2
6-73
5.68
3-72
2 ,0 0 9 ,4 5 9
70 ,4 0 0
2 ,0 5 1 ,9 8 6
105,227
599,400
5-70
29.21
21 4,062
4 9 6 ,7 8 0
2 .3 2
28
156,908
877,491
5-59
45
(8 ,6 5 2 )
(1 1 ,9 2 8 )
(10,307)
(5 , i 4 9 )
(5 ,2 0 0 )
(5 , 4 9 0 )
(6 ,6 3 6 )
(6 ,0 0 6 )
( n , 9 ii)
(5 , 1 7 4 )
73,641
102,389
58,431
9 7 .2 1 0
112,193
18,186
24,097
80,692
15,700
72.210
(6 ,2 5 0 )
(6 ,8 4 3 )
(4 , 5 9 5 )
(5 ,1 2 4 )
126,167
178,611
69,403
134,281
(27,0 00)
(3 5 8 , 6 5 5 )
Firm.........................................................
Ekaterinburg. .....................................
Ukraine..................................................
Kharkov
.........................................
1 ,7 7 8 ,7 6 4
Donets ......................................................
3 ,3 1 7 ,6 0 0
Lugansk.................................................
Starobelsk.............................................
Taganrog................................................
Mariupol..............................................
Yuzovka................................................
Detaltsevo. . .....................................
Bakhmut................................................
Slavyansk.............................................
Alexandrovsk G ru sh ev sk y . . . .
Grishin o .................................................
4 6 5 .3 0 0
4 1 0 .1 0 0
536.300
33 0,400
3 2 4 .6 0 0
1 ,9 4 9 ,0 8 1
334.100
2 6 3 .0 0 0
2 8 0 .6 0 0
21 6 .0 0 0
1 5 7.100
8.51
8 .5 8
5.6 0
18.88
2 1 .5 8
64.32
16
25
II
29
35
3-31
5
3-63
9
I3 . 4 4
6 .0 6
29
13-95
46
20.19
26.10
15.10
26.21
63
83
48
22.4 0
70
195.000
168.000
20.91
14.50
52
143.000
14.80
32
2 .4 7 2 ,0 0 0
617,000
37.25
8 6 .6 7
40
141.000
9 .6 0 0 ,0 0 0 )
289.000
1.5 0
15-19
0 .8 2
7
Zaporozhye.................................................
Alexandrovsk Z a p o ro z h y e . . .
Gulai-Pole.............................................
B.Tokmak............................................
Berdyansk. . .....................................
Gonichesk.............................................
Melitopol........................
2 0 1 .3 0 0
2 1 5 .2 0 0
145.200
2 0 6 .3 0 0
9 5 ,8 0 0
4 5 4 ,1 0 0
( 1 7 ,2 2 0 )
1
|
Nikolaev.....................
Nikolaev..............................
Kherson. . . . . .
Aleshki . . . .
Elisavetgrad. . . .
Tartar Republic . . .
Territory o f th e D o n ........................
/
i
65
I
3 3 8 ,6 0 0
3 2 2 ,1 0 0
2 5 1 ,0 0 0
(9 , 3 2 4 )
( n , 5 9 o)
(1 1 ,9 7 0 )
(9 ,6 6 o )
453,300
2 ,8 5 2 ,1 3 5
1 ,5 4 4 ,0 0 0
7 2,186
10.70
58
Kirghiz Republic . . .
Uralsk. . . .
Bukeev ,
Orenburg
Aktyubinsk. . . .
571,323
2 3 4 ,1 8 0
6 7 9,102
50 8,549
J
(i) Areas in brackets have been calculated approximately.
211,886
94,126
( 3 9 , 5 oo)
(350,000)
60
88
57
16 4
PROVINCES AND AND COUNTIES (UBZDS)
K usta na i..................................................
POPULATION
597,403
K ustanai.............................................
B oro sk y...............................................
Federovsky.........................................
Semiozerny.........................................
D e n is o v s k y .......................................
U r its k y ...............................................
Adam ovsky.........................................
Turgai. . ....................................... ....
—
AREA
NUMBER
k ilo m .
o f s ta r v in g
340,141
(16,139) (1)
(8,183)
(17,503)
(10,456)
(12,274)
(35,460)
(73,279)
(166,847)
STARVING
per
322,000
sq* kilom .
52.441
54,183
45,009
31,892
34,498
23,414
20,499
60,000
0-95
3.25
6.62
2.57
3.05
2.81
0 .66
0.27
0-35
PERCEurl
starving
60 I
Ekaterinoslav..........................................
335,300
409,900
172,300
353, 0° °
115,000
350,600
(9,600)
(5,124)
(13,893)
(5,040)
(4,284)
90,000
169,000
67,000
164,000
84,000
200,000
6.02
17.60
13-07
11.80
16.66
46.68
27
41
241,500
286,800
(4,393)
(9,828)
50,000
50,000
11.38
5-09
21
17
A le x a n d riy a ......................................
402,800
(9.156)
120,000
13.11
30
Odessa.......................................................
Odessa..................................................
Voznesensk.........................................
Pervem aisk.........................................
Crimea..................................................
638,400
236,700
341,200
761,600
(8,400)
(10,668)
(9,996)
33,881
144,171
30,000
28,664
536,195
17.16
2.81
2.87
13-93
23
P a v lo g ra d ...........................................
N ovomoskovsk..................................
Verkane-Dneprovsk.........................
Kivoi R og..........................................
N ik o p o l...............................................
E katerinoslav.....................................
39
46
73
57
Poltava ....................................................
K o b e ly a k ...........................................
K o n s ta n tin o g ra d ..............................
K rem enchug...........................................
13
8
70
(i) Areas in brackets have been calculated approximately.
T h e f ig u r es g i v e n a b o v e r e l a t e t o t h e n u m b e r o f s t a r v i n g d u r i n g t h e p e r io d March-Apri
1922, a n d ar e t a k e n fr o m r e p o r ts f u r n i s h e d to t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l R u s s i a n R e l i e f Commissiq
a n d f r o m t h e b u l l e t i n s p u b l i s h e d b y t h e A l l - R u s s i a n C e n tr a l R e l i e f C o m m is s io n .
PRINTED BY BERGER-LEVRAULT, N ANC Y-PARIS—STRASBOURG
2*<
>2
Densité de la population
affamée en Russie.
7
b
6%
W
G L A C I A L
A ÆCT2
Printemps 1922.
Density of Starving
Population in Russia.
Sk"
Spring 1922
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Nombre des affames
■x
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p a r
KAÔARD
-M x
1;
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c a r r e
Number of starving
'T X , _ - > ,
^ 5Ty
-X
k i l o m
VA
per sq Kilom.
OAQH£V a
<Z>
:k<
ia io u m
~-v
=5 ^
--------
0 .2 7 -2 .8 f
3 05 "9 68
10.00-23,45
w
m
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26.21-55.40
Sadag
RUSSIE
D ivisio n s
a d m in is r r a r iv e s d a p rè s le s d o n n e e s
d u C o m m is s a ria t de 1 in t é r ie u r au 21 Novembre 1921
RUSSIA
ivisions according
m is saria
oveml
A rk h an gelsk
oJsUouq 1/
Jcherepovelf
r K o s t je m a
vanovoVcySi
K azan
njmi Novqoroÿh ^ TERR x TH O VAÇrf
Simbirsk
1
V
B ria n ^ iv
xv'« Xi
1
ambov
K H A R K O V ^v^
ementi
y<anskhaia|
;Alexandiev5k
■akh^T l
■2 at9 5 nod3 r x
,$tavropo\
( lekdtennocldr)
os'sisk
.
Divisions administratives
V xca v^ka b a rd .
g o p s k a ia
I
Administrative divisions
m 1914
^ O N S T A b lîiN Q ^
Les g o u v e r n e m e n t s s o n t
o A n g o râ
nommés
d 'a p rè s
le u rs
ch ef lie u x respectifs (soulignés)
300 K IL O M E T R E S
Récolte nette par habitant
des districts ruraux de la
Russie en 1921.
Net Harvest per head
of Rural Population in
Russia in 1921.
Arkhangelsk
y /A
JA
VeUkVi ndshouq - If
Tcherepoveli-
rKost/oma
Ivanovo Vosi
i#rfu
M A R I-
~•
Vol_2^ ^ 1 -rf- ■
ilMunii Movqorojjt'l rf / [
MOSCOW
J,
;
1 . v zchOvaG
jrvbdr
Bnansk.
r>.-_s£\
Koursk
'oronej'
‘KHARKOV
V d le r m o jy
T E R R IT.
: £ £5
■akhan
•
K A L M O L /K S
'^> 2K jyS n(xla r x
—1
( IftkAfer iftodar)
lovorossisk
pouds par habitant
Population r u r a l ® *
Jjf?CASSj»KHABAROh
go fskm a
j
Roods per head
Rural
CONSTaNT:
200
300 KILOMETRES
latoum
population