MARXIST VIEWS OF THE AGRARIAN QUESTION
IN EUROPE AND RUSSIA21
OUTLINE OF LECTURES
F I R S T V A R I A N T
M A R X I S T V I E W S O F T H E A G R A R I A N
Q U E S T I O N
I N E U R O P E A N D R U S S I A
A.
General Theory of the Agrarian Question.
1.
Growth of commercial agriculture.—Phases of proc- ess.—Formation
of
market:
towns.—Peasant- industrialist (Capital, III, 2?).22—Remnants of natu-
ral economy.—Degree of peasant’s subordination to market.—Free competition in agriculture. For
how long?
N.B.
Decline of natural peasant household industries
K. Kautsky and Engels.23
Need of money (Usurers. Taxes).
2.
Law of diminishing returns. Ricardo—Marx (Bulgakov and Maslov lately).
3.
Theory of rent. Ricardo—Marx: differential and abso- lute rent. (Maslov’s mistake.)
3a.
Separationoftownfromcountry (cf.
Bulgakov and Hertz. Zarya No. 2-3.24 Nossig*).
4.
Present agricultural crisis. (Parvus).
Inflation and consolidation of rent. Burden of rent.
* See pp. 263-64.—Ed.


5.
The “mission” of capital in agriculture
1) separation of landownership from Production
2) socialisation
3) rationalisation
B.
Small-Scale Production in Agriculture (1-4— one lecture; 5-6, another).
1.
Technical superiority of large-scale production. Statistics.
Machines. (Large-scale economy and large-scale land- ownership.)
2.
Displacement, proletarisation of the peasantry. Flight to
towns.—Handicraft industries.—Collateral em- ployment.
3.
Worsening of draught animals. German statistics.
Use of cow as draught animal.
Addition.
Baudrillart, Souchon, Ch/apowski
4.
Co-operatives. German statistics25 (Hertz, David, etc.)
5.
Comparison of profitability of big and small man farms. Klawki,* Stumpfe. Cf. Hecht, The
cattle
Condition of the Peasants.
land
6.
South-German Inquiries. Baden, Bavaria, Württem- berg.26
C.
Statements of Principles by Marxists in the West .
Transfer to end? of Section IV (D)
The Agrarian Programmeof
West - Europeanand Russian
Social - Democrats
1.
Marx and Engels in the 1840s. The Communist Man- ifesto.—Neue Rheinische Zeitung27—Marx on American
agriculture in the 1840s.28
2.
Resolutions of the International,29 Engels in 1874, his
programme.30
3.
The agrarian debates of 1895.31 Engels in Die Neue
Zeit on the French and German programmes.
N.B. Social-Democrats in the Countryside.
(Böttger Hugo).
* See pp. 138-59.—Ed.
T
U
T
U
TNONU


4.
K. Kautsky in Soziale Revolution.
[A § from D to this point? Principles of the Russian agrarian programme.]*
D.
The Agrarian Questionin Russia .
To D. Russia’s agricultural decline. Stagnation.
Famines. Collapseortransitiontocapi - talism ?
1. Commune. Fiscal nature ig-
Flight from
Narod- nored. Isolation ignored.
“people’s pro- nik
2. People’s production. Cherny-
duction” in the the- shevsky—.... (V. V., N.—on).
central areas to ories
3. No soil for capitalism. No
the capital and internal market. Decline.
the border areas.
4.
Historical significance of Narodnik theories.
5.
Disintegration of the peasantry. Overall data. Results.
Meaning (=petty bourgeoisie)
6.
Class struggle in the countryside. Formation of an agricultural proletariat. Transition from the corvée
system to the capitalist economy.
7.
Growth of commercial and capitalist farming.
8.
Struggle against the relicts of serfdom. Freedom of movement (Maslov).32 Withdrawal from commune.
Freedom to alienate land.
9.
Agrarian programme of the Social-Democrats. “Cut- off lands”.
Essay II33 (agrarian statistics)
1.
Hecht
& Bavarian Inquiry
2.
(Auhagen) Klawki
& Württemberg Inquiry
3.
The Condition of the Peasants & Stumpfe
4.
Baden Inquiry.
5.
German agrarian statistics small-scale economy latifundia
middle peasantry. Worsening of animals.
6.
Livestock. Industries.
* Section C crossed out in MS.—Ed.
N.B.


7.
Dairy farming (tobacco-growing, wine-growing).
8.
Co-operatives.
9.
Rural population by status.
Rent34
A. 1 dessiatine — 80 poods.
40 rubles of invested capital & 8 rubles of profit = 48 rubles÷80 =
60 kopeks 51.2 r. (64 k.) 3.2 r.
B. 1 dessiatine — 75 poods.
40 rubles of invested capital & 8 rubles of profit = 48 rubles÷75 =
64 kopeks 48 r. (64 k.)
A)
— 64 r.
16 r.
B)
— 60 r.
12 r.
C) 1 dessiatine — 60 poods.
40 rubles of invested capital & 8 rubles of profit = 48÷60 =
80 kopeks 48 r.
Written before February 10 (23), 1903
First published in 1932
Printed from the original in Lenin Miscellany XIX