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THE PEASANTRY AS A POLITICAL FACTOR

Teodor Shanin

Sažetak

The contemporary sociological thought neglects the traditional peasantry as
»non-existed historically speaking«, what is only the consequence of the fact that
peasantry does not fit well into any of our images of modern society. The author
ueiines tne peasantry as the small producers on land who, with the help of simple
equipment and the labour of their families, produce mainly for their own consumption,
and for the fulfilment of their duties to the holders of political and
economic power, and who within their village community are almost totally
socially seif-suficient. This analytical definition of the peasantry is based on
following moments: »The relation to the land«, »The family farm«, »The farming
as an occupation«, »The village structure« and »The peasantry as a pre-industrial
social entity«. In historical context the peasantry appears as a special modus o'
life which Indentifies a stage in the development of human society. The autiio,
analyzes distinctive cultural patterns between traditional (small-produce) peasantry
and the industrialising one (i. e. the farmers). Today there are existing three
parallel patterns of spontaneous development of the countryside: 1) the competition
of large-scale, capital intensive and mechanised agriculture which destroys
the small farm; 2) the development of the peasants into a professional stratum
of farmers; and 3) the, so-called, »cumulative pauperisation« of peasantry of under-
-developed societies. As distinct from those spontaneous trends author remarks
the factor of »state organized collectivisation of land« in USSR and the other
socialist countries. It is much more difficult to define the peasantry as the segment
of the society. In a contemporary society peasantry appears as a »class of
low classness« which is a self-sufficient in high degree from market and social
crisis situations. Its political-class consensus bear from time to time through
military action. The political action and/or influence of peasantry' are determined
by its character as a social entity (»independent class action«, »guided political
action«, the fully' spontaneous amorphous political action «etc.). The author concludes
with the constatation that only a combination of both conceptual and empirical
research may overcome the shortcomings of our knowledge of the
peasantry.

Ključne riječi

Hrčak ID:

121356

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/121356

Datum izdavanja:

9.1.1968.

Podaci na drugim jezicima: hrvatski

Posjeta: 1.313 *