Review article

Edvard Kardelj — Thinker and Theoretician of Agrarian Development

Petar Marković

Abstract

The history of economic and
social development in the world,
in socialist and capitalist countries
and in developing countries
as well as in Yugoslavia, shows
that the development of large-scale
agricultural production, i.e. the
socio-economic transformation of
subsistance farming and the
autarchic peasant — are essential
factors of modern industrial
progress. To understand the
historical position of the peasantry
and small-scale production in the
total development of the forces
of production, it is necessary to
master Marxism completely, so
that the most suitable methods of
economic and social development
may be established. Such a creative
power is contained within the
personality of Edvard Kardelj.
When a socialist revolution is
victorious in a country dominated
by the peasantry and small-scale
agricultural production, the
socialist transformation of the
village and the development of
large-scale agricultural production
are key economic and socio-political
questions. The selection of
methods for the socialist
transformation of agriculture is
basic for the final solution of the
peasant question: whether to chose
administrative and political
collectivization, or a gradual,
voluntary and democratic
establishment of links between
peasants and modern currents of
economic and social life? Edvard Kardelj believed that the
democratic association of
farmers based on economic
interest, complete voluntariness
and gradual introduction, is the
only possibility for Yugoslav
socialist self-management.
Kardelj's scholarly and creative
work concerning agrarian problems
is very comprehensive. The author
considers three questions
especially significant for
Yugoslav everyday practice: 1. the
relationships between agriculture
and the total economic and social
development; 2. questions of
association and farming
cooperatives, and 3. the role of
private farmers and the importance
of their personal labour with
their own means (i.e. privately
owned means). Edvard Kardelj also sought
solutions for many other questions
concerning the development of
agriculture and agribusiness. On
one side, he emphasized the
necessity of economically and
organizationally linking agriculture,
transport and the processing
industry into a integrated chain of
reproduction. On the other side,
he emphasized the importance of
joint planning of the investment
policy, and the bringing of a social
compact concerning the
development of the agroindustrial
complex.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

119368

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/119368

Publication date:

12.12.1979.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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