Tune in to the fourth of our regular series of discussions between Comrade Harpal Brar and US Marxist Caleb Maupin.
This week, Harpal and Caleb discuss how socialism transformed farming in the USSR during the implementation of the first five-year plan. What was the significance of the collectivisation of agriculture? What convinced the peasants that collectivisation would be a good idea, and what were the successes it achieved?
What were the difficulties faced, and how have these been misrepresented in western anticommunist propaganda? In particular, Caleb and Harpal look at two of the biggest lies about Soviet farming: first, that the peasants were forced into collectivising against their will, and second, that collectivisation led to a huge famine in Ukraine, the so-called ‘holodmor’.
Why are these lies so useful to imperialism and why are they being dredged up again now?
This conversation was recorded on 16 February 2022. It was hosted by Joti Brar.
