kulak

kulak

A farmer, or kulak, stands proudly beside his large barn and healthy livestock.

Definition
  1. Noun:
    • Wealthy peasant farmer: "kulak" refers to a relatively affluent peasant farmer in pre-revolutionary Russia and the Soviet Union, who owned land, employed labour, and was often considered a class enemy by the Bolsheviks.
    • Historical class label: In Soviet political terminology, "kulak" was a derogatory term used to identify peasants who were perceived as exploiting others through land ownership, moneylending, or trade.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • The Soviet government confiscated the grain from every kulak in the region. (Wealthy peasant farmers whose resources were seized.)
    • Many kulaks were deported or executed during Stalin's collectivisation campaign. (Members of the peasant class targeted by the regime.)
Advanced Usage

  • "kulak as a socio-economic type": The term is often used in historical analysis to denote a class of small-scale capitalist farmers in rural Russia.

    • The kulak system involved hiring seasonal labourers and selling surplus grain. (The economic practices of wealthy peasants.)

  • "kulak in Marxist theory": In Marxist-Leninist ideology, the kulak was seen as an obstacle to socialist transformation.

    • According to party doctrine, the kulak represented a bourgeois element within the countryside. (A political classification.)
Variants and Related Words

  • Kulaks (n, plural): multiple wealthy peasant farmers.

    • The kulaks resisted collectivisation by hiding their grain. (The group of affluent peasants.)

  • Kulakdom (n, rare): the state or condition of being a kulak, or the class of kulaks collectively.

    • The regime aimed to eliminate kulakdom entirely. (The social class.)
Synonyms
  • Wealthy peasant: a peasant who owns substantial land and resources.
  • Rich farmer: a farmer with significant capital and property.
  • Rural capitalist: a farmer who hires labour and produces for the market.
Related Idioms

  • "To be labelled a kulak": to be officially designated as a class enemy, often leading to persecution.

    • Anyone who owned a horse was labelled a kulak and sent to a labour camp. (A politically dangerous classification.)

  • "Kulak mentality": a derogatory phrase used in Soviet rhetoric to describe individualistic, profit-seeking attitudes among peasants.

    • The party condemned the kulak mentality as counter-revolutionary. (Selfish, capitalist thinking.)