Lenin was a Russian sociologist. Lenin and his followers believed that, among the peasants, the division was strong. The farmers were facing the division process, and these divided farmers were taking part in the anti-class. In the model of Lenin, the spread of the mode of production and its social division was the root of the process of division. To analyze Jamestovo’s statistics, Lenin claims that, at that time, ancient Russian farming society was breaking down very quickly, and as a result of the process of division, new kinds of dwellers emerged. Among them, the rural bourgeois and the proletariat class were notable. In Lenin’s thesis on capitalism in Russia, he thought of the capitalists who exploited the general poor farmers. And in this way, the process of dividing farmers was very quick and widespread because of the spread of the capitalist system.
Fig: Lenin’s
two-line model of the spread of capitalism in agriculture
(Source:
John Harrison, Page 149)
Marxist View:
Lenin:
From the
Marxist view, Lenin said that there was a great inequality of wealth
distribution among the farmers. As a result, a great stratification occurred
among farmers frequently. He also predicted that in the competitive market,
economic advantages and disadvantages will increase gradually. And once the stage
is set, the farmer will emerge. Some are given below.
- Competition.
- Struggle
for the economically self-sufficiency.
- Increase
the control of land by purchasing or renting.
- A
few people hold most of the production.
- Turning the majority of people into the proletariat class.
- Few
people exploited the proletariat class with their business capital.
- Farming
labor was appointed by the contract of rent.
Understanding Peasants: Definition, Key Features, and Characteristics
According to Lenin’s theory of peasantry, “ In a natural
pre-capitalist economy, farming units were composed of.”
- Patriarchal
peasant family.
- Primitive
village community.
- Feudal
Manor.
The major economic objectives of these units are to fulfill family
consumption. These units were undifferentiated, and the social division of labor
was absent.
Stratification
of Peasant:
Rural Bourgeois:
- The
financial base is very strong.
- They
sales produced agricultural products to buy land.
- 20%
of the total peasants were rich farmers. They occupied 60-70% land.
- They
were owner of modern instruments of agriculture; in fact, they were LORDS
in rural areas.
Rural Proletariat:
- They
cultivated a small portion of land.
- Most
of them had no land.
- Day
labor, unskilled labor, and farm workers were included in this class.
- They
were half of the total population.
Middle Class:
- 30%
of the total population was in this class.
- They
were absolutely unstable, and their economic status was very low.
- The
above two classes were created from the middle class.
The Application of Lenin’s Theory in Bangladesh:
Most of the people live in rural areas in Bangladesh. They are engaged especially
with cultivation. The classification of farmers in Lenin’s theory, we have already found it in rural peasant society. Normally, here we also find some farmer
classes such as:
- Rich
farmer;
- Middle
farmer;
- Lower
farmer;
- Marginal
farmer;
Here, rich farmers, like rural bourgeois, according to Lenin,
exploit other farmers regularly. Having huge land property, modern instruments,
the rural bourgeoisie dominate the lower and marginal farmers, especially, and
gain more economic establishment through their large production.
Criticism
of Lenin’s Theory
- Lenin
only classified the farmer class. But he did not give any theory for the
betterment of the farmer.
- Lenin
studied only the Russian farmer, but he did not classify the farmers of
other countries.
- Lenin
has no specific theory.
- He
did not give any theory. He only criticized others sociologist’s theory.
- He
has no specific explanation for the middle-class farmer.
- Without the village Bourgeoisie and the village proletariat, other classes arise, but
he has no opinion about this class.
- He
did not get the time to present his theory. He just got his theory in the
time of debating.
