The year of 2011 signals the twenty-year anniversary of the uprising against the Soviet supremacy in the Baltic States and although the years since then have certainly not been without pain, the transformation from "second class" USSR republics into independent countries is impressing. Among all remains of the Soviet time, to me one of the most compelling and thoughtful ones are the omnipresent abandoned kolkhozes - collective farms.
Farming and the agricultural sector in general was a constant area of concern in the USSR since the very first day and presumably this factor was significant in why the empire finally imploded. I so well remember the empty shops and restaurants in Moscow when I was there in 1990. Throughout the years, there appears to have been a more or less permanent state of famine with some periods being worse than others. The week there in 1990 was the closest I've ever been to famine myself – a scaring experience indeed. With the elimination of the kulaks around 1930 and the brutal collectivization, it is estimated that some 10M people died of starvation and misery. This figure can of course be questioned and probably still nobody really knows, but it is beyond doubt that the suffering and death toll was staggering and just so tragic and meaningless. The fact that no one knows is as such baffling and points to the ultimate indifference towards this dark chapter of history.
The Soviet leaders had high confidence in technology and a massive mechanization programs were launched in the agricultural sector during the 1930s, but as this competed with equally massive industrialization projects in other sectors, resources were scarce and the problem persisted. When Stalin was gone, Khrushchev could turn page and blame the shortcomings on his predecessor. Understanding that food shortages was an obvious trigger for civil unrest, boosting the agricultural productivity became a top priority. However, the problems remained and eventually worsened and much needed hard currency had to be spent on imports of grains and one can imagine how humiliating it must have been to indirectly admit that one of the cornerstones of the system was dysfunctional.
In the Baltic States, it can be assumed that the "scorched earth" policy being practiced by both the Wehrmacht and the Red Army during WWII resulted in the countryside and farms were left in a state of complete despair in 1945. When the Baltic States where engulfed by the Soviets, it can therefore be assumed that getting the agricultural sector back into operation was a top priority. Without any heritage to take into account, it can further be assumed that the most recent Soviet farming paradigms where applied with a great determination. The result was large units with the meager brutal concrete style being so representative for the USSR of that time.
Without making a political statement here, the Marxist-Leninist principles really showed their shortcomings in the area of agriculture and these abandoned utterly depressing remains from that era speak for themselves. However, when travelling around the Baltic countryside today, watching the large areas of unused farmland together with these looted remains, one certainly realizes that the Common Agricultural Policy of the EU is not the way forward either...
Not very photogenic subjects really, but thoughtful indeed.
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