Introduction

The first scholarly and comprehensive book on the revolutionary change and new state of Soviet agriculture was published by the Russian emigre Boris Brutskus in the series of the Osteuropa-Institut at Breslau. If the 1950s saw the rapid expansion of studies of Soviet and East European agricultural affairs, the subsequent decade was one not only of their further intensified development, but also of another change in emphasis. Studies of Soviet agriculture gained importance in other western countries, too. After Stalin's death in March, 1953, even the Soviet leaders more or less admitted the weaknesses of his agricultural system, but they denied that these were an inherent part of the Soviet system in general. The most topical field of interest was the functioning of socialized agriculture. East Germany has a totally socialized agriculture and a moderate inflation rate. The main goal of its agricultural price policy is to change the input mix by changing the cost structure.