ABSTRACT
Progress in the beginning was slow; by 1949, only 1,300 collectives had been formed. The rate of collectivization then accelerated, and by 1953 there were 5,224 collectives with an increase in membership from 36,400 in 1949 to 376,088, and an increase of collectivized holdings from 2.7% to 26% of the country's agricultural lands. Initially, different types of collectives were founded, regulated by Government guidelines in December 1948. Several types were officially Set down, categorized by the proportion of production resources and labour required to be collectivized or left in individual control. In collectives of the first type, group members agreed to a common yearly production programme and certain phases of production, such as ploughing and sowing, were undertaken collectively. In collectives of the second type, the production process throughout the year was similar to those of the first type. Collectives of the third type, on the Soviet artyel model, were more comprehensive.
