ABSTRACT
Collectivisation was by far the most radical attempt to solve Romania's land and agrarian problems. This chapter considers how land was collectivised in Romania and how this affects the process of de-collectivising. The argument is that without an appreciation of how rural land ownership was transformed, it is not possible to fully evaluate recent attempts at ownership reform, in particular, the claim that the law is an attempt to compensate the peasants. Verdery reports that many peasants attempted to reduce their liability under the quotas by dividing their land amongst their families. The main question this chapter addresses is how peasant ownership of land was transformed into collective ownership. Following the implementation of Law 18 in 1991, the majority of land was transferred into private hands and, at least in some parts of the country, the pre-Communist landscape appeared to return.
