Socialist Transformation of Agriculture, the process of creating large-scale socialist collective production in agriculture. It is one of the general laws of building socialism, one of the most important parts of Lenin’s plan for building socialism in the USSR. The conditions for the socialist transformation of agriculture in the USSR were created by the nationalisation of land and other agrarian reforms enacted after the Great October Socialist Revolution. Prevailing in the USSR in the period of transition from capitalism to socialism was fragmentary petty peasant production in agriculture. The objective necessity of restructuring it on a socialist foundation was dictated by the fact that socialism could not long depend on two conflicting pillars: large-scale social production in industry and petty private farm production in agriculture. The small commodity production with its low marketability could not meet the growing social requirements for food and raw materials. And it also carried the threat of breeding capitalist elements, of reviving capitalism in agriculture. The plan of socialist transformation of agriculture elaborated by Lenin was oriented towards the creation of large-scale social production, and the consolidation of the class alliance between the proletariat and the peasantry. The transformation of agriculture proceeded in two directions. In place of the former landed estates large state enterprises—state farms—were established. The small peasant farms, where all the property was the product of the individual labour of the producers themselves, were approached in a different way. Lenin creatively advanced the theories of Marx and Engels to substantiate the only practicable approach to rechannel the petty peasant economy into large-scale social production via the creation of voluntary cooperatives (see Collective Farm). Outlining the fundamentals of the theory and practice of founding cooperatives, he wrote in his article "On Co-Operation" that "given social ownership of the means of production, given the class victory of the proletariat over the bourgeoisie, the system of civilised co-operators is the system of socialism" 332 (V. I. Lenin, Collected Works, Vol. 33, p. 471). The ways, conditions, and methods of cooperating peasant economies were extensively substantiated in Lenin’s cooperative plan. He insisted that voluntary choice must be the principle in persuading the peasants to join the cooperatives, and that there should be a gradual process of moving from simple to more advanced forms of production cooperation; he urged that cooperatives be given material, technical and financial support, and that the peasants be persuaded through practical experience of the advantages of large-scale social production. By 1927 about 80 per cent of the peasant households were involved in various forms of simple cooperation in the key areas of the USSR. From supply and marketing cooperation, peasants were moving ahead to collective production patterns. Important here were the agricultural associations for joint land-working. They demonstrated to the peasants the advantages of collective production. The cooperatives were given all kinds of support by the state, which vigorously assisted them by equipment, certified ^eeds and credits on easy terms, etc. Important to the success of creating agricultural cooperatives was the technical re-equipment of agriculture based on a powerful tractor and agricultural machinery industry created especially for the purpose. Peasant cooperation was greatly facilitated by the successful cultural revolution in the rural areas. A massive drive to eliminate illiteracy, the setting up of an extensive network of cultural and educational institutions in rural areas, the training of machine operators and production management experts were among the measures that helped reshape the private ownership-oriented peasant mentality, and transform the petty-household economies into a large-scale production. The working class played a leading role in the socialist reconstruction of agriculture, as it viewed the peasantry as its natural ally. The transformation of peasant economy on a socialist foundation, and the successful creation of cooperatives solidified the material basis of the alliance of the working class and the peasantry. The successful implementation of the policy of the CPSU in the countryside, and the creation of the indispensable material, economic and organisational conditions resulted in the high pace of organisation of agricultural cooperatives in the USSR. The socialist transformation of agriculture enhanced the gains of the October Revolution, and placed this hitherto most backward branch on a new socialist path of development. The turn of the Soviet countryside to large-scale socialist economy meant a revolution in economic relations, in the entire way of life of the peasantry. The creation of cooperatives forever freed the countryside from kulak oppression, from class cleavage, from ruin and poverty. On the basis of Lenin’s cooperative plan, the age-long peasant question was genuinely solved. The CPSU undeviatingly follows Lenin’s theory on the agrarian question, and is developing the ideas and principles of- the cooperative plan in the period of mature socialism. The experience of the fraternal socialist countries testifies convincingly that the socialist transformation of agriculture is a law common for all the countries following the socialist path of development. By creatively applying the basic provisions of Lenin’s cooperative plan in the specific conditions of their own countries, the fraternal socialist countries have made great accomplishments in developing their agriculture and in the socialist transformation of the countryside.