Collectivization as an Indicator of Patriotic Sentiment in Soviet Rural Society during 1930s: A Case Study from Southern Russia

This article analyzes collectivized agriculture as a critical factor influencing patriotic sentiment among rural populations in the Soviet Union during the 1930s. The study highlights that this topic has not received adequate attention within historical scholarship, thereby underscoring its academic relevance and novelty. Based on archival records and published materials primarily sourced from southern regions of Russia — an important agricultural area — the research investigates shifts in peasant attitudes toward their homeland amidst socialist transformations. It argues that forced and violent collectivization efforts severely undermined villagers' psychological well-being by eroding trust in authority. Consequently, the first half of the decade witnessed significant distortion of traditional patriotic values due to agrarian modernization policies implemented through destructive methods. However, comparative-historical analysis demonstrates that improvements in living standards within collective farms combined with state-driven initiatives for youth-oriented patriotic education restored love for country as a foundational value in rural society by the late 1930s.