Agrarian socialism

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Agrarian socialism is a socioeconomic political system which combines an agrarian way of life with socialist economic policies.

Description

When compared to standard socialist systems which are generally urban/industrial (thus often focused on centralisation and a comprehensive state), internationally oriented, and more progressive/liberal in terms of social orientation, many agrarian socialist movements have tended to be rural (with an emphasis on decentralization and smaller government), locally focused, and traditional/conservative.

Agrarian socialism applies to predominantly pre-industrial, non-urbanized demographics. The emphasis of agrarian socialists is therefore on control, ownership and utilisation of land rather than the means of production.

Agrarian communism

The 17th Century movement called the Diggers based their ideas on agrarian communism.

Certain forms of more modern communism have been more agrarian than industrial. For example, Mao Zedong's view that the peasantry could be tapped as a revolutionary force in modern society (a major aspect of Maoist theory). However, Mao always saw his theoretical developments as extensions of Marxism-Leninism and they were grounded in the fundamental Marxist idea that development of the productive forces predisposes Communism.

See also

• Collective farming
• Collectivization in the Soviet Union
• Democratic Kampuchea
• Eco-socialism
• Localism
• Types of socialism

References

• Campbell (2009), The Britannica Guide to Political Science and Social Movements That Changed the Modern World, The Rosen Publishing Group, 2009, pp. 127–129, ISBN 1-61530-062-7 

Further reading

• Bissett, Jim (2002), Agrarian Socialism in America: Marx, Jefferson, and Jesus in the Oklahoma Countryside, 1904-1920, University of Oklahoma Press 
• Dejene, Alemneh (1987), Peasants, Agrarian Socialism, and Rural Development in Ethiopia, Westview Press 
• Lipset, Seymour (1971), Agrarian Socialism: Cooperative Commonwealth Federation in Saskatchewan : A Study in Political Sociology, University of California Press 
• Wilkison, Kyle G. (2008), Yeomen, Sharecroppers and Socialists: Plain Folk Protest in Texas, 1870-1914, Texas A&M University Press