THE UNCERTAIN COURSE OF AGRARIAN-REFORM I N RUSSIA

In Russia to-day, liberals and conservatives are agreed in the view th at the agrarian reform is a failure. However the crisis is analysed, i t is clear that the agricultural policy introduced by the liberals in December 1991 has, so to speak, foundered amid a confusion of aims. In the present article, the authors are first of all examining the princ iples underlying the reform, and then its implementation. before stopp ing to consider the nature of the obstacles which reduced to uncertain ty the aims of these reforms, as stated by the authorities. However, i t will be seen that a new socio-economic structure is taking shape in Russian agriculture, whose two poles are represented by the << farmers >>, a sector which attracts those who are at present able to be assim ilated by the market, and. on the other hand, collective bodies which have been << reorganized >>.