Joseph Stalin, Vlas Chubar, Kliment Voroshilov, Vyacheslav Molotov and Yakov Yakovlev. December, 1935.

Joseph Stalin, Vlas Chubar, Kliment Voroshilov, Vyacheslav Molotov & Yakov Yakovlev. December 1935.

Joseph Stalin, Vlas Chubar, Kliment Voroshilov, Vyacheslav Molotov & Yakov Yakovlev. December 1935.In December of 1935, the Kremlin hosted a delegation of Tajiks and Turkmens to celebrate the success of collective cotton farming. In autumn of that year Tajik farmers harvested enough cotton to fulfill 135% of their quota. For this the government awarded a truck, a tractor, a watch and a gramophone with records to all in attendance. Stalin also pledged to further support their farms:

"Your collective farms are growing, there is a desire to work, we will provide machines, you will receive fertilizer, any help you need will be provided. So, your business with cotton will go well and a prosperous life will unfold."

Though this was undoubtedly a success for the Soviet economy, we should remember that the process of collectivisation was rife with abuse and mistakes that we would do well not to repeat. One of those in attendance was 11-year-old schoolgirl Mamlakat Nakhangova who, on top of her studies, was picking 70-80 kg of cotton per day during the harvest (4 to 5 times more than the average adult). For this she was awarded the Order of Lenin. It should be noted that a girl of her age in pre-Soviet Tajikistan would also have been subjected to labor, and would not have been allowed to go to school.

Transcription: Black/White photo. Four men are sitting at a table. From left to right, they are: Vlas Chubar, Kliment Voroshilov, Vyacheslav Molotov and Yakov Yakovlev. Slightly behind them, between Voroshilov and Molotov, is Joseph Stalin. He is speaking, and the others are turned toward him, listening. All five men are wearing traditional Tajik garb overtop their suits; they have striped robes and round caps with intricate designs.