The Legal Nature of Soviet Collective Farms

Soviet legislation concerning collective farms (kolkhozes) reveals in an exceptionally clear manner all the peculiarities of the centralized economy. As a legal entity a kolkhoz owns its "socialist property," but this does not include the most valuable element of agricultural economy, that is, the land. Members of collective farms work on land which belongs to the state. Even the house and garden plots which are placed at the disposal of individual farmers and their families do not belong to them.

Actually, only the surplus production belongs to the kolkhozes and they may dispose of it as they see fit, selling it, for example, in the open market.