Abstract
The collapse of communist regime resulted in deep transformation of spatial structures, which were created according to economic and politic needs of soviet society in Lithuania and in other countries of similar historical pathway. One of the most evident spatial results—redistribution of population as new economic and social structures evolve. The paper seeks to identify specific features of functional change and its influence on the social and demographic processes in rural areas of Lithuania. The general transformation of rural areas is deeply influenced by the processes of peripherisation and decreasing economic importance of rural places, however actual situation differs a lot in different places. Many rural areas close to metropolitan centres were transformed into suburban ones. The rural settlements in recreational areas have been transformed into resort areas, which statistically often have no inhabitants. The biggest challenges face small peripheral rural settlements, which are losing population and social infrastructure at very high pace, while social exclusion of part of their residents is increasing. The empirical research is mostly based on statistical data analysis but other sources of information had also been employed.
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Notes
- 1.
So called collectivisation is a forcible soviet agrarian reform, which aimed at creation of kolkhozes by forcing farmers to become members of cooperative agricultural farms so actually nationalising their property (land, stock, etc.), which formed background of a kolkhoz. The collectivisation was “supported” by the deportation of those rejecting to join kolkhoz to Siberia. More than 70,000 residents (98.3% of them were farmers) were exiled and their property was alienated to kolkhozes just in 1948–1949) (Skebas and Spečiūnas 2006). Apart of other negative consequences, the collectivisation resulted in sharp decrease of agricultural production as number of stock and grain harvest dropped twice compared to pre War period. Previous production level was reached only in the middle of 60s (Truska 1995). Though the harvest of kolkhoz formally belonged to its members, actually state disposed it.
- 2.
Formally the property of kolkhoze (land, stock, farms, harvest, etc.) belonged to kolkhoz members, while employees of sovkhozes were contract workers, which used to receive salaries. Property of sovhoz belonged to the state; however in reality the differences were minimal as decision power was in the hands of state and communist party in both cases. The sovkhozes usually were created in places of nationalised bigger noble farms right after the World War II and had to serve as a pioneers of soviet agriculture, illustrating the advantages of soviet farms for neighbouring farmers so helping to “persuade” them to join kolkhoz. (Šopa 1974). Sovhozes also were actually all specialized farms (for example garden, poultry farms).
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Kriaučiūnas, E., Burneika, D. (2019). Functional Transformations and Socio-demographic Differentiation of Lithuanian Rural Spaces. In: Bański, J. (eds) Three Decades of Transformation in the East-Central European Countryside. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21237-7_10
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