10B

The Iron Hand of the Regime: State Tractor Stations

From 1949 onwards, State Tractor Stations (STS) were established as strategic enterprises that owned and operated agricultural machinery. As the newly formed JZD cooperatives and private farmers generally lacked their own equipment, the STS quickly became an indispensable intermediary between the state and agricultural production. This dependency deepened during the nationwide campaign of 1950, when authorities carried out widespread confiscations of farm machinery under the pretext of 'buy-outs'. Farmers were thus deprived of the means to work independently and became reliant on STS services. Within this system, STS mechanisation workers were often perceived as an extension of state power. They controlled access to the machinery that was essential for meeting compulsory quotas and, in doing so, indirectly influenced farmers' decisions about joining the JZD.