The '''kulaks''' ([[Russian]]: кулак, [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]: куркуль) were prosperous Russian peasants who usually owned a large farm and several horses or cattle, and could hire labor and even lease land. The kulaks were leading figures in the peasant villages prior to the Russian Revolution of 1917. The term kulak was used interchangeably with as "enemy of the people."
[[Vladimir Lenin]] ordered execution of kulaks , or '''dekulakization''' program to terrorize village and rural populations into submission under the Soviet yole. An order dated Novermeber 8, 1918 illustrates the terrorist tactics used by the [[Bolsheviks]] in the early days of the [[Russian Revolution]]:
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Comrades! The revolt by the five kulak administrative districts must be suppressed