August 7: The "Three-Ear Law" – How the USSR Began Executing People for a Handful of Grain
On August 7, 1932, at the initiative of Joseph Stalin, the USSR adopted a decree that became known as the "Three-Ear Law." Under it, theft of collective farm property was punishable by death. More than 180 people were subjected to repression in the RSFSR alone.
"I propose to pass a law": Stalin's initiative
The idea for the new law came from the General Secretary. In the summer of 1932, Stalin wrote to his comrades that the current penalties for embezzlement were too lenient.
Recently, cases of kulaks stealing cargo, cooperative, and collective farm property have become more frequent. Legally, these gentlemen are considered common thieves and receive two to three years in prison (formally!), but in reality, they are amnestied after six to eight months. It is unacceptable to tolerate this situation any longer. I propose passing a law.
From a letter from Joseph Stalin to his comrades, July 1932
The resolution of the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars was titled exactly as the General Secretary proposed: "On the protection of the property of state enterprises, collective farms, and cooperatives and the strengthening of public (socialist) property."
"Decree Seven-Eight" and "Grandfather's Decree"
The document was popularly known by several names. It was nicknamed "Decree Seven-Eight" because of the date it was adopted—August 7. In the villages, it was called "Grandfather's Decree": the decree was signed by 56-year-old Mikhail Kalinin, Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, who was nicknamed "Grandfather Kalinin" because he looked older than his years.
People who encroach on public property must be considered enemies of the people, and therefore a decisive fight against those who steal public property is the primary duty of the Soviet authorities.
From the preamble of the decree
Execution as the "ultimate measure of social protection"
The property of collective farms and cooperatives was equated with state property. Theft was punishable by the "highest measure of social protection"—execution. In extreme cases, this was replaced by imprisonment for a term of 10 years.
Furthermore, kulaks faced 5 to 10 years in prison for "violence and threats" against collective farmers. Amnesty was out of the question.
Towers, mounted patrols and pioneers on guard duty
Harvest protection became a military operation. Watchtowers were erected in villages, and mounted patrols and rifle-wielding sentries were stationed. Party activists, the Komsomol, fire brigades, Pioneers, and schoolchildren were called in to guard the area.
It was forbidden to enter fields and forests before the harvest: anyone caught doing so was considered a suspect. Even if someone managed to sneak grain or cereals out of the fields, due to searches, they had to eat them raw on the spot—in the ears. Hence the popular name for the law.
The goal was to protect every grain. Not from birds or rodents, but from people. Villagers weren't allowed to get a single ear of collective farm grain. Even from their own fields, a collective farmer wasn't allowed to take a single grain.
Historian and sociologist Sergei Maksudov
Escape to the city was also impossible. As early as the spring of 1933, a decree was issued to combat seasonal work, and patrols were stationed on roads, train stations, and public transportation.
"Battle for the Harvest" and Famine
The Soviet press presented the campaign as a "Battle for the Harvest." Newspapers ran articles with headlines like "On the Harvest Front," "Attack on Mismanagement," and "Spring Sowing Battles."
Meanwhile, famine swept across the country—the result of both a poor harvest and a wave of protests. To suppress them, the army and military equipment, including tanks, were deployed, along with numerous special forces (punitive units), food detachments, and blocking detachments (anti-speculation units).
The peak of repression and the mitigation of sentences
The peak of the repressions occurred in the first half of 1933, with 70 sentences issued, including 3,5 death sentences. The authorities soon recognized the law as a success and slowed down the pace.
As a result of our successes in the village, a moment has come when we no longer need mass repressions, which, as is known, affect not only the kulaks, but also individual farmers and some collective farmers.
From the instructions of the Central Committee and the Council of People's Commissars, 1933
The convicted had their sentences commuted: prison terms of up to three years were commuted to forced labor, those of three to five years were commuted to OGPU labor camps, and those of more than five years were commuted to OGPU camps. A real-life example: a peasant was sentenced to two years for a handful of grain, which he "ate because he was extremely hungry and exhausted, unable to work."
80% of the sentences were found to be erroneous
In 1935, at the initiative of the USSR Prosecutor General Andrei Vyshinsky, a review of cases began. 115 sentences were reviewed: 80% of them were found to be erroneous and reclassified, and 37 people were released from prisons and camps.
In total, 182 people were convicted under the "Three-Ear Law" between 1932 and 1939 in the RSFSR alone. The decree was repealed only after the end of the Great Patriotic War, in 1947.
