1. Plural of kolkhoz; collective farms in the Soviet Union, especially in Russia, where land and equipment were owned communally and workers shared in the produce.
Usage: historical; often capitalized; Russian origin

Examples

• The Soviet government organized agricultural workers into kolkozes during the 1930s.
• Kolkozes were designed to increase agricultural productivity through collective labor.
• Many peasants were forced to join kolkozes as part of Stalin's agricultural reforms.
• The kolkozes operated under strict state control and quotas.
• By the 1950s, kolkozes had become the dominant form of farm organization in the USSR.