In the explanatory dictionaries (for example, Efremova) the following definitions are given to the word. Artel is:
Association of persons of any profession in a group for their joint work. Their general responsibility and self-government, joint participation in incomes (shared) are also assumed.
In a figurative sense, an artel is a collection of people or a group of people walking together (a crowd, a group of people, “walking with an artel”).
Ozhegov's Dictionary
It gives an additional definition of the artel as the main form of production association of citizens under socialism for joint (collective) farming, socializing the means of production.
Other dictionaries
Similar answers to the question “What is an artel?” Are given both in the Encyclopedic and in the “Business Dictionary”. The voluntariness of the association is sometimes emphasized. The meaning of the word "artel" in the "Marine Dictionary" is interpreted in an interesting way. This is an association of soldiers or sailors in the Russian fleet or in the army for organized food from a common boiler (at the expense of the money put by them on food). In such a partnership, the artisan was in charge of the economy, who was elected by sailors or soldiers, and approved by senior officers. According to Dahl’s dictionary, an artel is a partnership of mutual responsibility, a fraternity in which everything is for one, and one for all, or is a squad.
Voluntary union
Partnership (artel) assumed the equality of workers. They solved all production issues through self-government on the basis of mutual assistance and mutual assistance. Moreover, this association in no way limited the independence and enterprise of each individual participant, but on the contrary, encouraged him in every possible way. This made it possible to combine collective efforts with a penchant for individual work!
Basic principles
In the artel, even attempts to exploit some members of the community by others were sharply suppressed. The principles of equality did not cancel the administrative function, but literally each of the members of the cooperative could be appointed by comrades to a responsible position. Sometimes these functions were performed alternately. In this regard, partnership was a completely non-capitalist entity. But equality does not mean egalitarianism! All distribution of income between members of the artel was carried out according to the work they performed. Often, comrades contacted each other with the so-called mutual responsibility. Each vouched for each, all together - for one. This responsibility is the original distinguishing feature of the artel. Historical agreements with artels have reached our time, where it is directly indicated that all losses and damage fall on each member of a free partnership. The writer Herzen, for example, considered such artels to be communities, emphasizing the communal origin of associations, the “consanguinity” of the participants. In the history of Russia there are even examples of entire artel villages serving mail and transfers, transportation.
Head of the artel
Although the artel is, first and foremost, the alleged self-government, it still had its own bosses, chosen from the most authoritative members. Artel leaders were usually called atamans, wardens, and big men. A firm hand, mind and will were needed that would not only express the interests of all members of the artel, but could clearly articulate and defend them. But at the same time, the community exercised close control over the leader, which could not be avoided!
Modern artels
During the USSR, until the mid-60s, some collective farms were called agricultural cartels. In industry, there were so-called "industrial" artels engaged in the provision of services to the population and the production of consumer goods. Under Stalin, the artel movement was supported in every possible way, but in 1956 Khrushchev decided to transfer all the artels to the state, and in the 70-80s the only miners permitted by law. Nowadays, cooperatives have transformed into cooperatives or a small family business, and in their pure form ceased to exist.