The article is based on the documents of the State Archive of Tula Region. The work focuses basically on analyzing the criteria for identification of the poor in the Soviet pre-kolkhoz village: the poverty measures generally accepted such as acres of crops, availability of draft cattle, etc. receive reasoned criticism. The author analyses intra-peasant types of the poor: a poor of necessity and a loafer poor; considers co-existence of the poor with the villagers from other property groups.

The poor man, criteria of the poor, diligence, agricultural stock, the crops area