Also taking advantage of the situation, the rural political elite amassed fortunes in land and rural-based enterprises.

The result was the growth of a new, land-based, rural elite that replaced many formerly entrenched wealthy peasants (in Bengali, jotedars).

The latter's administration distributed more than 266,000 hectares of land to 175,000 landless farmers, including land owned by the traditional rural elite.

The latter were especially controversial, since they coincided with the forced collectivization and the murderous campaign targeting the rural elites.

Despite its defense of the status quo, especially the interests of rural elites, the Sangkum was not an exclusively right-wing organization.

But by Bihar's standards they are the rural elite.

Tenant farmers in southern Ethiopia, where the average tenancy was as high as 55% and rural elites exploited farmers, welcomed the land reform.

At the top there were the rural elite, known as the "mansion people" in western Massachusetts: magistrates, merchants, ministers and militia officers.

"The rural elite is interested in maintaining the status quo, and that's it."

This created a growing fear among both rural and urban elites that emancipated slaves would acquire the property necessary to secure the right to vote.