ECONOMY UNDER LENIN Flashcards
(31 cards)
Why did Lenin initially adopt war communism?
To ensure their survival in the first months following the October Revolution.
What did the Bolshevik’s initially do under war communism?
Handed over control of the land to the peasants and control of the factories to the workers’ committees.
How did industry fall apart under war communism?
Workers’ committees proved incapable of running the factories.
What shrank under war communism?
Industrial output, particularly consumer goods.
What did the shortage of goods under war communism lead to?
Soaring price inflation and the value of the rouble collapsed.
What were the two main issues Lenin faced under war communism?
- Keeping the workers in the cities to produce munitions, essential war supplies and other desperately needed goods.
- Feeding workers.
What was grain requisitioning under war communism?
Red guards and soldiers are sent into the countryside to find grain for hard pressed cities.
What did the banning of private trade under war communism mean?
The state trading organisation was extremely chaotic and industry was simply not producing enough consumer goods.
What was industry brought under in war communism?
Brought under state control and administered by the Supreme Council of National Economy.
How was labour discipline introduced under war communism?
There were fines for lateness and absenteeism.
What system did rationing work on?
A class-based system.
What was the other crucial element of war communism?
The systematic use of terror.
What prompted the Cheka to launch the Red Terror?
An assassination attempt on Lenin’s life in August 1918.
What actions did peasants take in 1919?
They started to sow less grain and breed fewer animals. The result was a food shortage in 1920.
Why were workers discontented under war communism?
They were forced to work longer hours under strict new laws.
What happened to those caught trading for profit?
They were often shot.
What happened to the populations of both Petrograd and Moscow?
Petrograd lost 70% of its inhabitants.
Moscow lost 50% of inhabitants during the period of war communism.
What was the final straw for war communism?
The Kronstadt Rebellion.
What was the significance of the sailors at Kronstadt rebelling?
In 1917, Trotsky had described the sailors as, “the pride and joy of my revolution.”
What economic policy did Lenin put in place before War Communism?
State Capitalism.
What economic policy was in place between 1921-24?
NEP.
Why did Lenin introduce the NEP?
War communism was no longer necessary after the civil war and rebellions broke out as a result of WC.
What were a couple of the key features of NEP?
Relaxed central control and ended requisitioning.
What decree was passed during the NEP period?
The decree of party unity.
