Lenin's Economy - War Communism. Flashcards
(18 cards)
True or False - War Communism was the least significant economic policy that took place during the Civil War?
False! It was probably the most significant economic policy.
Why was War Communism put into place?
Red victory wasn’t inevitable and the Bolsheviks needed to re-organise the economy in order to survive the Civil War.
By which month was the economy on the brink of collapse? What was going on?
May 1918. There was hyperinflation and government intervention was necessary to ensure the survival of the economy and the regime. The economy had to meet the needs of the War Economy.
War Communism was seen as being ‘three fold’. What were its three main aims?
1) To ensure that high levels of industrial production were being met.
2) To ensure that there were efficiently allocated workers to implement the means of the economy.
3) To increase and maintain food production that could feed everyone, in particular, soldiers and workers.
In order to acheive the goals when implementing War Communism, a number of policies were introduced. Can you name them? There are six!
1) Grain requisitioning.
2) Rationing.
3) Abolotion of money.
4) Abolition of trade.
5) Complete nationalised economy.
6) Conscription.
Tell me a bit about Grain requisitioning! What was it? Was it Communist? What was the response? (bonus points - who does this remind you of?).
Grain Requisitioning was decidly NOT COMMUNIST!!!! It was done by Chekka squads. They went around seizing grain and other foods from peasants and agricultural workers. The peasants resisted. (it’s feeling a little bit similiar to what will become collectivisation!).
Tell me a bit about Rationing! What was it? Was it Communist?
Rationing had an element of Communism within it. The stolen grain from Grain Requisitioning would be rationed. The supply Commissariat rationed the foods stolen by the Chekka. The Largest rations went to the soldiers and workers and the smallest was given to the bourgeois class. It was a class based system where the class enemy got less. Rations were also given to Civil Servants, but less so than the soldiers and workers.
Tell me a bit about the Abolition of Money!
This was more of a necessity. Before War Communist, the government tried printing more money, but this led to hyperinflation. The money became worthless, so soldiers and workers were paid through rations. This effectively led to the abolition of money.
Tell me about the Complete Nationalised Economy! Was it Communist? When was it? What happened?
This was COMMUNIST! All businessess were taken over by the state. This was a development from state capitalism that had been previously introduced. It was administered by the Vesenkha in June 1918. Workers committees were replaced by single managers who reported to central authorities - these were often old bourgeois managers, who were now ‘specialists’. But it actually didn’t do much to increase production.
Tell me a bit about Conscription!
Workers were assigned to either work (labour discipline) or fight.
So, was War Communism successful?
It was relatively successful in ACHIEVING ITS AIMS! Its aim was to supply and help with the Civil War effort, which it DID! The Red Army was kept well supplied during the Civil War.
Did War Communism have any failures?
Though it was successful in ITS AIMS, it did eventually lead to economic collapse and political crisis.
True or false - Lenin made the change to War Communism out of ideology rather than circumstance?
False! Lenin chose to turn to War Communism based on the circumstances of Russia at the time (Civil War), rather than ideological.
Can you give an dates of War Communism?
June 1918 - March 1921.
True or false - Production in 1921 was a third of what it had been in 1917?
False!! Production in 1921 was a third of what it had been in 1913 (Under the Tsar!!!! Very bad!!!!!)
How was the Tambov revolt defeated (give one shocking example)?
The Red Army used posion gas.
When soldiers refused to crush demonstrations, who did?
The Chekka.
How many Kronstadt sailors suffered in their uprisings?
15000 rebels were captured and their leaders were shot.
