Topic 2 Flashcards
(18 cards)
What was war communism?
> a set of emergency economic measures
What did it aim to do?
> ensures high levels of industrial production of war goods
an effective workforce
food production to feed the soldiers.
How did it set out to do this?
> labour discipline: in 1918 the working day was extended to 11 hours, and harsh punishments were given out for being late or slacking.
abolition of the market: did this by printing money to make it worthless, and made private trade illegal.
conscription: workers were assigned either to work in factories or army
grain requisitioning to ensure a steady supply of food for the army.
What happened to industrial and agricultural production as a result?
> agricultural production decline largely due to a lack of incentives
industrial production also decline due to a lack of incentives and hunger causing many workers to flee the cities.
By How did the industrial workforce decline from 1917-1922
> 3 million workers in 1917 to 1.2 million workers in 1922.
How did the black market expand under war communism?
> Lenin’s extensive economic controls
as a result around 60% of food came though the black market in during the civil war.
How close was the Russian economy to collapse?
> By 1921 the economy was near collapse. There were shortages of commodities and as a result many workshops had to be shut due to lack of fuel.
unemployment rose
the 1921 harvest was less than half of that of the 1917 economy causing wide spread famine that killed 6 million people.
What was the political crisis as a result of war communism?
> peasant rebellions in Tambov throughout 1920-21
Kronstadt sailors rebelled and mutinied in 1921 which the communist government put down with serious force.
Why did Lenin introduce the NEP?
> to retain political power Lenin described the NEP as an economic retreat designed to stop a political defeat.
What were the aims of the NEP?
> to retain political power
Revive the economy
To build socialism
What were its agricultural measures?
> ensured agricultural production was left to the free market, meaning peasants could buy, sell and produce freely.
Grain requisitioning was put to an end and a tax in kind replaced it.
What were the fiscal measures?
> money was reintroduced
small factories employing less than 20 and shops employing less than 20 were denationalised.
Why did the NEP produce political stability?
> The NEP brought an end to grain requisitioning and encouraged free trade amount peasants allowing peasants to grow their own food therefore the famine ended.
by ending an policy unpopular amongst the peasants they appeased to 80% of the population and ended the famine.
By How did the grain harvest increase from 1921 to 1926?
> 1921- 37 million tons of grain
1926- 76 million tons of grain.
How did the NEP lead to industrial growth?
> the NEP stimulated production and the government invested the money it gained from taxing the peasants in reopening factories that closed during the civil war.
leading Lenin to believe by 1921 that the NEP was the right policy in inacting Industrialisation.
How did the NEP create the scissor crisis?
> The NEP led to uneven economic growth, agriculture recovered quickly leading to a growth in food supply and a drop in agricultural prices.
whilst industry steadily grew meaning prices steadily decreased. A gap opened up between farming incomes and industrial prices, de incentivising farmers from making large quantities of grain.
What were Stalin’s aims and objectives?
> Industrialise Russia
Militarise Russia
aimed to eliminate the inefficiencies of the NEP such as the NEP men .
How did he set about doing this?
> by instructing Gosplan a series of economic agencies to formulate production targets for every factory, mine and workshop in the USSR.
it was a command economy not a planned economy as it was mainly just objectives set out backed by a propaganda campaign with no real plan.
