War Communism Flashcards
(22 cards)
What was the purpose of war communism
Primarily existed to Waite red army was supplied with food and munitions during civil war
How did war communism operate
- Idea was to treat economy as a single enterprise
- Driven by central planning rather than market forces (individuals)
- Focused on heavy industry so other areas were deprived of workers
What were the 3 main features of war communism
- Requisitioning
- Nationalisation
- Labour disciple and rationing
Describe requisitioning
- Cheka used to confiscate grain, beyond minimum for survival.
- To then redistribute to cities to feed workers
- Supposed to be paid fix amount of vouchers but often more was taken than paid for
- Kulaks worst hit
- Mast hid supplies or grew less food
Describe nationalisation
- Nationalisation if foreign trade and industry
- By November 1920 most businesses and factories weee nationalised
- Workers lost freedom gained from workers decree (Nov 1917
- Workers soviets to run factories were replaced with old factory owners
Describe labour discipline and rationing
- Strict discipline for workers
- Strikes forbidden
- Working hours extended and ration workbooks replaces wages
- Fines if bad, rewards if good
- Strict restrictions on movement to prevent workers moving to the countryside
- Lower rations for Bourgeois, hugest for workers
What was production output by 1921
Had fallen by 20% to pre war levels
Harvest of 1921?
Harvest was half that of 1913
What happened to the population of cities
- Russian population 40mill less than 1913
2. Moscow and Petrograd population had fallen by 50% from 1917 level
Why was the red terror launched
Excuse was assassination attempt on Lenin in aug 1918
Describe what happened in the red terror
- Political and class enemies were arrested or more often shot
- Such as Mensheviks and SRs
- Checka also given responsibility for carrying out class war fare
- 1/2 a million killed
- Random arrested designed to scare people in complying to the regime
What did the 1921 famine cause
- Outbreak of peasant revolts
- Tambov revolt (1920-21), 70,000 man peasant army led by Alexander Antonov
- 100,000 red army to crush
- In 1922 Red army pillaged whole Tambov area
What was the context of the Kronstadt rising (1921)
Workers protested lack of union representation
-
Martial law was declared but some soldiers refused to take action
Outline the Kronstadt rising
Ring leaders shot and 15,000 sent to labour camps
-
Lenin denounced them as white traitors
What did the Kronstadt manifesto say?
- End to one party communist rule
- Genuine democracy and civil rights
- ‘Soviets without Bolsheviks’
What were the 2 things the Tambov revolt and Kronstadt rising caused
- Change in economic direction: NEP
2. Divisions in Bolshevik party: workers opposition group
What did the workers opposition group want
- Greater worker control and removal of state appointed trade union leaders
- Removal of managers and military discipline in factories
- Also strongly opposed war communism
What is Gosplan
- Established in March 1921 by sovnarkom decree
2. To help coordinate economic development and to advise NEP
Why was NEP not put to a vote
- Knew many rank and file would see it as an ideological betrayal
- Lenin feared it would be voted against
What 3 measure did NEP relax from war communism
- Stoped requisitioning
- Ban on private trade ended
- Rationing ended
What happened to requisitioning under NEP
- Still required to give quota (became a money tax) but allowed to sell surplus
- Would not force collectivisation
- Peasants allowed to work for own benefit to increase production to feed the towns
What happened to state control of business under NEP
- State continued to control heavy industry such as steel, oil and coal
- Transport and banks also
- Small scale industry to return to private hands
