3.15 Economic developments, 1917-41 Flashcards
When was ‘state capitalism’?
December 1917 - spring 1918
What was ‘state capitalism’?
the first stage of a long transition to socialism
- a degree of state control, but private markets would remain an important feature of economy
Veshenka (the Council of the National Economy) established to supervise and control economic development
In …. , …… (the Council of the National Economy) was established to …
December 1917 - Veshenka established to supervise and control economic development
What happened to the economy under state capitalism?
Due to workers control of factories (December) - there was more money than food available –> high inflation –> peasants hoarded food, rather than selling it for worthless money –> food shortages in towns grew worse (already affected by loss of the Ukraine to Germans)
By February 1918, what were the rations of bread for citizens of Petrograd?
just 50g of bread a day
When was War Communism?
1918-1921
What was Lenin faced with in spring 1918?
yet another ‘grain crisis’
how did Lenin respond to the ‘grain crisis’ in spring 1918?
expanded the State’s ‘right to grain’ through a programme of food requisitioning
When was a food-supplies policy set up? what did it do?
May 1918 - organised detachments of soldiers and workers from the large towns into the countryside to ensure grain was delivered to State
Limitations of food requisitioning (as of food-supplies policy in May 1918)
officially peasants were paid at fixed rate
but grain, livestock carts and firewood were often brutally confiscated - leaving peasants with scarcely enough to live on
+ requisitioning detachments kept a share
What three categories of peasants were there under War Communism
the poor + moderately poor - allies of the urban proletariat
the kulak - the ‘grasping fists’ - ‘enemies of the people’ - had entire stocks seized
How were the kulaks regarded?
‘grasping fists’
‘enemies of the people’
Peasant resistance to War Communism
- hid their crops
- grew less
- murdered members of requisition squads
the Cheka had to be used extensively to make the policy work at all
What was nationalised under War Communism at the same time as food requisitioning?
- railways
- banks
- merchant fleet
- power companies
- Putilov Iron Works
By what time did nationalisation extend to nearly all factories and businesses?
November 1920
Workers under War Communism?
- almost all industry nationalised
- workers lost their previous freedom
- professional manager to reimpose discipline and increase output
- working hours extended
