Aspects of the ECW- Unit 3

Question 1

War Communism:

Answer 1

1918-21.
Intensification of authority in regions that Reds controlled, 30/50 provinces in Russia.

Question 1

Impact of War Communism on Industry:

Answer 1

• Cheka and Red Army allowed Lenin to embark on centralisation.
• Influence in factories, infiltration of workers committees by political commissars, issuing nationalisation, June 1918. In two years, all industrial enterprises under central gov. control.
• But production not increased, industrial disruption through war, worsened by Civil War.
• Reduction of manpower, Red Army.
• Populations of Petrograd dropped by half 1918-21.
• Inflation, end of 1920 rouble fallen to 1% worth of 1917.
• Tightened grip on industry but did not promote economic growth.

Question 2

Effects on agriculture:

Answer 2

• Forced peasants to provide more food.
• But conservative lass, reluctant to abide by central gov.
• Gov blamed Kulaks, hoarded grain stocks to keep prices high.
• Peasants would not produce food until gov willing to pay appropriate price.

Question 3

Grain requisitioning:

Answer 3

• Peasants refusal to conform- gov condemned them calling them counter-revolutionaries.
• Took grain by force.
• August 1918, ‘People’s Commissar for Food’ issued orders, demanding certain amount of grain.
• Kulaks treated worst, ‘mercilessly suppressed’.
• 1920, letter saying 100 Kulaks to be hanged. Resulted in less food, made bare minimum.

Question 4

Famine:

Answer 4

• Combined with requisitioning and war, national famine.
• Harvests 1920-21 produced less than half collected in 1913. 1/5 population starving.
• Accepted foreign assistance from American Relief Association. Food for 10 million Russians.
• 5 million died.
• Lenin spent 60 million in aid.

Question 5

Church:

Answer 5

• Ordered Politburo to exploit famine by shooting priests.
• 1922.

Question 6

How did war communism end?

Answer 6

• 1921, grim situation undermined original justification for war.
• Inability of economy to recover and anti-Bolshevik rising 1920-21.
• Kronstadt rising.

Question 7

Kronstadt rising:

Answer 7

‘Workers Opposition Movement’ against excess war communism.
- Losing touch with Proletariat.
- Urged groups of workers to strike, beginning 1921, ‘a complete change is necessary in the policies of the government’.
- Feb 1921, Petrograd workers crossed to naval base in Kronstadt.
- Petrenchko called Bolsheviks ‘false communists’.

Question 8

Krostadt manifesto:

Answer 8

• March, sailors and workers elected Petrenchko as chairman of revolutionary committee. Produced manifesto:
• Freedom of speech.
• Release of imprisoned unionists.
• Withdrawal of political commissars from factories.

Question 9

Crushing of Krostadt rising:

Answer 9

• Trotsky ordered Red Army to prepare to cross the winter ice linking Krostadt and Petrograd to crush the ‘tools of former tsarist generals’.
• 60,000 troops crushed the rising.

Question 10

Impact of the Krostadt rising:

Answer 10

• Ringleaders who survived labelled as white reactionaries, shot.
• Lenin justified it, saying it was the work of bourgeois enemies.
• Prelude to NEP, lessening the severity.