Bolshevik Economic Policies (1917-1924)

Question 1

Introduced 3 economic policies:

Answer 1

State Capitalism
War Communism
NEP

Question 2

Lenin couldn’t make revolutionary changes to the economy until Russia had pulled out of the war and the Bolsheviks had greater control over Russia.
However he did make some changes:

Answer 2

• Decree on Land, confiscated all land from existing owners and distributed it among the peasants
• The Decree on Workers’ Control allowed workers to control and run the factories without supervison

Question 3

The Decree on Land worsened food shortages as:

Answer 3

-peasants were too poor to afford MODERN MACHINERY and fertilisers to farm efficiently

Question 4

The Decree on Workers’ Control still meant workers were unable to run the factories efficiently so…

Answer 4

production fell even more

Question 5

December 1917, Government established the Supreme Council of the National Economy, it was charged with modernising the country, in reality it..

Answer 5

achieved little until the end of the Civil War 1921

Question 6

What replaced State Capitalism?

Answer 6

War Communism

Question 7

War Communism was a policy of manipulating the economy in the interests of the ..

Answer 7

army

Question 8

War communism had a major effect on:

Answer 8

Industry

Agriculture

Question 9

War Communism had 6 effects on Industry:

Answer 9

1) Increased government control - Decree on Nationalisation june 1918, all industry being nationalised within 2 years
2) Private enterprise = illegal
3) Worker-controlled facotries abolished
4) Strikes=ilegal, worker-discipline=tightened
5) Civil war=economy to the RA needs = non-essential industries were unable to function efficiently and output declined
6) Worsened by a serious shortage of manpower due to Civil War

Question 10

War communism had 3 effects on Agriculture:

Answer 10

1) Government believed peasants (Kulaks) were hoarding grain in order to force prices to rise - Lenin permitted grain requisiton
2) Grain requisition squads = resistance brutally put down
3) Forced grain requisitioning = unsuccessful, peasants saw no point in growing more food than their family needed = production fell steeply

Question 11

War Communism achieved its main aim:

Answer 11

To provide sufficient food supplies for the RA

Question 12

War Communism had a great cost:

Answer 12

1) 1920, Inflation = money worthless
2) Most wages for factory workers paid in goods
3) Black market in food and goods flourished
4) Transport system collapsed - harder to supply towns and cities with food
5) 1921 large famine (5-10million died and government forced to ask for aid in US)

Question 13

War Communism caused disagreements among the Bolsheviks such as:

Answer 13

• Some wanted to continue it after the hardships
• Lenin agreed with radicals who saw the policy as part of a strategy to establish a Communist Russia
• Other Bolsheviks opposed it (Workers’ Opposition was formed [campaigned for an end to the policy])

Question 14

Lenin changed his mind after two major rebellions:

Answer 14

1) Tambov Rising

2) Kronstadt Rising

Question 15

Tambov rising =

Answer 15

1920-21
1000s peasant in Tambov Province rebelled in resistance to grain requisitioning - well organised and effectively led
Took 100,000 soldiers several months to suppress

Question 16

Kronstadt rising =

Answer 16

1921
1000s workers and soldiers gathered at Kronstadt Naval base near Petrograd
Demanded an immediate end to WC and greater political freedoms
Trotsky ordered 1000s troops to attack the base and the rising was put down after savage fighting

Question 17

The rebellion = symbolic blow for Bolsheviks because …

Answer 17

Sailors of Kronstadt had famously helped the Bolsheviks revolution 1917

Question 18

Kronstadt = realised WC couldn’t continue, replaces it with…

Answer 18

NEP

Question 19

NEP March 1921, Lenin announced to the 10th party congress that WC would end and Russia would return to…

Answer 19

Some capitalist methods in agriculture and industry

Question 20

Main features of NEP:

Answer 20

• Small scale industries returned to former owners
• Heavy industry, transport and banks remained under strict state control
• Grain requisitioning ended, replaced by a small tax (grain)
• Peasants allowed to sell surplus food at newly established markets
• Rouble revalued (economic stability)
• Private trading permitted

Question 21

NEP good for Russia:

Answer 21

No grain requisitioning: agricultural output soared

Grain harvest almost doubled (1921-25)

Industrial output recovered rapidly (raw materials and heavy industry)

Question 22

Led to divisions amongst the Bolsheviks:

Answer 22

Supports

Opponents

Question 23

Supporters of NEP =

Answer 23

Bukharin
Should last for many years
Russia’s economy needed to grow more rapidly

Question 24

Opponents of NEP =

Answer 24

Trotsky
Led resistance
Feared it was a return to capitalism
Rise of Nepmen and kulaks made him uneasy