Chapter 7 - Economic and Social Developments

Question 1

What is State capitalism?

Answer 1

An economic system with elements of socialism and capitalism

Question 2

When were banks, railways and trade nationalised?

Answer 2

. Banks - 1917
. Railway - 1918
. External trade - 1918

Question 3

What is Goelro?

Answer 3

Organise the production and distribution of electricity throughout Russia.

Question 4

Why did the Russian workforce decrease?

Answer 4

Workers had left Russia to serve in the army

Question 5

Why was Ukraine significant for Russia?

Answer 5

. Ukraine was Russia’s main producer of grain
. Loss of Ukraine was a major blow to Russia

Question 6

How by of the Petrograd workforce left in April 1918?

Answer 6

60%

Question 7

How much did Russia’s urban proletariat population decrease by?

Answer 7

Between Jan 1917 and Jan 1919 Russia’s urban proletariat declined from 3.6 to 1.4 million

Question 8

How many people died during the civil war?

Answer 8

5 million people

Question 9

What disease swept through Russia in 1920?

Answer 9

Typhus - killed 3 million people

Question 10

What is war communism?

Answer 10

Political and economic system during the Civil War in order to keep towns and the Red Army provided with food and weapons

Question 11

What is requisitioning?

Answer 11

Grain requisitioning meant that the peasant grain was given to the Red Army due to War Communism and peasants had little to survive on

Question 12

What were grain prices like for the Russian people?

Answer 12

. The peasants were given a fixed price for their grain

. Soldiers, the Cheka and workers who arrived from towns often seized more grain for less money

Question 13

What were the kulaks?

Answer 13

Russian peasants who were wealthy enough to own their land and have their own labour

Question 14

How far had nationalism spread by 1920?

Answer 14

Nationalisation was extended to all nearby factories and businesses

Question 15

What were the effects of war communism?

Answer 15

. Transport systems were disrupted

. Factories were working inefficiently

. The population declined

Question 16

What had happened to industrial output?

Answer 16

Total industrial output had fallen 20%
. Population of Petrograd had fallen by 57.5% and 44.5% in Moscow in 1920

Question 17

What happened to Russia’s population?

Answer 17

Fell from 170.9 million to 130.9 million by 1921

Question 18

What was the Red Terror?

Answer 18

. The Cheka carried out the task of killing all previous political opponents such as the SRs, Mensheviks, anarchists and anyone who showed a possible threat

Question 19

When was the Tambov revolt and what was it?

Answer 19

. 1920-21 - The Tambov province had many people die due to malnourishment and disease

. 70,000 man peasant army led by Antonov rose up against the grain requisitioning squads

. Eventually defeated - 100,000 Red Army troops destroyed the villages

Question 20

What was the Kronstadt uprising and when was it?

Answer 20

. 1921 - The Kronstadt sailors were loyal to the Bolsheviks however they striked due to shortages of food - 30,000 sailors rebelled

Question 21

What were the results of the Kronstadt uprising?

Answer 21

. Tukhachevsky and his Red Army were sent to crush the sailors

. The ringleaders of the revolt were all shot

. 15,000 rebels were prisoners and sent to concentration camps

Question 22

What did the NEP mean for Russia?

Answer 22

. Grain requisitioning was ended and the ban on private trading was removed

. The state would continue to keep control of large-scale heavy industries such as coal, oil, steel.

. Small industries were given back to private hands

. Rationing was ended

Question 23

What were the results of NEP?

Answer 23

. In 1923, large quantities of food emerged which caused food prices to drop

. By 1925, there were 25,000 private traders known as Nepmen, and accounted for 75% of trade