Economic and Social developments

Question 1

State Capitalism

Answer 1

• Lenin knew that before building a socialist state, the economy need stability
• based on private wealth and free market competition and socialism
• many radical bols disproved and called for nationalisation or abolition of money
• Decree on Land abolished priv land ownership
• Decree on Workers control of factories allowed workers to be responsible for factories
• banks were nationalised in Dec 1917, trade in June 1918 and rails in Jun 1918
• Veshenka in Dec 1917 to regulate economy

Question 2

Problems of State Capatalism

Answer 2

• workers failed to organise factories
• output shrank
• workers gave themselves too much money
• Civil war brought disruption

Question 3

Conditions during CW

Answer 3

• industrial production fell due to raw materials
• workers were sent off to the army
• inflation and peasants had to sell surplus in cities
• Peasant sold their horses, and grew there own food
• Shortages of food and fuel
• Stripping their houses for fuel
• 50g of bread
• Spackman made money from undercover trade
• 60% of workforce left in search in food
• Population decreased from 3.6 mil to 1.4 mil
• 5 mil civi deaths
• typhus epidemic caused 3 mil deaths 1920
• bourgouis were given hard labour like sweeping snow
• Bolsheviks lived happily

Question 4

War Communism

Answer 4

• helped to keep red army afloat in war
• treated economy like a single enterprise
• Grain reqs- terror and uprisings - were paid
• Nationalisation - of all industries and foreign trade (sugar and oil) - liked by workers
• Labour discipline - strikes forbidden, longer working hours, internal passports
• rationing - rationbooks - workers got more food

Question 5

Effects of War Communism

Answer 5

• transport systems were disrupted so production declined
• by 1921, industrial output had fallen to c20% of pre - war levels
• calls for more food, elections and abolition of passports
• 1920, pop of pertrograd fallen by 57.5%
• 1/3 of land abandoned
• harvest of 1921 had produced 62% less than 1913
• population dropped by 40 million 1913-17

Question 6

NEP

Answer 6

• end of grain req, tax introduced and selling of surplus
• state control of heavy industry but not small industry
• rationing ended
• workers were paid for profit

Question 7

Economic impacts of NEP

Answer 7

• got economy moving
• 1923 scissor crisis
• 25000 Nepmen in Moscow 1925
• 1926 saw the return to 1913 levels

Question 8

Political impact of NEP

Answer 8

• regarded as a retreat back into capitalism - only temporary
• ban on factions to maintain party unity like Workers opposition
• no relaxation of political control - mens arrested in 1921
• Checka turned into GPU
• more censorship - writings had to go through GLAVIT
• Nomenklatura introduced in 1923 to induce party loyalty