Economic and social developments 1918-1924 Flashcards
state capitalism; social change; conditions in cities and countryside during the Civil War; war communism; the Red Terror: revolts of 1920–1921 including the Tambov revolt and Kronstadt rising; the NEP and its political and economic impact
what was state capitalism
a mixture of communism and capitalism
large scale industry nationalised but allowed private trade, free markets and small scale industry privatised
Includes the decrees of 1917
when was state capitalism
1917-1918
when were the banks nationalised
December 1917
When were the railways nationalised
June and September 1918
When was external trade nationalised
June 1918
why was workers control of factories a problem under state capitalism
They were not good at managing so production fell causing inflation
They gave themselves bonuses and stole
Why was inflation under state capitalism a problem
peasants refused to sell grain leading to food and fuel shortages
Leading to black markets, exodus, starvation and disease
How many people died from starvation under state capitalism
5 million
How many people left Petrograd under state capitalism
60% of the workforce by April 1918
How much of their wages were workers spending on food under state capitalism
75%
When was war communism
1918-1921
What was war communism for
To provide food to the red army and workers in towns and cities
to stop the economic decline caused by state capitalism
What are the 5 elements of war communism
Requisitioning
Labour discipline
Rationing
Ban on private trade
Nationalisation of all industry
How was requisitioning carried out under war communism
Food supplies dictatorship established in May 1918
Units of Red guards and soldiers would forcibly take a quota of grain from the peasants
When did all industry come under state control
June 1918
How was labour discipline improved
Workers committees replaced by managers
Fines for lateness or absenteeism
Work books needed to get rations
Piece-work rates
Internal passports to stop migration
How did rationing work under war communism
On a class basis
Workers and soldiers got the most rations
Middle class and bourgeoisie got barely enough to survive
How was war communism successful
stopped economic decline
helped the reds win the civil war by feeding the workers and soldiers
controlled the peasants
increased Bolshevik control
inflation under war communism
1918-1921 20% a month
what emerged as a result of the ban on private trade under war communism
A black market which made up 2/3 of peoples diet
How low were wages under war communism
In 1919 wages were 2% of 1913 wages
What did the fuel shortage cause under war communism
Winter of 1919-1920 3000 homes in Petrograd were stripped of wood
How many migrated under war communism
1/2 of the urban proletariat
How low was production under war communism
In 1920 production was 14% of what it was in 1913
7 issues with war communism
Inflation
food and fuel shortages
black market
low industry production
Migration
Resistance
Low wages
3 elements of the NEP
Ban on private trade lifted
Grain requisitioning ended
Rationing ended
How was grain requisitioning ender under the NEP
It was replaced by a tax in kind
then replaced by a normal tax after the scissor crisis of 1923
How much did cereal production increase under the NEP
Increased 23% 1920-1923
How much did factory output increase under the NEP
Increased 200% 1920-1923
When had production levels of 1913 been reached under the NEP
1923
How was the NEP successful
recovered the economy
reduced unrest within Russia
How was the NEP unsuccessful
Ideologically not sound so faced opposition - ban on factions
NEPmen
Scissor crisis
What was the scissor crisis
1923
Grain prices were falling but industrial prices were rising as the industry had not fully recovered
peasants were reluctant to sell grain
resolved when government changed tax in kind to tax and by bringing down industrial prices
Who were NEPmen
private traders who would travel selling goods
made up 3/4 of retail trade by 1923
How many times did Kiev change hands during the civil war
16 times
What happened to the miner in the Donbass region in the civil war
they were shot if they did not produce enough
How many Jewish people were murdered in Ukraine in the Civil War
115,000
What did the Cossacks do during the civil war
raped and murdered whole villages during pogroms
prostitutes in Petrograd
In 1920 42% of prostitutes in Petrograd were from bourgeoisie families
Why did bourgeoisie suffer under war communism
They had very little rations
Housing was taken and split into flats for the poor
Resorted to selling any belonging and prostitution
How did some workers benefit during the Civil War
Bourgeoisie houses were split up and given to poor people
how many people died from disease during the Civil War
450,000
5 poor social conditions during the Civil War
Chaos - Kiev
treatment from armies - pogroms
disease
treatment of workers - Donbass miners
bourgeoisie and middle classes
When did the red terror begin and why
Began in summer 1918 after Left wing SRs shot the German ambassador and attempted to shoot Lenin
What happened to Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries in the red terror
Many were arrested
Excluded from soviets
What happened to many prisoners during the red terror
they were shot
How many people were killed by the cheka during the red terror
Official records claim 13,000
Real estimates are around 300,000
What was the aim of the red terror
remove opposition
scare civilians into obedience
carry out class warfare
help requisitioning
Why did the introduction of the NEP require more political control
As it was against communist ideology so Lenin faced a lot of opposition from within and outside the party
What happened to other political groups after the introduction of the NEP
5000 Mensheviks were arrested
Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries were outlawed
What were the show trials after the NEP
1921
34 Socialist Revolutionaries were condemned as terrorists
11 were executed
How was censorship introduced after the NEP
1922
All writing and publications had to be submitted to GLAVIT before being published
Writes and scholars were deported in spring 1922
When and why did the Tambov rebellion begin
1920
After a bad harvest requisitioning squads continued to take grain when stock was very low
How many were arrested and shot during the Tambov rebellion
100,000 arrested
15,000 shot
How was the Tambov rebellion defeated
100,000 red army soldiers
took over a year to deal with
When did the Kronstadt rebellion start
March 1st 1921
What did the Kronstadt sailors do
Mutinied and started to revolt against the Bolsheviks
Formed a provisional revolutionary committee which issues demands
What were the demands of the Kronstadt rebellion
Relaxation of war communism
improve food supplies
Increase democratic input into government
How was the Krostadt rebellion stopped
60,000 troops led a siege for 3 weeks
When did the Kronstadt rebellion fall
March 17th 1921
How many sailors were captured after the Kronstadt rebellion
2,000
