Economy Under Communists Flashcards
1
Q
What were the aims of the Communists in regard to industrialisation?
A
- Catch up with the rest of the world.
- Improve industrialisation to create a strong military.
- Improve heavy industry.
2
Q
What was State Capitalism?
A
- Lenin and bolshevicks Taking complete control of the economy until it could be safely handed over to the prolateriate.
3
Q
How was State Capitalism achieved?
A
- Formation of the Supreme Economic Council in December 1917 to nationalise key industries.
- November 1917 Decree on Land, giving private landholdings to the peasants.
- December 1917 Decree on Workers Control.
4
Q
How successful was State Capitalism?
A
- Supreme Economic Council could not keep up with the management of its industries.
- Civil war nullified any positive impact that State Capitalism had.
- Coal production fell from 29million tons in 1913 to 8.9million tons in 1921.
- Rouble was worth 1% of its value in 1917 in October 1920.
5
Q
What is War communism?
A
- State Capitalism mixed with grain requisitioning.
6
Q
What were the key features of War Communism?
A
- Nationalisation of larger enterprises.
- State monopoly of markets for goods and services.
- Partial militarisation of labour.
- Forced grain requisitioning.
7
Q
What were the key features of NEP?
A
- Denationalisation, return to private ownership for small enterprises.
- State control of heavy industry.
- Rejuvenation of trade through removal of restrictions on the private sales of goods and services.
- Encouragement of foreign trade.
- End to grain requisitioning.
8
Q
What are Nepmen?
A
- Businessmen that emerged as a result of the NEP.
9
Q
Was NEP successful?
A
- Short term success.
- Nepmen were responsible for 60% of retail trade.
- Scissor Crisis
10
Q
What was the Scissor Crisis of 1923?
A
- A widening gap between industrial and agricultural prices.
- The supply of food increases at a rate that far exceeded domestic domand.
11
Q
How was NEP viewed by the politburo?
A
- Betrayal of the October revolution and communist ideas.
- Resulted in widening of divisions in the party after Lenins death.
12
Q
What was the ideology behind Stalins Economic Policy?
A
- Believed that the failures of the Tsars led to Russia being behind the rest of the west.
- Launch a war against the Tsarist regime.
13
Q
What was economic autarky?
A
When a country can provide all of the resources it needs without having to trade.
14
Q
What was Gosplan
A
A group originally set up in 1921 to plan for industrialisation and economic growth