Lenins Economy + Impact Of Civil War On Economy Flashcards
What was state capitalism + why was it necessary?
-economic system adopted by B’viks as sought to consolidate power + sort out economy at a time of upheaval
-Lenin understood danger moving to ‘socialism’ too quickly - envisaged long transition
what did lenin see as necessary to achieve socialism in Russia?
-Russia had to modernise
-Lenin said ‘soviets plus electrification equals communism’
What did Lenin do to continue state capitalism in Russia?
-decree land Oct 1917 abolished priv ownership legitimising peasants land seizures
-declared all land belonged to the ‘entire people’
-decrees Nov workers control
What was created in December 1917 to continue state capitalism?
-Veshenka (council of national econ) to supervise + control econ development
-responsible for state Ind 1917-32
What did Lenin remained cautious about during state capitalism?
-cautious in face of demands of some in his party that he should set about nationalisation of ind
What were the problems with state capitalism and the decrees involved in it - the workers?
-workers failed organise factories efficiently + output fell when most needed
-workers gave themselves unsustainable pay rises
-helped themselves to stock + equipment
-lacked skills required for management
What did the failure of the workers’ result in?
-more money than goods led to high inflation
-peasants hoarded produce rather than sell for worthless money — food shortages worse
What was the result of the peasants hoarding grain?
-food shortages grew worse in towns
-Petrograd rations of 50grans bread a day Feb 1918
-food riots threatened undermine b’vik control
What was war communism?
-requisition if agricultural produce from peasantry to supply red army and urban populations during civil war
What occurred spring 1918 under war communism?
-faced with another ‘grain crisis’ Lenin expanded states ‘right to grain’ with programme food requisitioning
-encouraged est cooperative farming hoping peasants pool resources together to farm more efficiently but only few did
What was the programme of food requisitioning?
-taking grain from peasants at fixed rate to supply urban workers + soldiers
-rate took no accounts of harvests or local conditions - were bad
What was set up in May 1918 and what did it do?
-food supplies policy may 1918
-organised detachments of workers + soldiers into countryside to ensure grain delivered to state
What was the impact on the peasantry?
-paid fixed price
-but grain, livestock carts + firewood often brutally confiscated
-peasants left with scarcely enough to live on
How were the peasants divided as a result?
-3 categories: poor + moderately poor allies of urban proletariat
-but kulaks (grasping fists) made personal wealth from farming labelled ‘enemies of the people’ + had entire stocks seized
How did the peasants resists the food requisitioning?
-hid crops, grew less, murdered members of requisition squads
-Cheka used extensively to make policy work
