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
How did war communism impact the industries?
-railways, banks, merchant fleet, power companies + putilov iron works nationalised
-may 1918 entire sugar ind nationalised, oil in June + Nov 1920 all factories + businesses
How did nationalisation impact the workers?
-lost freedom formerly enjoyed
-professional managers employed by state reimpose discipline + increase output
-working hours extended + ration card workbooks issues replacing wages
-internal passports to stop employees leaving to go to countryside
What was the reaction to war communism amongst key officials?
-Trotsky initially opposed it + put forward own socialist/capitalist scheme 1920
-but when this rejected he accepted measures + spoke brooding communism by force
How is it easy to see the intentions of war communism?
-existed ensure Red army supplied with munitions + food by towns
How did war communism create more problems than it solved?
-transport systems disrupted by fighting
-management struggled get factories working efficiently - production declined
-1921 Ind output fell to 20% of pre war levels + rations cut
What diseases surfaced as a result of harsh impositions of war communism?
-cholera + dysentery rife
-typhus epidemic in cities + killed over 3m 1920
-end 1920 Petrograd population 57.5% lower than level in 1917
What was the impact on the workers in the long run?
-workers strike
-some ignored passport system + braved armed guards on city boundaries in hopes find food
What was the result in the countryside of the food requisitioning?
-grain supplies dangerously low
-acute food shortage 1920 as insufficient grain planted
-third of land abandoned to grass
-thousands cattle + horses slaughtered by hungry peasants
What was the outcome of the 1921 harvest?
-produced only 48% of that of 1913
-widespread famine + reports of cannibalism + trade in dead bodies
-millions died malnourishment + disease
-Russias population 170.9m 1913 fallen 130.9m 1921
