Russian Revolution

Question 0

Policies of war communism

Answer 0

• all factories nationalized - put under military control
• banks/credit abolished
• private trade banned
• “food dictatorship” - Lenin requisitioned grain w/o payment
• production targets enacted
• “communist Saturdays” work an extra day w/o pay

Question 1

War communism

Answer 1

Economic/political system in Russia during Russian civil war from 1918-1921

Question 2

Results of war communism

Answer 2

• peasants didn’t like it = production drop/black market
• Cheka created to keep watch on Bolsheviks
• Nicholas II + family killed to prevent counter revolutionary actions
• “Red Terror” sept. 1918 - hostage shooting

Question 3

Characteristics of Soviet system

Answer 3

Productionism: industrial production important for function of socialism

Siege mentality: all other powers dangerous + trying to get Bolsheviks to fail

Question 4

Why war communism?

Answer 4

To give Bolsheviks complete control of Russian economy under pretense of temporary emergency decrees to prevent civil war

Question 5

NEP

Answer 5

1921-1928

“Economic relaxation” - peasants allowed to have small income by keeping post-tax profit on sales of surplus products

Question 6

Nepmen

Answer 6

Small business people in towns

Question 7

Kulaks

Answer 7

Prosperous farmers in possession of property worth at least $800 that hired labor for 50 days a year. (~5% Soviet farmers)

Question 8

GPU

Answer 8

State Political Administration (revised version of Cheka, still controlled by Bolsheviks)

Question 9

OGPU

Answer 9

Unified State Political Administration replacing GPU

Question 10

Why NEP?

Answer 10

War communism was ineffective and caused peasant revolt/Bolshevik dissatisfaction

Question 11

NEP timeline

Answer 11

1922 - Cheka replaced by GPU, who open concentration camps (Gulag) and spy on economic institutions
1923 - new constitution (written by Stalin) to become USSR, OGPU replace GPU

Question 12

Results of NEP

Answer 12

• incentives to increase production, helping Soviet to recover pre-war strength by 1928
• viewed as temporary measure to prevent revolution, recover economy, & solidify Communist political control
• set stage for Stalins harsh policies

Question 13

Why collectivization of agriculture?

Answer 13

Refocus Russia’s economic power towards industry

Question 14

Two types of collectivist farms

Answer 14

State farms: state took on the risk and the peasants working them made wages

Collective farms: taxes paid to state. Small private plots. Surplus profit split between workers. (Collectivist farmers became kulaks)

Question 15

Results of collectivizations

Answer 15

• long term farming efficient, but short term les to war with kulaks
• plummet in production, famine

Question 16

Collectivization timeline

Answer 16

1927 - Stalin wants volunteers! No one offers
1929 - forced collectivization. Peasants burn crops & kill animals
1930 - famine, collectivization paused
1931 - collectivization resumes. 2/3 villages collectivized, meaning revolts
1932 - war on kulaks. Stalin sends them to labor camps or execution
1934-1939 - 99% farms collectivized. 7 million kulaks gone