The NEP Flashcards
When was the NEP announced?
At the 10th PC in March 1921
What was Lenin’s justification for the policy? “we must try to satisfy the demands of the..” and “let the…”
“We must try to satisfy the demands of the peasants who are dissatisfied, discontented and cannot be otherwise”. “Let the peasants have their little bit of capitalism as long as we keep power”
Essentially, Lenin recognised that the NEP was a way to solve the immediate issue of the food shortage
What was smychka? How does it relate to the NEP?
Smychka was the term for the union between the peasants and workers. This link was supposed to be improved by the NEP: workers would produce more goods in the cities which peasants could buy in return for growing and selling grain into the cities.
What were the key features of the NEP?
- End of grain requistioning (replaced with a tax in kind of grain @10%)
- Re-introduction of private trade and the money economy. Profits could be made.
- Abolition of rationing
- Foreign investment was allowed
- Charges for healthcare and education were introduced to cut spending
- Heavy industry remained under state control but industry was organised into trusts which were to manage their own budgets effectively and not be subsidised by the state
What was the opposition to the policy from the party? Which party member was a key proponent however?
Some party members saw this as a betrayal of communism to capitalism. Preobrazhensky and Trotsky wanted a continuation of repression as a means of building a socialist state. There were concerns over how long the “temporary” measure would last. Bukharin however supported the measure. Likewise, it confirmed Marxis belief that a period of capitalism was needed to allow the transition to communism.
Which ban did Lenin introduce at the 10th PC?
A ban on factionalism (included a condemnation of the Workers’ Opposition) - once a measure was agreed, it could not be disputed by a faction within the party
What announcement at the 10th PC disappointed Zinoviev and Kamenev?
Lenin outlawed all other parties in Russia except the Bolsheviks, ending hopes of a socialist coalition
What was the nomenklatura system? What did it cause?
It outlined the 5500 key posts within the party. Appointments to these positions could only be carried out by the central party bodies. This led to loyalty being prized more than skills and competence.
When were dozens of Russian writers and scholars deported?
Spring 1922
What was set up which had to approve all writings before publication?
Glavlit
What was the Cheka renamed as? Which benefiters of the NEP did it target?
OGPU
It targeted the Nepmen in particular
What were villages that supported the reds during the Civil War rewarded with?
Salt for food preservation and other manufactured foods
What was set up in 1921 to challenge the church? What repression occurred in the following year?
The Union of the Militant Godless
The following year churches were stripped of precious items, priests were imprisoned and death penalties were given to leaders of the Orthodox Church
How many SRs were condemned as terrorists as part of show trials?
34
When did production levels equal their 1913 ones?
1926
