Theme 2- Lenin Flashcards
What did the Bolsheviks believe about the economy?
That all aspects of the economy should be in the hands of the workers and peasants themselves. However this was proved to be an ineffective method of ensuring economic progress.
How did the excitement of giving power to the workers and peasants not fit in easily with the circumstances?
The economy was devastated by ww1 and the chaos unleashed from the revolution. State control over the economy might limit workers, but it was the only way to rejuvenate the economy.
State Capitalism
The transitional stage between the old bourgeois economy and a new proletarian one. It highlighted the tension between placing the economy in the hands of the Bolsheviks and it returning to pre-war levels. By the middle of 1918, the concept of state capitalism was submerged beneath that of war communism the extension of state control that had occurred during the civil war.
What were Lenin’s initial economic policy?
- The land on decree- abolished private ownership of land.
- Decree on workers control- placed control of factories in the hands of the workers
- All private banks nationalised
What did these policies lead to?
These measures gave considerable power to the workers and peasants, but it had a detrimental effect on the economy. Workers’ Councils voted to give themselves huge pay rises, which did little to improve production and resulted in inflation. Managers were often dismissed, sometimes violently, and those with industrial and technical expertise were removed by workers for revenge in the way they had been treated previously.
What did the Bolshevik’s quickly realise?
The Bolsheviks quickly recognised that the government needed to exert greater control of the economy. In December 1917, The Supreme Council Of National Economy was set up to provide greater supervision of the economy.
What did the early period up to summer 1918 show?
It showed the stresses of an economic policy trying to ensure economic growth. There was an obvious tension between worker self-management and government control through central planning. The role of the Central Government was to be greatly increased through the civil war.
Why was War communism introduced?
Faced with the desperate circumstances of the civil war, the Bolsheviks introduced a series of measures to ensure that the Red Army was supplied with enough food and resources to emerge victorious.
The ideological basis of War communism?
The measures of War Communism went along with the long term aim of the Bolsheviks to remove private enterprise and could be seen as the application of communist ideology, albeit rather earlier than the Bolsheviks had expected.
What did the collapse of the Russian Currency show and lead to?
The collapse of the Russian Currency and its replacement by bartering was seen by some Bolsheviks as a sign of the liberation from capitalism, when in fact it was caused by raging inflation. The result of this optimism was a radicalisation of policy, pushing the Bolshevik leadership into implementing large-scale nationalisation before it intended to. The nationalisation of all industries with 10 or more workers in June 1918 was followed by a series of measures that showed the Bolsheviks were mesmerised by the opportunities that presented themselves to extend government control.
The response to the reality of economic collapse
There were also practical reasons for introducing War Communism. The Bolsheviks had inherited an economy that was in a state of near collapse and drastic measures were needed if they were to fight and win the Civil War. State direction of the economy had been a key feature of many EU countries during WW1 and it had little to do with ideology.
A reaction to early Bolshevik excesses
In some aspects, War Communism was a response to the problems that resulted from the rush of early Bolshevik Decrees. Some of the Bolshevik policies for giving control to the workers proved to be idealistic and unworkable, especially during the emergency context of the civil war. The abolition of army ranks was reversed and factory managers had to be used to create some order in industry. Therefore there were several factors pushing government into measures that extended state control.
What were the key features of War Communism?
- Nationalisation of all industry without compensation. Only workplaces with fewer than 10 workers were exempt.
- All industries were placed under control of The Supreme Council of National Economy.
- The reintroduction of hierarchical structures in industries.
- Harsh military style discipline was introduced into the factories. Death Penalty for all workers who went on strike.
- All private trade banned. Trade was to be controlled by the government, as it didn’t serve the interests of the people, a black market was created.
- Money replaced by bartering
- The forcible requisitioning of food from the peasants in order to feed the armies and towns. Around 150,000 Bolshevik volunteers were used to seize grain. The result was tension in the countryside and serious outbreaks of violence often directed at the requisitioning teams. Malnutrition and starvation became a commonplace.
- The introduction of rationing to ensure that, despite food shortages, the workers in the cities were fed. Those industrial workers whose work was crucial to the war effort received preferential treatment.
What did War Communism lead to?
War communism ensured that the Red Army got the resources needed to fight and win the civil war, but it left the economy in the state of collapse. By 1921, industrial production was only 1/5 of the figure from 1913. Disease and starvation was common and a wave of serious unrest swept across the countryside.
Why was NEP introduced in 1921?
The Bolsheviks hoped that, through War Communism, communist ideology could be converted into meaningful policy, or at least give them the pretence of doing so. By 1921, this was over due to the reality of the social and economic situation, coupled with a worrying deterioration in the political position of the Bolsheviks led the Government to abandon War Communism and replace it with NEP. War Communism may have delivered the resources needed to win the Civil War, but it was at a huge cost in terms of its impact on the economy and on the popularity of the Bolsheviks. The ending of the Civil War produced a new situation that required a different response from the government.
Economic Considerations
Production of heavy industry had fell 20% of its 1913 level and in some sectors production had stopped altogether. Food production had also fallen 48% of its 1913 levels and the breakdown in transport and distribution systems had resulted in widespread famine. Weakened by a lack of food, many Russians got typhus and smallpox, over 20 million died of famine and disease in 1920s. In addition, army soldiers had to be resettled into civilian life. It was clear that War Communism was not delivering the goods, nor would it be able to cope with the post-war situation.
The unpopularity of War Communism
Several of the key features of War Communism were loathed by the Russian Population. The system of rationing was disliked, as the size of the rations were dependent on the social classification a person was given.
The Tambov Uprising
In the Countryside, resentment of War Communism was the greatest in relation to the forcible requisitioning of food and the plans to get rid of mir ( village commune), which had become a genuinely peasant organisation since the revolution. Peasant resentment against the government came to a head in a series of uprisings 1920-21. The most serious was the Tambov uprising in Central Russia, where peasants reacted violently to requisitioning teams arriving in the area to seize grain. The revolt was put down after 50,000 red army troops were sent into the area. The seriousness of these risings put pressure on the government to change its policy.
The Kronstadt Mutiny
This revolt by sailors at the naval base outside Petrograd increased pressure on the government. The Mutiny alarmed the Bolsheviks because it was a group that had previously been loyal to the Bolsheviks and they could not be easily dismissed as ‘counter-revolutionaries’. The mutiny was over the increase in the power and its officials at the expense of the workers. It’s slogan was ‘Soviets without Bolsheviks’. The mutiny was suppressed by the Red Army, but the revolt was a shock to Bolshevik leadership and was a key factor in Lenin’s decision to change economic policy. To Lenin the Kronstadt mutiny had ‘lit up reality like a flash of lightning’
