War Communism Flashcards
When was War Communism?
July 1918 - March 1921
Why did Bolshevik economic policy change radically in spring 1918?
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk + onset of full-scale civil war - Bolsheviks no longer had access to resources of the Ukraine and other areas
- Loss of Ukraine’s coal, iron ore and grain - left govt facing dire economy problems in areas where control remained
What economic problems arose in spring 1918?
1) Industrial output slumped
2) In the cities, there were acute shortages of food and fuel
3) Prices soared - value of rouble collapsed completely
4) Peasantry unwilling to sell produce for worthless paper money - cutting supply of food to cities further - driving prices higher
5) Desperate for food - urban workers deserted cities in huge numbers - returned to native villages - between 1918 and 1920, Petrograd lost 3/4 population + Moscow pop. halved in same period - factories short of labour
What was War Communism?
Implemented by the Bolsheviks - who were fighting for their lives - a series of measures
- Core aims were to ensure cities were fed and industrial production was maximised
What were the key features of War Communism?
1) Compulsory grain requisition
2) Ban on private trade
3) Rationing
4) Wholesale nationalisation
5) Return to ‘one-man management’
Why was grain requisitioned?
Bolsheviks solution to peasant grain hoarding - ‘Food Brigades’ sent out from cities to extract grain from peasantry by force.
Where necessary ‘food brigades’ assisted by army and Cheka.
In theory, peasants supposed to be paid a fixed price for their grain - in practice, requisitioning often meant straightforward theft
Why was there a ban on private trade?
Designed to prevent peasants from supplying grain to middle men and speculators - who sold it on at inflated prices - didn’t succeed: a thriving ‘black market’ in illegally traded foodstuffs soon developed.
Why was a rationing system implemented?
The way in which food rationing worked reflected the Bolsheviks’ priorities and values - biggest rations went to army and workers in heavy industry
- Then civil servants and workers in light industry - received barely enough to live on
- At bottom of scale - ‘capitalists, landlords and parasites’ - middle classes - Zinoviev said they were given ‘just enough bread so as not to forget the smell of it’
Explain the wholesale nationalisation that took place.
Large-scale industrial enterprises under direct state control in mid-1918.
Smaller firms nationalised later - nationalised industries operated under overall supervision of the Vesenkha - individual ministers controlled by departments, or glavki, of the Vesenkha.
Why was there a return to ‘one-man management’?
Traditional, top-down management:
- Idea was to make industrial workforce more disciplined and productive
Additionally - system of internal passports introduced - attempt to halt flight of industrial workers to the countryside
- Trotsky wanted to go further and impose military-style discipline in factories - Lenin overruled him
How do historians disagree about the reasons for War Communism?
Some claim it was primarily the result of the application of Marxist ideology - with deep-rooted antipathy to the market economy.
Others suggest it was an improvisation in the face of military emergency.
What was the average labour productivity under War Communism?
1/3 of 1913 levels.
How did War Communism impact trade unions?
Their autonomy was restricted.
