War Communism Flashcards
What was the purpose of war communism
Primarily existed to Waite red army was supplied with food and munitions during civil war
How did war communism operate
- Idea was to treat economy as a single enterprise
- Driven by central planning rather than market forces (individuals)
- Focused on heavy industry so other areas were deprived of workers
What were the 3 main features of war communism
- Requisitioning
- Nationalisation
- Labour disciple and rationing
Describe requisitioning
- Cheka used to confiscate grain, beyond minimum for survival.
- To then redistribute to cities to feed workers
- Supposed to be paid fix amount of vouchers but often more was taken than paid for
- Kulaks worst hit
- Mast hid supplies or grew less food
Describe nationalisation
- Nationalisation if foreign trade and industry
- By November 1920 most businesses and factories weee nationalised
- Workers lost freedom gained from workers decree (Nov 1917
- Workers soviets to run factories were replaced with old factory owners
Describe labour discipline and rationing
- Strict discipline for workers
- Strikes forbidden
- Working hours extended and ration workbooks replaces wages
- Fines if bad, rewards if good
- Strict restrictions on movement to prevent workers moving to the countryside
- Lower rations for Bourgeois, hugest for workers
What was production output by 1921
Had fallen by 20% to pre war levels
Harvest of 1921?
Harvest was half that of 1913
What happened to the population of cities
- Russian population 40mill less than 1913
2. Moscow and Petrograd population had fallen by 50% from 1917 level
Why was the red terror launched
Excuse was assassination attempt on Lenin in aug 1918
Describe what happened in the red terror
- Political and class enemies were arrested or more often shot
- Such as Mensheviks and SRs
- Checka also given responsibility for carrying out class war fare
- 1/2 a million killed
- Random arrested designed to scare people in complying to the regime
What did the 1921 famine cause
- Outbreak of peasant revolts
- Tambov revolt (1920-21), 70,000 man peasant army led by Alexander Antonov
- 100,000 red army to crush
- In 1922 Red army pillaged whole Tambov area
What was the context of the Kronstadt rising (1921)
Workers protested lack of union representation
-
Martial law was declared but some soldiers refused to take action
Outline the Kronstadt rising
Ring leaders shot and 15,000 sent to labour camps
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Lenin denounced them as white traitors
What did the Kronstadt manifesto say?
- End to one party communist rule
- Genuine democracy and civil rights
- ‘Soviets without Bolsheviks’