War Communism, NEP, Collectivisation Flashcards
What were the five main features of war communism?
- requisitioning
- banning of private trade
- nationalisation
- rationing
- labour discipline
Where did most of the food for the urban diet come from under war communism?
the black market, only 1/3 came from rationing
what happened to all factories by november 1920?
they were nationalised
when were all factories nationalised by?
November 1920
Who replaced workers committees under war communism?
Bourgeoisie managers known as ‘specialists’
what did grain requisitioning build upon?
‘Socialisation of land’ decree of Feb. 1918
what was set up in May 1918 and what did it do?
a Food Supplies Dictatorship to forciably requisition grain
When was the Food Supplies Dictatorship established?
May 1918
What could workers be fined for under the new labour discipline of war communsim?
lateness, slakeness and absenteeism
Where did party leaders live during war communism?
in the nicest hotels in Moscow with access to saunes, hospitals and vast restaurants with the nicest food
Where did Zinoviev live under war communism?
the Astoria hotel in Petrograd (with a bunch of Cheka guards and prostitutes)
what was rife under war communism?
bribery and corrupution; anything could be bought from a corrupt offical
what were the upsides of war communism? (2)
- palaces and town houses divided and lived in by poor people
- workers enjoyed humiliating former people
What happened in Tambov?
70,000 peasants rose against government in response to requisitioning.
How did the governement respond to the rising in Tambov?
in 1922, the red army went into Tambov province and destroyed whole villages
What was life under war communism like for the middle class? (3)
- not allowed to work unless drafted
- sold clothes/ jewelery
- 42% of Moscow prostitutes from bourgeois families
where were 42% of Moscow prostitutes from?
Bourgeois families
what was life like for urban workers under war communism? (3)
- 3/4 of income spent on food
- fuel critically short
- water collected from pumps in the streets
what happened as a result of fuel shortages under war communism?
trees disappeared and 3000 wooden houses in Petrograd stripped
by how much did the population of Moscow decrease under war communism?
44.5%
which city saw a population decrease of 44.5% during war communism?
Moscow
by how much did the population of Petrograd decrease under war communism?
57.5%
which city saw a population decrease of 57.5% during war communism?
Petrograd
by how much did the population of Russia decrease from 1913 to 1921?
from 171 million to 131 million
Why did millions die in 1921
famine, disease and war
Why was war communism introduced? (4)
- rapid deteriation of the economy in spring 1918
- inflation
- food shortages
- industry falling apart
What were the four main features of NEP?
- Grain requisition abolished
- small buisnesses reopened
- ban on private trade lifted
- state control of heavy industry
what did the state retain control of under NEP? (3)
- large scale industry like coal, oil and steel
- transport
- banking
how was heavy industry organised under NEP?
into trusts that had to buy materials and pay workers from their own budgets
what was the result of the ban on private trade being lifted under NEP?
food and goods could flow more easily between the countryside and towns
what were small buisnesses allowed to do under NEP?
be privatley owned and make a profit
why were small buisnesses reopened under NEP?
increase production of consumber goods. peasants would not sell their produce unless there was stuff for them to buy
what was NEP primarily concerned with?
meeting Russia’s urgent food need
what replaced grain requisitioning under NEP?
‘tax in kind’ where peasants gave a fixed proportion of their grain to the state
what could peasants do with surplus of grain?
sell it on the open market
how much did cereal production go up under NEP?
23% by 1923
how much did industry grow by under NEP?
200% from 1920 and 1923
what grew by 200% between 1920 and 1923
industry
what was the increase in monthly wages for urban wages under NEP?
from 10.2 roubles in 1921 to 15.9 roubles in 1923
by how much did the land under cultivation increase by under NEP?
from 77.7 million hectares in 1922 to 91.7 million in 1926
what were the international impacts of NEP?
outside observers thought that it marked the end of the communist experiment which led to trade agreements with Germany in 1922 and Britain in 1924
what were peasants still lacking in under NEP? (4)
- seed
- implements
- fertilisers
- modern equipment
how much did the American Relief Administration provide Russia during the time of NEP?
$20 million
who provided $20 million in the time of NEP?
The American Relief Administration
what did russia get from the US, France, Germany, Britain and Italy during the time of NEP?
food, medicine and clothing
what was high during NEP?
urban unemployment
what caused the scissors crisis?
a disparity between the growth between agricultural and industrial growth
what did the scissors crisis mean for farm producers?
they had to sell their goods at too low a price too enable them to buy any industrial goods
what did the scissors crisis discourage peasants to do?
discouraged from producing anymore than their immediate domestic need
what did NEP fail to do?
industrialise Russia
When was the grain procurement crisis?
1927-9
what were the ideological reasons for collectivization? (3)
- communism hadn’t changed agriculture
- peasants lacked revolutionary spirit
- essential that capitalist peasants embrace socialism
In what way did peasants lack revolutionaryv spirit?
They did not produce grain for the good of the community but rather for themselves and for profit
Who in the party did the policy of collectivisation appeal to? What was it more appealing than?
The left wing. Collectivisation more appealing to them than importing grain, which would reduce the pace of industrialisation
What acted as a catalyst to end NEP?
The grain procurement crisis
What did the grain procurement crisis show that kulaks had the power to do and how?
They could hold the government to ransom by by with holding grain from the market tp push up prices
Who in the party lost power as a result of collectivisation?
the right wing
What were the political results of collectivisation for Stalin (3)
- chaos united the party behind Stalin
- control over the countryside
- control over whole party
Who did Stalin blame for apparent failures of collectivisation?
Kulaks and saboteurs
By 1939, how many peasants had moved to towns?
19 million
What was the result of collectivisation on the revolutionary spirit of peasants?
Didn’t endear them towards communism, created anger and resentment towards the government
When were 150,000 kulak families sent to Siberia?
1929
How many kulak families were sent to Siberia in 1929?
150,000
Why was there a population imbalance in rural areas under collectivization?
- deportations
2. famine
How much did grain exports grow by under collectivization?
from 0.03 million tonnes in 1928 to over 5 million in 1931
how did peasants rebel as a result of mass collectivisation in 1929
destroy grain and live stock: 18 million horses, 100 million sheep and goats were destroyed
who were the twenty five thousanders?
25,000 ‘socially conscious’ industrial workers went to the countyside, hoping to revolutionise the countryside and play their part in building socialism in Russia
what were the twenty five thousands used to do in actuallity?
enforce dekulakisation. they were expected to find secret grain and confiscate it, round up kulaks and organise their exile
what were the human costs of the first wave of collectivisation?
majority of kulaks either shot or exiled to siberia, where tens of thousands died in labour camps
what did Stalin claim in the 1930 pravda article ‘Dizzy with Success’?
some local officals were being over enthusiastic whilst implementing collectivisation. argued that the target had been met so the programme was suspended
why were international offers of aid rejected by Stalin in 1931?
he claimed there was no famine
how many were exiled in total during collectivisation?
9.5 to 10 million
describe the harvest of 1933
it was 9 million tonnes less than in 1926
in what way was collectivisation a success?
by 1941 all russian farms were collectivised
