Economic and social developments

when did lenin initially compromise with state capitalism?

-Russia was not an industrialised society, so the bolsheviks would have to manage the existing economic structure with slight modifications. (state capitalism)

what were the features of state capitalism ?

-there was some state control, but there was also private wealth and free market competition.

why did some bolsheviks disapprove of state capitalism ?

-they demanded radical measures such as full nationalisation and the abolition of money.

what was the issue with the land decree? when was it?

-October 1917

-While it stated that private ownership of land would be banned forever, land was not nationalised but allowed to “pass into the use of all those who cultivate it”

-in the early period, what policies did lenin implement to increase state control over the economy? When was each change?

-nationalization of banks (december 1917), external trade (june 1918) and railways (june and september 1918)

-veshenka (december 1917)

-GOELRO (1920) it organised the production and distribution of electricity through russia.

what were the problems of state capitalism? 3 reasons

-workers failed to organise factories and output shrank

-some workers gave themselves high pay rises, some helped themselves to stock and equipment.

-there were cases of workers making penknives out of bits of machinery of shoe soles out of conveyer belts, to sell on the black market

what were the consequences of the blockade of trade and the loss of ukraine? 2 reasons.

-the blockade of trade by foreign powers and the loss of ukraine (main grain provider) reduced supplies to cities. by 1918, the petrograd bread ration was only 50g per person per day.

-people resorted to the black market for food. 2/3rds of the cities food came from the black market.

what were the aims of war communism?

ensure the red army was supplied with munitions and food

-push the country into a more socialist economy.

in war communism, what was requisitioning ?

who were those who suffered the most due to this?

how did peasants react? 4 reasons.

-food supplies dictatorship set up in may 1918.

-peasants paid a fixed price for grain, but soldiers, the cheka and workers often seized more and offered vouchers instead of money.

-livestock, carts and firewood disappeared. The Kulaks suffered the most. they were labelled enemies of hte people, and had their entire stocks seized.

-peasants reacted by growing less, and murdering requisistionng squads.

in war communism, what was nationalization?

what were the first industries to be nationalised? what happened to the railways? 4 reasons.

-nationlisation of all foreign trade an all industry was carried out.

-sugar nationlised in may 1918, oil in June.

by november 1920 all factories and businesses were nationlised.

private trade was banned, and there was military style control of railwways.

in war communism, what was labour discipline and rationing like? 3 reasons.

-strikes banned, working hours extended and rationbooks replaced wages.

-workers fined for missing work, and internal passports were issued to stop employees from drifting to the countryside.

-red army soldiers and factory workers got the highest rations, while smaller rations were given to administrators and doctors. no rations were given to the former people.

how did the government try to stop some war communism issues- did it work?

-the bolsheviks tried to stamp out the free market under war communism, they failed.

-the cheka raided trains to stop bag-men from travelling, and they raided markets where goods were sold. but they were often bribed, and did not stop the problems.

what happened to horses during war communism?

-horses were slain and eaten, known as “civil war sausage”

what was the fuel issue during war communism?

-fuel was short

-in the old winter of 1919-20, 3000 wooden houses in petrograd were destroyed to provide fuel.

during war communism, how did wages change?

-wages in 1919 were 2% of their 1913 level, and the average worker spent 75% of their income on food.

what happened to the middle class during war communism?

-they were not allowed to work
-most survived selling clothes and jewellery. in the 1920s 42% of prostitutes in moscow were from middle class families.
-princess golitsyn sold homemade pies, countess witte sold cakes and pies.

what caused the red terror?

-Lenin was wounded in an assassination attempt in august 1918

what are examples of the red terror? 4 reasons.

cheka executed around 500,000 people between 1918 and 1920.

-all remaining SR’s, Mensheviks and Anarchists were arrested or executed.

-a system of labour camps was established

-class warfare carried out by the cheka - bourgeise accused of plotting a counter revolutio.

during war communism, when was the famine?

-what did it lead to? 2 reasons..

famine of 1921 led to peasant revolts.
-155 risings across Russia in Febuary 1921. most serious was the Tambov revolt.

When and what was the tambov revolt?

how was it dealt with? 3 reasons.

Tambov Revolt 1920-1921

-70,000 man peasant army rose up against Grain requisistioning squads. they were joined by members of the green forces, and 100,000 red army soldiers had to be deployed to deal with the uprising.

-in 1922, red army troops destroyed villages in the province, and used poisonous gas to deal with those who hid


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how did lenin describe the kronstadt revolt?

“the flash which lit up reality better than anything else”

what caused the 1921 kronstadt rising? 3 r reasons.s

-famine of 1921 led to a 1/3rd reduction in the moscow/petrgorad bread ration.

-workers protested against a lack of union representation

martial law was declared in january 1921, however various soldiers refused to take action and the cheka was used to crush demonstrations.

what were the events of the kronstadt rising? when was it?

-march 1921, 30,000 Kronstadt sailors rebelled, sending a manifesto demanding an end to one party communist rule.

-used a slogan “soviets without bolsheviks”

-red army sent by trotsky to crush the rebels. leaders shot nand 15,000 taken prisoner to a labour camp.

what were the political consequences of the kronstadt rising ?

-the “workers opposition” group was set up, which argued for greater worker control and the removal of managers/harsh discipline in factories

when and what was gosplan established?

-1921, it helped coordinate economic development and from 1925 drafted economic plans.

who supported lenins NEP?

-bukharin and zinoviev

why did many dislike the nep proposal? what was lenin’s reaction to this?

-many saw it as an ideological betrayal. Lenin did not permit a vote on the measures for fear of rejection.

what was the NEP’s agricultural policy?

-ban on private trading removed

-peasants had to give a quota to the state (in 1923 this became a tax) however they could sell remaining food on a free market for profit.

-regime abandoned aim of collectivisation.

what was the neps policy on nationalisation?

-state kept control of heavy industry, such as coal of steel (labelled the commanding heights of the economy) however small scale industry such as workshops were privatised.

-transport/banks remained state controlled.

-what was the neps policy on rationing ?

-rationing was ended and industries had to pay their workers out of their own pockets.

what are examples of economic growth following the nep?

-between 1920 to 1923 factory output rose by 200%

-industry reached production levels of 1913 in 1926

what were nepmen? how many were there? what did they do ?

-by 1925 there was 25,000 private traders in moscow alone
-they were responsible for 75% of trade but were hated by the bolsheviks as representatives of capitalism

-the indulged in bribery, corruption, prostitution and gambling.

when and what was the NEP scissors crisis ?
-how did the government fix it/

-in the summer of 1923, food prices fell below industrial prices as factories took longer to expand output.

-peasants held back supplies. the government responded by capping industrial prices and replaced peasant quotas with taxes in 1923, forcing them to sell.

the crisis was short lived - in 1926, 1913 production levels were reached.

how did the NEP effect censorship ? 2 reasons.

in spring 1922, dozens of Russian writers were deported.

-texts had to be submitted to The Main Administration for Affairs of Literature before they could be pubslihed.

-how did the NEP affect attacks on political rivals ? 2 reasons.

-the mensheviks and SRs became more popular during strikes, and encouraged them.
-the bolsheviks sued this as an excuse to arrest 5000 mensheviks in 1921. Both parties were outlawed as organisations.

During nep, what were the show trials?

-communists rounded up SRs, in which they were accused of crimes. It was claimed that the central committee of the socialist revolutionaries plotted to kill lenin/orked with denikin. 34 leaders were condemned as terrorists, 11 were executed.

when and what was the establishment of the GPU?

-the cheka was renamed the gpu in 1922.

what were the attacks on the church during the nep?

in 1921 the union of the militant godless was established.

-in 1922 churches were strpped of precious items. death penalties were handed out to leaders of the russian orthodox church and 1000s of priests were imprisoned.