War Communism

Impacts of War Communism

Consolidate power by winning Civil War; Domestic hardship; Opposition to Bolsheviks leading to Kronstadt mutiny

How did War Communism help win the Civil War

Maintain control over key resources, prioritise military; Fed and equipped the army

How did War Communism keep army fed

May 1918 Food dictatorship; Grain requisitioning by CHEKA so enough sent to fronts

How did War Communism help with equipping the army

Industry nationalised; could control manufacture of weapons; distribute arms among troops

How large was the red army eventually

5 million

Impact of grain requisitioning

1921-1922 famine, 5-8 million dead

Evidence that agricultural productivity collapsed

1921 grain production under 50% of 1913 level

Evidence that industrial production collapsed

1921 coal production 1/3 of 1913 level

Why did industrial production collapse

Non-armaments factories starved of resources as they were diverted to ther front

Impact of resources like coal being diverted to the front

Fuel shortage

Evidence of fuel shortage

1919-1920: 3,000 wooden homes in Pgrad stripped

Result of tiny rations (not famine)

Less than 1/3 of food came from state-provided rations, rest came from black market

Who delivered grain from countryside

Bagmen

Why did peasants begin to resent the Bolsheviks

Red Terror at hands of CHEKA; grain requisitioning

What did discontent to Bolsheviks result in

February-March 1921 Kronstadt Mutiny

Why was Kronstadt mutiny important

Opened Lenin’s eyes to threat of opposition; led to abandonment of War Communism, established NEP

Evidence of political opposition to the Bolsheviks

Prominent Bolsheviks turned on the party eg Alexandra Kollontai led workers’ opposition

Evidence of poor rationing

January 1921 cut bread ration by 1/3; party leaders got special privileges

Inflation under war communism

By August 1921, over 80,000 roubles required to buy goods that were 1 rouble before the war

Why were loads of factories managed badly

Decree on Workers gave all power to Soviets. Management was ineffective and labour discipline + production collapsed

Result of factories being managed badly

Bolsheviks had to move towards extreme economic centralisation and militarisation of labour

Evidence of counter urbanisation

1918-1920 Moscow population decreased 700,000 people; Petrograd lost 1.5 million