War Communism

Reasons for and effects of War Communism.

Reasons

• Introduced to combat economic problems caused by the Civil War
• Thought workers would do better working for a cause - not for a system that made some rich and others poor
• Lenin used the aspect of grain requisition to feed the Red Army so they could have an increased possibility of winning the Civil War

Principles, decrees and components of the policy

• Production was to be run by the state (private ownership of houses and businesses kept to a minimum)
• State control was to be granted over the labor of every citizen (military would become labor army once its purpose had been served)
• State should produce everything in its own undertakings (control activities of peasants
• Extreme centralisation introduced (economic life in Bolshevik areas was given to just a few organisations, which could confiscate and requisition as they wished)
• State should become the sole distributor as well as the sole producer (forced grain requisitioning, and people were divided into category so food could be divided as they thought was more appropriate)
• Money should not be a means of exchange (make a natural economy with transactions carried out in kind... basically bartering)

Results

• Peasants became quite upset at the way they were being (poorly) treated
• Extreme centralisation led to chronic inefficiency in industry and important economic areas which was disastrous for the economy
• The manual class in the food rationing was favored, but it recieved still little. Many 'professionals' simply starved because they were the least favored
• They decided all surplus in food should be given to the state, so more was given to them. From 1917 to 28, about 3/4 million tonnes was collected
• Even the extra couldn't meet demand and this led to food shortages and starvation
• Peasants started producing less because so much was taken away that they only made enough to feed themselves which worstened the food shortage
• By 1921, the rouble dropped significantly and inflation increased because of the fact that the Bolsheviks were trying to abolish money.
• Because of the same policy, the government's revenue raising ability was chronically poor, as they had abolished all taxes except those on the rich.

The failure of the policy - WHY?

• Grain was hidden by peasants, which led to mass arrests and/or killings
• Food shortages were severe in 1921
• Factory production fell
• Kronstadt Rebellion weakened the Bolshevik position
• Because peasants gew less grain, there was a sever shortage of food and it led to a famine

The Kronstadt Mutiny.

Causes

• Discontent at the horrible conditions created by War Communism
• Bad harvests combined with the Peasants' response to War Communism (less grain) led to famine
• By 1921, production had fallen to less than half pre-WW1 levels
• Scarcity of raw materials, government interference, strikes and demonstrations all hindered production
• Strikes and demonstrations at the start of 1921
• Hated the political oppression of the Bolshevik regime and the miserable economy
• Many heard of the peasants' suffering (as they were of peasant origins) from letters and often firsthand which made them really angry

Events

• Produced a document that resembled Father Gapon's petition in 1905 (this made Trotsky really really mad)
• He wanted to crush the rebellion by force. The first wave of Red Guards was poorly equipped and easily beaten by the Kronstadt rebels
• He then sent a second wave with more men, heavy artillery and white camouflage (to hide soldiers in the icy conditions)
• The battle for the fortress lasted almost 3 weeks
• On the 17th of March the Kronstadt defences collapse and the Red Army + CHEKA took over.

Results

• Thousands fled accross the ice in an attempt to seek safety in Finland (or nearby)
• Bolsheviks captured and executed 2,000 rebels
• Caused disagreement and discomfort within the Bolshevik party at what had happened, and people were seriously worried
• Lenin & the Bolsheviks realised they needed to relax conditions, or else they would risk another revolution.