War Communism, 1918-1921

What was War Communism?

War Communism was an economic policy of the Bolsheviks in which the state took control of the means of production, eg all factories, transport and farming. The government decided what was produced, when and by whom, and who would receive the goods.

When was War Communism introduced?

War Communism was introduced in June 1918 and ended in March 1921.

Who introduced War Communism?

Lenin and the Bolsheviks introduced the policy of War Communism.

Why was War Communism introduced?

There were 4 important reasons why War Communism was brought in:

• ❖ The economy had collapsed due to the disruption caused by the First World War and the civil war, and the Bolsheviks needed a way to deal with the shortages of food and goods.
• ❖ War Communism as a policy seemed to fit the communist theory as no one individual made a profit from their labour, the state controlled the means of production (the factories), and the state distributed produce according to the needs of the individual.
• ❖ The peasants were seen as resisting the Bolsheviks by not supplying enough food for the cities, towns and the Red Army.
• ❖ The policy would ensure that the Red Army was supplied to fight in the civil war.

What were the aims of War Communism?

There were 3 key aims of the policy of War Communism:

• ❖ To gain control of the economy to enable them to win the war.
• ❖ To ensure enough supplies to resource the Red Army.
• ❖ To increase the Communist Party's control of the country.

What were the key features of War Communism?

There were 5 key features of War Communism:

• ❖ All industries were nationalised under the control of the Supreme Council of the Economy, or Vesenkha, in December 1917. Factories were set production targets.
• ❖ Military-style discipline was brought into the factories, which meant strikes were banned and there were harsh labour laws.
• ❖ Food rationing was introduced. Soldiers got the most, then workers, while the bourgeois and clergy received the least.
• ❖ Forced requisitioning of agricultural produce by 150,000 Bolsheviks. There was strict price controls on all agricultural produce.
• ❖ All private trade was banned.

What were the positive effects of War Communism?

There were 2 important positive results of War Communism for the Bolshevik Party:

• ❖ They were able to supply and feed the Red Army during the civil war which helped them to defeat the Whites and the Greens.
• ❖ They were able to centralise their control of the economy.

What were the negative effects of War Communism?

There were 7 important negative economic and social results of War Communism:

• ❖ Production levels collapsed even more. For example, coal production was 29 million tons in 1913 but by 1921 it was only 9 million.
• ❖ Food production collapsed to 48% of the 1913 productions levels. In 1913, 80 million tons of grain had been produced but in 1921, it was 37.6 million.
• ❖ There was an increase in violence and unrest in the countryside as peasants resisted food requisitioning. They hid their grain and slaughtered their animals rather than handing them over to the Bolsheviks.
• ❖ By 1921, some regions faced famine. 29 million experienced famine and 5 million died.
• ❖ Workers from the cities and towns migrated to the countryside in search of food because there was less food in the towns.
• ❖ It resulted in peasant uprisings in 1920 and 1921, including the Tambov Uprising, and the Kronstadt Uprising by sailors in March 1921.
• ❖ A black market developed because of the shortages in goods and food.