War Communism and its consequences

Summer of 1918, Lenin introduced a series of harsh restrictive economic measures, 'War Communism', caused by the difficulties of Civil war and moved away from state capitalism (state owns the productive forces, distributes the wages and sells the surplus). Lenin judged that the whites could only be met by authority increasing in the Red areas. Every social, political and economic aspect was to be shaped around winning the Civil War.

First step was centralisation, to concentrate the political and economic power at the centre, using the cheka and red army to enforce it. They infiltrated the factories with political commissars and this prepared the way for a Decree of Nationalisation in which nearly all industrial enterprises came under Russian control. Nationalisation did nothing to increase production, imposed strict control at a time of strain, initially under the war but really the civil war. Most factories were deprived of resources and manpower, due to conscription into the Army and the flight of the populations in search of food. Populations in the major cities fell by half during 1918-21. The problems were deepened by inflation, as the printing of money destroyed the value of money. It did not do any good for the economy, just strengthened bolshevik grip.

It also effected agriculture, the major purpose of war communism was to force the peasants to provide more food. Peasants however were difficult to convince, as they were very conservative and resistant to central government. The Government blamed the Kulaks (or rich peasants) to hoard their stocks to keep prices high, the truth was the peasants saw no point producing food until the government paid a fair prices.

The government eventually condemned the peasants as counter-revolutionaries, and Cheka Requistioning squads were sent to take grain by force ' harvest grain on the land of kulaks'. Between these years, Requistioning squads terrorised the countryside with kulaks targeted and hanged in public. However, the opposite happened in the production of food and the peasants produced the bare minimum.

Famine was the result of requistioning, drought and disruption of the civil war, The grain harvests produced less than half the amounts than half of the amounts from 1913, 1 in 5 were starving. A number of bolsheviks did admit there was a famine, and accepted foreign assistance, such as the ARA, American Relief Association. 5 Million died due to starvation over the civil war period.

Lenin however, is known as allowing the famine as a chance to destroy the orthodox church and would shoot priests 'the more the better'. 1921, the grim conditions had completely undermined the reasoning for War Communism, as production had fallen massively. Some Bolsheviks however thought it was the perfect policy for the party, true socialism as it had centralised industry, ended private owenership and squeezed the peasants.

War communism and the Red terror continued, with the Cheka spying on the factory workers and the enforced requistioning of the grain. Its severity, seriously increased Bolshevik unpopularity. Lenin stuck with it for as long as possible, until the Kronstadt rising proved to be the most serious challenge to bolshevik control to date.

KRONSTADT MUTINY

As long as unrest was confined to peasants and enemies of the bolsheviks, it was managable. What was worrying was the opposition to war communism within the party. Two bolsheviks Alaxander Shylyapnikov and Alexandra Kollantai led a 'Workers Opposition Movement' and produced a pamphlet ' buld up industry without any regard to our opinions'. Workers in petrograd upon reading the pamphlet went on strike in 1921 proclaiming ' a complete change is neccessary'

By feb 1921, thousands of petrograd workers crossed the the naval base at Kronstadt, linking with sailors and workers to remonstrate for greater freedom 'workers should be better not worse' Lenin sent commissars to Kronstadt where they were rounded bitterly ' You are comfortable, warm. We're in a terrible mire'.

The Kronstadt Manifesto is what followed as sailors elected a chairman for a fifteen-man committee to represent their grievances to the government such as
- Freedom of Speech and Press
- Right for trade unions to exist
- Ending of War communism
- New elections in the soviets
- End of centralisation

The demands did not frighten the bolsheviks, it was the people who happened to be their greatest supporters of previous, the Sailors and Workers of Kronstadt, previous 'Heroes of the October Revolution'. The genuine socialists were appalled by the betrayal of the workers cause. The angered strikers increasing in numbers. Trotsky ordered the Red Army to crush them, with an ultimatum issued to the strikers. It was denied and so the Red Army and Cheka detachments were ordered to attack. The Sailors fought savagely and bravely, even when half dead they attempted to shoot to kill, 'two soldiers at machine gun, entire company fought for over an hour'. Kronstadt was proof that the Bolsheviks were a minority elite who had imposed themselves above all for Russia. After the rising, ringleaders were shot. Lenin was a realist, and took Kronstadt to heart, he decided to soften the severity of War Communism 'Lit up reality like a lightning flash', a prelude to the New Economic Policy.

SUMMARY
WAR COMMUNISM
- Industry and Agriculture under central control (government controlled agriculture and industry from Moscow geographically and politically), Commissars and buying grain
- Peasants resist to the low prices
- Kulaks targeted, Requistioning squads and an Attack upon the church
- War communism did more damage than good, undermining its real cause with a famine in 1921 with 5 million dead.
- War communism if anything was strengthening the Red Terror.

KRONSTADT
Caused due to the severity of the Red Terror and War communism.
- Famine
- Commissars in Industry
- Requistioning
- Cheka torture.

The 'Workers Opposition group formed WITHIN the Bolsheviks', causing a petrograd strike which marched to Kronstadt. The Manifesto demanded :
- End of Bolshevik Centralisation
- Freedom of Speech
- Bolshevik priviledges ended
- Secret Ballot elections
- Removal of Commissars

Government crushes rising, but meet with fierce and skillful response before being defeated. This was a fear for Lenin, and considers a NEW ECONOMIC POLICY.