War Communism

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War Communism

Causes

  • Economic problems - peasants wanted to keep the land but didn't want to sell the food they produced.
  • Severe shortages of food
  • Communist idea - everyone equal, have food
  • Bolsheviks had to guarantee supplies for the huge red army during civil war
  • Feed town workers and red army

Effects

  • Peasants refused to grow food which resulted in famine - 7 MILLION DEAD
  • Supplied red army with food
  • Peasants stopped supporting Bolsheviks
  • Failed to create a utopian communist state
  • The Kronstadt Mutiny (these used to be the Bolsheviks strongest supporters) Rebellion against the Bolsheviks
  • As a result of the Kronstadt Mutiny - Lenin realised that war communism wasn't working, he said "the flash that lit up reality"

Overall summary

War communism was set up in order to help the red army during the civil war with food and weapons, it was also set up to feed town workers so they could make weapons for the red army. Food was requisitioned from peasants and given to the red army. The Bolsheviks took over factories, mines and railways. (factories were nationalised)

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