Civil War: Economics and War Communism (1):

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  • Created by: AshyBoy
  • Created on: 09-09-18 19:43
How much did the Red Army grow in the period of 1919 and 1920?
From 1 million to 5 million.
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What problems did this growth show?
Because the growth in numbers outweighed the rate of production there were supply shortages and a vicious cycle of mass conscription - supply shortages and desertion.
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What did this cycle result in?
War Communism
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What is War Communism?
A command economy whose main purpose was to channel all production towards the demands of the army.
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What do some people suggest was the real intention of war communism apart from fighting civil war?
They suggest that Lenin used the civil war to establish war communism to then surpress and fight in the class war against the peasantry and other social enemies.
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What is proof of this theory?
The fact that War Communism's policies were kept in place for a year after the end of the civil war until mass protests forced them to repeal them.
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What was War Communism a response to?
A response to the urban food crisis and exodus of workers from the cities where the party's power base was.
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How many workers left the big cities due to the lack of food in search of things to trade for food in the countryside?
Within the first six months of the Bolshevik regime 1 million workers left.
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In Petrograd alone how many workers left?
From 250,000 to 50,000 between these six months.
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What was the Bolshevik party beginning to be known as?
The vanguard of a non-existent class
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What was the cause of this food shortage and how did the government respond?
The peasantry were reluctant to separate from their surplus for paper money as there was nothing they could buy with it and instead they reduced production and stored the surplus. The Bolsheviks announced a grain monopoly on the 9th of May 1918.
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Who did the Bolsheviks blame this lack of supply on?
The Kulaks. Lenin accused the non-existent class of rich peasants for hoarding all the land and food so he announced a war against the Kulaks in order to be able to forcibly take land and food in the name of 'the people'.
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What were the peasants reaction to this grain monopoly and how did the Bolsheviks respond?
There were mass peasant uprisings and resistances when the Bolsheviks came for their food. As a result the Bolsheviks tightened their policies an eventually in January 1919 with a widespread general Food Levy. (Able to steal all food)
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What were the reasons for the Food Levy?
To keep the peasants in line. To keep the workers in their factories. To control the workforce. To supply the Red Army.
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What was The Decree on Nationalisation?
28th June 1918 - They appointed state managers to replace the authority of the factory committees and trade unions (put in charge from the Decree on the Workers' Control 1917)
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Why did they do this?
Because of the workers' uprisings of spring of 1918 and also because there was a scheduled general strike in Petrograd so this allowed the new factory bosses to threaten workers with dismissal if they went ahead.
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What was the hierarchy for food ration tickets?
First Class: Red Army Troops and Bureaucrats - Second Class: Workers - Third Class: The Burzhooi (Bourgeoisie)
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What was the ideology behind food ration tickets?
The party believed that it was the first step into communism since capitalism was dependant on the transaction of paper money.
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How were the ration tickets a staple in allowing the Bolsheviks to dominate Russia?
They gave the Bolsheviks power over food and in turn the population/workers, they suppressed the peasantry into obedience and they rewarded active party membership/loyalty with more food (main disagreement between Bolsheviks and Mensheviks).
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How much did the party's membership grow?
Between 1917 and 1920 1.4 million joined the party.
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What were the levels of literacy?
In 1920 only 8% of party members had more than 4 years of primary school education.
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How was this a good thing for the Bolsheviks?
Because of the lack of knowledge that the workers had and their lack of political knowledge they made the perfect blind and loyal workforce to shout slogans and not question the decisions of the state.
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How was this a good thing for the Bolsheviks?
Because of the lack of knowledge that the workers had and their lack of political knowledge they made the perfect blind and loyal workforce to shout slogans and not question the decisions of the state.
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What was the RSFSR?
The decree that the supreme power in Russia rested with the All-Russian Congress of Soviets and they chose the members of the Sovnarkom.
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In what ways was this a undemocratic and unjust system?
The Bourgeoisie didn't get a vote; the workers' vote was worth five times as more than the peasant (class war on peasantry), the structure was centralised so the Sovnarkom was actually chosen by the Bolshevik Party and all the power was theirs.
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What sparked the Civil War?
It started with resistance after the announcement of the armistice in November of 1917 but The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk of March 1918 sparked escalated it to new and bloody heights.
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What group strengthened the already established resistance to the Bolsheviks power?
The Czech Legion
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Where did they come from and how many where there
They were nationalists that wanted to fight the Austro-Hungarians in order to gain their countries independence so when Russia sued for peace they were going to France to help t he war effort there. There were 35,000 troops.
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Why did they support the whites?
The Czech Legion helped becasue the whites promised the legion that they would rejoin the war after they secured power in Russia.
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Why did the Allies (Britain, France, America) support the whites?
The allies helped because they saw Communism as a threat to capitalism; they wanted Russia to rejoin the war and help their fight and also because the Bolsheviks refused to pay back the nations pre-revolution debts during the times of the Tsar.
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How many Cossacks did the White Army have?
40,000
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What was Lenin and Trotsky's reaction to the civil war?
They welcomed it. In their view the civil war was a necessary part of the class struggle. Lenin viewed it as a chance to build the party's numbers and power while polarising the country and extending his military and political power.
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How many Tsarists officers were recruited into the Red Army and why?
75,000. Trotsky said that it was to increase the discipline of the Army and because of the officers' expertise.
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Why else were they recruited? (Views on the peasantry)
It was also in part due to the fact that with mass conscription's came an army with alot of peasantry which Lenin believed to be a hostile social force. (Shows Lenin's contempt of the peasantry and belief that they should be controlled.)
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What problems did this growth show?

Back

Because the growth in numbers outweighed the rate of production there were supply shortages and a vicious cycle of mass conscription - supply shortages and desertion.

Card 3

Front

What did this cycle result in?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What is War Communism?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What do some people suggest was the real intention of war communism apart from fighting civil war?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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