"War Communism" is the policy of the Bolsheviks, which was carried out from 1918 to 1920 and led to the Civil War in the country, as well as to the sharp dissatisfaction of the population with the new government. As a result, Lenin was hastily forced to curtail this course and announce the beginning of a new policy (NEP). The term "War Communism" was introduced by Alexander Bogdanov. Sove began the policy of war communism in the spring of 1918. Subsequently, Lenin wrote that it was a forced measure. In fact, such a policy was a logical and normal course from the point of view of the Bolsheviks, arising from the goals of the Bolsheviks. And the civil war, the birth of war communism, only contributed to the further development of this idea.
The reasons for the introduction of war communism are as follows:
- Creation of the state according to communist ideals. The Bolsheviks sincerely believed that they could create a non-market society with a complete lack of money. For this, it seemed to them, terror was needed, and it could be achieved only by creating special conditions in the country.
- Complete subjugation of the country. For the complete concentration of power in their hands, the Bolsheviks needed complete control over all state bodies, as well as over state resources. This could only be done by terror.
The question of "war communism" is important in a historical sense for understanding what happened in the country, as well as for the correct causal relationship of events. This is what we will deal with in this article.
What is "war communism" and what are its features?
War Communism is a policy pursued by the Bolsheviks from 1918 to 1920. In fact, it ended in the first third of 1921, or rather, at that moment it was finally curtailed, and the transition to the NEP was announced. This policy is characterized by the fight against private capital, as well as the establishment of total control over literally all spheres of people's lives, including the sphere of consumption.
History reference
The last words in this definition are very important to understand - the Bolsheviks took control of the process of consumption. For example, autocratic Russia controlled production, but let consumption take its course. The Bolsheviks went further ... In addition, war communism assumed:
- nationalization of private enterprise
- food dictatorship
- trade cancellation
- universal labor service.
It is very important to understand which events were the cause and which were the consequences. Soviet historians say that War Communism was necessary because there was an armed struggle between the Reds and the Whites, each of whom tried to seize power. But in fact, war communism was introduced first, and as a result of the introduction of this policy, a war began, including a war with its own population.
What is the essence of the policy of war communism?
The Bolsheviks, as soon as they seized power, seriously believed that they would be able to completely abolish money, and there would be a natural exchange of goods in the country along class lines. But the problem was that the situation in the country was very difficult, and here it was just necessary to keep power, and socialism, communism, Marxism, and so on, were relegated to the background. This was due to the fact that at the beginning of 1918 there was gigantic unemployment in the country, and inflation, which reached 200 thousand percent. The reason for this is simple - the Bolsheviks did not recognize private property and capital. As a result, they carried out nationalization and seized capital by terror. But instead they offered nothing! And here the reaction of Lenin is indicative, who blamed ... ordinary workers for all the troubles of the events of 1918-1919. According to him, people in the country are idlers, and they bear all the blame for the famine, and for the introduction of the policy of war communism, and for the red terror.
The main features of war communism in brief
- Introduction of surplus appropriation in agriculture. The essence of this phenomenon is very simple - practically everything that was produced by them was forcibly taken from the peasants. The decree was signed on January 11, 1919.
- exchange between city and country. This is what the Bolsheviks wanted, and their "textbooks" on the construction of communism and socialism spoke about this. In practice, this has not been achieved. But they managed to worsen the situation and provoke the anger of the peasants, which resulted in uprisings.
- nationalization of industry. The Russian Communist Party naively believed that it was possible to build socialism in 1 year, to remove all private capital, by carrying out nationalization for this. They carried it out, but it did not give results. Moreover, in the future, the Bolsheviks were forced to carry out the NEP in the country, which in many respects had the features of denationalization.
- The ban on the lease of land, as well as the use of hired force for its cultivation. This is again one of the postulates of Lenin's "textbooks", but this led to the decline of agriculture and famine.
- Complete cancellation private trade. Moreover, this cancellation was done even when it was obvious that it was harmful. For example, when there was a clear shortage of bread in the cities and the peasants came and sold it, the Bolsheviks began to fight the peasants and apply penalties to them. The end result is hunger again.
- The introduction of labor service. Initially, they wanted to implement this idea for the bourgeois (rich), but they quickly realized that there were not enough people, and there was a lot of work. Then they decided to go further, and announced that everyone should work. All citizens from 16 to 50 years of age were required to work, including in labor armies.
- Distribution of natural forms of calculation, including for wages. main reason such a step - terrible inflation. What cost 10 rubles in the morning could cost 100 rubles in the evening, and 500 by the next morning.
- Privileges. The state provided free housing, public transport, did not charge for utilities and other payments.
War communism in industry
The main thing with which the Soviet government began was the nationalization of industry. Moreover, this process proceeded at an accelerated pace. So, by July 1918, 500 enterprises were nationalized in the RSFSR, by August 1918 - more than 3 thousand, by February 1919 - more than 4 thousand. As a rule, nothing was done to the heads and owners of enterprises - they took away all the property and everything. Here is something else interesting. All enterprises were subordinated to the military industry, that is, everything was done to defeat the enemy (whites). In this regard, the policy of nationalization can be understood as the enterprises that the Bolsheviks needed for the war. But after all, among the nationalized factories and factories there were also purely civilian ones. But they were of little interest to the Bolsheviks. Such enterprises were confiscated and closed until better times.
War communism in industry is characterized by the following events:
- Decree "On the organization of supply". In fact, private trade and private supply were destroyed, but the problem was that private supply was not replaced by another. As a result, the supply collapsed completely. The resolution was signed by the Council of People's Commissars on November 21, 1918.
- The introduction of labor service. At first, the working off concerned only “bourgeois elements” (autumn 1918), and then all able-bodied citizens from 16 to 50 years old were involved in the work (decree of December 5, 1918). To give coherence to this process, in June 1919, work books. They actually attached the worker to a specific place of work, with no options to change him. By the way, these are the books that are still in use today.
- Nationalization. By the beginning of 1919, all large and medium-sized private enterprises were nationalized in the RSFSR! In small business there was a share of private traders, but there were very few of them.
- militarization of labor. This process was introduced in November 1918 in railway transport, and in March 1919 in river and maritime transport. This meant that work in these industries was equated with service in the armed forces. The laws here began to apply appropriate.
- Decision of the 9th Congress of the RCP b of 1920 (late March - early April) on the transfer of all workers and peasants to the position of mobilized soldiers (labor army).
But in general, the main task was industry and its subordination to the new government for the war with the whites. Has this been achieved? No matter how much Soviet historians assured us that they succeeded, in fact the industry in these years was destroyed and finally finished off. In part, this can be attributed to the war, but only in part. The whole trick is that the Bolsheviks staked on the city and industry, and they managed to win the Civil War only thanks to the peasantry, who, choosing between the Bolsheviks and Denikin (Kolchak), chose the Reds as the least evil.
All industry was subordinated to the central authority in the person of Glavkov. They concentrated on themselves 100% of the receipt of all industrial products, with the aim of its further distribution to the needs of the front.
The policy of war communism in agriculture
But the main events of those years took place in the village. And these events were very important and extremely deplorable for the country, since terror was launched to obtain bread and everything necessary to provide the city (industry).
Organization of the exchange of goods, mostly without money
On March 26, 1918, a special decree was adopted for the implementation of the PVK, which is known as "On the organization of commodity exchange." The trick is that, despite the adoption of the decree, there was no functioning and real exchange of goods between the city and the village. It did not exist not because the law was bad, but because this law was accompanied by an instruction that fundamentally contradicted the law and interfered with activity. It was an instruction from the People's Commissar for Food (NarkomProd).
On initial stage During the formation of the USSR, it was customary for the Bolsheviks to accompany each law with instructions (by-laws). Very often these documents contradict each other. Largely because of this, there were so many bureaucratic problems in the early years of the Soviets.
History reference
What was in the instructions of the People's Commissariat for Food? It completely prohibited any sale of grain in the region, except for cases when the region handed over in full the amount of grain that was "recommended" by the Soviet authorities. Moreover, even in this case, an exchange was supposed, not a sale. Instead of agricultural products, the products of industry and cities were offered. Moreover, the system was arranged in such a way that most of this exchange was received by representatives of the authorities, who were engaged in “extortion” in the countryside in favor of the state. This led to a logical reaction - the peasants (even small owners on the land) began to hide the bread, and were extremely reluctant to give it to the state.
Seeing that it was impossible to get bread in the countryside peacefully, the Bolsheviks created a special detachment - KomBedy. These "comrades" staged a real terror in the village, knocking out by force what they needed. Formally, this applied only to rich peasants, but the problem is that no one knew how to determine the rich from the not rich.
Emergency powers of the People's Commissariat for Food
The policy of war communism was gaining momentum. Next important step happened on May 13, 1918, when a decree was adopted that literally pushed the country into civil war. This decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee "On emergency powers." These powers were vested in the People's Commissar of Food. This decree was in the highest degree idiotic. If we get away from the dry letters of the law and understand what it came down to, then this is what we come to: - a kulak is any person who has not handed over bread as much as the state ordered him to. That is, the peasant is told that he needs to hand over, conditionally, 2 tons of wheat. A rich peasant does not give up, because it is not profitable for him - he just hides. The poor don't give up because he doesn't have that wheat. In the eyes of the Bolsheviks, both of these people are kulaks. It was in fact a declaration of war on the entire peasant population. According to the most conservative estimates, the Bolsheviks wrote down about 60% of the country's population as "enemies"!
To better demonstrate the horror of those days, I want to quote Trotsky (one of the ideological inspirers of the revolution), which he voiced at the very beginning of the formation of Soviet power:
Our Party for the Civil War! The civil war needs bread. Long live the Civil War!
Trotsky L.D.
That is, Trotsky, as well as Lenin (at that time there were no disagreements between them), advocated war communism, terror and war. Why? Because the only way to keep power, writing off all their miscalculations and flaws in the war. By the way, this technique is still used by many.
Food orders and combos
At the next stage, Food Detachments (Food Detachments) and KomBeds (Committees of the Poor) were created. It was on their shoulders that the task of taking bread from the peasants fell. Moreover, a norm was established - a peasant could keep 192 kilograms of grain per person. The rest is the surplus that was required to be given to the state. These detachments performed their duties extremely reluctantly and undisciplined. Although at the same time they managed to collect a little more than 30 million poods of grain. On the one hand, the figure is large, but on the other hand, within Russia, it is extremely insignificant. Yes, and the Kombeds themselves often sold the confiscated bread and grain, bought the right from the peasants not to hand over the surplus, and so on. That is, already a couple of months after the creation of these “divisions”, the question arose of their liquidation, since they not only did not help, but interfered Soviet power and further aggravated the situation in the country. As a result, at the next congress of the CPSU b (in December 1918), the "Committees of the Poor" were liquidated.
The question arose - how to logically justify this step to people? After all, no later than a couple of weeks before that, Lenin proved to everyone that the Kombeds were urgently needed and without them it was impossible to govern the country. Kamenev came to the aid of the leader of the world proletariat. He said briefly - Combeds are no longer needed, since the need for them has disappeared.
Why did the Bolsheviks actually take this step? It is naive to believe that they felt sorry for the peasants who were tortured by the KomBedy. The answer is elsewhere. At this very time, the Civil War was turning its back on the Reds. There is a real threat of White's victory. In such a situation, it was necessary to seek help and support from the peasants. But for this it was necessary to earn their respect and, no matter what, but love. Therefore, the decision was made - the peasants need to get along and put up with.
Major Supply Problems and Complete Destruction of Private Trade
By the middle of 1918, it became clear that the main task of war communism had failed - the exchange of goods could not be established. Moreover, the situation was complicated, as famine began in many cities. Suffice it to say that most cities (including big cities) provided themselves with bread only by 10-15%. The rest of the townspeople were provided by "bagmen".
Sackers are independent peasants, including the poor, who independently came to the city, where they sold bread and grain. Most often in these transactions there was an exchange in kind.
History reference
It would seem that the Soviet government should carry “bagmen” in their arms, who save the city from starvation. But the Bolsheviks needed complete control (remember, I said at the beginning of the article that this control was established over everything, including consumption). As a result, the fight against bagmen began ...
Complete destruction of private trade
On November 21, 1918, a decree "On the organization of supply" was issued. The essence of this law was that now only the People's Commissariat of Food had the right to provide the population with any goods, including bread. That is, any private sales, including the activities of "bagmen", were outlawed. Their goods were confiscated in favor of the state, and the merchants themselves were arrested. But in this desire to control everything, the Bolsheviks went very far. Yes, they completely destroyed private trade, leaving only the state, but the problem is that the state had nothing to offer the population! The supply of the city and the exchange of goods with the countryside was completely broken! And it is no coincidence that during the civil war there were "reds", there were "whites" and there were, few people know, "greens". The latter were representatives of the peasantry and defended its interests. The Greens did not see much difference between the Whites and the Reds, so they fought with everyone.
As a result, the easing of those measures that the Bolsheviks had been strengthening for two years began. And this was a forced measure, because people were tired of terror, in all its manifestations, and it was impossible to build a state on violence alone.
The results of the policy of war communism for the USSR
- A one-party system finally took shape in the country, and the Bolsheviks ended up with all power.
- A non-market economy has been created in the RSFSR, completely controlled by the state, and in which private capital has been completely removed.
- The Bolsheviks gained control over all the resources of the country. As a result, it was possible to establish power and win the war.
- Exacerbation of the contradictions between the workers and the peasantry.
- Pressure on the economy as the policies of the Bolsheviks led to social problems.
As a result, war communism, which we briefly talked about in this material, completely failed. Rather, this policy fulfilled its historical mission (the Bolsheviks gained a foothold in power thanks to terror), but it had to be hastily curtailed and transferred to the NEP, otherwise power could not be retained. The country is so tired of the terror that was calling card war communism policy.
It began in the spring of 1918 in conditions of devastation, famine, and an economic blockade.
By the autumn of 1918, the Soviet Republic was surrounded by fronts on all sides. The country has lost its main food, raw materials and fuel regions.
In September 1918, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee announced Soviet Republic military camp. And then the Soviet government carried out a series of emergency measures, the totality of which was called the policy of "war communism".
2. Labor service for all citizens (from 16 to 50 years).
3. The strictest centralization of production and distribution management (“Glavkism”).
4. Prohibition of private trade in bread and other essentials. Direct trade between town and country.
5. Cancellation fees public utilities, transport, etc.
6. Martial law on transport (introduced in November 1918).
According to the decree on surplus appropriation, the entire amount of grain and fodder necessary to meet state needs was distributed among the bread-producing provinces. The peasants were left with a strictly defined minimum of food for food, fodder for livestock and grain for sowing. All other grain was subject to withdrawal for money. However, by that time money had lost its value, so that in fact the peasants were deprived of bread for free. Moreover, they took away not only the surplus, but also a part of the bread necessary for the peasant. Those who did not hand over the bread were judged.
The civil war and foreign intervention hastened the nationalization of industry. By the way, the Bolsheviks began with the introduction of workers' control in enterprises. Workers' control was a preparatory measure for the subsequent nationalization. Now many write that the Bolsheviks from the very first days nationalized everything and everyone - this is not entirely true. By the summer of 1918, in accordance with the program of the Bolsheviks, the nationalization of large industrial enterprises was completed. Transferred to state ownership railways, sea and river fleet.
As early as December 1917, all private banks were nationalized. To manage the country's economy, the Supreme Council of the National Economy (VSNKh) under the Council of People's Commissars would be established. It was supposed to carry out a gradual transformation of small and medium-sized industry. However, the war required the immediate concentration of all resources in the hands of the state and the strictest centralization of government. Entire industries were nationalized. The enterprises worked according to the instructions of the chiefs and did not have economic independence. The Supreme Council of National Economy and its central offices distributed orders, organized accounting for production, and sales of products. Even enterprises of the handicraft industry were directly subordinated to Glavkustprom of the Supreme Council of National Economy. Such a super-centralized system of government was called "Glavkism".
One of the most important features of the policy of "war communism" was the prohibition of private trade in bread and other essentials. With the liquidation of private trade, the People's Commissariat for Food became the main distributor of products. The entire population was assigned to a single consumer societies from which it received food and rations. Wages were paid mainly in kind, i.е. products and goods on cards. The card system was based on the class principle. This was how direct exchange of goods between the city and the countryside was established.
A characteristic feature of the economic life of this period was the diminishing role of money. In a state of disorder monetary system enterprises received raw materials and materials without cash payment (moreover, all this was centrally distributed precisely by the central offices!).
Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of October 11, 1920 "On the abolition of certain cash payments" was abolished payment for housing, fuel, water, for the use of mail and telegraph.
The forced introduction of the policy of "war communism" contributed to the formation of an administrative-command control system. Its individual provisions will be in the 30s. partially transferred to peacetime conditions. It should be noted that "war communism" is not an obligatory and economically inevitable stage in the development of a socialist state. However, the dire situation forced the government to take such measures.
For many years, scholars have assessed "war communism" as a policy brought to life by the extreme ruin of the country, i.e. as a forced policy. AT last years there was an assertion that this policy was an attempt by the Bolsheviks to implement Marxist doctrine of building socialism in Russia. Other scientists believe that at first a number of state measures were forced, and then there was a temptation to quickly implement socialist transformations by nationalizing all industry, abolishing monetary relations, etc.
Question 01. What is the essence of the policy of war communism? What were the reasons for it?
Answer. War communism was introduced because it was necessary to mobilize all forces to supply the Red Army in the conditions of seizing many territories with important raw materials, industrial cities, disrupting economic ties between the city and the countryside even in the territory controlled by the Bolsheviks. Under these conditions, the Bolsheviks solved the problem with outright violence. War communism meant the forced transfer of all property, ostensibly to public use, in fact into the hands of the state and the equal distribution of resources among certain classes (classes recognized as hostile to Soviet power had a much sadder fate).
Question 02. What are the main activities of the policy of war communism in industry?
Answer. Activity:
1) accelerated nationalization of all industry;
2) enterprises that were recognized as not related to defense were closed;
3) universal labor service and labor mobilization were introduced for both men and women aged 16 to 50;
4) new Soviet money was printed, but the prices in this money constantly increased, instead of them, workers were given food rations, food coupons in the canteen, and essentials as wages;
5) special bodies were created to manage industry and distribute its products.
Question 03. What is the essence of the surplus appraisal? How is it different from a food dictatorship?
Answer. Prodrazvyorstka, in contrast to the food dictatorship, assumed that the state announced in advance its needs for agricultural products, and then distributed (deployed) them among the provinces, volosts, etc. That is, in theory, the food dictatorship assumed the weaning of everything over the amount determined by the government minimum, and surplus appropriation - only necessary for the state. But in reality, the surplus appropriation also meant taking away all the surplus, and often even what was necessary for sowing in next year, to feed the family in winter ....
Question 04. What features had the agrarian policy of the white governments?
Answer. In general, all white governments canceled all decisions of the Bolsheviks (although the forcible seizure of what the peasants had already received was not universal), and the final decision of the Land Question was postponed until the end of the Civil War.
Question 05. What were the reformist plans of PN Wrangel? Was there a chance for their implementation?
Answer. Reforms:
1) land reform- transfer of land to those working on it with compensation to the former owners;
2) the creation of volost zemstvos and rural communities as bodies of peasant self-government;
3) introduction of the autonomy of the Cossack lands;
4) new labor legislation was promised.
In these transformations, I personally do not see anything that would prevent them from being implemented. And if General Yakov Slashchev could continue to keep the defense of the Perekop Isthmus (very effectively organized by him), the reforms could well have been implemented.
The domestic policy of the Soviet government in the summer of 1918 at the beginning of 1921 was called "war communism". The prerequisites for its implementation were laid by the widespread nationalization of industry and the creation of a powerful centralized state apparatus (VSNKh), the introduction of a food dictatorship and the experience of military-political pressure on the village (food detachments, commanders). Thus, the features of the policy of "war communism" were traced even in the first economic and social measures of the Soviet government.
On the one hand, the policy of "war communism" was caused by the idea of a part of the leadership of the RCP (b) about the possibility of quickly building a marketless socialism. On the other hand, it was a forced policy, due to the extreme devastation in the country, the disruption of traditional economic ties between town and countryside, as well as the need to mobilize all resources to win the civil war. Subsequently, many Bolsheviks recognized the fallacy of the policy of "war communism", tried to justify it by the difficult internal and external situation of the young Soviet state, the wartime situation.
The policy of "war communism" included a set of measures that affected the economic and socio-political sphere. The main thing in this was: the nationalization of all means of production, the introduction of centralized management, equal distribution of products, forced labor and the political dictatorship of the Bolshevik Party.
The Decree of June 28, 1918 prescribed the accelerated nationalization of large and medium-sized enterprises. In subsequent years, it was extended to small ones, which led to the elimination of private property in industry. At the same time, a rigid sectoral management system was being formed. In the spring of 1918, the state monopoly of foreign trade was established.
The surplus appropriation became a logical continuation of the food dictatorship. The state determined its needs for agricultural products and forced the peasantry to supply them without taking into account the possibilities of the countryside. On January 11, 1919, the surplus appraisal was introduced for bread. By 1920, it spread to potatoes, vegetables, etc. For the confiscated products, the peasants were given receipts and money, which lost their value due to inflation. The established fixed prices for products were 40 times lower than the market ones. The village desperately resisted and therefore the surplus was implemented by violent methods with the help of food detachments.
The policy of "war communism" led to the destruction of commodity-money relations. The sale of food and industrial goods was limited, they were distributed by the state in the form of wages in kind. An equalizing system of wages among workers was introduced. This gave them the illusion of social equality. The failure of this policy was manifested in the formation of a "black market" and the flourishing of speculation.
In the social sphere, the policy of "war communism" was based on the principle "He who does not work shall not eat." In 1918 labor service was introduced for representatives of the former exploiting classes, and in 1920 universal labor service. Forced mobilization labor resources was carried out with the help of labor armies sent to restore transport, construction work, etc. The naturalization of wages led to the free provision of housing, utilities, transport, postal and telegraph services.
During the period of "war communism" the undivided dictatorship of the RCP(b) was established in the political sphere. The Bolshevik Party ceased to be a purely political organization; its apparatus gradually merged with government agencies. It determined the political, ideological, economic and cultural situation in the country, even personal life citizens.
Activities of others political parties, who fought against the dictatorship of the Bolsheviks, their economic and social policies: the Cadets, Mensheviks, Socialist-Revolutionaries (first right, and then left), was banned. Some prominent public figures emigrated, others were repressed. All attempts to revive the political opposition were forcibly suppressed. In the Soviets of all levels, the Bolsheviks achieved complete autocracy through their re-elections or dispersal. The activities of the Soviets acquired a formal character, since they only carried out the instructions of the Bolshevik party organs. Trade unions, placed under party and state control, lost their independence. They ceased to be defenders of the interests of the workers. The strike movement was forbidden under the pretext that the proletariat should not oppose its own state. The proclaimed freedom of speech and press was not respected. Almost all non-Bolshevik press organs were closed. In general, publishing activity was strictly regulated and was extremely limited.
The country lived in an atmosphere of class hatred. In February 1918, the death penalty was restored. Opponents of the Bolshevik regime who organized armed uprisings were imprisoned in prisons and concentration camps. Assassination attempts on V.I. Lenin and the murder of M.S. Uritsky, chairman of the Petrograd Cheka, was summoned by a decree on the "Red Terror" (September 1918). The arbitrariness of the Cheka and local authorities unfolded, which, in turn, provoked anti-Soviet speeches. The rampant terror was generated by many factors: the aggravation of the confrontation between various social groups; low intellectual level the bulk of the population, poorly prepared for political life;
the uncompromising position of the Bolshevik leadership, which considered it necessary and possible to retain power at any cost.
The policy of "war communism" not only did not lead Russia out of economic ruin, but even aggravated it. Violation of market relations caused the collapse of finance, the reduction of production in industry and agriculture. The population of the cities was starving. However, the centralization of government allowed the Bolsheviks to mobilize all resources and retain power during the civil war.
44. New Economic Policy (NEP)
The essence and purpose of the NEP. At the Tenth Congress of the RCP(b) in March 1921, V.I. Lenin proposed a new economic policy. It was an anti-crisis program.
home political goal NEP to remove social tension, strengthen the social base of Soviet power in the form of an alliance of workers and peasants. The economic goal is to prevent further aggravation of the devastation, to get out of the crisis and restore the economy. social purpose to ensure favorable conditions for building a socialist society without waiting for a world revolution. In addition, the NEP was aimed at restoring normal foreign policy and foreign economic relations, at overcoming international isolation. The achievement of these goals led to the gradual curtailment of the NEP in the second half of the 1920s.
NEP implementation. The transition to the NEP was legally formalized by decrees of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars, decisions of the IX All-Russian Congress of Soviets in December 1921. The NEP included a set of economic and socio-political measures. They meant a "retreat" from the principles of "war communism" - the revival of private enterprise, the introduction of freedom of internal trade and the satisfaction of certain demands of the peasantry.
The introduction of the NEP began with agriculture by replacing the surplus appropriation with a food tax.
In production and trade, private individuals were allowed to open small and rent medium-sized enterprises. The decree on general nationalization was repealed.
Instead of a sectoral system of industrial management, a territorial-sectoral system was introduced. After the reorganization of the Supreme Council of National Economy, the leadership was carried out by its central boards through local economic councils (sovnarkhozes) and sectoral economic trusts.
In the financial sector, in addition to the single State Bank, private and cooperative banks and insurance companies appeared. In 1922, a monetary reform was carried out: the issue of paper money was reduced and the Soviet chervonets (10 rubles) was introduced into circulation, which was highly valued on the world currency market. This made it possible to strengthen the national currency and put an end to inflation. Evidence of the stabilization of the financial situation was the replacement of the tax in kind with its monetary equivalent.
As a result of the new economic policy in 1926, the main types of industrial products reached the pre-war level. Light industry developed faster than heavy industry, which required significant capital investments. The living conditions of the urban and rural population have improved. The abolition of the food distribution rationing system has begun. Thus, one of the tasks of the NEP - overcoming the devastation - was solved.
NEP brought about some changes in social policy. In 1922, a new Labor Code was adopted, which abolished general labor service and introduced free employment of labor
Planting the Bolshevik ideology in society. The Soviet government dealt a blow to the Russian Orthodox Church and put it under his control.
Strengthening the unity of the party, the defeat of political and ideological opponents made it possible to strengthen the one-party political system. This political system, with minor changes, continued to exist throughout the years of Soviet power.
Results of the domestic policy of the early 20s. NEP ensured the stabilization and restoration of the economy. However, soon after its introduction, the first successes gave way to new difficulties. Their occurrence was due to three reasons: the imbalance of industry and agriculture; purposefully class orientation of the internal policy of the government; strengthening contradictions between the diversity of social interests different layers society and the authoritarianism of the Bolshevik leadership.
The need to ensure the independence and defense of the country required the further development of the economy, primarily heavy industry. The priority of industry over agriculture: the economy resulted in the transfer of funds from the countryside to the city through pricing and tax policies. Sales prices for manufactured goods were artificially raised, and purchase prices for raw materials and products were lowered (price scissors). The difficulty of establishing a normal exchange of goods between the city and the countryside also gave rise to the unsatisfactory quality of industrial products. In the mid-1920s, the volume of state procurements of grain and raw materials fell. This reduced the ability to export agricultural products and therefore reduced the foreign exchange earnings needed to buy industrial equipment from abroad.
To overcome the crisis, the government has taken a number of administrative measures. The centralized management of the economy was strengthened, the independence of enterprises was limited, prices for manufactured goods were increased, taxes were increased for private entrepreneurs, merchants and kulaks. This meant the beginning of the collapse of the NEP.
Intra-party struggle for power. The economic and socio-political difficulties that manifested themselves already in the first years of the NEP, the desire to build socialism in the absence of experience in realizing this goal gave rise to an ideological crisis. All the fundamental questions of the country's development provoked sharp inner-party discussions.
IN AND. Lenin, the author of the NEP, who in 1921 assumed that this would be a policy "in earnest and for a long time", already a year later at the Eleventh Party Congress declared that it was time to stop the "retreat" towards capitalism and it was necessary to move on to building socialism.
45. The formation and essence of the power of the Soviets. Education of the USSR.
In 1922 a new state was formed - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(USSR). The unification of individual states was dictated by necessity - the strengthening of the economic potential and the appearance of a united front in the fight against the invaders. General historical roots, the long stay of peoples as part of one state, the friendliness of peoples towards each other, the commonality and interdependence of the economy, politics and culture made such an association possible. There was no consensus on the ways of unification of the republics. Thus, Lenin advocated a federal association, Stalin - for autonomy, Skripnik (Ukraine) - for a federation.
In 1922, at the first All-Union Congress of Soviets, which was attended by delegates from the RSFSR, Belarus, Ukraine and some Transcaucasian republics, the Declaration and Treaty on the Formation of the Union were adopted. Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) on a federal basis. In 1924, the Constitution of the new state was adopted. The All-Union Congress of Lights was declared the supreme body of power. In the intervals between congresses, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee worked, and the SNK (Council of People's Commissars) became the executive authority. Nepmans, clergy and kulaks were deprived of voting rights. After the emergence of the USSR, further expansion proceeded mainly by violent measures or by crushing the republics. During the Great Patriotic War, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia became socialist. Later, the Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijan SSRs were separated from the ZSFSR.
According to the Constitution of 1936, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was established as the highest all-Union legislative body, consisting of two equal chambers of the Council of the Union and the Council of Nationalities. Between sessions of the Supreme Council, the Presidium became the highest legislative and executive body.
Thus the creation Soviet Union had conflicting consequences for peoples. The development of the center and individual republics proceeded unevenly. Most often, the republics could not reach full development due to strict specialization (Central Asia is a supplier of raw materials for light industry, Ukraine is a food supplier, etc.). Between the republics, not market relations were built, but economic relations prescribed by the government. Russification and cultivation of Russian culture partly continued the imperial policy in the national question. However, in many republics, thanks to the entry into the Federation, steps were taken that made it possible to get rid of the feudal; remnants, raise the level of literacy and culture, establish the development of industry and agriculture, modernize transport, etc. Thus, the unification of economic resources and the dialogue of cultures undoubtedly had positive results for all republics
46. Economic development USSR during the first five-year plans.
At the XV Congress of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks in 1927, it was decided to draw up the first five-year plan for the development of the national economy (1928/29-1932/33). The growth of industrial output was supposed to increase up to 150%, labor productivity - up to 110%, reduce the cost of products by 35%, More than 70% of the budget was to go to the development of industry. The industrialization plan also provided for a change in production in the direction of the development of advanced industries (energy, engineering, metallurgy, chemical industry) capable of raising the entire industry and Agriculture. It was a progress that had no analogues in world history.
In the summer of 1929, a call was made: "Five-year plan - in 4 years!" Stalin declared that in a number of sectors the plan for the first five-year plan would be fulfilled in three years. At the same time, planned targets were revised in the direction of their increase. The need was put forward to organize and inspire the masses with lofty ideas for a practically gratuitous pile and the implementation of lofty ideals.
1930-1931 became a time of storming the economy with the help of military-communist methods. The sources of industrialization were the unprecedented enthusiasm of the working people, the austerity regime, compulsory loans from the population, the issuance (issue) of money, and price increases. However, overvoltage led to the breakdown of the entire control system, production failures, and mass arrests of specialists and an influx of untrained workers led to an increase in accidents. They tried to stop the decline in the pace of development with new repressions, the search for spies and saboteurs, and the involvement of the labor of prisoners and forced migrants. However, all the successes achieved did not correspond to the set plans, the tasks of the first five-year plan were actually frustrated. In the early 30s. the pace of development fell from 23 to 5%, the program for the development of metallurgy was failed. The marriage rate has increased. Increased inflation caused a rise in prices and a fall in the value of gold coins. Growing social tension in the village. The failure of the first five-year plan forced the country's leadership to announce its early implementation and make adjustments to planning.
In January-February 1939, the XVII Congress of the CPSU (b) approved the second five-year plan (1933-1937). The focus continued to be on the development of heavy industry. Were reduced, compared with the first plan, the expected performance. The development of light industry was envisaged - its transfer to sources of raw materials. Most of the textile enterprises were located in Central Asia, Siberia, Transcaucasia. The policy of egalitarian distribution has been partially revised - piecework wages have been temporarily introduced, wage rates have changed, and bonuses have been introduced. A serious role in improving the situation in the national economy was played by the movements of labor enthusiasts and shock workers.
In 1939, the third five-year plan (1938-1942) was approved. The development of the country's economy in the Third Five-Year Plan was characterized by special attention to increasing industrial output, creating large state reserves, and building up the capacity of the defense industry. Repressions, the restoration of command and directive methods of management and the militarization of labor, the outbreak of the Patriotic War, affected the pace of industrialization. However, despite the difficulties and miscalculations in policy, industrialization has become a reality.
During the years of the first five-year plans, advanced industrial technologies. A number of new industries have emerged in heavy engineering, the production of new machine tools and tools, the automotive, factor industry, tank building, aircraft building, electric power industry, etc. have been established. Chemical and chemical industries have undergone a complete technical reconstruction. petrochemical industry, metallurgy, energy, transport. national income increased 5 times, industrial output - 6 times. The number of the working class, including highly professional personnel, increased significantly. The level of education has risen. Thanks to industrialization, it was possible to strengthen the country on the eve of the Great Patriotic War.
The policy of war communism was carried out by the Soviet government in the period from 1918 to 1920. Introduced and developed by the commander of the Council of People's and Peasant Defense V.I. Lenin and his associates. It was aimed at uniting the country and preparing the people for life in a new communist state, where there is no division into rich and poor. Such a modernization of society (transition from traditional system to modern) caused discontent among the most numerous layers - peasants and workers. Lenin himself called it a necessary measure to achieve the goals set by the Bolsheviks. As a result, from saving tactics, this system grew into a terrorist dictatorship of the proletariat.
What is called the policy of war communism
This process took place in three directions: economic, ideological and social. The characteristics of each of them are presented in the table.
Directions of the political program | Specifications |
economic | The Bolsheviks developed a program for Russia to get out of the crisis in which it had been since the war with Germany that began in 1914. Further, the situation was aggravated by the revolution of 1917, later by the Civil War. The main emphasis was placed on increasing the productivity of enterprises and the general rise of industry. |
ideological | Some scientists, representatives of non-conformism, believe that this policy is an attempt to put Marxist ideas into practice. The Bolsheviks sought to create a society consisting of hardworking workers who devote all their energies to the development of military affairs and other state needs. |
social | The creation of a just communist society is one of the goals of Lenin's policy. Such ideas were actively promoted among the people. This explains the involvement of a large number peasants and workers. They were promised, in addition to improving their living conditions, an increase social status through the establishment of universal equality. |
This policy implied a large-scale restructuring not only in the system government controlled but also in the minds of citizens. The authorities saw a way out of this situation only in the forced unification of the people in an aggravated military situation, which was called “war communism”.
What was the policy of war communism
The main features of historians include:
- centralization of the economy and nationalization of industry (full state control);
- prohibition of private trade and other types of individual entrepreneurship;
- the introduction of surplus appropriation (forced withdrawal of part of the bread and other products by the state);
- forced labor of all citizens from 16 to 60 years;
- monopolization in the field of agriculture;
- equalization of all citizens in rights and building a just state.
Characteristics and features
The new political program had a pronounced totalitarian character. Called to improve the economy and raise the spirit of the war-weary people, on the contrary, it destroyed both the first and the second.
In the country at that time there was a post-revolutionary situation, which developed into a military one. All resources provided by industry and agriculture were taken away by the front. The essence of the communist policy was to defend the workers' and peasants' power by any means, personally plunging the country into a "half-starved and worse than half-starved" state, in his words.
A distinctive feature of war communism was the fierce struggle between capitalism and socialism that flared up against the background of the civil war. The first system was supported by the bourgeoisie, who actively advocated the preservation of private property and the free trade sector. Socialism was supported by adherents of communist views, speaking with directly opposite speeches. Lenin believed that the revival of the policy of capitalism, which had existed in Tsarist Russia for half a century, would lead the country to destruction and death. According to the leader of the proletariat, such economic system ruins the working people, enriches the capitalists and gives rise to speculation.
The new political program was introduced by the Soviet government in September 1918. It included activities such as:
- introduction of surplus appropriation (seizure of food products from working citizens for the needs of the front)
- general labor service of citizens from 16 to 60 years
- cancellation of payment for transport and utilities
- government provision of free housing
- centralization of the economy
- prohibition of private trade
- establishing a direct exchange of goods between the countryside and the city
Causes of War Communism
The reasons for the introduction of such emergency measures were provoked by:
- the weakening of the state's economy after World War I and the 1917 revolution;
- the desire of the Bolsheviks to centralize power and take the country under their total control;
- the need to supply the front with food and weapons against the backdrop of the unfolding Civil War;
- the desire of the new authorities to give the peasants and workers the right to legal labor activity wholly controlled by the state
War Communism Politics and Agriculture
Agriculture was hit hard. Especially from the new policy, the inhabitants of the villages, where the "food terror" was carried out, suffered. In support of the military-communist ideas, on March 26, 1918, a decree "On the organization of commodity exchange" was issued. He implied bilateral cooperation: the supply of everything necessary for both the city and the village. In fact, it turned out that the entire agrarian industry and agriculture worked only for the purpose of restoring heavy industry. For the sake of this, a redistribution of land was carried out, as a result of which the peasants more than doubled their land plots.
Comparative table based on the results of the policy of war communism and the NEP:
Politics of war communism | ||
Reasons for the introduction | The need to unite the country and increase all-Russian productivity after the First World War and the 1917 revolution | People's dissatisfaction with the dictatorship of the proletariat, economic recovery |
Economy | Destroying the economy, plunging the country into an even greater crisis | Noticeable economic growth, new monetary reform, the country's exit from the crisis |
Market relations | Prohibition of private property and personal capital | Recovery of private capital, legalization of market relations |
Industry and agriculture | Nationalization of industry, total control of the activities of all enterprises, the introduction of surplus appropriation, a general decline |