What was included in the policy of war communism. “War communism”: causes, chronological framework, main events, consequences
War communism (policy of war communism) – name domestic policy Soviet Russia conducted during the Civil War of 1918-1921.
The essence of war communism was to prepare the country for a new, communist society, which the new authorities were oriented towards. War communism was characterized by the following features:
- extreme degree of centralization of management of the entire economy;
- nationalization of industry (from small to large);
- a ban on private trade and the curtailment of commodity-money relations;
- state monopolization of many branches of agriculture;
- militarization of labor (orientation towards the military industry);
- total equalization, when everyone received an equal amount of benefits and goods.
It was on the basis of these principles that it was planned to build a new state, where there are no rich and poor, where everyone is equal and everyone receives exactly as much as is necessary for normal life. Scientists believe that the introduction of a new policy was necessary in order not only to survive the Civil War, but also to quickly rebuild the country on new type society.
50. The policy of “war communism” essence, results.
“War communism” is the economic policy of the state in conditions of economic ruin and civil war, the mobilization of all forces and resources for the defense of the country.
The Civil War confronted the Bolsheviks with the task of creating a huge army, maximum mobilization of all resources, and hence maximum centralization of power and subordination of all spheres of state activity.
As a result, the policy of “war communism” pursued by the Bolsheviks in 1918-1920 was based, on the one hand, on the experience of state regulation of economic relations during the First World War, because there was devastation in the country; on the other hand, on utopian ideas about the possibility of a direct transition to marketless socialism, which ultimately led to accelerating the pace of socio-economic transformations in the country during the Civil War.
Basic elements of the policy of "war communism"
The policy of “war communism” included a set of measures that affected the economic and socio-political spheres. The main thing 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.
In the field of economics: the accelerated nationalization of large and medium-sized enterprises was prescribed. Accelerating the nationalization of all industries. By the end of 1920, 80% of large and medium-sized enterprises, which employed 70% of the employed workers, were nationalized. In subsequent years, nationalization was extended to small businesses, which led to the elimination of private ownership in industry. A state monopoly of foreign trade was established.
In November 1920, the Supreme Economic Council decided to nationalize all industry, including small industry.
In 1918, the transition from individual forms of farming to partnerships was proclaimed. Recognized a) state - Soviet economy;
b) production communes;
c) partnerships for joint cultivation of land.
The logical continuation of the food dictatorship was the surplus appropriation system. The state determined its needs for agricultural products and forced the peasantry to supply them without taking into account the capabilities of the village. For the confiscated products, the peasants were left with receipts and money, which lost their value due to inflation. The established fixed prices for products were 40 times lower than market prices. The village desperately resisted and therefore food appropriation 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, they were distributed by the state in the form of wages in kind. An equalization 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, neither shall he eat.” Labor conscription was introduced for representatives of the former exploiting classes, and in 1920 - universal labor conscription. Forced mobilization of labor resources was carried out with the help of labor armies sent to restore transport, construction work, etc. Naturalization of wages led to the free provision of housing, utilities, transport, postal and telegraph services.
In the political sphere The undivided dictatorship of the RCP(b) was established. The Bolshevik Party has ceased to be purely political organization, its apparatus gradually merged with government structures. It determined the political, ideological, economic and cultural situation in the country, even the personal life of citizens.
The activities of other political parties that fought against the dictatorship of the Bolsheviks (cadets, mensheviks, socialist revolutionaries) were prohibited. Some prominent public figures emigrated, others were repressed. The activities of the Soviets acquired a formal character, since they only carried out the instructions of the Bolshevik party bodies. The trade unions, which were placed under party and state control, lost their independence. The proclaimed freedom of speech and press was not respected. Almost all non-Bolshevik press outlets were closed. The assassination attempts on Lenin and the murder of Uritsky prompted the decree on the “Red Terror.”
In the spiritual realm– the establishment of Marxism as the dominant ideology, the formation of faith in the omnipotence of violence, the establishment of morality that justifies any actions in the interests of the revolution.
The results of the policy of "war communism".
As a result of the policy of “war communism”, socio-economic conditions for victory were created Soviet republic over the interventionists and the White Guards.
At the same time, the war and the policy of “war communism” had dire consequences for the country’s economy. The disruption of market relations caused the collapse of finance, a reduction in industrial production and agriculture.
The surplus appropriation system led to a reduction in plantings and the gross harvest of major agricultural crops. In 1920-1921 famine broke out in the country. The reluctance to tolerate surplus appropriation led to the creation of rebel pockets. A rebellion broke out in Kronstadt, during which political slogans were put forward (“Power to the Soviets, not parties!”, “Soviets without the Bolsheviks!”).
The acute political and economic crisis pushed the party leaders to reconsider “the entire point of view on socialism.” After extensive discussion at the end of 1920 - beginning of 1921, the gradual abolition of the policy of “war communism” began.
Have a good day everyone! In this post we will dwell on such an important topic as the policy of war communism - we will briefly analyze its key provisions. This topic is very difficult, but it is constantly tested in exams. Ignorance of concepts and terms related to this topic will inevitably entail a low grade with all the ensuing consequences.
The essence of the policy of war communism
The policy of war communism is a system of socio-economic measures that were implemented by the Soviet leadership and which was based on the key postulates of Marxist-Leninist ideology.
This policy consisted of three components: the Red Guard attack on capital, nationalization and confiscation of grain from the peasants.
One of these postulates states that it is an inevitable evil for the development of society and the state. Firstly, it gives rise to social inequality, and, secondly, the exploitation of some classes by others. For example, if you own a lot of land, you will hire hired workers to cultivate it - and this is exploitation.
Another postulate of Marxist-Leninist theory says that money is evil. Money makes people be greedy and selfish. Therefore, money was simply eliminated, trade was prohibited, even simple barter - the exchange of goods for goods.
Red Guard attack on capital and nationalization
Therefore, the first component of the Red Guard's attack on capital was the nationalization of private banks and their subordination to the State Bank. The entire infrastructure was nationalized: communication lines, railways and so on. Worker control was also approved at factories. In addition, the decree on land destroyed the village private property to the land and transferred it to the peasantry.
All foreign trade was monopolized so that citizens could not enrich themselves. Also, the entire river fleet became state property.
The second component of the policy under consideration was nationalization. On June 28, 1918, the Council of People's Commissars issued a Decree on the transfer of all industries into the hands of the state. What did all these measures mean for the owners of banks and factories?
Well, imagine - you are a foreign businessman. You have assets in Russia: a couple of steel production plants. October 1917 comes, and after some time the local Soviet power announces that your factories are state-owned. And you won't get a penny. She cannot buy these enterprises from you because she has no money. But it’s easy to appropriate. So how? Would you like this? No! And your government won't like it. Therefore, the response to such measures was the intervention of England, France, Japan in Russia in the years civil war.
Of course, some countries, for example Germany, began to buy shares from their businessmen in companies that the Soviet government decided to appropriate. This could have led to the intervention of this country in the process of nationalization. That is why the above-mentioned Decree of the Council of People's Commissars was adopted so hastily.
Food dictatorship
In order to supply cities and the army with food, the Soviet government introduced another measure of military communism - food dictatorship. Its essence was that now the state voluntarily and forcibly confiscated grain from the peasants.
It is clear that the latter will not hurt to hand over bread for free in the quantity required by the state. Therefore, the country's leadership continued the tsarist measure - surplus appropriation. Prodrazverstka is when the required amount of grain was distributed to the regions. And it doesn’t matter whether you have this bread or not, it will still be confiscated.
It is clear that the lion's share of the grain went to wealthy peasants - kulaks. They definitely won’t hand over anything voluntarily. Therefore, the Bolsheviks acted very cunningly: they created committees of the poor (kombedas), which were entrusted with the responsibility of confiscating grain.
Well, look. Who is more on the tree: poor or rich? It’s clear - the poor. Are they jealous of their wealthy neighbors? Naturally! So let them confiscate their bread! Food detachments (food detachments) helped confiscate bread for the poor people. This is, in fact, how the policy of war communism took place.
To organize the material, use the table:
| Politics of War Communism | ||||||||
| "Military" - this policy was called emergency conditions Civil War | "Communism" - a serious influence on economic policy influenced the ideological beliefs of the Bolsheviks who strove for communism | |||||||
| Why? | ||||||||
| Main events | ||||||||
| ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ||||||
| In industry | In agriculture | In the field of commodity-money relations | ||||||
| ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ||||||
| All enterprises were nationalized | The committees were dissolved. A Decree on the allocation of grain and fodder was issued. | Prohibition of free trade. Food was given as wages. | ||||||
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In order to responsibly understand what the policy of war communism was, let us briefly consider the public mood during the turbulent years of the Civil War, as well as the position of the Bolshevik Party during this period (its
participation in the war and government policy).
The years 1917-1921 were the most difficult period in the history of our fatherland. They were made that way by bloody wars with many warring parties and the most difficult geopolitical situation
communism: briefly about the position of the CPSU (b)
At this difficult time in various parts of the former empire, many claimants fought for every piece of its land. German Army; local national forces who tried to create their own states on the fragments of the empire (for example, the formation of the UPR); local popular associations commanded by regional authorities; the Poles who invaded Ukrainian territories in 1919; White Guard counter-revolutionaries; Entente formations allied to the latter; and, finally, the Bolshevik units. Under these conditions, an absolutely necessary guarantee of victory was the complete concentration of forces and the mobilization of all available resources for the military defeat of all opponents. Actually, this mobilization on the part of the communists was war communism, carried out by the leadership of the CPSU (b) from the first months of 1918 to March 1921.
Politics briefly about the essence of the regime
During its implementation, the mentioned policy caused many contradictory assessments. Its main points were the following measures:
Nationalization of the entire complex of industry and the country's banking system;
State monopolization of foreign trade;
Forced labor service for the entire population capable of working;
Food dictatorship. It was this point that became the most hated by the peasants, since part of the grain was forcibly confiscated in favor of the soldiers and the starving city. The surplus appropriation system is often held up today as an example of the atrocities of the Bolsheviks, but it should be noted that with its help the workers in the cities were significantly smoothed out.
The politics of war communism: briefly about the reaction of the population
Frankly speaking, war communism was a forceful method of coercion masses to increase the intensity of work for the victory of the Bolsheviks. As already mentioned, the bulk of the discontent in Russia, a peasant country at that time, was caused by food appropriation. However, in fairness, it must be said that the White Guards also used the same technique. It logically followed from the state of affairs in the country, since the First World War and the Civil War completely destroyed the traditional trade ties between the village and the city. This led to the deplorable state of many industrial enterprises. At the same time, there was dissatisfaction with the policies of war communism in the cities. Here, instead of the expected increase in labor productivity and economic revival, on the contrary, there was a weakening of discipline at enterprises. The replacement of old personnel with new ones (who were communists, but not always qualified managers) led to a noticeable decline in industry and a decline economic indicators.
Despite all the difficulties, the policy of war communism still fulfilled its intended role. Although not always successful, the Bolsheviks were able to gather all their forces against the counter-revolution and survive the battles. At the same time, it caused popular uprisings and seriously undermined the authority of the CPSU (b) among the peasantry. The last such mass uprising was the Kronstadt one, which took place in the spring of 1921. As a result, Lenin initiated the transition to the so-called 1921 as soon as possible helped restore the national economy.
War communism is a policy that was carried out Soviet government during the Civil War. Then the policy of war communism implied the nationalization of large and medium-sized industries, surplus appropriation, nationalization of banks, labor conscription, refusal to use money for foreign trade. In addition, the policy of war communism is characterized by free transport, abolition of fees for medical services, free education, no fees for one of the main features that we can characterize this policy with - this is the most severe centralization of the economy.
When they talk about the reasons for the Bolsheviks to pursue such a policy, it is often said that the policy of war communism corresponded to the Marxist ideology of the Bolsheviks, their ideas about the onset of communism, universal equality, and so on. However, such a point of view is incorrect. The fact is that the Bolsheviks themselves emphasized in their speeches that the policy of war communism was a temporary phenomenon, and it was caused by the most severe conditions of the civil war. Bolshevik Bogdanov, even before the establishment of communist power, wrote that such a system stems from the conditions of war. He was the first to propose calling such a system war communism. A number of historians also say that war communism is a system caused by objective factors, and similar systems were found in other countries and under other governments in similar extreme conditions. For example, surplus appropriation is a system according to which the peasant gave food products at prices set by the state. There is a fairly popular myth that the Bolsheviks allegedly invented surplus appropriation. In fact, surplus appropriation was introduced by the tsarist government during the First World War. It turns out that many of the measures of war communism are not specific inventions of socialist thought, but universal methods for the survival of the state economy in extreme conditions.
However, the policy also implied phenomena that could be attributed specifically to socialist innovations. This is, for example, free transport, cancellation of fees for medical services, free education, no fees public utilities. It will be difficult to find examples where the state is in the most severe conditions and at the same time carries out such transformations. Although, perhaps, these events not only corresponded to Marxist ideology, but also contributed to the growth of the popularity of the Bolsheviks.
Keep for a long time such a policy could not, and indeed it was not needed, in peacetime conditions. Over time, a crisis ensued in the policy of War Communism, evidenced by constant peasant uprisings. At that time, peasants believed that all hardships were temporary, and that after the victory of the communists, life would become easier. When the war ended, the peasants no longer saw the point in over-centralization. If the beginning of communism is associated with 1918, then the end of war communism is considered to be 1921, when the surplus appropriation system was abolished and a tax in kind was introduced in its place.
War communism is a phenomenon that was caused by objective reasons, was a forced measure and was canceled when the need for it was no longer necessary. The collapse of such a policy was facilitated by repeated peasant uprisings, as well as events in the sailors in 1921). It can be considered that main task War communism fulfilled - the state managed to resist, preserve the economy and win the Civil War.