Trotsky's contribution to the civil war, War Communism and the New Economic Policy

• History
• Secondary Education

Trotsky's contribution to the civil war

Western historians often claim that Trotsky's efforts helped the Red armies to succeed. However, he was not a military strategist. He travelled around Russia, visiting troops in his train.

Trotsky

His train was his ``headquarters, communications centre and troop transporter`` (Waller, 231).

He was committed to achieving military vistory. He refused to give in when Yudenich's army threatened Petrograd. He travelled to the front and was involved in saving the city from the Whites.

Trotsky

- After Stalin came to power, the Soviets tried to ''write him out of history'' (Waller, 231).

- He clashed with Stalin and was not loved by all Bolsheviks.

Lenin and the civil war

- He was not really involved in decision-making and never visited the front line.

- ''...his personal contributions to the civil war victory must be judged quite minimal`` (Waller, 232).

War Communism 1918

Background:

- October 1917: Bolsheviks seize power. The party agreed that resources should be shared equally but how this should be achieved was a question of debate.

- Peasants and urban workers: land and factory committees were established to give this group more autonomy.

- Lenin was in favour of a ''long transition to socialism`` (Waller, 233). He referred to a transitional period of ''state capitalism``.

- Peasant and worker autonomy: a disaster economically. Workers gave themselves extra pay, could not organise their factories well and stole materials. When the civil war started factory output shrank and raw materials could not be supplied. This led to inflation.

- Peasants: did not want to sell their produce as they weren't able to get anything in return from the cities. They started hoarding grain. Food shortages arose in some cities.

- The pressures of the civil war led to War Communism.

War Communism

- The state became a centralised command economy.

- Industry was now under state control: Nationalisation of the railways and merchant fleet in spring of 1918. Factories under state control in June 1918.

- December 1918: Vesenkha (the Supreme Council of the National Economy) was established.

- State-employed managers replaced the factory committees.

- Labour discipline became stricter. Workers were fined and internal passports were introduced to stop wokers leaving urban areas. Unions now controlled workers and workers received ration tokens as pay. How did this rationing system work and what did it lead to? (page 235)

- May 1918: the Food Supplies Dictatorship was set up. Soldiers, Red Guards and workers were sent to make peasants hand over their grain. Horses, carts and firewood were also taken.

- 3 types of peasants: poor and less poor peasants were seen as friends of the proletariat. The kulaks were seen as ''enemies of the people''.

- Kulaks were targetted: grain supplies fell, 1/3 of the land turned to grass and livestock was killed.

-Lenin's views on War Communism:  it was the natural extension of class warfare. It was needed in order to destroy ''bourgeois attitudes'' (Waller, 235)

- Trotsky's views: at first he opposed it, suggested his own mixed socialist/capitalist program in 1920. This was turned down by the party. He then thought that greater discipline was needed to save Russia from the past and the economic problems it faced after the civil war.

pages 237-237
Famine hit Russia in

1. 1920
2. 1930
3. 1940
4. 1921

As many as ......million people died as a result of the famine.

1. 10
2. 15
3. 25
4. 8

The worst peasant violence occurred in

1. Petrograd
2. Tambov province
3. Moscow
4. Vladivostok

.......Red Army troops were sent to stop the peasant violence.

1. 20 000
2. 100 000
3. 10 000
4. 50 000

pages 238-239

- Strikes and riots in towns. Calls for ''soviets without communism''.

- January 1921: bread rations reduced by 1/3.

- Martial law was declared, the Cheka crushed demonstrations as normal soldiers did not want to.

What happened at the Kronstadt naval base in March 1921 and why was this event significant?

What did the Workers' Opposition Group want to achieve?

Who were the Nepmen and what did they do?