Lenin and War Communism. Vladimir Lenin First leader of the USSR. Studied law but was expelled for...
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Transcript of Lenin and War Communism. Vladimir Lenin First leader of the USSR. Studied law but was expelled for...
Lenin and War Communism
Vladimir Lenin• First leader of the USSR.• Studied law but was expelled for
taking part in student demonstrations.• Returned to overthrow the
provisional government of Russia in 1917.
Russian Civil War 1917-1922• Mensheviks (White Army) vs.
Bolsheviks (Red Army).• Mensheviks–Power must remain with the
bourgeoisie.• Bolsheviks (Lenin)–Real revolution must be led by the
proletariat.
Red Army• The Bolshevik party was led by
Lenin.• Leon Trotsky- In 1918 he became
war commissioner and set about building up the Red Army.• Many thought Trotsky would be
Lenin’s successor.
Leon Trotsky
Anti-Bolshevik Poster, 1919
War Communism• Economic policies of the Bolsheviks
during the Russian Civil War.–Nationalized banks, land, and foreign
trade.–Ended all private forms of capitalism. –The state took any extra grain and
food products from the peasants.
“A staged photo (1921) extolling the virtues of agricultural collectivism”
War CommunismAction1. Nationalization of industry.2. State took all of the surplus food.
Effect• 1. Large factories were
producing 18% of their 1913 figure.
• 2. No incentive to produce more than required, left factory workers hungry, people moved to the countryside from the cities.
War CommunismAction• 3. State
monopoly on foreign trade.• 4. Private trade
made illegal.
Effect• 3. Foreign trade
ceased to exist.• 4. Money
became almost useless.
War Communism Results• Opposition to War Communism
peaked in early 1921 after the end of the civil war, with strikes and rebellions.
New Economic Policy
New Economic Policy• The original plan was to have
capitalism in place until the economy was strong enough to achieve socialism.• Gave them the freedom to sell what
they produced for profit, which was not allowed under War Communism.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U5duV94Ocs
New Economic Policy• Used to ease the burden of War
Communism.• Used as a way to build a socialist
foundation.• The peasants would be allowed to
sell freely (for profit) that which they had left over after the tax had been collected.
Bell Work• What was War Communism?• What was the New Economic
Policy?• How were the two policies
different? –Try and think of specific examples