Policy of “War communism” in Kazakhstan (1918- March 1921 yy.) Lecture № 33

Brief contents: 1.General essence of policy of War communism. 2.Results of policy of War communism

1.General essence of policy of War communism. War Communism was introduced by Lenin to combat the economic problems brought on by the civil war in Russia. It was a combination of emergency measures and socialist dogma. War Communism was the name given to the economic system that existed in Russia  from 1918 to 1921

One of the first measures of War Communism was the nationalization of land. Banks and shipping were also nationalized and foreign trade was declared a state monopoly. This was the response when Lenin realized that the Bolsheviks  were simply unprepared to take over the whole economic system of Russia.

War Communism also took control of the distribution of food War Communism also took control of the distribution of food. The Food Commissariat was set up to carry out this task. All cooperatives were fused together under this Commissariat.

Grain withdrawal at peasants

War communism have few principles: 1)   Production should be run by the state. Private ownership should be kept to the minimum. Private houses were to be confiscated by the state. 2)   State control was to be granted over the labour of every citizen. Once a military army had served its purpose, it would become a labour army. 3)   The state should produce everything in its own undertakings. The state tried to control the activities of millions of peasants.

4) Extreme centralization was introduced 4)   Extreme centralization was introduced. The economic life of the area controlled by the Bolsheviks was put into the hands of just a few organizations. The most important one was the Supreme Economic Council. This had the right to confiscate and requisition. The specialty of the SEC was the management of industry.

5) War Communism attempted to abolish money as a means of exchange  5) War Communism attempted to abolish money as a means of exchange. The Bolsheviks wanted to go over to a system of a natural economy in which all transactions were carried out in kind. Effectively, bartering would be introduced. The only tax allowed was the ‘Extraordinary Revolutionary Tax’, which was targeted at the rich and not the workers.

5) War Communism attempted to abolish money as a means of exchange  5) War Communism attempted to abolish money as a means of exchange. The Bolsheviks wanted to go over to a system of a natural economy in which all transactions were carried out in kind. Effectively, bartering would be introduced. The only tax allowed was the “Extraordinary Revolutionary Tax”, which was targeted at the rich and not the workers.

2.Results of policy of War communism The harshness of War Communism could be justified whilst the civil war was going on. When it had finished, there could be no such justification. Lenin faced the very real risk of an uprising of workers and peasants and he needed to show the type of approach to the problem that the tsarist regime was incapable of doing.

In February 1921, Lenin had decided to do away with War Communism and replace it with a completely different system – New Economic Policy. War Communism was swept away. During War Communism, the people had no incentive to produce as money had been abolished. They did what needed to be done because of the civil war, but once this had ended Lenin could not use it as an excuse any longer.

The policy of military communism led to the scary tragedy in Russia and Kazakhstan - to hunger. In Kazakhstan in 1921-22 there was severe famine.

The poor Kazakh families

More than 2 million 300 thousand people in Kazakhstan starved, about 1 million people died of hunger and diseases. Especially the western and southwest regions of the Republic where the crop wasn't for several years suffered.

Thank you for the attention!