1. War Communism 1918-21

2. Why introduced A series of collective measures to move away from state capitalism in the light of the changes that were necessitated by the Civil War Lenin believed the best way to proceed was to strengthen measures in Red controlled areas in order to bolster support against the Whites Every aspect of life was now focussed on winning the war for the Bolsheviks.

3. Effect on industry Centralisation of industry was used as a means to increase production, enforced with the Red Guard and the Cheka Many Soviets were now infiltrated with Bolshevik influence and by June 1918, almost all industry was under the control of the government Nationalisation did not increase production, as the disruption caused by the First World War and then Civil War proved problematic. Military needs were given priority over all other industries Many workers also left the factories in search of food, causing a further fall in productivity. Between 1918 and 1921, the populations of Petrograd and Moscow halved as people searched for food. Hyper-inflation worsened the situation as goods became scarce. Whilst War Communism tightened the Bolshevik grip on power, it did not lead to economic growth.

4. Effects on agriculture The driving factor behind war communism was to increase food supply to all of Russia The peasants stood in the way of this aim, as they were resistant to change and government intervention The Bolsheviks blamed famine on kulaks who it claimed were hoarding grain to keep prices high This was not true; instead peasants saw no point in producing more food until the government paid a fair price

5. Grain requisitioning The government condemned the peasants as counter revolutionary and sent Cheka units into the country to seize or requisition grain Kulaks were targetted for especially bad treatment Winter grain was seized and many peasants handed the smallest quantities they could in order that they could feed themselves

6. Famine By 1921, drought, disruption from war and requisitioning created a national famine. Harvests of 1920-21 were half that of 1913 with one in five of the population starving The Bolsheviks blamed the Whites and the Kulaks, but had to accept some responsibility and accepted foreign assistance, mostly from the USA Much of this was received too late, with five million dying from lack of food; many resorting to cannibalism

7. The end of War Communism By 1921, the economic situation undermined war communism, as agricultural and industrial production had fallen greatly. Some in the party believed it represented true communism as it involved the centralisation of industry, the end of private ownership and the squeezing of the peasants The severity of war communism caused uprisings against the Bolsheviks Lenin believed it a good policy which enabled him also to pursue his attack on the church.