The content of the policy of war communism is brief. War Communism (briefly)

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 set before the Bolsheviks the task of creating a huge army, the maximum mobilization of all resources, and hence - the maximum centralization of power and the subordination of all spheres of the state's life.

As a result, the policy of "war communism", pursued by the Bolsheviks in 1918-1920, was built, on the one hand, on the experience of state regulation of economic relations during the First World War, because. there was ruin in the country; on the other hand, on utopian ideas about the possibility of a direct transition to market-free socialism, which ultimately led to the acceleration of the pace of socio-economic transformations in the country during the years of the Civil War.

The main elements of the policy of "war communism"

The policy of "war communism" included a set of measures that affected the economic and socio-political sphere. The main thing in this 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: accelerated nationalization of large and medium-sized enterprises was prescribed. Accelerating the nationalization of all branches of industry. By the end of 1920, 80% of large and medium-sized enterprises were nationalized, employing 70% of employed workers. In subsequent years, nationalization was extended to small ones, which led to the elimination of private property in industry. The state monopoly of foreign trade was established.

From November 1920, the Supreme Council of National Economy decided to nationalize all industry, including small-scale industry.

In 1918, the transition from individual forms of farming to partnerships was proclaimed. Recognized a) state - the Soviet economy;

b) industrial communes;

c) partnerships for the joint cultivation of the land.

The surplus appropriation became a logical continuation of the food dictatorship. The state determined its needs for agricultural products and forced the peasantry to supply them without taking into account the possibilities of the countryside. For the confiscated products, the peasants were left receipts and money, which lost their value due to inflation. The established fixed prices for products were 40 times lower than the market ones. The village desperately resisted and therefore the surplus 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 was limited, they were distributed by the state in the form of wages in kind. An equalizing 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 "Who does not work, he does not eat." Labor service was introduced for representatives of the former exploiting classes, and in 1920 - universal labor service. Forced mobilization of labor resources was carried out with the help of labor armies sent to restore transport, construction work, etc. The 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 ceased to be a purely political organization; its apparatus gradually merged with state 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 (the Kadets, Mensheviks, Socialist-Revolutionaries) were banned. 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 organs. Trade unions, placed under party and state control, lost their independence. The proclaimed freedom of speech and press was not respected. Almost all non-Bolshevik press organs were closed. The assassination attempts on Lenin and the assassination of Uritsky caused a 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 action 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 were created for the victory of the Soviet Republic over the interventionists and the White Guards.

At the same time, the war and the policy of "war communism" had grave consequences for the country's economy. Violation of market relations caused the collapse of finance, the reduction of production in industry and agriculture.

The food requisition led to a reduction in sowing and gross harvest of major agricultural crops. In 1920-1921. famine broke out in the country. The unwillingness to endure the surplus led to the creation of insurgent centers. A rebellion broke out in Kronstadt, during which political slogans were put forward ("Power to the Soviets, not parties!", "Soviets without Bolsheviks!").

The acute political and economic crisis prompted the leaders of the party to reconsider "the whole point of view of socialism." After a broad discussion in late 1920 - early 1921, the gradual abolition of the policy of "war communism" began.

War communism is a kind of policy that was carried out in the period from 1918 to 1921 by the young Soviet state. It still causes a lot of controversy among historians. In particular, few can unequivocally say how justified it was (and whether it was). Some elements of the policy are considered a reaction to the threat of the "white movement", others, presumably, were caused by the Civil War. At the same time, the reasons for the introduction of war communism are reduced to several factors:

The coming to power of the Bolsheviks, who perceived the teachings of Engels and Marx literally as a program of action. Many, led by Bukharin, demanded that all communist measures be immediately implemented in the economy. They did not want to think about how realistic and feasible it is, how true it is. As well as the fact that Marx and Engels were more theorists who interpreted practice to please their worldviews. In addition, they wrote with a focus on industrialized countries, where there were very different institutions. Russia, their theory did not take into account.
The lack of real experience in managing a vast country among those who came to power. This was shown not only by the policy of war communism, but also by its results, in particular, a sharp reduction in production, a decrease in the amount of sowing, and the loss of peasant interest in agriculture. The state surprisingly quickly fell into an incredible decline, it was undermined.
Civil War. The introduction of a number of measures was directly connected with the need to defend the revolution at any cost. Even if it meant hunger.

It is worth noting that Soviet historiographers, trying to justify what the policy of war communism suggested, talked about the deplorable state of the country in which the state was after the First World War and the reign of Nicholas II. However, there is a clear distortion here.

The fact is that 1916 was a rather favorable year for Russia at the front. It was also marked by an excellent harvest. In addition, to be frank, military communism was not primarily aimed at saving the state. In many ways, it was a way to consolidate their power in both domestic and foreign policy. What is very characteristic of many dictatorial regimes, the characteristic features of the future Stalinist rule were laid down even then.

The maximum centralization of the management system of the economy, which surpassed even autocracy, the introduction of surplus appropriation, rapid hyperinflation, the nationalization of almost all resources and enterprises - these are far from all the features. Compulsory labor appeared, which was largely militarized. Completely private trading is prohibited. In addition, the state tried to abandon commodity-money relations, which almost led the country to a complete disaster. However, a number of researchers believe that it did lead.

It is worth noting that the main provisions of war communism were based on leveling. The individual approach not only to a specific enterprise, but even to industries was destroyed. Therefore, a noticeable decrease in performance is quite natural. During the years of the Civil War, this could have turned into a disaster for the new government, if it had lasted at least a couple more years. So historians believe that the curtailment was timely.

Prodrazverstka

War communism is a highly controversial phenomenon in itself. However, few things caused as many conflicts as surplus appropriation. Its characterization is quite simple: the Soviet authorities, experiencing a constant need for food, decided to organize something like a tax in kind. The main goals were the maintenance of the army that opposed the "whites".

After the surplus appropriation was introduced, the attitude of the peasants to the new government deteriorated greatly. The main negative result was that many agrarians began to openly regret the monarchy, so they were not satisfied with the policy of war communism. What later served as an impetus for the perception of the peasantry, especially the prosperous, as a potentially dangerous element for the communist form of government. We can say that as a result of the surplus appropriation, dispossession began. However, the latter in itself is too complex a historical phenomenon, so it is problematic to state anything unambiguously here.

In the context of the issue being disclosed, groups of food orders deserve special mention. These people, who talked a lot about capitalist exploitation, treated the peasants themselves no better. And the study of such a topic as the policy of war communism briefly even shows: often not surpluses were taken, but the main thing, the peasants were left completely without food. In fact, under the slogan of outwardly beautiful communist ideas, robbery took place.

What are the main measures of the policy of war communism?

A large place in what is happening was occupied by nationalization. Moreover, it concerned not only large or medium-sized enterprises, but even small ones belonging to certain sectors and (or) located in specific regions. At the same time, the policy of war communism is characterized by the surprisingly low competence of those who tried to manage, weak discipline, and inability to organize complex processes. And the political chaos in the country only exacerbated the problems in the economy. The logical result was a sharp decrease in productivity: some factories reached the level of Peter's enterprises. Such results of the policy of war communism could not but discourage the leadership of the country.

What else characterizes what is happening?

The goal of war communism was ultimately meant to be the achievement of order. However, very soon many contemporaries realized that the established regime was characterized differently: in places it resembled a dictatorship. Many democratic institutions that appeared in the Russian Empire in the last years of its existence or had just begun to emerge were strangled in the bud. By the way, a well-thought-out presentation can show this quite colorfully, because there was not a single area that war communism would not have affected in one way or another. He wanted to control everything.

At the same time, the rights and freedoms of individual citizens, including those for whom they allegedly fought, were ignored. Very soon, the term war communism for the creative intelligentsia became something of a household name. It was during this period that the maximum disappointment with the results of the revolution falls. War communism showed many the true face of the Bolsheviks.

Grade

It should be noted that many are still arguing about how exactly this phenomenon should be assessed. Some believe that the concept of war communism was perverted by the war. Others believe that the Bolsheviks themselves knew him only in theory, and when they encountered him in practice, they were afraid that the situation might get out of control and turn against them.

When studying this phenomenon, a presentation, in addition to the usual material, can be a good help. In addition, that time was literally full of posters, bright slogans. Some romantics of the revolution were still trying to ennoble it. What the presentation will show.

Each revolution becomes the basis for a significant change in the rules of the political game in the state. In most situations, the new authorities need a serious “crackdown”. In Russia in 1917, this perfectly confirmed the desire of the government to impose communism by force. Such a system was the official domestic policy of the newly created Soviet state from 1917 to 1921. What was the policy of war communism, briefly consider the main features.

In contact with

Main provisions

Its basis was the introduction of centralization of the economy on the principles of communism. This decision was consolidated by the Second Program adopted in 1919 at the VII Congress of the RCP (b), which officially determined the procedure for the transition from to.

The reason for making this decision was the economic crisis in which the state found itself, which, in fact, survived the lost, revolution and bloody Civil War. The survival of the new regime depended on its readiness to improve the quality of life of the population, which found itself, in most cases, below the poverty line. To implement the new economic course, the entire state was officially declared a "military camp".

Consider the main provisions of the policy of military terror , the main purpose of which was systematic destruction of commodity-money relations and entrepreneurship.

The essence of politics

What was the essence of the policy of war communism. At the stage of overthrowing the autocracy and the Provisional Government, the Bolsheviks relied simultaneously on the proletariat and the peasantry, regardless of the level of income. First, the new government decides on the choice of the main driving force of the new state, which is the poorest segments of the population. In such a situation, wealthy peasants cease to be of interest to the new government, so an internal policy focused only on the "poor" was adopted. This is what was called "war communism".

Activities of war communism:

maximum centralization of the economy, both large and medium and even small;
economic management was maximally centralized;
the introduction of a monopoly on all agricultural products, food requisitions;
complete curtailment of commodity-money relations;
a ban on private trade;
militarization of labor.

The ideologists of the Soviet state, immediately after the change of regime in the country, it seemed right to introduce an economic system, which, from their point of view, was closest to the principles of complete economic equality - communism.

Attention! The introduction of new principles was introduced tough, meeting the active resistance of the citizens of the country.

The main feature of this type of economic policy was an attempt to mobilize all the resources of the country. Given the bet on the poorest segments of the population, it actually helped to rally the part of the nation that was bet on.

Labor service

A positive campaigning activity played a big role in the success. The population was given the appearance of the prospect of free and gratuitous receipt of previously inaccessible benefits. The actual confirmation of this possibility was the official refusal of mandatory payments: utility, transport. Free housing has played a huge role. The combination of minimal social bonuses and strict control over the willingness to work selflessly and for free is the main feature of war communism. It was effective, given the colossal stratification of property characteristic of imperialism.

Attention! As a result of this decision, an economic system was formed, the basis of which was the equalization of the rights of the entire population. Forceful methods were used to introduce new principles.

Why was this path chosen?

What were the real causes of war communism. Its introduction was a risky but necessary decision. The leading cause was the tragic state of the country against the backdrop of active popular unrest and the grave consequences of the First World War.

Other reasons also included:

in most regions.
Making a decision on the full mobilization at the state level of all the resources of the Soviet state.
Rejection by a significant part of the population of the change of power, which required harsh punitive measures

What steps have been taken

All activities were transferred to the paramilitary rails. What's happened:

Introduced in 1919, the food apportionment assumed the "deployment" between all the provinces of the country's food needs. They had to donate all fodder and bread to the common resource.
The paramilitary "pickers" left the peasants with only the bare minimum required to maintain their livelihoods at a minimum level.
Trade in bread and other items on a private level was forbidden and severely punished.
Labor service assumed compulsory employment in industry or agriculture for every citizen of the country from 18 to 60 years old.
Production management and distribution of products transferred to the state level.
From November 1918, martial law was introduced on transport, which significantly reduced the level of mobility.
As part of the transition to the communist rails, any utility bills, transport fees and other similar services were abolished.

After a short period of time, the decision was considered unsuccessful, and the policy of war communism was replaced by the New Economic Policy (NEP).

What is NEP

The NEP and war communism were united by an attempt to find a way to improve the quality of life of the population, in fear of a new round of development of revolutionary sentiments. The goal continued to be the restoration of the economy of the state destroyed by upheavals.

Three years of war communism continued the policy of destruction. Complete centralization, relying on the ability to work of the poorest segments of the population without tangible financial benefits from daily activities continued the collapse of industry and agriculture. Against the backdrop of a difficult social situation, it was decided to choose a completely alternative economic policy.

In this case, on the contrary, they staked on pluralism and the development of private entrepreneurship. The official direction of development was "civil peace" and the absence of social catastrophes. The introduction of the NEP at the Tenth Congress of the RCP (b) completely turned the economic principles of the country's development upside down. The stake was placed on the middle class, first of all, on the prosperous part of the peasantry, which could restore its own economic level using the NEP. It was planned to cope with hunger and total unemployment by opening small industries. The principles of peaceful interaction between workers and peasants were finally introduced.

Among the leading factors in the recovery of the country's economy are:

the transfer of industrial production to private hands, the creation of small private industrial production. Medium and large-scale industry could not be frequent;
the surplus appropriation, which required the transfer of all the results of its activities to the state, was replaced by a tax in kind, which implied a partial transfer of the results of its work to the state, while preserving the surplus as personal savings;
the return of the principles of monetary financial remuneration based on the results of work.

Policy Outcomes

In a short time, at the official state level, the results of war communism were summed up, the complete transfer of the economy to a military footing. In reality, the adopted policy became the basis for terror.

The state's attempt to create an economy based on the principles of voluntary and gratuitous action by each citizen led to the final disintegration of production and agriculture. This made it difficult to try to end the Civil War. The state was on the verge of total collapse. Only the New Economic Policy helped to save the situation, allowing the population to partially regain minimal financial stability.

The consequences of war communism later became the basis of the life of the Soviet state for many decades. These include the nationalization of the banking system, railway transport enterprises, the oil industry, medium and large industrial production. There was a mobilization of all the resources of the country, which made it possible to win the Civil War. At the same time, a new round of impoverishment of the population began, the flourishing of corruption and speculation.

Surplus appraisal.

Artist I.A. Vladimirov (1869-1947)

war communism - This is the policy pursued by the Bolsheviks during the civil war in 1918-1921, which includes a set of emergency political and economic measures to win the civil war and protect Soviet power. This policy is no coincidence received such a name: "communism" - the equalization of all rights, "military" -Policy was carried out by forceful coercion.

Start The policy of war communism was set in the summer of 1918, when two government documents appeared on the requisition (seizure) of grain and the nationalization of industry. In September 1918, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee adopted a resolution on the transformation of the republic into a single military camp, the slogan - Everything for the front! Everything for the victory!

Reasons for adopting the policy of war communism

The need to protect the country from internal and external enemies

Protection and final assertion of the power of the Soviets

The country's way out of the economic crisis

Goals:

The ultimate concentration of labor and material resources to repulse external and internal enemies.

Building Communism by Violent Methods ("Cavalry Attack on Capitalism")

Features of war communism

Centralization economic management, the system of the Supreme Council of National Economy (Supreme Council of the National Economy), chiefs.

Nationalization industry, banks and land, the elimination of private property. The process of nationalization of property during the civil war was called "expropriation".

Ban wage labor and land lease

food dictatorship. Introduction surplus appropriations(Decree of the Council of People's Commissars January 1919) - food apportionment. These are state measures for the fulfillment of plans for agricultural procurement: the obligatory delivery to the state of the established ("deployed") norm of products (bread, etc.) at state prices. Peasants could leave only a minimum of products for consumption and household needs.

Creation in the countryside "committees of the poor" (kombedov), who were engaged in surplus appropriation. In the cities, workers were created armed food orders to seize grain from the peasants.

An attempt to introduce collective farms (collective farms, communes).

Prohibition of private trade

The curtailment of commodity-money relations, the supply of products was carried out by the People's Commissariat for Food, the abolition of payment for housing, heating, etc., that is, free utilities. Cancellation of money.

Leveling principle in the distribution of material wealth (rations were given out), naturalization of salary, card system.

Militarization of labor (that is, its focus on military purposes, the defense of the country). General labor service(since 1920) Slogan: "Who does not work shall not eat!". Mobilization of the population to carry out work of national importance: logging, road, construction and other work. Labor mobilization was carried out from 15 to 50 years of age and was equated to military mobilization.

Decision on ending the policy of war communism taken on 10th Congress of the RCP(B) in March 1921 year, in which the course was proclaimed for the transition to NEP.

The results of the policy of war communism

Mobilization of all resources in the fight against anti-Bolshevik forces, which made it possible to win the civil war.

Nationalization of oil, large and small industry, railway transport, banks,

Mass discontent of the population

Peasant performances

Increasing economic disruption

War Communism, it is necessary to look at the public mood and position of the Bolshevik Party during the turbulent period of the civil war, as well as its government course aimed at victory.

Prerequisites

1917-1921 became the most difficult period in Russian history.

During this period, in different parts of the country, Bolshevik units, the German army, the counter-revolutionary White Guards, and later the Allied troops of the Entente, national forces that attempted to create their own states on the fragments of the empire (for example, the troops of the UPR), local people's associations fought for every piece of its territory. under the leadership of local leaders and hetmans, the Poles who invaded the country in 1919. Under such conditions, each side simply needed to mobilize all available resources to win this battle with many opponents. Such a mobilization was the policy of war communism, pursued by the CPSU (b) from the beginning of 1918 to March 1921. It caused a considerable rejection of the people, especially the most significant part of it - the peasantry, but at the same time became the basis for victory in the civil war. The policy of war communism assumed:

Nationalization of the entire industry (which was mostly in the hands of foreigners) and the banking system;

Monopolization of foreign trade by the state;

Forced labor service for the entire able-bodied population;

The so-called food dictatorship. This item aroused particular resistance from the peasants, since it involved the forcible removal of grain preparations (the infamous surplus appropriation).

The reaction of the population

In essence, the policy of war communism was the forcible coercion of the masses of the people to intensive work aimed at an early victory. As already mentioned, the main dissatisfaction with Russia, which at that time was mainly a peasant country, was caused by the surplus appraisal. After all, it meant the selection of a significant part of the grain preparations from the village in favor of the starving city. At the same time, it was also a necessary decision, since the revolution and the First World War disrupted the traditional trade relations between the countryside and the city, which led to a critical situation in many working enterprises. The peasants received their per capita norms, everything else was confiscated to urgently solve the country's food problems. There were also problems in the cities. Instead of the expected recovery of the economy and growth in labor productivity, the weakening of discipline in enterprises and the replacement of old managers with new (often unskilled) managers led to a sharp drop in economic indicators.

results

Such actions caused many uprisings throughout the country, which finally opened the eyes of the Bolshevik leaders to the crisis of war communism. From the spring of 1921, these measures were replaced by a completely different set of actions called the New Economic Policy, designed to stabilize the economy.

The NEP became a new page in large-scale experiments of the Soviet government and lasted until the mid-twenties. It should be emphasized that although the policy of war communism caused an understandable sharp rejection among the population, however, it was a necessary action of the Bolshevik leaders in the harsh military conditions. Largely thanks to her, forces were gathered to counteract the complete collapse of the state and uncontrolled lawlessness on its vast territory.