Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

The emergence of communist dictatorship 1917-1941 - Coggle Diagram

- - - - NEP was set up to fix the problems created by war communism. it featured aspect such as state controls of transport, banking and heavy industry but allowed private ownership of smaller businesses and permitted small trade, there was an end to rationing and all workers wages were paid in money. NEP led to higher wages for workers. this led to the scissors crisis by 1926 the 1913 production levels were achieved. NEPMAN developed and thrived and the kulaks developed again.
      - NEP continued to create a middle class which is not marxist. NEP also created the Scissor crisis which was when Agriculture recovered quicker than than industry. huge gains or grain brought down the price of grain but a lack of industrial goods resulted in high prices for goods. Peasants held back the grain and as a result the government capped the price of industrial goods.
    - - War communism was extremely unpopular. this is because it featured lots of Tsarist aspects like grain requisitions. War communism did not successfully the economy as it made more problems than it solved. Production fell to 20% of pre war levels and rations had to be cut. Grain requisitioning and the attacks on kulaks lowered the grain to dangerous levels. strikes began and there were bread riots across Moscow and Petrograd
      - A success of war communism was that it nationalised industry and banned private businesses. Workers lost their freedom and managers were hired by the states. This was Marxist as it repressed the growth of the middle class
    - - War communism was very unpopular there was lots of opposition towards this a prime example was the Kronstadt Mutiny
    - - Initially Lenin continued the Tsarist policy of state capitalism, however there were some concessions such as workers control over their own factories and introduced Veshenka, a central organisation which was to supervise the economy. Lenin continued state capitalism as he thought it would be risky moving to a socialist economy too quickly. this was proved when workers started giving themselves pay rises.
      - State capitalism allowed workers to own their own factories, this is Marxist as it gave workers more power.
  - - - Stalin wanted to collectivise farms meaning that peasants would work together on state farms and meet state targets. By march 1930 58% of farms were collectivised. Stalin had to ease it in as it created hostility. Stalin set up 2,500 Machine Tractor Stations in 1931 which would help ensure quota were met By 1941 all farms in the soviet union were Collectivised.
      - Collectivisation resulted in the destruction of 25-30% of livestock which did not recover til 1953. Unrealistic quotas led to peasants having to hand over most of their food. this shows continuation of the Tsarist grain requisitioning. October 1931 had some of the worst droughts which led to famines in Ukraine. Stalin did allow peasants to have a private plot where they could sell produce at the market. it is believed that 52% of vegetables, 70% of meat and 71% of milk were produced this way
    - - A policy of Stalins great turn which favoured Rapid industrialisation was a major acceleration of previous policy. Five year plans were a huge change in Russian economy due to their aggressive nature of forcing managers and workers to devote maximum effort. The first FYP did achieve some outstanding results. Electricity output trebled and iron output doubled. Magnitogorsk and other large industrial cities were built.
      - The 2nd FYP saw some important projects completed such as the Dneiper dam producing hydroelectric power was the largest in Europe. Steel output trebled and the soviet union was almost self sufficient in machine tools. The state was the only employer. This is marxist as it gave more power to the state. Every business became nationalised which removed any chance of an economic middle class to emerge. Working weeks were increased to 6 days and working days were moved up to 8 hours to increase the output of goods. foreign investment into the industry increased.
      - Rapid industrialisation was a continuation of industrialisation in Russia. The first FYP was targeted too high and failed in the chemical industry and consumer industries were neglected. the 2nd FYP failures include oil production not meeting its target and there was no overall increase in consumer goods. the 3rd FYP did not meet target due to focus on the lack of managers.
- - - - Society
        
        Stalin was concerned by declining population numbers and pushed women towards a more traditional role. Abortion and divorce were attacked. Women lost some of their freedom. Middle class survived, they were kept as managers had tremendous pressure to meet targets. They were accused of sabotage. other members of the middle class such as NEPMEN were sent to gulags.
      - Politics
        
        Stalins power was not democratic, his position as party secretary meant that he had control over appointments and the Nomenklatura, a group of people who held important positions. Stalin preferred to ignore state institutions rather he worked with select groups rather than the full politburo, this is evidence of a dictatorship. Party congress meetings were held less regularly.
      - Economy
        
        At the start of his rule Stalin continued to allow private ownership of businesses. Some historians believe that Stalin's treatment of the kulaks was pragmatic. Stalin allowed peasants to have a private plot where they could sell at market.
      - Terror
        
        Terror for no reason was not marxist.
    - - Society
        
        There was an increase of female industrial workers from 3 million to 13 million. 43% of the work force is women. Culture was controlled.
      - Politics
        
        Stalin constitution was introduced. this is where Stalin promised to include freedom of speech, universal suffrage, employment for all and rights to the nationalities. However this was a lie. the minorities were ignored and where nationalities would meet only met twice per year.
      - Economy
        
        Stalin removed the private ownership of land, instead it became state owned. Peasants worked for state quotas. Land was taken away from private ownership and was bought under a series of collectives. Peasants lived rent free, but the collective had to meet grain quotas set by the state. The surplus was distributed among the commune. Dekulakisation was socialist as kulaks were resisting collectivisation. Industry was nationalised. The state became the only employer of workers - They could set wages and working hours. Stalin created a command economy where the government decides what is to be produced. This is known as central planning
      - Terror
        
        Shakhty show trail in 1932 was against workers accused of sabotage.
  - - - Society
        
        Lenin decided to tolerate a religion as he realised the Bolshevik atheists were a minority.
      - Politics
        
        Lenin didn't really a choice with some of his early decrees, the workers and peasants had already seized factories and land. Lenin had to drop the marxist policy of world revolution for pragmatic reasons. Lenin ignored the elections of the Constituent assembly, there was no power to the people. the assembly met for only one day before it closed. Lenin Ignored power sharing to retain the dominant voice.
      - Economy
        
        Unfair treatment of peasants. food requisitioning was expanded and the military was used to take the grain. Goes against equality. furthermore the farmers were left with very little after the state confiscated livestock carts and firewood.
        
        Allowed private ownership of small businesses and permitted private trade. This shows a socialist change. The introduction of NEP was a pragmatic approach in the face of opposition.
      - He skipped the capitalist stage of the revolution, He removed free speech, he established a one party state, NEP reintroduced capitalism.
    - - Society
        
        Church influence was removed. Gender equality included abortion legislation and women given common law giving them the same marriage rights as men in divorces.
      - Politics
        
        Lenin initially promised to rule on behalf of the workers, as shown during the April thesis. Lenin put in decrees that led to the removal of class in the army and gave workers the right to supervise management in factories.
      - Economy
        
        Abolished private ownership of land from decree on land in Oct 1917. Recognised workers control of factories. Lenin encouraged collective farming. He attempted to remove the kulak class which was an attempt to create equality. He established Gosplan for economic control and target setting. State control of transport, banking and heavy industry.
      - Terror
        
        Lenin used terror against the Burzhui (the Middle class and nobles) although it can be claimed this was for pragmatic reasons, violence for class equalisation and protecting the revolution is marxist.
      - His April thesis promised stuff for the working class, He abolished private ownership of land, He gave workers the control of their own factories, He banned sex discrimination, He abolished Titles and class ranks, he gave workers the control of railways. War communism was a fully marxist policy