My Revision Notes: Edexcel AS/A-level History: Russia in revolution, 1894-1924
A full answer to the question:
"How far do you agree that the Bolsheviks’ economic policies were the main reason for opposition to the regime from ?"
Everything is written in paragraphs and is detailed enough for an A grade answer.
How far do you agree that the Bolsheviks’ economic policies were the main reason for opposition
to the regime from 1917-1924?
The range of economic policies introduced by the Bolshevik government undoubtedly generated
opposition from a range of social groups within the country. However, hostility towards the regime
was also due to political and religious repression, the decision to pull Russia out of the First World
War, and the increasing concentration of power in the hands of fewer people at the top of the
Communist Party.
There was early opposition to the Bolsheviks from their earliest economic decrees. For example, the
Decree on the Land, Nov 1917, the peasantry had been taking land ever since law and order broke
down in the countryside, in July alone there were 237 land seizures. This decree legitimised the land
grabbing and as a result generated hostility from powerful landowners such as tsarist army officers
who fought against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War. In Dec 1917, all banks were nationalised
and factories were put under workers control as a result the middle-class owners tried to obstruct
the Bolsheviks attempts to consolidate control. For example, bank clerks refused to hand over the
keys to the bank vaults or help make sense of accounts. Furthermore, foreign powers were deprived
of their investments in Russia, which contributed to their willingness to support the White forces
with troops.
Due to the civil war creating serious shortages in raw materials, Lenin introduced war communism in
1918. In this policy, grain requisitioning by force and a ban on private trade created hostility in the
country side. This turned to violence once the peasants faced starvation due to poor harvests in
1920, for example in the Tambov region. This policy nationalised industry and reintroduced control
with a single manager. This was because the workers’ control over industry would jeopardise the
industrial production needed during the civil war, as a result many workers felt betrayed. The
militarisation of factories angered workers as punishment for lateness and absenteeism were
introduced angering workers. As a result, many would attempt to flee to the countryside leading to
the introduction of internal passports. Rationing caused the most opposition as it was class and war
based. Priority was given to soldiers and workers with the bourgeoisie and clergy at the bottom.
However, even the workers suffered. In January 1921, the meagre bread ration was cut by a third in
major cities, including Petrograd and Moscow.
At the Tenth Party Congress, Lenin convinced the Bolsheviks to introduce NEP in 1921. This was
meant as a short-term measure to reinflate the economy, but many Bolshevik members and
supported felt betrayed. The reintroduction of small businesses, private trade and the sale of grain,
which led to the emergence of a new merchant class nicknamed ‘nepmen’. The nepmen flaunted
their wealth at the casinos, restaurants and nightclubs that sprang up in the cities. For many
workers, these symbols of decadence and socio-economic inequality confirmed the principles of the
revolution were being betrayed. The nep benefitted the urban workers the least as it increased
unemployment and wages remained low. Conversely the peasant were more satisfied with this
policy compared to war communism. However, in 1923 the ‘scissors crisis’ emerged where industrial
goods prices soared relative to the cheap grain prices due to oversupply. This meant that the
peasants were still unable to purchase manufactured goods therefore leading them to restrict grain
supplies which raised the danger of hunger and angered in the cities.
However, the economic policies were not the only factor causing opposition, in fact the economic
policies usually coincided with political repression.
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