History 1401E Lecture 12: Soviet Union Part 2

• School: Western University
• Department: History
• Course: History 1401E
• Professor: Eli Nathans

Document Summary

Atrocities of the civil war (1918-1920) committed by both sides; massive famine of. New economic party of 1921 an ideological retreat. No forcing the peasants to give up their land: however, the policy created a number of problems. Marxist ideology (it"s a life and death struggle between the working class and bourgeoisie) uneasy compromise, telling the bourgeoisie they have nothing to leave for, essentially. Country had to devote signi cant part of its resources to providing and producing consumer goods. Weakness of soviet rule in the countryside: almost foreign territory for the bolsheviks. Problems with the new economic policy, from the communist point of view: contrary to communist ideology, limits rapid industrialization, limits soviet power. From 1926 the regime starts to retreat from the new economic policy. In 1928 it reintroduces rationing, and requisitioning (i. e. , seizing without payment) of grain from peasants. From 1927 this radicalization driven especially by stalin, who defeated.