Apart from political policies, like the ones stated in the paragraph above, the Bolsheviks, especially Lenin, introduced a number of Economic policies to help them to maintain their power. The first economic policy that was introduced was “War Communism”. There were two fundamental objectives to the economic policy, the first objective was to ensure that the government had control and could control the vital levers of the economy. The second objective was that they could “wipe out all exploitation of man by man and to eliminate the division of society into classes”.
Many things were introduced under war communism, some policies were not so popular. The first policy to be introduced was grain requisitioning. The Bolsheviks had been sending units of Red Guards and soldiers out into the countryside to find grain for hard-pressed cities. All forms of food had to be sold to the state, it was then distributed to soldiers primarily and then to the urban workforce because the Bolsheviks wanted Russia to be a working class state. In May 1918 a food-supplies dictatorship was set up to establish the forcible requisitioning of grain as standard policy which peasants resisted to bitterly. However this caused problems as food production dropped and farmers were not motivated to work.
The banning of private trade was also introduced under War Communism. However, the state trading organisation was extremely chaotic and industry was simply not producing enough consumer goods. So an enormous black market developed, without which most people would not have survived.
All industry was brought under state control and administered by the Supreme Council of National Economy (Vesenkha). This was the only way to stop chaos caused by factory workers’ committees who had voted themselves huge pay rises, intimidated management and stolen materials for illegal goods. Not all workers were against nationalisation as they were desperate to keep their jobs.
Labour discipline was brought back to the work place as a means of maintaining Bolshevik power. There were fines for lateness and absenteeism. Internal passports were introduced to stop people fleeing to the countryside. Piece-work rates were brought back, along with bonuses and a work book that was needed to get rations. The rations were based on class. The labour force and Red Army soldiers were given priority. Smaller rations were given to servants and professionals such as doctors. The smallest rations, barely enough to live on were given to the middle classes, now known as the “former class”.
The economic policy of War Communism was not very popular, and Lenin could see this: “war communism was thrust upon us by war and ruin. It was not, nor could be a policy that corresponded to the economic task of the proletariat. It was a temporary measure.” As soon as the civil war was over there was an abrupt change in economic policy. Lenin was being pragmastic as he wanted to remain in power. He was prepared to address the issues that were there at the time even if it meant not following his own ideology and beliefs. The first major change came in March 1921 when the Soviet Central Committee issued a decree which replaced grain requisitioning by a tax in kind. Instead of taking all the grain on a farm only 30% would be taken as a tax and the rest would be left as a surplus for the peasant to dispose of. This happened because of major strikes and potential economic paralysis, especially due to the rebellion at Kronstadt naval base. The Bolsheviks realised that to stay in power and maintain it they needed to change their policies.
The N.E.P was introduced, however it caused uproar within the party. By July 1921 the government had liberalised small scale production and all large enterprises were leased by the Supreme Council of National Economy. By 1922 three-quarters of all retailers were back in private hands. Although the Bolshevik party did not agree with Lenin, he introduced this policy to help the Bolsheviks stay popular and remain in power.
The Bolsheviks used other steps to remain in power. One of these steps was the use of terror. The repression that characterised the imposing of Bolshevik control over Russia became known as “the Terror”. Lenin has always accepted the necessity of terror as an instrument of political control. The chief instruments by which the Bolsheviks exercised their policy of terror were the “Cheka” and the “Red Army”.
The Cheka was better organised and more efficient than the Okhrana. It was created in December 1917 under the direction of Felix Dzerzhinsky, an intellectual of Polish aristocratic background who sought to atone for his priviledged origins by absolute dedication to the Bolshevik cause. Lenin found him the ideal choice as he never allowed his finer feelings or compassion to deter him from the task. Official records of the figure for deaths at the hands of the Cheka for the years 1918-1920 at nearly 13,000, but estimates put the real figure at nearer 300,000.
The Red Army was created by Trotsky who emerged and combined peasants into it. He also brought in 40,000 ex-Tsarist officers to keep the army under control, and to make sure that they did nothing that they were not supposed to do, so he captured their families and held them hostage. Political commissars were used to ensure that political targets within the army were met. The penalty for desertion was execution, as Trotsky believed that it was essential to maintain tight discipline within the army. He also introduced conscription. When groups of “Whites” were defeated, they were either offered the opportunity to join the army or be executed.
The purpose of the Terror was to terrify all hostile social groups. Victims included large numbers of workers, peasants, princes, priests, prostitutes, judges, merchants, traders and even children (who made up 5% of the population), all were guilty of “bourgeois provocation” or counter-revolution. The problem was that no one was really sure who the counter-revolutionaries were.
Having good leadership within the party was also another way in which the Bolsheviks maintained power, and without taking many steps the Bolsheviks were much stronger than the Whites were. The Whites were so divided and lacking in unity that the Reds were able to destroy them one by one and exploit their differences. The Reds were strong in key central urban areas which allowed them to co-ordinate and distribute more easily and effectively. The Bolsheviks used terror to maintain their control. Between December 1917 and February 1922 140,000 people were executed and Trotsky believed this was the right thing to do to maintain his power: “We shall not enter into the kingdom of socialism with white gloves on a polished floor.” Trotsky and Lenin both had clear and dynamic control. Trotsky was well respected, with a charasmatic style who had a high profile.
In conclusion, we can see that the Bolsheviks took many very important steps to maintain in power. Throughout 1917 to 1922 they use terror as an instrument and they also introduced a number of policies economically and politically to help them remain in power. The strong characteristics and good leadership of the Bolshevik party also allowed for them to remain in power during the years 1917 to 1922.