Towards a command economy, 1917–28: the nationalisation of industry; War…

The idea

After 1917, the Bolsheviks moved towards a command economy by nationalising industry: decrees in 1917–18 transferred factories to state control, and the Supreme Council of the National Economy (Vesenkha) was set up in 1917 to manage production. War Communism (1918–21) extended state control through grain requisitioning, nationalisation, and labour discipline, but caused economic collapse and peasant resistance. The New Economic Policy (NEP) from 1921 reintroduced limited private trade and small-scale private enterprise while the state kept control of heavy industry, banking, and transport. By 1928, the state had established a framework of control over industry and agriculture, though the NEP mixed state and market elements.

What earns the marks

• Explains the nationalisation of industry after 1917, including decrees and the role of Vesenkha.
• Describes War Communism: grain requisitioning, nationalisation, and labour discipline, and its economic and social impact.
• Explains the New Economic Policy: reintroduction of limited private trade and small-scale private enterprise, while the state retained control of heavy industry, banking, and transport.
• Analyses state control of industry and agriculture by 1928, including the mixed nature of the NEP and the extent of command economy features.
• Evaluates the shift from War Communism to the NEP as a response to crisis, and the limits of the NEP in creating a fully command economy.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Thinking the NEP was a complete return to capitalism.

  Put it right: The state kept control of heavy industry, banking, and transport, so it was a mixed economy.

• Confusing War Communism with the NEP.

  Put it right: War Communism used grain requisitioning and full nationalisation, while the NEP allowed limited private trade.

• Assuming nationalisation happened instantly and completely.

  Put it right: It was a gradual process from 1917, with decrees and practical limits.

• Overlooking agriculture in state control.

  Put it right: Grain requisitioning under War Communism and later state influence were central to controlling agriculture.

Exam tips

• Use precise terms like nationalisation, Vesenkha, grain requisitioning, and NEP to show understanding of the command economy's development.
• Compare War Communism and the NEP in terms of state control, economic results, and political consequences.
• Link economic policies to the broader aim of establishing a command economy by 1928.
• Support points with dates and examples, such as the 1917 decrees, the 1921 Kronstadt rising, and the introduction of the NEP.