The Economic and Social State of Russia (AQA A-Level History): Revision Notes
The economic and social state of Russia
War mobilisation and economic collapse
War mobilisation placed immense strain on Russia's economy, creating problems as severe as those affecting military production. The government raised taxes sharply and took out substantial loans both domestically and from foreign sources to fund the war effort. The harm to industrial and grain exports caused by the conflict produced inflation - an increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money brought about by having more money in circulation than there are goods to buy. By 1917, money had lost most of its value, with prices rising far more rapidly than wages.
The Devastating Impact of Inflation
By 1917, the Russian rouble had lost most of its value, with prices rising far more rapidly than wages. This created a crisis where workers could no longer afford basic necessities, despite technically earning more money than before the war.
Conscription drained millions of men from the countryside, creating severe labour shortages. Supplies of food to urban areas fell dramatically due to several interconnected factors: worker shortages in agricultural regions, peasants hoarding food rather than selling it, and fundamental failures in transport and distribution networks. German occupation of Poland and western Russia removed important industrial capacity, whilst naval blockades of Baltic and Black Sea ports, combined with the loss of overland routes to Europe, brought Russian trade to a near standstill. Rationing provided little relief, and for many Russians the war years meant severe hunger and in some cases starvation.
The economic collapse was not caused by a single factor, but rather by a cascade of interconnected problems: conscription reduced agricultural workers, which decreased food production, while transport failures prevented what food existed from reaching cities, and inflation made whatever food was available unaffordable to most workers.
The transport crisis
The railway network collapsed under wartime pressure. Railways were commandeered to transport soldiers and military supplies to the front, whilst locomotive production halted completely between 1913 and 1916. Severe fuel shortages compounded these problems. Foodstuffs that should have reached urban populations were left rotting beside railway sidings due to lack of transport capacity, whilst enormous grain shipments went to the front line at the expense of desperate civilian populations. Long queues formed in Petrograd to buy bread - a situation that had contributed to the outbreak of the 1905 Revolution.
Real-World Evidence: The Bryansk Food Crisis of 1916
A 1916 Bolshevik report from Bryansk, a city near the front line south-west of Moscow, documented the severity of the food crisis:
In Bryansk, residents could obtain no rye flour, salt, paraffin or sugar. Discontent ran high, with frequent strikes in factories over the demand for 'flour and sugar'.
In Bryansk country, a village called Star had a factory producing glass products engaged in war contracts. Workers there went on strike on 8 October 1916 because they had not eaten bread for two weeks, surviving only on potatoes.
What happened:
- Workers selected two spokesmen and sent them to the factory manager demanding flour and sugar (purchased at pre-war prices since the company had maintained wages at peacetime levels)
- The manager made promises but provided no answer
- The following day, authorities arrested the two spokesmen as unreliable elements under emergency regulations
- Two days later the workers returned but still received no bread
This demonstrates how the combination of food shortages, government repression, and economic inequality created explosive social tensions.
Urban crisis and industrial unrest
Unemployment rose sharply in urban centres, particularly in Petrograd and Moscow, as non-military factories closed, deprived of vital supplies. Lock-outs and strikes occurred frequently, some directly encouraged by the German government in a calculated strategy to foster industrial unrest and undermine Russia's war effort. These actions financially damaged what little industry remained operational. The cost of living rose by 300 per cent, death rates climbed because of workers' insanitary lodgings and inadequate diets, leaving thousands living on the edge of starvation. Under such conditions, 30,000 workers went on strike in Moscow and 145,000 in Petrograd during January 1917.
| Commodity | Inflation increase by early 1917 (%) |
|---|---|
| Salt | 483 |
| Butter | 232 |
| Meat | 124 |
| Flour | 99 |
| Roubles | 53 |
| Wages | 133 |
Understanding the Data
The data shows that whilst wages increased by 133 per cent, essential goods increased far more - salt by 483 per cent, butter by 232 per cent, and meat by 124 per cent - demonstrating how workers' purchasing power collapsed. Even basic necessities like flour, which increased by 99 per cent, outpaced wage growth, making survival increasingly difficult for ordinary Russians.
Key Points to Remember:
- War mobilisation devastated Russia's economy through inflation, food shortages, and the collapse of trade networks by 1917
- The railway system failed completely under wartime strain, leaving food rotting beside tracks whilst urban populations starved
- Urban workers faced unemployment, factory closures, and a 300 per cent rise in living costs, with wages failing to keep pace with inflation (salt prices rose 483% whilst wages rose only 133%)
- By February 1917, discontent pervaded all levels of Russian society - from peasants and workers to army soldiers and political elites - with loss of confidence in the Tsarist regime widespread
- January 1917 saw massive strike action, with 30,000 workers on strike in Moscow and 145,000 in Petrograd, reflecting the desperate economic and social conditions