History glossary
War Communism
the emergency Bolshevik economic policy of 1918 to 1921, built around nationalisation, grain requisitioning, and coercive control.
- Category
- Economic policy
- Region
- Soviet Russia
- Date range
- 1918-1921
What it means
War Communism was the emergency economic policy used by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War. It nationalised industry, criminalised private trade, seized grain from peasants, and directed resources toward the Red Army and cities at enormous human cost.
