Food

• The 1891 famine (AIII) resulted in the death of 350 thousand Russians
• (AIII) peasants appeared to sell off any grain surpluses to cope with inflated prices, therefore the shortage of food was exacerbated
• AIII tried to set up the Special committee on Famine relief and funding emergency help but it was too little too late
• AIII- to fund industrial development, grain was exported which resulted in less for peasants to live on, plus there were higher rates on goods. Land hunger meant that there was not enough land to go around
• NII- there was grain hording by peasants, helped contribute to famine in 1897 to 1899.
• NII- The high inflation during WWI meant that peasants couldn't buy goods, but refused to sell grain and instead hoarded
• During the first 3 years WWI there were good harvests ( although those in towns and cities did not necessarily reap the benefits as much grain was used to feed troops)
• (Lenin) Peasants continued to hoard and valuable agricultural land has been lost due to Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
• (Lenin) Grain requisitioning was introduced, which was taking food and grain surpluses from some peasants and redistributing it to those with the greatest needs eg towns and cities
• In the mid 1920s there was stability in terms of harvest's but in 1928 food shortages reappeared, once again there was requisitioning
• (Lenin) during the famine of 1921, 5 million peasants died
• (Lenin) the low food prices in 1923 meant that farmers going to market received smaller sums for their crops