Impact on the Peasants

• In 1917, many Russian peasants seized land for themselves.
• Lenin and the Bolsheviks had no way of controlling the countryside in the October Revolution.
• Lenin issued the Land Decree which declared that all of the land in Russia belonged to the people but the peasants could decide how to divide it up among themselves.
• During the Civil War, the peasants had grain requisitioned by both sides and formed "Green" armies to defend their farms.
• Grain requisitioning was massively resented by the peasants and led to a breakdown in agricultural production.
• The NEP seemed to benefit the peasants far more than the workers.
• The NEP gave the peasants the opportunity to improve their standard of living by growing surplus produce and selling it on the open market.
• However, despite this apparent improvement in the lives of peasants under the NEP, significant tension remained between them and the Communist government.