From Roving to Stationary Bandit? Soviet Expropriation Patterns 1917-1941

• In Event: Trade, Development and Institutions: Late Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union

Abstract

This paper (a work in progress) is part of a larger project where I investigate changing Soviet expropriation patterns over time. Following the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917, all private property in Russian industry was expropriated without compensation to its previous owners. The Soviet government treated domestic and foreign owners alike, imposing significant costs on the expropriated parties. Following the Soviet occupation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 1939, these patterns were slightly altered. In contrast to 1917, the Soviet government negotiated with foreign creditors, agreeing to issue compensation. Using a detailed data set for Swedish assets expropriated by Soviet authorities, I examine the differences between the two expropriation events. It is argued, that the difference can be explained with reference to external security considerations. The conclusion is congruent with Paul Gregory’s argument, that Stalin, in contrast to Lenin, was a stationary bandit.

Author

• Martin Kragh, Uppsala Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Uppsala U (Sweden)