The Russian vodka prohibition of 1914 and its consequences

Abstract

Tsar Nicholas II banned vodka sales in 1914 for the duration of World War I. Believing that sobriety would result in an orderly recruitment process for the army and eliminate the drunkenness damaging public health, he failed to anticipate the negative unintentional consequences that ensued. The ban resulted in eliminating one-third of the state's revenue at a time when it was most needed to support a prolonged war. Public demand for vodka resulted in grain being used to make samogon (moonshine). The reduction in available grain resulted in bread shortages in cities. On Women's Day, March 8, 1917, women, workers, and students joined mass street demonstrations protesting food shortages, culminating in the abdication of the tsar a week later. When Vladimir Lenin seized power in November 1917, he retained Prohibition and took violent measures against moonshiners, realizing that feeding the urban masses was essential to retaining their loyalty. Josef Stalin created a State Vodka Monopoly to generate state revenue. In 1985, Michael Gorbachev drastically reduced the availability of vodka, resulting again in the production of moonshine and his unpopularity. Boris Yeltsin abolished the State Vodka Monopoly in 1992. Vladimir Putin continues to face rising male mortality rates, largely attributed to vodka consumption. Current tastes in drinking and a judicious tax policy hold out the hope of reducing the deleterious public health consequences of alcohol abuse in Russia.