Lenin's New Economic Policy: A Study of Short and
Long Term Viability
by Lillian Bonar
Essay: Lenin's New Economic Policy: A Study of Short and Long Term Viability
Pages: 11
Rating: 3 stars
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The New Economic Policy instituted by Vladimir Lenin in 1922 was seen as a necessary evil in order to maintain
power in the Soviet Union. While most historians agree with Lenin’s assessment and believe that without the
change the entire Soviet economy would have collapsed there is a wide range of thoughts on the true
effectiveness of the NEP. This paper will look at the progression of the NEP and the differing views Bolshevik
leaders had on it as well as the perceived effectiveness of the limited free market policies adopted by these
socialist leaders. It will also try to determine if NEP could have remained a viable option for the economy long
term.
The New Economic Policy was in many ways a reactionary policy put forth because of widespread public disdain
for War Communism (Richman 1981,92-93). War Communism was the set of policies enacted by the Bolsheviks
from the time they took power in 1917 until the establishment of the NEP in 1921. Under War Communism private
industry was essentially eliminated, farms were collectivized, industry and business were taken over by the
government. The peasantry had not been very accepting of having the land they were so recently granted
ownership of being taken away once again by the government. Because of this there was little motivation on
farms to grow more than what was necessary for the family because they were seeing no benefit from a surplus of
crops. Workers in cities were driven back out to the farms to avoid starvation and as a result production collapsed
in the Soviet Union to below pre- WWI. War Communism saw a steady decline in popularity as the Civil war
wound down but the final straw came with the Kronshtadt Rebellion in March of 1921. Then a force of sailors
sympathetic to pr...