Don’t understand question 2 New Economic Plan (NEP): A Temporary Retreat from CommunismThe long years of war, the Bolshevik policy of War Communism, the Russian Famine of 1921, andthe Civil War took their toll on Russia and much of the country lay in ruins. There were manypeasant uprisings, the largest being the Tambov Rebellion. After an uprising by the sailors atKronstadt in March 1921, Lenin replaced the policy of War Communism with the New EconomicPolicy (NEP), in a successful attempt to rebuild industry and, especially, agriculture.Though the goal of Lenin and the Soviet government was to create a truly communist state inRussia, he realized that their economic policies were damaging the country and threatening theBolshevik hold on Russia. The New Economic Policy included the return of most agriculture,retail trade, and small-scale light industry to private ownership and management while the stateretained control of heavy industry, transport, banking, and foreign trade. The peasantry wereallowed to own and cultivate their own land, while paying taxes to the state. The New EconomicPolicy reintroduced a measure of stability to the economy and allowed the Soviet people torecover from years of war, civil war, and governmental mismanagement. The small businessmenand managers who flourished in this period became known as NEP men.Though successful, the NEP was viewed by the Soviet government as merely a temporarymeasure to allow the economy to recover while the Communists solidified their hold on powerand move the country towards a centralized communist government.Source: Adapted from "Vladimir Lenin." New World Encyclopedia.1. Why did Lenin start the New Economic Policy (NEP)?2. How was the NEP different than War Communism?

Answered: 2. How was the NEP different than War…

Social Psychology (10th Edition)

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Author:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers

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Don’t understand question 2

New Economic Plan (NEP): A Temporary Retreat from Communism
The long years of war, the Bolshevik policy of War Communism, the Russian Famine of 1921, and
the Civil War took their toll on Russia and much of the country lay in ruins. There were many
peasant uprisings, the largest being the Tambov Rebellion. After an uprising by the sailors at
Kronstadt in March 1921, Lenin replaced the policy of War Communism with the New Economic
Policy (NEP), in a successful attempt to rebuild industry and, especially, agriculture.
Though the goal of Lenin and the Soviet government was to create a truly communist state in
Russia, he realized that their economic policies were damaging the country and threatening the
Bolshevik hold on Russia. The New Economic Policy included the return of most agriculture,
retail trade, and small-scale light industry to private ownership and management while the state
retained control of heavy industry, transport, banking, and foreign trade. The peasantry were
allowed to own and cultivate their own land, while paying taxes to the state. The New Economic
Policy reintroduced a measure of stability to the economy and allowed the Soviet people to
recover from years of war, civil war, and governmental mismanagement. The small businessmen
and managers who flourished in this period became known as NEP men.
Though successful, the NEP was viewed by the Soviet government as merely a temporary
measure to allow the economy to recover while the Communists solidified their hold on power
and move the country towards a centralized communist government.
Source: Adapted from "Vladimir Lenin." New World Encyclopedia.
1. Why did Lenin start the New Economic Policy (NEP)?
2. How was the NEP different than War Communism?

Expert Solution

War Communism:

The economic system that prevailed in Russia from 1918 to 1921 was known as war communism (civil war). Lenin introduced War Communism to overcome the economic challenges caused by the Russian Civil War.

War communism is a soviet-run military economy. At the time nations, including France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan, were essentially besieging and even invading the new red Russia, all scrambling to get their hands on whatever spoils they could.

It was critical to properly organize and mobilize the meagre remaining resources (food, ordnance, trains, labour, etc.). After four years of horrible war, a country that has already been emptied economically and demographically, add to that the structural ruin of agricultural productivity in a country that was predominantly semi-feudal/agrarian.

The enormous famines of winter 1920-1921 occur because peasants are unable to tend the fields because they are either dead, fighting, or fleeing. Similarly to how "total war" evolved as a necessity of WW1, "War Communism" evolved as a survival strategy against utter annihilation, both economically (managing scarcity) and humanly (restoring territorial/political/demographic unity shattered by WW1).

The Bolsheviks generated "economic instability" by aiming to "deprive the landed classes of their influence," as they wanted to impose set pricing on grain and supplies, as well as stringent controls on rural life.

The Bolsheviks even ordered "military food detachments" to "requisition surplus grain supplies from peasants" in order to stabilise the Soviet society's resource crisis.

Bolshevik authorities charged these brigades with eradicating 'privileged' characteristics of Soviet society under the pretence of establishing social and economic equality for the masses.

Disparities between rich and poor peasants, on the other hand, were largely unimportant, as peasants of all socioeconomic groups were all too regularly caught in the crosshairs of these overconfident cadres.

Both prosperous and destitute peasants suffered greatly as a result of War Communism's economic policies.