Development, Part 6a
From the NEP Russia will come the Socialist Russia!
The short
speech to the Moscow Soviet in November 1922 gives more of the background and
history of the NEP.
There is so
much that is strong from Lenin, and it ranges so widely, that it is difficult
to keep in mind that after the October 1917 revolution he only had four years
of relatively good health, and that was interrupted by the assassination
attempt of August 1918. During 1922 and 1923 he was mostly ill and he died in
January 1924.
Therefore
Lenin’s direct leadership of the policy that he, more than any other, is
associated with - namely the New Economic Policy or NEP - only went for about a
year from its beginning, which was in March, 1921.
The NEP was
abandoned in favour of collectivisation and full central planning in 1928,
under the leadership of J V Stalin.
As can be
seen in the last paragraph of this speech of Lenin’s, he intended “that NEP
Russia will become socialist Russia.” This phrase is echoed in the translation
given on the Internet for the slogan in Russian on the NEP poster (above). The
other image is of a peasant produce market held during the NEP.
How the
transition to socialism was to take place or exactly what it meant in Lenin’s
mind is a matter of study. We will continue this study with the next of these
three items on the NEP.
- The above is to
introduce the original reading-texts: Plenary
Session of Moscow Soviet, Speech re NEP, Lenin.
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