M. Politizdat. 1982. 240 p.

In recent years, the attention of Soviet scientists to the history of the development and implementation of a new economic policy has noticeably increased. Fundamental collective works and monographs have been published, which attempt to give a problematic characterization of NEP as a whole, to identify the patterns of its actions, and to show the mutual influence of theory and practice.In these works, the essence and historical significance of NEP are revealed on the basis of rich factual material. And yet, despite the significant achievements of historians, economists, and philosophers in this field, interest in the problem does not fade. In this regard, attention is drawn to a peer-reviewed book by scientists of the Institute of History of the USSR of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and Moscow State University, devoted to the economic policy of the Communist Party and the Soviet State during the transition from capitalism to socialism. The new work contains a lot of valuable factual material, characterized by the depth and seriousness of scientific analysis. Its main feature is the desire to understand NEP as a special integral system of principles,

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forms and methods of economic management in the process of its development, formation, dialectical development, and natural transition to a new form (stage) of the economic policy of the Soviet state. Solving multi-faceted tasks of economic development, covering all branches and socio-economic structures, realizing diverse social interests, overcoming a number of serious contradictions, often of an antagonistic nature, NEP was distinguished by a strict socio-class orientation, consistency in implementing the interests of the proletarian dictatorship in building the economic foundations of socialism. The authors 'attempt to deeply reveal the "mechanism" of the transition to NEP and its reproduction, ensuring strict subordination of its elements and frontal restructuring under the influence of changing tasks of the transition period cannot fail to attract the attention of both specialists and all those interested in history.

The authors set out to show how, on the basis of the program developed by V. I. Lenin, the Communist Party, a socialist economy was created in the USSR, the complete victory of socialist production relations was achieved, and the advantages of socialist methods and principles of management were convincingly demonstrated. The book pays much attention to the decisions of the Tenth Party Congress on NEP, Lenin's justifications for the need to switch to NEP. Analyzing the significance of this historical turn, the authors show that the Soviet government awakened the broad masses of the working class, the peasantry, and the intelligentsia to active political activity, and the leading role of the working class and the Communist Party in society was strengthened.

Yu. A. Polyakov, V. P. Dmitrenko, and N. V. Shcherban analyze the attraction of foreign capital, the use of advanced experience and technology, the expansion of foreign economic relations and the breakthrough of the economic blockade of the Soviet Republic, the revival of production, and the improvement of the situation of workers. The authors attach particular importance to the struggle against the petty-bourgeois element. The article also examines such issues as the patterns of the country's transition from a multi-structured to a socialist economy, and provides numerous facts confirming that even in those conditions it was possible to win on the economic front.

Analysis and generalization of the factual material allowed the authors to come to the conclusion that the most important directions of the NEP were to identify the advantages and ensure the rapid growth of the socialist sector during the restoration of the national economy and industrialization of the country, strengthen the economic union of the working class and the working peasantry, develop the cooperative movement as a "pillar road" for the transition of the peasantry to socialism, temporarily allow, limit ousting bourgeois elements. It was a difficult job, and it was a difficult exam. "We have passed this examination," Lenin remarked, " 1 .

The central place in the book is occupied by the question of the transition of the socialist sector to the new economic policy, which, as is well known, made it possible to ensure a rapid increase in production and improve its quality indicators. The problem of trade is covered in detail. During the transition to NEP, trade was the "link" in the historical chain of events, "which, in Lenin's words, must be seized with all our might." 2
The book describes Lenin's principles of party leadership in trade. The author justifiably emphasizes the great fundamental importance of the role of foreign trade in the development of the country's productive forces and ensuring the independence of the Soviet economy in the conditions of capitalist encirclement. Of particular interest, in our opinion, are those chapters of the book that study the transfer of cooperation to the NEP framework. The authors convincingly show why there was a sharp struggle around assessing the nature of cooperation during the transition to NEP. Thanks to the creative work of the party and the people, the authors note that in the three post-revolutionary years, consumer cooperation has fundamentally changed its character. Deep social restructuring has affected all aspects of cooperative work. The significance of co-operation lies in the fact that, according to Lenin's definition, it "facilitates the unification and organization of millions of the population, and then of the entire population without exception." 3 Thus, the book notes, the transition to socialism is facilitated (p. 86).

1 Lenin V. I. PSS. Vol. 45, p. 283.

2 Ibid., vol. 44, p. 225.

3 Ibid., vol. 43, p. 226.

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The authors cover in detail the methods of regulating and ousting capitalist elements, the forms of class struggle in the conditions of NEP, and the course of the socialist reconstruction of the national economy. The author traces the importance of trade, money, prices, loans, and self-financing, which have become effective tools of state planning management. Revealing the general methodology of the question, the authors show that the party's policy increased the activity of the political superstructure, which increased the influence of the Soviet state on the economic basis.

An important place in the book is occupied by coverage of the struggle of the party led by Lenin against Trotskyism and the right deviation. Relying on party documents and literature that characterize the opportunist views and capitulationist attitudes of the opposition, the authors revealed Lenin's thesis about the dialectical nature of NEP, its role in overcoming multiculturalism and building the economic foundation of socialism in the USSR. The book shows that the industrialization of the country and the collectivization of agriculture were complex socio-economic programs covering a wide range of problems. The authors rightly attributed the development of productive forces, the introduction of the latest achievements in science and technology, the formation of consistently socialist types of enterprises in the city and countryside, the socialist transformation of small-scale production and the displacement of capitalist economy, as well as political, organizational, ideological, personnel and other problems.

The authors pay considerable attention to the problem of accumulation. The rich concrete historical material presented by them shows that the new economic policy was designed to maximize the use of internal accumulation opportunities. Mobilization of funds from all sectors of the national economy and population groups was of great importance. At enterprises and collective farms, the struggle for economy and frugality began.

One of the most important socio-economic achievements of the Soviet people was the elimination of the private-capitalist and state-capitalist ways of life. During the implementation of the first five - year plan, the production of basic means of production and consumer goods in the city and countryside was concentrated on socialist-state and cooperative enterprises. The historical practice of our country has confirmed Lenin's foresight that, economically and politically, the NEP fully ensures the possibility of building the foundation of a socialist economy. In the course of overcoming multiculturalism, the authors write, economic policy finally overcomes the features generated by the conditions of acute class struggle, economic competition between socialism and capitalism within the country; it is based on the knowledge and use of the features and advantages that the victory of socialism brought with it, and more convincingly demonstrates the advantages of socialism over capitalism in the international arena (p.185).

Speaking about the world-historical significance of NEP, the authors emphasize that the new economic policy developed by Lenin, the Communist Party, contributed to the victory of public ownership of the means of production, the creation of new social relations in the city and countryside, and the formation of a new person.

As you know, for more than 60 years, the ideological struggle around NEP issues has not subsided. It focuses on the principles of socialist management and issues of international importance of the NEP. The advantage of the book is that the authors expose bourgeois ideologues who consider NEP not as a policy that ensures the construction of socialism and, in particular, industrialization and collectivization, but as an alternative to them. The authors criticize not only bourgeois, but also petty-bourgeois concepts, in which NEP is interpreted as a variant of "market socialism", "mixed economy", "retreat", etc.

Summing up, we can say that the peer-reviewed book makes a significant contribution to the study of the new economic policy, the history of its development and implementation. However, not everything is equal in this serious scientific study.

In general, the book enriches Soviet science, it is relevant and is evidence of the growing interest of researchers in the problems of the history of the transition period in the USSR.

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