Abstract: In the preceding chapter we indicated a parallel between the present Soviet reforms and those introduced by Lenin in 1921 under the designation of the New Economic Policy. At the time, the prime mover for the reforms was the disastrous economic situation of the newly created socialist state. It was considered by many members of the party who were devoted to communist ideals as a return to capitalism. If in fact Lenin himself did not deny the turnabout, he justified it as a necessity of the moment and the consequence of the Civil War, which had just come to an end. Lenin still maintained that despite the reappearance of capitalist elements, the ultimate goal was the creation of a socialist society. The idea of such a society and the ideal of communism itself was not based on humanitarian considerations alone, it was, as Marx had predicted, the inevitable 'objective' course of human history.
Publication Year: 1991
Publication Date: 1991-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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