ABSTRACT
Lenin defined NEP as a retreat. The country had to recover from the havoc of the civil war. The battle against capitalism would be a protracted one. For the time being, however, capitalism was back. The Bolsheviks held the reins of power, but Russia was still out there to be conquered. Thousands of traders filled the markets, homeless children roamed in the streets, and the newly rich enjoyed themselves in the restaurants and theaters. Factories were idle and famine devastated the Volga region. The Bolsheviks were keenly aware of their tenuous grip on the country and that their survival depended on creating a missing social foundation for their regime. But they were not certain how to proceed.
