ABSTRACT
Faced with the critical situation prevailing throughout Russia, in early 1921 Lenin had put in force ‘a tactical retreat’, the New Economic Policy (NEP). Private enterprise was once again permitted, although on a reduced scale; centralized food allotment was replaced by a limited market economy. This brought about a revival of urban life and an improved standard of living, with an accompanying rise in prices. At the same time, subsidies to the theatres were severely reduced; companies were expected to survive on the basis of their box-office receipts.
