Apprendisti Storici

The NEP (New Economic Policy), or "Capitalism’s State", was a model of mixed economy, launched by the Prime Minister Lenin, in March 1921 and completed in 1927. The NEP was a temporary solution, created with the purpose of reparing and rebuilding the Russian economy, with the aim of alleviating the harsh living conditions, due to the lack of food and the harsh conditions of the Brest-litovsk peace (1918), and to remedy the disasters of "war communism", introduced by the Bolshevik regime during the Russian Civil War (1918). In the NEP the state remained the most important economic entity, but some concessions were introduced to the capitalist model. This new economic policy was characterized by self-sufficiency and corporate autonomy, in fact for the first time farmers were able to sell their products on the free national market, except a small tax in kind paid to the State; large industries, banks, transport systems and foreign trade passed under the control of the State; in the agricultural field there was a huge increase in the production, and also the ruble was reintroduced (nation currency, whose use was suspended in 1919). However, although the NEP had brought an important economic recovery, it also introduced new imbalances between the countryside and the cities, and consequently growing dissatisfaction with the "kulaki", the new peasants who had become rich, and against what appeared a return to the capitalist society. In 1927 the NEP was abandoned in favour of the agricultural collectivization wanted by Stalin. (Arianna Buti 5AL)

NEP or Novaja ekonomic českaja Politika refers to the New Economic Policy adopted in Russia by Lenin from 1921 to 1928. The main points of the new economic approach stated the return of most agriculture and small-scale light industry to private ownership while the state continued to control heavy industry, banks, transport system and external trade. Under the NEP, Russian farmers were once again permitted to buy and sell their surplus goods at markets. In addition money was reintroduced, in fact it had been abolished since 1919. (These measures were established at the Party Congress in March 1921.) Lenin had understood the critic situation that was going through the country and in this way he ensured better life conditions to the Russians allowing soviet people to recover from years of wars. Anyway NEP didn’t drastically change the power of the State which has always constituted the major economic entity. There were just introduced few concessions to the capitalistic model in order to prevent a possible revolution. In fact, in the same year (1921) they have already experienced the Kronstadt rebellion, an insurrection of the soviet sailors, soldiers and civilians against the Bolshevik government. It worths to be said that this policy’s strategy is inspired by the marxist idea that at a certain point in the history there would be few capitalists and many proletarians; Working class would have led to a society without classes and the total establishment of Communism. NEP, which is a retreat from Lenin previous policy of extreme centralization, represented a turning point to the civil war: it made possible to achieve good results including the opponents’ agreement, it contributed to have more social equity and let the peasantry the partial chance of getting richer. (Alessandra Doveri)

NEP Sigla dal russo Novaja ekonomiĈeskaja politika (“nuova politica economica”): insieme di misure di politica economica adottate dal governo russo di Lenin nel corso del 1921 ( nelle intenzioni come espediente temporaneo). La NEP, nelle intenzioni di Lenin e del gruppo dirigente bolscevico, rappresentava una temporanea soluzione di riparazione e ricostruzione economica, dopo le carestie ed i profondi dissesti socio-economici durante la guerra civile russa. La NEP aveva l’obiettivo di stimolare la produzione agricola e di favorire l’afflusso dei generi alimentari verso le città. Essa ebbe conseguenze benefiche sull’economia, ma effetti sociali non previsti. Nelle campagne i nuovi spazi concessi all’iniziativa privata stimolarono la ripresa produttiva, ma favorirono il riemergere del ceto dei contadini ricchi, i cosiddetti “kulaki” che controllarono il mercato agricolo. La liberalizzazione del commercio, che coinvolse anche i settori artigianale ed industriale, aumentò la disponibilità di beni di consumo, ma provocò la comparsa di una nuova classe di trafficanti. La NEP fu abbandonata nel 1928 a favore di un’economia socialista pianificata. (Vittoria Quaglierini 5AL)

NEP Initials from Russian Novaja ekonomiĈeskaja politika (“new economic policy”): Set of economic policy measures proposed by the Russian government led by Lenin in 1921 as a temporary expedient. The NEP, in the intentions of Lenin and the Bolshevik leadership group, represented a temporary solution to repair and restore economically, after the famines and the profound socio-economic instabilities during the Russian civil war. The NEP had the aim of encouraging agricultural production and promoting the food influx to cities. It had beneficial consequences for the economy, but not expected social effects. In the countryside, the new spaces granted to the private initiative, stimulated the resumption of production, on the contrary it promoted the re-emergence of wealthy peasants, known as “kulaki”, who controlled the agricultural market. The liberalization of trade, which also involved the artisan and industrial sectors, increased the availability of consumer goods but it caused the occurrence of a new class of traffickers. NEP was abandoned in 1928 in favor of a planned socialist economy. (Vittoria Quaglierini 5AL)

Appartiene alla dinastia dei Romanov e fu l'ultimo Imperatore dell'Impero russo. Ha conosciuto numerosi appellativi: "Nicola il Pacifico" durante gli anni di regno, mentre la letteratura sovietica comunista lo ha dipinto con scopi diffamatori come "Nicola il Sanguinario" e come "Nicola il Vile"; la tradizione popolare russa lo conosce invece come "Nicola, il santo, grande portatore della Passione". Il suo regno ebbe inizio il 26 maggio 1896, quando venne incoronato Zar di tutte le Russie e basileus della Chiesa Ortodossa russa, rimanendo al potere fino al 1917, quando si trovò costretto ad abdicare. Fu il successore e figlio di Alessandro III. Poche figure di sovrano sono state discusse e criticate come quella di Nicola II, di cui è stata messa in rilievo l'incapacità a reggere uno stato come quello russo in un periodo critico della sua storia, incapacità derivante soprattutto dalla sua debolezza di carattere. Di tendenze nettamente reazionarie, lo Zar contribuì a preparare, coi massacri del gennaio 1905, il trionfo della rivoluzione del 1917. Nicola II cercò di governare mantenendo il rigido sistema autocratico del padre, affidandosi al ministro delle Finanze S. J. Witte per la modernizzazione economica dell'impero. Favorevole al mantenimento dello status quo in Europa, lo zar seguì invece una politica espansionistica in Estremo Oriente: le mire russe sulla Manciuria e la Corea portarono però al disastroso conflitto col Giappone nel 1904-05. Alla disfatta militare seguirono una serie di scioperi operai, agitazioni contadine e ribellioni militari che costrinsero Nicola II ad annunciare la costituzione di un'assemblea consultiva (duma), eletta con suffragio censitario e quindi a firmare il manifesto del 30 ottobre 1905, in cui annunciava la riforma costituzionale dello stato e concedeva libertà di coscienza, riunione e associazione. Alle difficoltà interne e alla perdita di prestigio del regime, nel 1914, lo Zar cercò di far fronte trascinando il paese in guerra: l'iniziativa della mobilitazione generale, presa il 30 luglio 1914, contribuì allo scoppio del primo conflitto mondiale; ai primi rovesci militari lo zar reagì destituendo il granduca Nicola e assumendo personalmente il comando supremo delle forze armate. L'ulteriore aggravarsi della situazione sul campo di battaglia e di quella interna portarono infine alla rivoluzione antizarista del febbraio del 1917 ed in seguito all'abdicazione di Nicola II. (Arianna Splendiani 5AL)

Nicholas II

Nicholas II of Russia, known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer, was the last Emperor of Russia. He ruled from 1894 until 1917, when he was forced to abdicate. He was the successor of Alexander III. His reign saw the fall of the Russian Empire from one of the foremost great powers of the world to economic and military collapse. His memory was reviled by Soviet historians as a weak and incompetent leader whose decisions led to military defeats and the deaths of millions of his subjects.
As Emperor, Nicholas gave limited support to the economic and political reforms promoted by top aides Sergei Witte and Pyotr Stolypin, but they faced too much aristocratic opposition to be fully effective. He supported modernization based on foreign loans and close ties with France but resisted giving the new parliament (the Duma) major roles. He was criticized because some things that happened under his command, such as, the Khodynka Tragedy, antisemitic pogroms, Bloody Sunday or the violent suppression of the 1905 Russian Revolution.
Nicholas signed the Anglo-Russian Entente of 1907, which was designed to counter Germany's attempts to gain influence in the Middle East; it ended the Great Game of confrontation between Russia and the British Empire. He supported Serbia and approved the mobilization of the Russian Army on 1914. In response, Germany declared war on Russia on 1 August 1914 and its ally France on 3 August 1914, starting the First World War. The aristocracy was alarmed at the powerful influence of the despised peasant priest Grigori Rasputin over the tsar. The severe military losses led to a collapse of morale at the front and at home, leading to the fall of the House of Romanov in the February Revolution of 1917. Nicholas abdicated on behalf of himself and his son. With his family he was imprisoned by the Bolsheviks and executed in July 1918. (Felix Manon 5AL)

Nicholas II

Nicholas II of Russia, known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer, was the last Emperor of Russia. He ruled from 1894 until 1917, when he was forced to abdicate. He was the successor of Alexander III. His reign saw the fall of the Russian Empire from one of the foremost great powers of the world to economic and military collapse. His memory was reviled by Soviet historians as a weak and incompetent leader whose decisions led to military defeats and the deaths of millions of his subjects.

As Emperor, Nicholas gave limited support to the economic and political reforms promoted by top aides Sergei Witte and Pyotr Stolypin, but they faced too much aristocratic opposition to be fully effective. He supported modernization based on foreign loans and close ties with France but resisted giving the new parliament (the Duma) major roles. He was criticized because some things that happened under his command, such as, the Khodynka Tragedy, antisemitic pogroms, Bloody Sunday or the violent suppression of the 1905 Russian Revolution.

Nicholas signed the Anglo-Russian Entente of 1907, which was designed to counter Germany's attempts to gain influence in the Middle East; it ended the Great Game of confrontation between Russia and the British Empire. He supported Serbia and approved the mobilization of the Russian Army on 1914. In response, Germany declared war on Russia on 1 August 1914 and its ally France on 3 August 1914, starting the First World War. The aristocracy was alarmed at the powerful influence of the despised peasant priest Grigori Rasputin over the tsar. The severe military losses led to a collapse of morale at the front and at home, leading to the fall of the House of Romanov in the February Revolution of 1917. Nicholas abdicated on behalf of himself and his son. With his family he was imprisoned by the Bolsheviks and executed in July 1918.



(Felix Manon)