Which of the following was/were the feature(s) of Lenin’s New Economic Policy (NEP) for the Soviet Union ?
- 1. Private retail trading was strictly forbidden
- 2. Private enterprise was strictly forbidden
1, 2 and 4
3 only
2 and 3 only
1, 2 and 3
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC NDA-2 – 2016
Statement 1: “Private retail trading was strictly forbidden”. This was a feature of War Communism (1918-1921), not NEP. NEP *allowed* small-scale private retail trade.
Statement 2: “Private enterprise was strictly forbidden”. This was largely a feature of War Communism. NEP *allowed* small-scale private enterprise.
Statement 3: “State control was maintained over heavy industry and banking”. This is a correct feature of NEP. The state retained control over the “commanding heights” of the economy (heavy industry, banking, foreign trade).
Statement 4: “Peasants were allowed to sell their surplus produce”. This is a correct feature of NEP. The system of forced requisitioning (prodrazvyorstka) from War Communism was replaced by a tax in kind (prodnalog), allowing peasants to sell their surplus on the market.
The correct features among the typical statements are 3 and 4. Looking at the provided options, only option B (“3 only”) consists solely of a correct feature (Statement 3), given that statements 1 and 2 are incorrect features of NEP. Although statement 4 is also a correct feature, it is not offered as “3 and 4 only”, and is included in option A which contains incorrect statements.