... successful where War Communism had failed. It was Kronstadt that led directly to the introduction of the NEP. It was the catalyst of the introduction of the policy, however Lenin did himself recognised the need for reconstruction. Lenin thought it necessary to appease the peasants as they made up most of the population in Russia, and to avert the possibility of another Kronstadt. The NEP was a mixture of socialism and capitalism and was referred to as a "step back" for the Bolsheviks as they had just defended socialism in the civil war but were now retreating into capitalism and the "old ways". The success of the NEP can in reality only be measured by its aims. The NEP was set up primarily to stabilise the economy; this included decreasing inflation, increasing agricultural and industrial production and re-establishing trade outside of the country. The other major aim of the policy was ...

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