Denationalization and Rent in Small Industry of Siberia during Transition from War Communism to New Economic Policy (1921-1923)

Abstract

Study of the processes of denationalization and rent in small industry of Siberia during transition from war communism to new economic policy allows to more fully reveal the essence of the NEP and Bolsheviks’ purpose in relation to smallholders, to show the implementation of these NEP areas in Siberia, to highlight its features. The main sources of study were the published papers of the regional Soviet and party institutions, as well as materials from the holdings of Russian state archive of economy and the State archive of the Novosibirsk region, part of which were introduced in the scientific usage for the first time. The article gives a brief description of the state of artisan production in the region in 1921. The conclusion is made about presence of conditions for the restoration of small industry. The process of denationalization, its dates and objects are analyzed. The return of the cooperative industry is discussed. The peculiarities of the lease campaign, its scope, prospects and role in the Siberian economy are revealed. Priority methods of the policy of denationalization and rent are described. Attention to regional approaches in their implementation from 1921 to 1923 is paid. The author comes to the conclusion that, despite some positive aspects in the implementation of the data in the NEP areas, they were limited and in the beginning of the new economic policy often continued to coexist with the military and Communist methods of management in the Siberian small-scale industry.

Keywords

• siberia
• small industry
• craftsmen and artisans
• denationalization
• rent
• new economic policy