The transition to a new economic policy and the problem of anti-NEP sentiments in the RCP(b)

The problem of how the transition to a new economic policy is perceived by the party milieu is analyzed. It is emphasized that the perception of the NEP in the RCP(b) is for the most part persistently negative, so the Bolshevik leadership had to make a lot of efforts to convince party comrades of the necessity and correctness of such a step. It is argued that especially the middle and lower levels of party officialdom perceived the NEP as a betrayal of the revolution, a betrayal of revolutionary ideals. Various forms of anti-NEP manifestations and opposition to them are considered. It is noted that negative attitudes towards the NEP in the 1920s remained a constant amongst rank-and-file members and party functionaries alike, which greatly reduced the potential for exploiting the economic potential of the NEP. Evidence proves that there were other attitudes in the party that involved adjusting to the changes of the NEP. Some of the resignations, particularly in the countryside, can be explained by a shift in the focus of local Communists towards the reconstruction of their households, especially as the new course made it possible to realize the economic aspirations of the peasantry.