Review of A. P. Kilin's monograph "Private trade and credit in the Urals in the NEP period: economic, political and social aspects"

The review presents the results of the conducted analysis and the outline of the content features of A. P. Kilin’s monograph, focused on the history of private enterprise development in the Urals during the NEP period. A special emphasis is placed on the uniqueness of the research, as it is the first comprehensive study of the problem in the Urals historiography. The source database of the monograph is outlined; the degree of scientific exploration of research topic made by the author is revealed. The research attempts to identify regional specificities of the entrepreneurship development. The value of the study is that A. P. Kilin managed to reconstruct the social image of the private traders of the NEP period, their financial situation and everyday life. The historian revealed the process of interaction between private capital and the state in the transition to a socialist society. A special attention is given to the author’s conclusion that in the Urals, as well as throughout the country, economic reforms were carried out based on repressive practices and administrative coercion, which resulted in the personal tragedy of thousands of «actors» of the New Economic Policy. Stress is also laid on the shortcomings and omissions in the study; the position of reviewers is reflected.