Authority under the New Ecomomic Policy: mitigation of the dictatorship (problem setting and historiography)

The author summarizes the historical researches regarding complex study of the new economic policy published in the 21st century. The article revelas a substantial contradiction in the historiography: while declaring the strenghtening of the dictatorship and authoritarity during the years of NEP, the researchers cite data showing liberalization. Solving the problem the author deduces mitigation of the Bolshevists dictatorship during the most part of the NEP period. The research reveals the principle features of the phenomenon and its positive influence on the development of the social self-organization processes.