Periodization of the economic development of the Soviet press in the 1920s

Section: History of Journalism

This study addresses the issue of periodization of the economic development of the Soviet press in the 1920s. It is traditionally argued that the New Economic Policy marked a distinct stage in the development of the Soviet press, characterized by greater political freedom and liberal economic policy. Based on the analysis of archival documents, the author argues that the economic development of the Soviet press in the 1920s was complex and the established chronology does not fully capture its dynamics. The author identifies three main stages of the economic development of the Soviet mass media in the 1920s, which do not completely coincide with the NEP period. The first stage began in December 1921 with the liberalization of the printing market. It lasted until late 1922 and was marked by a severe crisis in the press industry. It was replaced by a period of rapid yet chaotic development that lasted until mid-1925. During this period, the Soviet press showed a significant increase in production and financial indicators, which, however, turned out to be constrained by limited resources and did not meet the political objectives of the Soviet government. Thus, in the second half of 1925, the third stage commenced – the transition to a planned economy, which continued until the early 1930s.

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To cite this article: Babyuk M. I. (2025) K voprosu ob etapakh ekonomicheskogo razvitiya sovetskoy pechati v 1920-e gody [Periodization of the economic development of the Soviet press in the 1920s]. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seriya 10. Zhurnalistika 1: 94–129. DOI: 10.55959/msu.vestnik.journ.1.2025.94129