One way in which Vladimir Lenin’s New Economic Policy and Mikhail Gorbachev’s policy of perestroika are similar is that both: (1) allowed elements of capitalism within a communist economic system (2) strengthened their country’s military defenses (3) supported censorship of news and of personal correspondence (4) increased tensions during the Cold War

The right answer is:

(1) It allowed elements of capitalism within a communist economic system.

Explanation:

In the early 1920s, facing a dire economic and social situation, the Bolsheviks had to take a few steps back and reintroduce some capitalistic elements in order to stimulate growth and make the countryside produce food. In the 1980s, Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to reform a stagnated Soviet economy by allowing private initiative, entrepreneurship and decentralization of economic decisions; Gorbachev's perestroika failed to achieve its ends, political instability took place and ultimately, communism in Eastern Europe collapsed, including the USSR.