Khrushchev and reaction to Stalinism 1953-64

• • March 1953: Stalin dies, Malenkov takes leadership as Chairman of Council of Ministers and General Secretary of the Party, but replaced by Khrushchev a week later
  • June-December: Beria is arrested and executed
  • 1954: K launches Virgin Land Scheme
  • Feb 55' Malenkov replaced by Bulganin
  • June 57' anti-party group
  • October 57: Zhukov is dismissed 


  Khrushchev's rise to power:
• • Most of it welcomed the dismantling of the Stalinist Terror but many were involved in the terror who were uneasy about the thought of delegates debating Stalin's rule.
  • Khrushchev was determined to speak out but was advised to do it in a 'closed session'. So it was, none of the 1400 delegates were allowed to ask questions and he used materials sourced from the Central Committee of the abuses of Stalin. 


  Presidium
• • Titled 'Oh the Cult of Personality and its Consequences'- Khrushchev's attack on Stalin, the purges (his responsibility), terror, torture, mass arrests, executions and the gulags which have caused 'tremendous harm to cause socialist progress' which was quoted from Lenin's testament which shows Lenin's view of Stalin.
  • He blamed Stalin for the murder of Kirov, called for rehabilitation of Trotsky and questioned Stalin's war leadership.
  • The response was a resounding applause.

  The Secret Speech
• • It condemned matters such as autocratic leadership, undermining of party, brutal suppression of Party members, mishandling of the war.
  • However, it paid limited attention to the purges of ordinary Soviet citizens, accepted economic controls, strong leadership, a single Party and eliminations of factions as perfectly acceptable.
  • The speech tried to justify continuity but dismissed the leadership of Stalin and his mistakes. There was no wish to incriminate those who had benefitted from the Stalinist system which included K himself.

  Purpose of Secret Speech
• • Under Stalin, the party and the government were 'rubber-stamping organisations', dependent on himself. Those the government had more power because that is where Stalin was situated.
  • Secret police reduced in size - moving away from the influence of it in State matters.
  • Since Beria's death, the party had become more important as he was able to influence it in his struggle for power.
  • He also went to the central committee for support which meant the restoration of the original system under Lenin. 


  Political changes upon Stalin's death
• • democratisation: involved weaking the traditional bureaucracy to give more responsibility to the people
  • decentralisation: give more initiatives to the localities. 


  2 goals set by Khrushchev which the party wasn't a fan of from 1957
• • In 1962, the party was split into urban and rural sections at all levels.
  • New rules were issued: limiting how long Party officials could serve
  • membership was expanded: from 7 mil in 1956 to 11 mil in 1964 which brought more working class members, broadening the party's popular base, while reducing power of higher bureaucrats.
  • role of local soviets increased and comrade courts could deal with minor offences.
  • non-party members were encouraged to take supervisory roles and invited to Congresses. 


  What measures were put in place so Khrushchev could meet his 2 goals:
• • He also visited villages and towns showing a personal desire for first-hand contact with people.
  • Economic decentralisation was pursued, moving some power from Moscow Ministries to provincial authorities.
  • The autocratic state terror of Stalin disappeared and was replaced by a central government like in the 1920s.
  • With the importance of the party, the leaders role diminished slightly. 


  Continued how he reached his goals
• • 70% of industrial capacity and severely reduced workforce
  • Not all of the Soviet economy was revived, a huge defence budget upon them as it policies new 'satellite states' and costs of emerging cold war.
  • 1947: Stalin forbade terrorists under Stalinist influence to receive US Marshall aid (financial aid)
  • Stalin established: Cominform: communist info bureau to disseminate propaganda and establish Soviet control over all communist parties. Comecon: Council established in 1949 to coordinate economic growth of countries within the Soviet bloc. 


  Post- war Russian economy state
• • After WW2, communist governments were established in occupied eastern European countries turning them into satellite states who were politically, economically, and military reliant on the USSR.
  • This helped to create tensions between the east and west.

  Satellite states