32 - Khrushchev, 1953-64 Flashcards
What type of leadership followed Stalin’s death? What 2 factors presented a power struggle behind the scenes?
Collective leadership
Policy
Rivalry
Who was the dominant contender for leadership? What did he present himself as?
Beria
A reformer
Who issued an amnesty to present himself as a reformer? How many prisoners were released?
Beria
A million
What consequence followed Beria’s amnesty?
Most prisoners were criminals, not political
What 2 leadership groups feared Beria? What were they suspicious of?
Senior party leaders
Military leaders
His intentions
Who conspired and carried out Beria’s arrest? What was Beria accused of and shot for?
The military
The worst excesses of Stalinism
Whose downfall saw a coup? Who organised the coup?
Beria’s
Khrushchev
What did Khrushchev emerge from the Beria coup with? Why didn’t other leaders see him as a threat?
Political authority
His peasant background
What position did Khrushchev use to build up party power? Which previous figure also did this?
General Secretary
Stalin
Who proposed popular economic measures as PM? What 2 things did he want to boost?
Malenkov
Agriculture and consumer goods
Who was blamed for the 1953 poor harvest? What did Khrushchev propose because of this?
Malenkov
Virgin Lands scheme
What was the Virgin Lands scheme met with by critics originally?
Success
Which 2 groups of leaders did Khrushchev ally himself with? What didn’t they like about Malenkov?
Heavy industry and army
His policies
When was Malenkov forced out as PM by leaders?
1955
When did Khrushchev give his “secret speech”? Where was the speech delivered?
February 1956
20th Congress of the Communist Party
Who did Khrushchev want to break the hold of in Soviet Russia in his “secret speech”? What did he want new leadership to do?
Stalin
Make changes and move on
Who did Khrushchev want to absolve of complicity in terror during his “secret speech”?
Party leaders
What did Khrushchev criticise Stalin for? What did he blame him for personally?
“Abuses of power”
Terror
What complex did Khrushchev attack about Stalin? What did he imply death was a result of?
“Cult of personality”
Stalin’s “mania for greatness”
Why didn’t Khrushchev’s killing list of innocents go back before 1934? Who didn’t he blame for the murders?
He only wanted to blacken Stalin’s reputation
The Party
What did Khrushchev want to restore faith in with his “secret speech”?
The party of Lenin
What did some observers see de-Stalinisation as the start of? How many prisoners were released by 1960?
A new era of tolerance and freedom 2 million (some never got home)
What was eased due to de-Stalinisation? What rule was the Soviet Union still under?
Censorship
One-party rule
What happened to secret police power under Khrushchev? What were they known as?
Diminished
KGB
What did many Party members ask post-“secret speech”? What were the more critical members expelled and labelled as?
Why leaders didn’t speak out on Stalinism
“Rotten elements”
