4: Fall Of Khrushchev Flashcards
3 factors that contributed to Khrushchev’s downfall
Domestic policy
Foreign policy
Personality
Fav Khrushchev quotes
“Berlin is the testicles of the West. When I want the West to scream, I squeeze on Berlin.”
“We will bury you [USA]”
“We are churning out missiles like sausages”
(To Mao) “Asian Hitler” “Old Prostitute”
From 1959, Khrushchev was seen as…
A liability on the international stage
Why did relations with China deteriorate?
Destalinisation, as Mao had modelled himself on Stalin
What did Khrushchev do that soured relations with his Generals?
Made cuts to conventional warfare spending to prioritise nuclear weapons
What did Khrushchev do in economic policy (in 5 words)
Over promised and under delivered
What was particularly humiliating about agriculture?
Early 1960s bad harvests meant USSR was forced to seek grain imports from China and US
What two major international failures ruined Khrushchev’s reputation?
The Berlin Refugee Crisis / Construction of the Berlin Wall 1961
The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962
What frustrated state officials?
Nepotism
Decentralisation weakened many bureaucrats
‘One man style’ rule
