9) Khrushchev and East-West Relations Flashcards
Nikita Khrushchev
Soviet leader after Stalin, consolidated power in 1954
He won the power struggle with Malenkov since he had control of party machinery
Secret speech
Feb 1956
Speech given to the soviet congress
denounced Stalin and his methods
nucleus of his policy of de-stalination
attempt to destroy the cult personality of Stalin which had been built up
quoted Lenin’s testament in which Lenin claimed Stalin would abuse his power
Why did Khrushchev give the speech
he had not yet fully consolidated his power
pointing out the flaws in Stalin’s government
examples of Stalin abusing power
Great purge of the 1930s
inadequate preparation for the German invasion
irrational deportation of nationality groups during and post WW2
Leningrad in which he purged political leaders in 1948-50
De-stalination
the attempt to remove Stalin’s influence in the bloc states, particularly the cult of personality he had created and return them to the leninist/marxist model
Characteristic of de-stalination
not all communist governments being identical to that of the Soviets (which Stalin had wanted) for example, Gomulka in Poland
Khrushchev chose new political leader to carry out de-stalination like Ochab ( also in Poland)
impact of de-stalination
Hungarian and Polish rebellions which (temporarily) strengthened Khrushchev’s opponents
political prisoners released
shock throughout the soviet union
Khrushchev thaw
What is the Khrushchev thaw
a period of time after the secret speech in which political censorship was relaxed, this provoked a literary renaissance
a period of liberalization
Why would some view the secret speech as hypocritical
Khrushchev had done his own purge when he was governing Ukraine
He had played a role in the creation of the cult of personality and excelled under Stalin
What was the state of the Soviet union before the Warsaw pact
a lot of unrest and anti-Soviet resistance (Volksaufstand)
the Warsaw pact formalized their security ties and brought the eastern bloc, temporarily, back under control
Events of the Polish uprising
-June-October 1956
-Workers strike over wages and working conditions soon turns into an armed, anti-communist uprising which was stopped by the polish army
however, chose Gomulka as first secretary of the communist party, a government that is supported by China (largely the reason why force wasn’t used)
-he meets with Khrushchev who threatens military force if Gomulka does not comply (Poland needs the USSR’s protection to prevent or defend against a possible revanchism from FRG)
aftermath of Polish uprising
Gomulka is appointed by Khrushchev with the agreement to:
remain in the Warsaw pacts
not carryout any reforms that could damage soviet control
not the threaten the unity of the communist bloc
Impact of the Polish uprising
China’s influence grows
Soviet bloc would give states more freedom IF run by trustworthy politicians
Events of the Hungarian uprising
October-November 1956
students in Budapest demonstrated and list 16 demands
this then escalated into an armed revolt which is fired on by the secret police
2 days later Imre Nagy is appointed as PM and meets the a soviet delegation to convince them military involvement in unnecessary
Agreements made with soviet delegation in Hungary
they agree to withdraw troops (pressure from China) and the USSR declares a withdrawal from Hungary as a whole
but, they did not want Hungary to stop being communist as it would destabilise the eastern bloc
what were some of the 16 demands
Imre Nagy as Prime minister
withdrawal of soviet troops
freedoms restored and multi party elections
Why did Khrushchev decide to re-invade Hungary
Nagy stated that Hungary would leave the Warsaw pact and become a neutral nations (appealing to the UN)
Khrushchev had reached his limit and since Eisenhower was focusing on his re-election campaign and the Britain and France had recently invaded Egypt, this was a ideal time for the Soviets to invade Hungary
Invasion numbers of Hungary
200,000 Soviet and Warsaw troops
5,500 tanks
20,000 Hungarian casualties
3,000 Soviet casualties
Western response to the invasion of Hungary
the US had been broadcasting pro-liberation rhetoric on Radio Free Europe broadcasts which, most likely, contributed to the uprising in Hungary but they did nothing to prevent the fall of Hungary back to communism since they were unwilling to start a war on Soviet territory exactly like how the soviets did not interfere with any western European developments
Long Peace
the period of time post the WW2 in Europe
Peaceful coexistence
the acknowledgement of the other superpower so both sides could exist without resorting to war
competition could still happen it would just not result in fighting
Khrushchev’s foreign policy aims (6)
USSR must remain the unchallenged leader of the socialist community especially in face of the growth of Mao’s power
firm grip of soviet bloc
Germany must not be rearmed to prevent a future threat
USSR must continue in the arms race
Reduced spending on military security (including forces in the eastern bloc)
International tensions must be diffused and care taken to not unnecessarily provoke the USA
Overview of Khrushchev’s foreign policy
Existence within a less volatile scenario which would allow the USSR to consolidate it’s international power and security
Suez crisis
October 1956
Developed from disagreements over the Aswan High Dam because, it connected trade from the red sea to the Mediterranean
anyone controlling it would get a lot of money
