Destalinisation Flashcards
By how much did the USSRs standing army decrease after the signing of the Warsaw Pact
From 3.6 million to 2.4 million
When and what happened: East German Workers strike
June 1953
Protest against government demands to increase productivity
Million workers
US established an aid program to feed East Germans
Soviet declared martial law and used military force
East German government cut off bus and train links to the West
When and what happened: Uprising in Poland
June 1956
Strikes broke out in Poznan factories after Khrushchev’s address to the 20th Convention of the USSRs Communist Party
Communist authorities deployed 10,300 soldiers, 400 tanks and 30 armoured vehicles
Fierce street battles
When and what happened: Hungarian Rising
October 1956
Students and workers took to the streets with their sixteen points: personal freedom, food etc
Poland had been granted rights through protest and so Hungary followed suit
Set up their own government with prime minister declaring Hungary’s withdraw from the Pact
Soviet tanks entered Budapest to restore order and acted with brutality
Describe the events of the 20th Party congress
Khrushchev still accepted fundamentals of Stalinism but wanted to avoid criticising the party and so blamed Stalin
4hr speech focussing in Stalins excess
What was the new party programme
A series of promises:
Improve standard of living
Strengthening of the role of the Party
Nearly all features of Stalinism remained
What were Khrushchev’s motives for reform
Economy was weaker than USA and military spending was a drain on the economy
Agriculture was still the weakest sector of society
Regime wanted to rely less on fear and more on popular consent
When was the Warsaw Pact signed and what was it
1995 following West Germany’s admission to NATO the year before
Signatories recognised the equal sovereign rights of member states and agreed to consult in a crisis and offer mutual support
What was the virgin lands scheme
1954
Planned to develop uncultivated areas in Siberia and Kazakhstan
Intended to solve chronic food shortages
Scheme was badly planned and unrealistic in its aims
At first a success before topsoil became arid and subject to erosion
What social reforms did Khrushchev make
Fixed wage and social benefits for farm workers Increase in foreign aid Improvement in living conditions Built 15 million flats Minimum wage in 1956 Better working conditions
What industrial reforms did Khrushchev put in place
Existing economic ministries abolished and replaced by 105 regional ministries
5yr plan for 1956 revised and rejected
7yr plan
What was the 7yr plan
1959 to 1965
Designed to take advantage of new mineral resources and to fit in with reorganisation
40% of investment was in neglected Eastern regions
Not all targets met and resources got diverted to the wrong places
Replaced in 1961 by 7th five year plan
How did the economic growth rate in 1963 compare to that in 1933
It was the lowest peacetime level since 1933
What were the positives of cultural reforms
Access to wider range of foreign literature and films
Could listen to foreign radio stations
Foreign visitors encouraged
Thousands of political prisoners released
Stalingrad renamed etc
Death penalty restricted to the crime of treason
What were negatives of cultural reforms
Literature and films still had to be passed as being ‘safe’
Only a small number of vetted citizens could travel abroad
Mental illness patients exiled for up to 5yrs
KGB still active and monitored population
Persecution of particular groups
