Khrushchev Flashcards
What is Collective Leadership?
Sharing of Power
Ideal of Communism
What did Khrushchev do to eliminate Beria?
Used the army to arrest and shoot Beria
When did Khrushchev eliminate Beria?
June 1953
What did Malenkov want to improve?
Living Standards
How did Khrushchev get rid of Malenkov?
got him to publically admit that he was to blame for the grain shortages
caused him to resign - 1955
When did Khrushchev launch an attack on Stalins’ character?
1956
What did Khrushchev accuse Molotov, Kaganorich and Malenkov of in 1956?
Forming an ‘Anti-Party Group’ (Factionalism)
They were censured and they had to resign
What did Khrushchev have Bulganin confess?
That he was part of the Anti-Party
When did Bulganin resign as Premier?
March 1958
Who replaced Bulganin as Premier?
Khrushchev
When did Khrushchev join the Politburo?
1939
When did Khrushchev become the Head of the CPSU in Moscow?
1949
Define Destalinisation
Getting rid of Stalins influence in Soviet Russia
A Thaw - less harshness and more freedom
When and where did Khrushchev make his secret speech?
1956
20th Party Congress
What were the motives for Destalinisation?
1) Blacken Stalin’s name w/o damaging the communist party
2) Have more progressive economic measures
3) To co-exist with the West
4) To absolve himself and other Soviet leaders from blame
Who did Stalin commit crimes against according to Khrushchev?
Against the party not the Soviet people
What was the impact of Destalinisation on Labour Camps?
Large numbers of political prisoners released
What was Stalingrad renamed to?
Volgograd
What happened to Stalin’s mausoleum?
His body was dug up and was re-buried in a concrete pit
What happened to the Party History because of Destalinisation?
It was rewritten to criticise the 1930s - eg the purges
What did the relaxation of censorship do?
enabled criticisms f the Soviet past & novels were released criticising Stalin
BUT had its limits - attacks on modern works
What happened to the Orthodox Church under K?
Demolished
only 7500 places of worship were left
What were the years of the power struggle? Why?
1953-1956
Stalin didn’t leave a clear succession
What did Khrushchev aim to achieve in his economic policy?
5
1) Beat America in Space Race - Communism better than Capitalism
2) Expand the chemical industry
3) Focus on consumer goods & raising living standards
4) Improve agriculture
5) Improve grain stocks
Define Command Economy
State control, centralised economy
What was the role of Veshenka?
To complete economic planning
What was the role of the Gosplan?
to set economic targets
What’s a biological yield?
the output of crops
What did Khrushchev focus on in terms of economy?
Improving Agriculture
What were 3 failures in agriculture?
1) Results were unpredictable so Khrushchev had to import grain from the West
2) Central Gov was unable to plan agriculture in the long term or to give farmers economic independence
3) State altered prices randomly so prices offered to farmers were often less than the cost of production
What were 3 successes in agriculture?
1) Khrushchev undertook the first honest analysis of agriculture since the 1920s
2) Large increases in the production of fertiliser and farm machinery
3) ‘Virgin Lands’ Campaign in Western Siberia and Northern Kazakhstan - 1956, 35.9 mill hectares cultivated
Was Agriculture largely a success or failure?
Failure - farmers dissatisfied and policies were inadequate
What were 3 failures in Industry?
1) Targets set centrally - little sensitivity for nations/industries needs
2) Regional Economic Councils set up - added to bureaucracy
3) Many new apartments lacked running water and lifts
What were 3 successes in Industry?
1) Urban Russians less dependent on bread and potatoes
2) Standard of Living improved - minimum wage began in 1956
3) USSR led in terms of space exploration - landed a red flag on the moon in 1959, and in 1961 Gagarin was the first man in space
What is meant by a Policy of Co-Existence?
Existing alongside another country when you have opposing ideologies
How had the Revolutionaries of 1917 viewed Foreign Policy?
As an international class war to spread revolution
What step did K take at the 20th Party Congress?
K said that party conflict was not inevitable and the co-existence was possible, unlike what Lenin suggested
What events created an opportunity for better relations with the West?
The end of the Korean War
USSR signing a peace treaty with Austria
Where did K travel to with Bulganin?
To countries outside the Soviet Bloc
What success did K highlight when visiting other countries?
The Space Race
What did K suggest would be consequences of nuclear weapons?
Suggested they would make outright war unlikely, conflicts would have to be settled through other methods
What did K’s meetings with Eisenhower achieve in 1959? Why was this seen as a fragile agreement?
Achieved a better understanding between the 2 countries
It was during the Cold War
Although co-existence was a good policy, why were there drawbacks?
It wouldn’t work in practise as many still wanted to spread Communism and compete with the West
Cold War strained relations
What problems arose in the mid 1950s between Germany and Russia?
There were economic and political divisions between East and West Germany and Berlin
How did Marshall Aid affect the relations?
Marshall Aid helped West Germany and Berlin and recover, but because it wasn’t offered to the East they didn’t recover
What did 2 million refugees do after 1949?
Migrated to the West
What did K do to try and improve the situation between West and East Germany?
Tried to get the Western Powers to recognise East Germany as a separate state
This request was sent in an official note, along with a threat
How did the USA respond to K’s official note?
They refused to agree to K’s demands regarding East Germany
What effect did K’s ultimatum regarding East Germany have?
Led to a crisis in foreign relations
How did K describe the German Problem at the point when he modified his demands?
‘a fishbone in the gullet’
What did K do in 1961, regarding the German Problem?
He repeated his warning to the West that they must leave Berlin in 6 months
What did the East German leader order to be done to prevent the flight of refugees?
Ordered the construction of the Berlin Wall
What effect did the Berlin Wall have?
Created greater national understanding
Clarified the diplomatic differences
What did K do in 1963, regarding the German Problem?
Contacted the West German Government to solve the Berlin issue
What shaped K’s policies towards Germany?
By the pressure put on him - reactive policies
How successful was K in his relations with Germany?
Massive Failure - Berlin Wall, failure to resolve conflict
What did Fidel Castro declare?
That he was a Communist
What actions did K take in response to Castro’s declaration? Why did he do this?
Offered economic assistance by offering to buy Cuba’s sugar crop
He saw the possibility of a coup so he wanted to attain a strong Russian presence in Cuba to spread Communism
What did K warn would happen if the USA used force against Cuba?
Said he would be ‘prepared to act’
What was Operation Anadyr?
The installation of nuclear missiles in Cuba by K
Why was K so personally committed to the Cuban Affair?
B/c he was in the military council & fought in WW2 - liked the idea of war
How did K publically justify Soviet actions in Cuba?
Said it was a way to protect Cuba against attacks for the USA
How did the US respond to Soviet action in Cuba?
Created a naval blockade to remove the missiles in Cuba
What did K order instead of a full-scale nuclear confrontation with the USA? What was the effect of this?
Ordered Soviet ships not to challenge the blockade
Relieved tensions between America and Russia
What effect did the Cuban Missile Crisis have on the USSR’s international standing?
Was a Diplomatic Victory for the USA
Damaged Khrushchev’s reputation
