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