Khrushchev Flashcards
Agriculture
Virgin Lands Scheme - pre 1958 relative success - 1000s of volunteers, designed to open up prev neglected areas like Siberia, maize up 50%
Post 58 - failure - soul subject to erosion and infertile, ill thought through - workers had no provisions or anywhere to stay
Gross agricultural production up from 100 mill tons 1953 to 150 mill 1958
1963 had to import grain to account for shortages
Light
5/1000 had a car
Heavy
Economic growth rate in 1963 lowest peacetime level since 1933
7 year plan and regional ministers resulted in each region jealously guarding resources
30% increase in military spending
First man and first satellite in space
7 year plan suffered from same faults as predecessors - resources diverted to wrong places and abandoned etc
Cultural reforms
Wider range of foreign literature/films - but only if they made S look bad - Dr Zhivago still not allowed as criticised the revolution
Foreigners encouraged to visit and some Soviets allowed abroad - Bolshoi ballet encouraged to tour - show of soviet talent
Stalin’s excesses condemned - all statues removed except from Georgia
Legal reforms
New criminal code 1958 - could no longer be tried for”vague crimes” or committed solely through confession
KGB still active in managing the population
Comrade court tried small cases - which encouraged blackmail and bribery
Party reforms
1957 - majority of Presidium members decided K needed to be demoted
Failed to get Zhukov on their side who threatened military takeover unless they stopped the coup
K sacks Z
Becomes commander-in-chief (same pos as Stalin - but never yielded his unchallenged authority)
Foreign policy
Cuban missile crisis 1962
K signs agreement with Cuba and stations missiles there
US states attack from Cuba = attack from USSR - real threat of nuclear war
K has to back down - looks foolish and weak
Spent huge amounts of money trying to make Africa Soviet - foolish and weak
“One of
Hope and despair” McCauley
