Khrushchev Depth Study Flashcards
What ideology did Khrushchev follow?
Destalinisation
What were the features of the Secret Speech?
- Khrushchev outlined his desire to return to pre-Stalin Russia under Lenin.
-Khrushchev highlighted the scale of terror experienced under Stalin’s rule.
- Khrushchev highlighted the extremity of Stalin’s cult of personality and power.
- Khrushchev highlighted Stalin’s incompetent management of WW2, as many lives were lost (27 million Russians killed, 2/3 of whom were civilians) .
- Khrushchev left out anything that involved him, i.e, the purges we participated in and the policy of collectivisaiton.
What was the Novocherkassk massacre of 1962 similar to?
The Bloody Sunday Massacre
What caused the Novocherkassk massacre of 1962?
- There was a strike due to discontent over an increase in production quotas coinciding with a nationwide increase in dairy and meat prices.
- Protesters ended up being dispersed by gunfire. According to official figures, 26 protesters were killed and 87 were wounded, however it is more likely that 70 or 80 people were killed.
- Arrests, show trials, and cover-ups ensued. 7 people sentenced to death.
Why does Khrushchev’s use of the secret police suggest that detalinisation was a genuine break from the past?
- Because the MVD and the KGB were no longer under the control of just one person.
- MVD and KGB became significantly less repressive. Number of political arrests plummeted, the use of Gulag’s disappeared, no more torture of dissidents.
- By 1960, only 11,000 counter-revolutionaries remained in captivity.
Why does Khrushchev’s use of the secret police suggest that detalinisation was not a genuine break from the past?
- Still used repressively at times e.g in the case of the Hungarian Uprising and the Noverchassk Massacre.
Did Khrushchev sign death warrants for many people under Stalin’s rule?
Yes
When did Khrsushev become Party Secretary in the Ukraine?
In 1938. This was at the height of Stalin’s purges.
When was the Festival of International Youth?
In 1957
Who were the 3 main rivals for power after Stalin’s death?
- Malenkov
- Beria
- Khrushchev
Why was Beria killed?
- The army remembered his role in the army purge before WW2, and arrested him.
- He and 6 associates were consequently tried in secret and shot
What did Malenkov advocate ?
- A consumer industry.
- A more relaxed relationship with the West and countries in Eastern Europe.
What did Khruschev advocate ?
- The Virgin Lands Campaign
- The good harvests of 1954 and 1955 strenghtened Khruschev’s position
What is an example of their still being literary censorship under Khruschev’s rule?
- Boris Pasternak wrote a novel set in the years of the revolution and the civil war, which he was heavily criticized for and had to refuse the Nobel Prize for literatuer when it was awarded.
What did Khruschev do to religion?
- He strengthened anti-religion propaganda
- he increased taxes on religious activity
- he closed down churches.
Between 1959 and 1964, about 3/4 of all Christian churches and monasteries in the Soviet union were closed down. - Hence, Christians, Muslims, and Jews were all persecuted
In the late 1950s, how many books were being published each year?
65,000
By 1959, how many libraries were there in Russia?
135,000 libraries, containing about 8000 million books.
By the early 1960’s, what had the total readership of newspapers reached?
Nearly 60 million
Did Khruschev relax the centralised control of the economy?
Yes
Did Khruschev place more of a focus on improving living standards and focus more on consumer goods?
Yes
What is one incentive Khruschevn introduced for farmers?
He raised the prices for state procurements, so that farmers would be encouraged to grow more
Overall, was Khruschev’s Virgin Lands Campaign a success or a failure?
It was a failure
Was Stalin’s body removed from Lenin’s mausoleum?
Yes
Was Stalingrad renamed Volgograd?
Yes
Was the crime of being ill at work abolished under Khruschev?
Yes
Did Khrushcve bring in freedom of employement?
Yes
Within a year, how many political prisoners had Khrushcev released?
8 million, which is significantly higher than the 12,000 that had been released between 1954 and 1955
Was there any discussion of allowing democracy into the soviet union under khruschev?
No, and all major decisions were still taken by the Central Committee that was head by Khruschev.
Did Khrushcev torture or kill his opponenets?
No
What did khrushchev do instead of torturing or killing his opponents?
He demoted them to lesser posts.
Did khrushchev have total personal power over the Soicet Union?
Yes
What hapened in 1956 when Hungary tried to break away from the Warsaw pact?
Tanks were sent into Hungary to crush the revolt.
Did khrushchev tie his cult of personality to Lenin instead of Stalin?
Yes, and he tried to present himself as an ordinary peasant
Due to Khruschev demolishing churches, how many churches remained?
Only 7,500
On avergae, how much did the price for state procurements rise by between 1953 and 1956?
On average, procurement prices rose by about 25% betwee 1953 and 1956
What did khrushchev do to peasant taxation?
- He reduced it and made it fairer
Did khrushchev announce large increases in the production of fertilise and farm machinery?
Yes
In summary, what was the aim of khrushchev’s Virgin Lands Campaign?
To cultivate land in Western Siberia and North Kazakhstan ‘on the fringes of the area of adequate rainfall’.
Was the 1954 harvest successful?
Yes
By 1956….
an extra 35.9 million hectares were cultivated, equal to the total cultivated area of Canada
after an extra 35.9 million hectares were cultivated, equal to the total cultivated area of Canada, what happened?
- Komsomol members flocked out to help .
- However, those who settled had to endure difficult conditions, such as inadequate housing and uncertain crop yields.
Was 1955 a drought year?
Yes, but it was followed by a good year in 1956
At the 21st Party Congress, what did khrushchev boast?
That the USSr would soon overtake the USA in its production of meat and butter
In 1956, did the Virgin Lands Campaign contribute 50% to the total grain harvest for the USSR?
Yes
Why was erosion by wind a problem ?
Because 13,000 square mile of land had their topsoil removed in 1960 alone
What happened with the 1963 harvest?
It was very poor, due to erosion by wind
What did khrushchev have to do due to the 1963 harvest being very poor?
- He had to suffer the humiliation of importing grain from the West
Even though khrushchev urged farmers to grow more maize, after the poor 1963 harvest, what was the problem?
- Even though 85 million acres were planted, only 1/6th was harvested ripe.
- This was a massive waste of manpower and land
After only 1/6th of maize planted ended up being harvested ripe, what happened with ferilizers?
- khrushchev began a campaign to increase fertilizer production by 700% to boost yeilds, however the targets proved to be impossible to achieve.