Lesson 12-How successful were Khruschev's attempts to reform government and de-Stalinisation?

Question 1

Define de-stalinisation

Answer 1

An effort after the death of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to soften some of the repressive measures used by his government.
Premier nikita Khrushchev was a leader in the de-stalinisation movement, which involved the downgrading of Stalin’s reputation.

Question 2

Define socialist legality

Answer 2

The principle that the action of the government and Party organisations was subject to the law. This was particularly aimed at curbing the actions of the secret police to stop them carrying out arbitrary (not backed by law) arrests.

Question 3

What did the members of the Politburo form when Stalin died and who was included?

Answer 3

A collective leadership
Main players were Beria, Malenkov and Khruschev

Question 4

What Was Beria’s role in the collective leader?

Answer 4

He seemed to be leading developments. He moved quickly to reduce the use of terror, even though he was the Head of the secret police

Question 5

Define amnesty

Answer 5

an official pardon for people who have been convicted of political offences.

Question 6

When was the amnesty which first released a million prisoners from labour camps?

Answer 6

27 March 1953

Question 7

What Was denounced as false after Stalin’s death?

Answer 7

The Doctor’s Plot
The Kremlin doctors were released

Question 8

Why was Beria arrested in June (maybe 1953) ?

Answer 8

He was accused of being British spy and was executed.
It was illegal but the presidium members felt it was necessary to restore ‘socialist legality’ which was not to be the key word of the government.

Question 9

What did Khruschev change the name Politburo to?

Answer 9

Presidium

Question 10

What did Khruschev become in September (maybe 1953)?

Answer 10

First Secretary of the Communist Party
He used his position to place his allies in the presidium.

Question 11

What Was the title of General Secretary replaced with?

Answer 11

First Secretary of the Communist Party

Question 12

What Was the Central Committee given more power over?

Answer 12

Both the government and Party structures

Question 13

What happened to almost half of the elected members of the Central Committee in 1952?

Answer 13

They were removed and replaced by new members who were supporters of Khruschev.

Question 14

By what year had Khruschev outmanoeuvred his main opponents?

Answer 14

By 1956

Question 15

What speech did khruschev give in1956?

Answer 15

In 1956, at the Twentieth Party Congress,he felt confident enough to give a speech which criticised Stalin. Party members were shocked by this.

Question 16

What did Khruschev tell the Party he believed in the Secret Speech of 1956?

Answer 16

The Soviet system needed to be rejuvenated by a return to the legality of Leninism.
He wanted his reforms to focus on Stalin and not the Soviet system itself.

Question 17

Give the first 3 key feature of de-stalinisation.

Answer 17

-Regular meetings of the presidium and Central Committe resumed
-moves were made to de-centralise (party not Khruschev making decisions) decision-making by giving more power to organisations at regional level
-Party and government officials no longer faced prison for failing to meet targets

Question 18

Give the seond and last 3 key features of de-stalinisation.

Answer 18

-The secret police were brought firmly under Party control. They could no longer by an individual to further their own interests.
-The secret police lost control over labour camps, whose economic resources had bolstered (supported) the power of the organisation
-A further two million political prisoners were released from the camps between 1953 and 1960

Question 19

How did the population of Russia react to the de-stalinisation developments?

Answer 19

They welcomed it but the fear from Stalin did not completely disappear.

Question 20

Who was power to be transferred to and how was this bad?

Answer 20

From central ministries to regional councils.
This move threatened to reduce power of the Party leaders.

Question 21

What did this power transfer result in, in 1957?

Answer 21

This resulted in an attempt to remove Khruschev from power by the ‘Anti-Party Group’.

Question 22

Who was the anti party group led by?

Answer 22

Molotov and Malenkov who persuaded the presidium to ask for Khruschevs resignation

Question 23

How did Khruschev respond to Malenkov and Molotov’s request?

Answer 23

He demanded that the issue so to the Central Committee and he argued that they appointed him so only they could dismiss him but because this was full of his allies they rejected the move.

Question 24

What happened to Malenkov and Molotov?

Answer 24

They were not arrested and executed: Molotov became ambassador to Mongolia and Malenkov was put in charge of electricity.

Question 25

How was Khruschev’s power enhanced in March 1958?

Answer 25

He became Prime minister as well as First Secretary.
He now headed the government and the Party.

Question 26

How was Stalin and Khruschev’s level of power different from one another?

Answer 26

Khruschev was not an all-powerful dictator like Stalin had been.
Khruschev’s power was subject to the authority of the Central Committee and debate inside the Party was common.

Question 27

What four reforms did Khruschev come up with of the Party from the Twenty-Second Party Congress of 1961?

Answer 27

-Stalin’s body was removed from the mausoleum in Red Square
-There was a major purge of local Party secretaries
-1962: he divided the Party into agricultural and industrial departments, reducing the party of Party officials.
-introduced a limit to the length of Party officials could serve in their post to 3 years.

Question 28

Why was limiting Party officials time in their post bad?

Answer 28

It was a serious threat to the power and privileges of Party officials
Their resentment played an important role in Khruschev’s downfall.

Question 29

Why was Khruschev growing in unpopularity?

Answer 29

-Economic mistakes
-The humiliating back down during the Cuban Missile Crisis
-His erratic and unpredictable behaviour: e.g he repeatedly banged his shoe on a desk during a UN conference
-His failure in agricultural policy came to a head with a disastrous harvest in 1963

Question 30

What main event happened in 1964?

Answer 30

Khruschev was dismissed from office by the Central Committee.

Question 31

What was the lesson learned from Khruschev’s dismissal?

Answer 31

The fact that he could be sacked and retired from office was a sign that his impact was not huge.
He later remarked that ‘Stalin would have had them shot.’
Shows how easy he was to get rid of.