Political Opposition Flashcards
What internal opposition did Khrushchev face?
not all members of the party were content with Khrushchev’s leadership of the USSR
his rise to power saw the struggle between liberal reformers like Bulganin and hardline pro-Stalinist such as Malenkov
What happen to Khrushchev in 1957?
in 1957 the hardliners tried to oust Khrushchev
they fought him less because of his reforms and more to restore Stalinism
the Reformers spoke in Khrushchev’s favour as they feared the return of the old police rule
How did Khrushchev survive?
Khrushchev survived by appealing to the Central committee about the vote against him and the expulsion of the anti-party group from the Presidium
When did Khrushchev achieve Victory?
it wasn’t until Khrushchev dismissed Zhukhov and put the army back in place did he achieve total Victory
How did Khrushchev treat political opposition?
Khrushchev was less harsh than Stalin
politicians with demoted not shot
Molotov became the ambassador to Mongolia
How many political prisoners did Khrushchev release?
By 1956, 9 million political prisoners were rehabilitated
By 1960, 2 million returned from the Gulags
What were the effects of Khrushchev’s lenient approach?
Khrushchev’s lenient treatment of political opponents bred further dissent
cultural dissidents and intelligentsia saw this as an opportunity to debate human rights and freedoms
both hardliners and loyalists were vocal in their opposition
however, any outright opposition amongst ordinary citizens was minimal as they’d been conditioned to remain silent by Stalinist terror
