Russia Depth Study 4 Flashcards
Name some key global events between 1956-1961
Cold War
Space Race
Arms Race
The motives for reform in this era were…
Khrushchev’s personality
The power struggle amongst the top men in the USSR
Khrushchev’s desire to decentralise (Leninist ideology)
Pressure from the prison system
Five facts about the secret speech
1956
No one supported it but Khrushchev
It criticised Stalin’s leadership and exposed his crimes
It was posted out for all party officials across the country to read
It soon became public knowledge and not so secret
How did people respond to the Secret Speech 1956
Young in favour of it
Older people who lived in fear of Stalin most of their lives, didn’t trust it or like it.
Georgia (Where Stalin was from) erupted in violent revolts
Satellite states saw it as an excuse to rebel against USSR control e.g. Hungary
Who led the Anti Party Group in 1957?
Molotov
Who else other than Molotov was in the Anti-Party Group?
Kaganovich, Malenkov, Bulganin and Voroshilov
What caused the Anti Party Group to form?
Khrushchev’s decentralisation of controls e.g. financial and planning controls away from the presidium. The trigger that forced them to act was the creation of Sovnarkhozy meaning economic decentralisation across the USSR
Who supported Khrushchev enabling him to win against the Anti Party Group?
Zukhov
Zukhov controlled what in 1957?
The military
A plenum met (a full committee meeting) to decide Khrushchev’s fate. For how many days did it sit?
6
What happened to the members of the Anti-Party Group?
EXILE!
Molotov - Monogolia - ambassador
Malenkov - Siberia - power station
Kaganovich - Sverdlovsk - cement factory
(Bulganin and Voroshilov no real threat so left alone)
Why have historians compared Khrushchev’s reforms to the space race?
Because they were ambitious, far reaching, sounded good, but the awe and wonder of them didn’t last long and they never came to anything. Much like how the USA eventually overtook the USSR in the space race.
USSR had the first human in space he was called?
Yuri Gagarin
USSR had the first female in space, she was called?
Valentina Tereshkova
The USSR mastermind rocket developer died in which year?
1966
What happened to Vladimir Komarov?
Plunged to earth in a rocket and died, he was cursing and shouting at the rocket developers and the USSR as he plummeted to earth.
Khrushchev managed to increase party memberships, (he thought this would help him to decentralise) name the amount of party members in 1956 and 1964…
1956 - 7 million 3.6% of the population
1964 - 11 million 4.8% of the population
Was decentralisation ever fully completed under Khrushchev?
NO
When was Khrushchev removed from power and by whom?
1964 - The presidium
The Russian word for decentralisation of the economy is…
Sovnarkhozy
State some of the police and security reforms un Khrushchev.
To throw people into the gulags without trial was made illegal
New leader of the KGB appointed to help bring KGB under full party control.
Rebranding of crimes
Military courts were now only to deal with military not political crimes
Many of Stalin’s laws were invalidated e.g. abortion no longer illegal
Death penalty was widened as the punishment for more crimes
In 1957 what was held in Moscow?
The world festival of youth. Teenagers from all over the world came together.
Why did the World Festival of Youth backfire on Khrushchev?
Instead of showing the amazing nature of Communism it highlighted to the youth of the USSR their repression and desire to be free.
How did Khrushchev feel about and treat the Church?
Believed being too pious was to be a counter revolutionary and a traitor.
He closed many churches
He imposed heavy taxed on religious activities
Pilgrimages were banned
Parish church numbers fell from 15 000 in 1951 to fewer than 8000 in 1963
