The Soviet Union By 1964 Flashcards
What was the political condition of the Soviet Union by 1964
Stalin made himself centre to the workings of the political system.
His death in 1953 left a political vacuum. The years before 1964 was mainly bout establishing a new style of leadership backed by the authority of the party. Also spent time steering the system away from the autocratic practices of the Stalinist era.
However, such changes could never be absolute. The party elite had risen to power under the Stalinist system an chad a good want to perpetuate their control over the state and its resources since there life and career depended on it. The preservation of the one party state and command economy was never in question,but trying to establish limited reform was not easy and may help to explain why the reform was half hearted.
What was the economic condition of the Soviet Union
The Stalinist era - large industrial base for soviet economy and despite war… rebuilt the economy.
Khrushchev moved away from heavy industry to consumer goods, housing and agriculture.
USSR developed technically in the post war period with the acquisition of nuclear weapons and huge advances in rocketry perpetuating the reputation of the Soviet Union as a great military power.
The challenge after 1953 was to stimulate greater productivity without relying on increases in labour. Khrushchev attempted a limited degree of decentralisation in an attempt to increase agriculture. But his campaigns were not always well thought through - relied more on the increased use of land than real improvement. By 1964 no solution to the major issue of how to sustain economic growth had been found.
How was the social condition of the Soviet Union
Living standardised raised and consumer goods began to reap some of the benefits of industrialisation. The improvements generated a move of optimism and made it took as though the USA might really be building a better society. But beneath the service they were still massive issues that had not been solved.
