Treatment Of Political Opposition

Question 1

How was Khrushchev’s treatment of political opposition different to Stalins

Answer 1

-was less harsh than when under Stalinism

Question 2

How was the treatment of political opposition less harsh at the top

Answer 2

-at the top politicians demoted + generally not shot
-e.g. Molotov became ambassador to Mongolia, malenkov director of HEP station in Kazakhstan + Kaganovich made director of a cement works

Question 3

How was the treatment of political opposition less harsh at the lower levels

Answer 3

-at lower levels there was an improvement in treatments + political prison population reduced
-e.g. by 1955 1/4 of a million appeals from political prisoners had been considered by society procuracy but only 4% released - by 1956 8-9m rehabilitated

Question 4

How was this seen in total

Answer 4

-in total around 2m returned from gulags + prison colonies
-another 2m from special settlements between 1953-60
-by 1957 only 2% of the Soviet prison population were political prisoners

Question 5

However, how did this breed further dissident

Answer 5

-de-salinisation speech combined with lenient treatment of political opposition led to more dissident as hardliners + loyalists vocal in their opposition
-this was while cultural dissidents + intelligentsia saw an opportunity to debate issues like multi-party elections + full HR + freedoms

Question 6

Where were these hardline + loyalist oppositions

Answer 6

-mostly in Georgia which was Stalins birthplace
-violent nationalist demonstrations in Tiblisi march 1956

Question 7

What was opposition like among Soviet citizens

Answer 7

-outright citizen opposition minimal due to being conditioned by Stalinist terror most remained quiet but there was still some

Question 8

What citizen opposition was there under Khrushchev

Answer 8

-life in general remained hard + political, economic + cultural order was still extremely authoritarian