Russia 1.3 Reform, stability and stagnation

When did Stalin die?

March 1953

Who were the main contenders for power after Stalin's death?

Khrushchev, Malenkov, Beria

How did Beria reform the MVD?

He issued amnesty to a million (non-political) prisoners

He cancelled over 20 Gulag projects

When was Beria arrested? What happened to him?

June 1953

He was accused of being a British spy and executed

As Secretary of the Central Committee, how did Khrushchev ensure he had support?

Between 1953 and 1956:

He replaced 44% of the Central Committee with his supporters

Also: He appointed his supporters to the Presidium

When was the Secret Speech?

February 1956

What were the key components of de-Stalinisation?

Decentralisation

Release of political prisoners

Term limits

End to Stalin's cult of personality

Return to 'socialist legality'

When did Khrushchev introduce fixed terms for (only) senior Communists? What was the result of this?

1957

Two-thirds of regional Secretaries and the Presidium were replaced between 1957 and 1961

How many political prisoners were released between 1953 and 1960?

2 million

How did Khrushchev restructure government in 1954?

Decentralisation

Reduced number of central Soviet ministries from 55 to 25

What was the Crisis of 1957? How was it resolved?

The Anti-Party Group persuaded the Presidium to ask for Khrushchev's resignation

Khrushchev demanded the Central Committee vote on the issue

CC (full of K's allies) rejected the proposal

When did Khrushchev become Prime Minister?

March 1958

What reforms were adopted after the 1961 Twenty-Second Party Congress?

Stalin's body was removed from Lenin's Mausoleum

Fixed term limits for all Party positions

1962 - split party into agricultural and industrial bureaus

Under Brezhnev, what policy replaced Khrushchev's term limits?

Trust in cadres

Discouraged promotions or demotions

What happened at the Twenty-Third Party Congress of 1966?

Nothing - 'the congress of silences'

Presidium renamed Politburo

First Secretary renamed General Secretary

What was the Dnepropetrovsk mafia?

Brezhnev ensured the promotion of his colleagues from when he was Party leader in Ukraine

When was the 'Cotton Scandal' in Uzbekistan? What happened?

1976-83

Uzbek leadership falsified cotton harvest yields, so they could claim millions more roubles from the Soviet central bank

Between 1964 and 1971, how many people were appointed to the Politburo?

2

In 1982, what was the average age of the Politburo?

68 years old

After 1976 Party Congress, what percentage of the Central Committee was retained?

79% of the Central Committee was retained