Khrushchev's reforms

The secret speech, ending of terrot, the problems of de-Stalinisation, Khrushchev's retreat, democratisation and decentralisation, the Anti-party group, his final reforms, his fall, the extend of de-Stalinisation

What did the first wave of de-Stalinisation focus on?

Ending Stalin’s cult of personality

What did he want to further do? But why didn’t he?

He wanted to go further and formally criticise Stalin, but this was a huge risk as he was widely respected founder of the soviet system. It would undermine the authority of the Soviet Union and communism. Also risked outraging the Party since many senior Communists still respected Stalin and feared that the criticisms would reflect badly on them, and they helped him implement his policies.

At which conference in which year did Khrushchev conduct his secret speech?

The 20th Congress of the Communist Party in 1956.

This was the first conference since what?

Stalin’s death in March 1953

When did the 20th Party Congress start and when did it end?

It started on February 14 and ended on February 25, 1956.

What happened on the night of 25th Feb 1956?

Delegates were summoned to an unscheduled late-night meeting where Khrushchev spoke for four hours. He set out a profound critique of Stalin’s rule.

What did he argue that Stalin did in terms of leadership?

He argued that Stalin had abandoned collective leadership and set himself up as a dictator- that Stalin placed himself above the party and robbed the party of its leading role. 

Therefore without the party he had done what?

He had undermined its authority and effectiveness, leading to significant mistakes, including the purging of the Red Army just before World War II.

What crimes did he accuse him of committing?

Khrushchev accused Stalin of committing numerous crimes, including the execution of political rivals, mass purges, and instilling a culture of fear within the party and society. Particularly the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people.

What else did he reveal?

the scale of the terror which Stalin concealed from the party and quoted the critisms of Stalin in Lenin’s Testament which was previously withheld

What didn’t he criticise?

Stalin’s policy of industrialisation or collectivisation or any of his communist ideology

Why not?

He consistently argued that the foundations of the Soviet System were sound 

It was meant to be kept a secret but how did this fail

Some printed copies were sent across the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe- one was leaked to the west and, with the help of the CIA, printed in the New York Times  

When was it fully printed in the Soviet Union?

It was fully printed in the Soviet Union in 1989.

What was being published?

Novels critical of Stalinism

How long did the speech last?

4 hours

What was it argued to be?

‘turning point in the USSR’s politics’

Why was it a dangerous decision?

many of the audience had risen through the party ranks under Stalin 

What did it blame Stalin for?

not having made the USSR ready for the German attack in 1941 

The criticism of someone who was genuinely admired by some in the party caused a backlash, therefore what happened?

Molotov, Kaganovich and Malenkov won a decision from the Presidium to abolish the post of first secretary

What did Khrushchev and Malenkov set up in May 1954?

a special commission to review the cases of political prisoners who had been sent to the Gulags

In the first year, how many prisoners were released?

4620 out of 113,793

How many were released by June 1956?

51,439 prisoners including 26,155 political prisoners were released

How many of the cases of those who had been executed were rehabilitated?

Half

In which countries did communist parties begin their own process of de-Stalinisation?

Hungary and Poland

What was happening in Hungary?

Students and artists seized the new opportunity, initiated a revolution and elected a new prime minister

After Hungary ended what with the Soviet Union did Khrushchev send in troops to crush the revolution?

Their military alliance

What caused some questions to the legitimacy of the communist ruling?

Leaked information about Stalin's crimes

What happened at Moscow state university in 1957?

Student demonstrations in favour of multi- party democracy

Who suppressed this?

Communist authorities

What did Stalinists in the government argue that de-Stalinisation had done?

Destabilised the government

Who accused Khrushchev of reforming too fast?

Some moderates

Who are moderates?

people who believe an ideology category where they reject radical or extreme views

How did he respond?

by backtracking, agreeing with his critics that the Soviet people were ‘not ready’ to know the truth about Stalin 

What happened in June 1957?

Central committee issued a statement to the party revising K’s speech

What happened in October 1957?

the editors of the Soviet magazine Questions of History were disciplined for publishing revelations about Stalin’s terror  

What happened in mid- December?

Khrushchev secretly authorised the establishment of a special commission headed by Leonid Brezhnev to supress anti- communist activities

What did Khrushchev acknowledge in his NYE speech?

that all communists were ‘Stalinists’

By when did radical de-Stalinisation come to a halt?

End of 1957

What did he later introduce?

a measure to reduce the size and power of the central party 

What was this called?

Democratisation

What was it designed to do?

to increase the participation of workers in the government- didn't involve new elections but instead he introduced 2 new measures

What were the 2 new measures?

Allowed the expansion of Party membership, and introduced fixed terms for senior Communists to ensure that they were replaced regularly

What did the party membership grow from in 1954 to in 1964?

From 6.9 million to 11 million

What did this make it? Why?

It made it more democratic as 60% of its members by 1964 were workers of peasants 

What happened as a result of fixed terms for senior Communists to ensure that they were replaced regularly?

2/3 of regional secretaries and the presidium were replaced during 1957 and 1961 

What did he do to decentralise the party?

he abolished some of the central ministries that oversaw the economy and devolved power to 105 newly created economic councils to move away from Moscow

What happened consequently?

there was a renewed criticism of Khrushchev within the party

What did this discontent over the reforms and the problems created by de-Stalinisation lead to?

an attempt to overthrow Khrushchev

When did this happen?

June 1957

What happened?

a majority of the Presidium voted to replace Khrushchev

Who was it lead by?

Malenkov

What did Khrushchev argue?

that the only decision to replace him could be taken only by the central committee- where he had a majority of support  

What was the result?

Khrushchev survived the attempt to oust him and sacked his opponents

How did he consolidate his position (in March 1958)?

by taking over the position of prime minister in addition to his existing offices  

Why was this attempted coup significant for the evolution of the government?

Demonstrated that senior communists would no longer use political terror against each other, and it recognised that the power of the Party leader depended on the support of the central committee

When was the twenty second party congress?

October 1961

What did it introduce?

Khrushchev’s final major political reforms

The focus was economic, but also to restart what?

The process of de-Stalinisation

What did he accuse Stalin of?

of being involved in Kirov’s murder

What did he vote to do?

voted to remove Stalin’s body from public display at the mausoleum

How was this done?

removed by soldiers in the night and buried in a deep pit filled with concrete  in the Kremlin wall

What was created and approved?

A new official history of the party

What did it do?

criticised the excesses of the 1930s

Who found a new freedom in their criticisms of the soviet past?

Writers

Who was heavily criticised for having his novel Dr Zhivago set in the years of the revolution and the civil war?

Boris Pasternak

What did he have to reject when it was awarded to him?

the Nobel prize for Literature

How did he introduce radical party reform?

built on his earlier democratisation measures by introducing a fixed 16-year term for central committee members 

How did he effectively split the party into 2?

He created a new structure where one half of the party was put in charge of agriculture and the other half of industry

Why did he do this?

He hoped this new reform would boost economic growth

What was Stalingrad renamed?

Volgograd

What did he not release the pressure on?

On religious groups

How?

Orthodox churches were demolished in great numbers and Muslim and Jewish places of worship also met the same treatment 

How many places of worship were left?

7500

What did other communist states demand?

greater independence and self- determination

Where were there a wave strikes?

Poland

What did this result in?

in a freeing of the Gomulka from the camp

Who was Gomulka?

the ex-head of state and a critic of Stalinism

What was he promoted to in 1956?

Head of the Polish government

Which more liberal communist became head of the Hungarian government in October 1956?

Imre Nagy

Why did Khrushchev send tanks into Hungary in November 1956?

Because anti- Soviet demonstrations broke out in Budapest, and Nagy announced his intension to leave the Warsaw Pact

What did the invasion of the troops into Hungary demonstrate?

That clearly de-stalinisation didn't mean any greater independence for Communist states that might threaten the security of the USSR 

Where was Khrushchev from?

Ukraine

What demonstrated how de-Stalinisation did not bring greater self-government for the nationalities within the USSR?

a growing number of Russian nationals settled in non-Russian areas- situated on the edges of the USSR

Did Khrushchev’s attempts at economic reforms been successful?

No- from the late 1950s, the economy slowed, consequently leaving no possibility of Khrushchev fulfilling his rash promises

Why were there concerns about Khrushchev?

Some thought it was rash and dangerous

What was the result of his economic failure?

In June 1964 senior figures in the Presidium began plotting Khrushchev’s overthrow 

What happened in October 1964?

He was summoned to a special meeting where he was criticised for mishandling the economy, foreign policy and creating his own cult of personality 

What happened consequently?

Khrushchev retired and the Soviet media put out the story had he had stepped down due to ill health

What did he do after he retired?

He was given a pension and lived under guard for the remaining 7 years of his life 

What were personally attacked by Khrushchev on a visit to Moscow in 1962?

Modern works of art

What was arguably Khrushchev’s biggest political achievement?

Ending the use of political terror against party officials