K/B/A/C: Communist Govt in the USSR

How did Khrushchev become Stalin’s successor?

• Collective leadership w/ Beria+Malenkov

• Beria seemed to be leading developments first as head of Secret Police (27th March 1953 1m prisoners released)

• M+K had Beria arrested and executed, an illegal move in the name of ‘socialist legality’

• September K became the First Secretary of the CP (General Secretary)

• K placed his allies in the Presidium

• Paid attention to theCC composition as it had been given more authority over govt/Party structures

When did K become leader?

1956

When and what was the Secret Speech+significance?

• 1956 at the Twentieth Party Conference

• K criticised Stalin especially the cult of personality

• Advocated for de-Stalinisation

• People so shocked they fainted/died

What were the key features of de-Stalinisation?

• Regular Presidium/CC meetings

• Decentralised decision making—> more power to orgs @ regional level

• Party+govt officials no longer faced prison for not meeting targets

• Secret police firmly under Party control

• Secret police lost control of labour camps

• 2m political prisoners released 1953-60, but slow process and only 4% of those who appealed had returned to civilian life by 1955

What was the crisis of 1957?

• Decentralisation of decision making

• powers to be moved from central ministries to regional councils

• Threatened to reduce powers of Party Leaders

• Resulted in an attempt to remove K from power by the ‘Anti-Party Group’

• Led by Malenkov+Molotov, persuaded the presidium to call for his resignation, K argued the CC should decide bc they elected him

• K’s rivals were not arrested or executed

• Molotov became ambassador to Mongolia

• Malenkov in charge of electricity

When and how was Khrushchev’s power enhanced?

March 1958, he became Prime Minister as well as First Secretary so was head of govt+Party, but was subject to CC and there was debate w/i the Party so less of a dictator than Stalin.

What were Khrushchev’s reforms of the Party? Where did they emerge from?

Twenty-Second Party Congress of 1961

• Stalin’s body removed from Lenin’s mausoleum in the Red Square

• Major purge of local Party secretaries

• 1963 divided the Party into agricultural/industrial departments (reduced the power of Party officials)

• Limited the length Party officials could serve in-post to 3 yrs (caused resentment)

1964, the downfall of Khrushchev: reasons for his unpopularity

• Economic mistakes

• Cuban Missile Crisis 1962

• Erratic/unpredictable behaviour

• 1963 disastrous harvest (mass ag failures)

Central Committee removed him from his positions, arguably a sign of all his success

What changes did Brezhnev make to reverse de-Stalinisation?

• Dropped the separation of agriculture/industry

• Limits on tenure of office removed

• Guiding principles were collective leadership and ‘trust in cadres

• No more ‘subjectivism’ Party to be consulted on all decisions

• Appointment>election BUT Soviet Constitution of 1977 enshrined the rights of citizens to criticise Party secretaries

How did Party membership grow 1953-1980?

From 6.9m-17m

What was ‘Trust in cadres’?

Letting Party members (cadres) who served in official posts at all levels get on with their jobs w/o interference

What medals did Brezhnev award himself?

• The Lenin Peace Prize

• Lenin Prize for Literature

How did Party leadership become an oliarchy under Brezhnev?

• Stalin’s party structures mega entrenched

• General secretary most powerful oligarch

• B promoted his old colleagues from his time as party boss in Ukraine

• Cronyism

• Promotions used to be to move to another part of the Soviet Union under B it was w/i ranks limiting innovation/change

• Nepotism

Examples of gerontocracy under Brezhnev:

• At Stalin’s last Party Congress 56% of CC remained in office, 1976 it was 79%

• 1984, 7/11 Politburo members aged 70+

• Politburo meetings now lasted 40 mins

Boris the Gypsy: significance

Brezhnev’s daughter had an affair with Boris who was linked w/ diamond smuggling

Showed increasing loss of control

What was Andropov’s main concern?

Rerfrom esp of corruption w/i the Party

What hindered Andropov’s ability to be effective?

Lacked charm

Dependent on kidney dialysis mid 1983-

What did Andropov manage to do before he died in Feb 1984?

Promote younger reformists inc Gorbachev

Chernenko:

Andropov wanted Gorbachev as his successor but the Politburo aimed for self-preservation and appointed party bureaucrat Chernenko as General Secretary. Chernenko was mid 70s and dying of emphysema (lung disease) he was a Brezhnev man and made no changes. Died March 1985