Key Debate 3: How effectively did Khrushchev deal with the challenges posed by the Cold War?

How effectively did Khrushchev dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

What are the viewpoints?

• Successfully

• Unsuccessfully

Khrushchev successfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

What is a summary of this view point?

• Faced many issues:

  • Increasing dissent in Eastern Europe vs Russian influence

  • Aftermath of the Korean War

  • Managing a nuclear arms race

  • Berlin/East Germany

• Khrushchev had a number of successes in dealing with the Cold War

Khrushchev unsuccessfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

What is a summary of this view point?

• Some have been quick to identify flaws in his approach to dealing w/ Cold War challenges

• For some, Khrushchev's Cold War policy was too risky

• Rather than creating stability, it heightened tensions

Khrushchev successfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

What are the ways he successfully dealt w/ the challenges posed by the Cold war?

• Changed his stance → took initiative

• Peaceful co-existence

• Repression gained him support from Communists in Russia

• Containment of W influence

• Handling of the Cuban Missile crisis (1962) - diplomatic skill

• Space race

• Yugoslavia

Khrushchev unsuccessfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

What are the ways he unsuccessfully dealt w/ the challenges posed by the Cold war?

• Peaceful co-existence

• Hungarian revolution a disaster - repression

• Berlin wall - repression

• Cuban missile crisis

• Space race

Khrushchev successfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

How did he change his stance on the Cold War - taking initiative?

• The death of Stalin/end of the Korean War (1953)/Indo-China war (1954) seemed to influence Russian leaders to change their stance

• Eg: in Khrushchev's 'Secret Speech' February 1956: 'There are only two ways - either peaceful coexistence [with the West] or the most destructive war in history. There is no other way'

• Can be seen as a success - Khrushchev was taking initiative to build a more peaceful + secure world

Khrushchev unsuccessfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

How could peaceful co-existence be citicised?

• Peaceful coexistence seen as betrayal of communism

• Seen as U-turn in achieving World Communism

• Criticism from China (Mao) → withdrawing military support from China vs Taiwan

• Mao also saw Khrushchev’s criticism of Stalin as undermining his leadership bcs used v similar methods himself

• Criticism from another major communist country = undermined K’s popularity at home

Khrushchev successfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

How did repression gain him support from Communists in Russia?

• The thaw following 'peaceful coexistence' prompted satellite states to demand independence

• When this turned into an uprising in Hungary in Oct 1956, Khrushchev reacted quickly → 30,000 troops brutally crushed

• Gained support from Communist hardliners in Russia

Khrushchev unsuccessfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

How was the repression of the Hungarian uprising bad for Khrushchev?

• Some historians described it as a ‘disaster’

• Completely against his policy - gave hope of destalinisation, and then crushed an attempt for more freedom

• Weakened soviet cause abroad → many communist partied in Eastern Europe declined in members/popularity

Khrushchev unsuccessfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

How did Khrushchev contain western influence (Berlin wall)?

• In 1961, Khrushchev proposed to the US the West should leave Berlin, as lots of were fleeing West (over 2 mill) including skilled workers

• President Kennedy rejected this

• Built Berlin wall

• Won praise back in Russia, seen as a bold move to prevent further embarrassment to communist leaders in East Germany

• Did also reduce tensions

Khrushchev unsuccessfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

How does the Berlin wall show a failure?

• Was oppressive

• Worsened relations w/ the west

Khrushchev successfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

How was the Cuban Missile crisis a success?

• Avoided nuclear war war

• Sometimes praised bcs he tested Kennedy's diplomatic/decision skills before agreeing to relax tensions

• Resulted in 'hotline' - strengthened peaceful co-existence bcs direct/efficient way to solve disputes

Khrushchev unsuccessfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

How was the Cuban Missile Crisis a failure?

• On the face of it very bad for peaceful co-existence, brinkmanship on K's part, and HUMILIATING when he removed nuclear weapons from Cuba + it was a secret that US removed the missiles from Turkey (humiliating

• By taking Kennedy to the brink during the Cuban missile crisis he is seen as someone who almost provoked the most catastrophic war in history

Khrushchev successfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

How was the space race a success?

• USSR won most of the firsts - eg:

  • 1957 - Sputnik

  • 1961 - Yuri Gagarin

  • Showed USSR was major power w/ modern technology

Khrushchev unsuccessfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

How was the space race a failure?

• Was expensive + at expense of consumerism

• Also Russian tech was often worse vs US

Khrushchev unsuccessfully dealt with the challenges posed by the Cold War

How was his dealing with Yugoslavia a success?

• 1948, Yugoslav communists rebelled vs Stalin + and claimed some independence → Stalin excommunicated them from Eastern bloc, + attacked them w/ propaganda

• Khrushchev decided to improve relations w/ Tito

• He visited Belgrade, + in effect admitted past Soviet errors + blamed them all on Beria

• Yugoslavia could never again be reduced to the level of a satellite

• Became an ally to USSR

• The fact that Tito was allowed to pursue his independent policies and still be recognised as a communist meant that other Eastern European leaders would want greater freedom → TIES INTO DE-STALINISATION, THAW