De-Stalinisation

Question 1

what was important about this aspect?

Answer 1

Both Khrushchev and Malenkov wanted to ‘humanise’ communism, wanting to end stalins use of terror and enhance the lives of the soviet citizens by improving their standerd of living, ending widespread terror and enriching soviet culture with new novels, plays and other art forms.
Both men were Lenisnist and rejected the ‘cult of personality’

Question 2

What happened at the 1956, Twentieth party congress?

Answer 2

Khrushchev felt confident enought to critisice stalin this was a huge risk because:
-stalin was widely respected as a founder of the soviet system this risked undermining the autority of the soviet union and communism
-risked outraging the party since many senior communists still respected stalin
-many also felt critisicm would reflect badly on them as they helped implement stalins policies
-party memebrs were in shock to hear khruschevs accuse stalin of developing a cult of personality, acting as a tyrant, using unecessary terror and making economic mistakes

Question 3

What was the key features to desalinisation?

Answer 3

-regulare meeting of the presidium and central committee resumed
-moves were made to decentralise decision-making by giving more power to organise at regional level
-party and goverment officals no longer facd prison for faiiling to meet targets
-the secret police were brought into firm control
-secret police lost control of labour camps whose economic reasorces had bolstered the power of organisation
-2 million political prisoners were released from thr camps between 1953 and 1960
-in May 1954 khrushchev and Malenkov set up a special commissoin to review the cases of political prisoners who had been sent to gulags and in june 1956 51,439 prisoners including 26,155 political prisoners were released
(stalin was widely loved and respected in the party and therefor many of the delegates were profoundly shocked

Question 4

what was the problems with de-stalinisation?

Answer 4

• communist parties in Hungary and poland began their own process of de-stalinisation whoch caused the hungarian uprising
  -unrest in soviet union woth leaked information about stalins crimes was shocking and caused some to question the legitimacy of his rule

Question 5

Democratisation (increased partitipation of workers in gov) and decentralisation (decreased power from Moscow and towards regional councils)

Answer 5

democratisation was designed to increased the participation of workers in the goverment not involving new elections rather Khrushchev introduced to measures:
-allowed expantion of party memebrs mebership grew from 6.9 million in 1954 to 11 million in 1964 making it more democratic and it was workers of peasants meaning they are representing the people
-introduced fixed terms of senior communists to ensure that they replaced regulary
-Khrushchevs reforms ment that many communists officals were demoted, lost their jobs or were forced to move away from Moscow which ment it was angering the party

Question 6

What was the crisi of 1957?

Answer 6

the move to decentralisiation power resulted in an attmpt to remove khrushcev from power by what khrushcv later called the ‘Anti-party’ group. this oppostion was led by Malenkov and Molotov who persuaded the presidium to ask for Khruschevs resignation, the central committee rejected the move but that the way he delt with his rivals was not arresting or executing them, Moltov became ambassador to Mongolia and Malenkov was put in charge of electricity

Question 7

When did Khrushcevs power enchance?

Answer 7

in march 1958 when he became prime minister as well as first secretary, althought he became head of party and gov it would be wrong to Khrushcve as all power-director, his power was subjected to the authority of the central commitee and debate inside party was common

Question 8

What was the extent of de-stalinisation?

Answer 8

-Khrushcevs biggest achievement was ending the of political terror against party officals, his enemies were sacked but not tortured or killed
-he ended the stalin system of personal rule, under Khrushcev the party gained new authority and unlike stalin Khrushevs power depended on tetaining a mojority of support on the central comittee
-however stalinism was still celebrated the goverment never rejected his legitimacy or admitted to the extent of his crimes there was atricles still celebrating stalin on important anniversaries in 1964 and 1982
(Cleary Khruscev was able to a significant degree of de-stalinisation in the sense that political terror was never used on mass scale again however de stalinisation was never complete as he refused to publically denounce the fromer leader and therefore left his reputation intact)