Khrushchev GOVERNMENT

Question 1

WHAT DID REFORMS UNDER KHRUSHCHEV INVOLVE?

Answer 1

• remove the worst of the stalinist system
• reduce terror
• reduce power of officials via decentralisation

Question 2

Khrushchevs rule had two main policies

Answer 2

• destalinisation
• decentralisation

Question 3

What leadership was put in place after Stalin died in 1953?

Answer 3

Collective leadership with members of the presidium

Question 4

Who were the main players in the presidium?

Answer 4

• Malenkov
• Beria
• Khrushchev

Question 5

Malenkov’s role

Answer 5

Premier of the Soviet Union (prime minister)

Question 6

Beria’s role:

Answer 6

Head of the secret police (NKVD)

Question 7

What did Beria immediately do to improve his shot at leadership?

Answer 7

• reduced terror significantly
• in March he released 1 million prisoners from the gulags
• announced the Doctor’s plot was made up by Stalin

Question 8

What was Beria accused of? What was his fate?

Answer 8

Being a British spy, he was shot without a fair trial?

Question 9

How did Khrushchev and Malenkov justify murder of Beria?

Answer 9

• they feared his power in controlling terror
• they felt it was necessary to restore socialist legality

Question 10

Socialist legality

Answer 10

Stated the actions of the government and party had to abide by the law - not outside the law as it had done for Stalin.
Particularly aimed at the secret police to lower the number of quota arrests.

Question 11

What happened at the 1956 Twentieth party congress?

Answer 11

Khrushchev debuted his SECRET SPEECH

Question 12

What did the secret speech accuse Stalin of?

Answer 12

• forming a cult of personality
• shed light on the awful over-use of terror
• and revealed his dire economic mistakes

Question 13

What did Khrushchev omit from his secret speech?

Answer 13

Politburo members had risen through the ranks due to Stalins corruption and willingly implementing his policies - he also sewed the seeds for criticism of Malenkov

Question 14

What was Khrushchev careful to do during destalinisation?

Answer 14

Criticism was focused on STALIN, not the communist party itself - didn’t want to bash Lenin in the process

Question 15

Features of destalinisation

Answer 15

• regular presidium and central committee meetings resumed
• more power to regional levels - decentralisation of decision making
• secret police lost control of the labour camps and 2 million prisoners were released before 1960
• officials did not face criticism when they did not meet targets

Question 16

What was the main difference from Khrushchev to Stalin

Answer 16

There was never a return to terror after Khrushchev, seriously reformed the secret police into the KGB:
- people had more freedom to criticise (not too much though)
- two million prisoners released!! Though it was a slow process…

Question 17

Did the population liked these new implementations?

Answer 17

Yes - they were welcomed but fear was still prevalent (less so but still)
- heavy punishments still for corruption and harsh critics - exile or psychiatric hospital

Question 18

When was the anti-party coup?

Answer 18

1957

Question 19

Why did the anti-party coup happen?

Answer 19

• bureaucrats did not like Khrushchevs decentralisation of decision making
• central ministry power transferred to regional councils

Question 20

What was the anti-party coup?

Answer 20

Opposition to Khrushchev led by Molotov and Malenkov:
- they persuaded the presidium to vote on the removal of Khrushchev

Question 21

How did Khrushchev outmanoeuvre the anti-part coup?

Answer 21

Said the Central committee appointed him so only the central committee could dismiss him.

Clever because as 1st Secretary (general secretary) the majority of his power base were people he appointed to the central committee

Question 22

What happened to Malenkov and molotov after the AP coup?

Answer 22

Not arrested or murdered (like Stalin)

They were given less useful roles: ambassador of Mongolia/incharge of electricity

Question 23

When was Khrushchevs power enhanced?

Answer 23

1958 - became prime minister AND first secretary - head of government and party!

Question 24

Further reforms of the party: 22nd party congress 1961

Answer 24

• Stalins body removed from Lenin’s mausoleum
• MAJOR local party secretary purge!
• divided industrial and agricultural departments (decrease an individual power)
• imposed 3 year tenures if all state jobs

Question 25

Why was there growing unpopularity against Khrushchev?

Answer 25

• economic mistakes - horrific harvest in 1963
• humiliation of Cuban missile crisis back-down
• erratic and humiliating bahaviour

Question 26

When and why did the central committee decide to remove Khrushchev?

Answer 26

• stop more reforms coming that would dilute their power further
• 1964 vote in CC to dismiss him

Question 27

What does Khrushchev leaving his posts show?

Answer 27

Miles different to Stalin
Didn’t use violence to retain his power AND went peacefully - Stalin would not have done this:
‘Stalin would have had them shot’