Khrushchev's Personality Cult

Question 1

After Stalin’s death cults of personality were less ____. Khrushchev _____ Stalin’s cult, but established ___ of his own

Answer 1

grand
criticised
two

Question 2

What did Khrushchev revive?

Answer 2

the cult of Lenin

Question 3

Whereas the cult of Lenin in the 1930s had stressed Lenin’s ____, the cult of Lenin in the 1950s was based on the slogan “____ ____!”

Answer 3

death
Lenin
lives

Question 4

Under Khrushchev, Lenin was depicted as…

Answer 4

fun, approachable, humane, a person who loved children, family and lived a simple life. In many ways Khrushchev’s Lenin resembled Khrushchev himself

Question 5

What was the purpose of Khrushchev’s cult of Lenin?

Answer 5

The purpose of the cult was to move away from Stalinism. For Khrushchev, this meant rediscovering Leninism. It also reminded Soviet citizens that the government was founded on Lenin’s revolution rather than Stalin’s terror

Question 6

By ____ Khrushchev had a personality cult of his own

Answer 6

1958

Question 7

According to Soviet propaganda Khrushchev was:

Answer 7

• A disciple of Lenin who was completing the journey that Lenin had started
• Responsible for new successes such as the Soviet space programme and rising harvests in the Virgin Lands
• A respected statesman who negotiated with the US President as an equal
• A hero of the Second World War
• An authority on literature, art, science, industry and agriculture
• The great reformer who was perfecting the Soviet system

Question 8

Why did the Khrushchev Cult become more problematic in the early 1960s?

Answer 8

By associating himself so strongly with the success of the Virgin Lands Scene, he was seriously damaged by its failure. The claim to expertise became less credible following the disastrous results of his Corn Campaign. His embarrassing foreign policy climb-downs and his failure to deliver on his wildly optimistic promises about out-producing the USA led to a collapse in confidence in Khrushchev’s fitness to govern