chapter twenty three

Question 1

why did cultural dissidence ‘start’ under khrushchev

Answer 1

because of the strict regulation of the arts under stalin that were relaxed under khrushchev

Question 1

what were the goals of the cultural dissidents

Answer 1

greater democracy
human rights
rights of nationalities

some also protested for religious or artistic freedom

Question 2

was there any physcial opposition to khrushchev

Answer 2

no but the cultural opposition was increasing rapidly

Question 3

tamizdat

Answer 3

printing banned writings abroad

Question 4

samisdat

Answer 4

dissident activity where individuals reproduced works that would not pass the censor and distributed them themselves

Question 5

where did dissident literature spread

Answer 5

underground societies

student groups
e.g. “the youngest society of genius’s” mid 1960s

Question 6

the syntaxis (and what happened to the editor publisher)

Answer 6

dissident newspaper spread through samizdat

the editor and publisher was arrested 1960
sent to labour camps 3 different times

for exposing human right abuses and demanding reform

Question 7

what was the dissident lifestyle labeled as by the authorities in the 1960s

Answer 7

“anti social, parasitic way of life”

Question 8

what happened to writers of hostile material (did not pass censors)

Answer 8

labour camps

unskilled jobs (e.g. street sweep)

mental hospitals

Question 9

magnitizdat

Answer 9

the samizdat of music production / spreading

Question 10

what music was made / spread by dissidents

Answer 10

jazz

rock n roll

soul music

western pop

Question 11

rudolf nureyev

Answer 11

one of most famous male ballet dancers

went on world tour

defected in paris 1961

(brain drain of talent due to harsh regime)

Question 12

khrushchev opposition within the party

Answer 12

hardliners who still supported stalin tried to oust khrushchev in 1957

due to his attack on stalin in 1956

Question 13

how did khrushchev survive his attempted ‘ousting’ by party hardliners

Answer 13

1957

appealed to wider central committee (the ousting was from the presidium)

expulsion of the ‘anti-party’ group from the presidium
and eventual dismissal of zhukov

Question 14

rehabilitated prisoners

Answer 14

prisoner who is declared not guilty of the crime they were punished for

eligable for full state rights again

however no apology, compensation, and most were done post-mortem

Question 15

most obvious difference between stalins and khrushchevs treatment of opposition

Answer 15

khrushchev demoted rather than shot

Question 16

examples of khrushchevs opposition being demoted

Answer 16

molotov ambassador for mongolia

malenkov directer in kazakhstan

Question 17

improvements in treatment to opposition under khrushchev

Answer 17

reduction in political prison population

many were rehabilitated (found not guilty of crime they were serving for) - esp those who had already died

2 million people returned from gulags

Question 18

how did khrushchevs better treatment of opposition make things worse for him

Answer 18

led to increased dissidence as less fear of the terror

intelligentsia saw as an opportunity to discuss politics and reform

Question 19

where the worst of the physical opposition to khrushchev

Answer 19

george
violent nationalist demonstrations march 1956

Question 20

opposition from regular soviet citizens

Answer 20

minimal due to conditioning from stalinist terror

but that didnt mean no dissident

Question 21

what caused khrushchevs fall from power

Answer 21

coup led by brezhnev
(and organised by members of the presidium)

Question 22

how did khrushchevs fall from power happen

Answer 22

told by the presidium to resign

refused

denied access to media (e.g. pravada, or radio) to recieve public support

following day he signed resignation papers

ussr + the world told resigned due to poor health and advanced age

Question 23

how did pravada react to khrushchev’s resignation

Answer 23

despite being loyal to him throughout his time in power

weeks later criticising / denouncing him for
‘hare-brained schemes, half-baked conclusions, hasty decisions, unrealistic actions, bragging, phrase-mongering and bossiness’

Question 24

reasons for khrushchevs fall from power

Answer 24

personal rule style decentralisation agriculture industry military foreign policy

Question 25

reason for khrushchevs fall from power: personal rule style

Answer 25

accused on 'one man style' ruling meddling in matters where he lacked experience failing to take advice creating his own personality cult nepotism (advancement of his son in law within the party) embarrassing and flamboyant behaviour

Question 26

reason for khrushchevs fall from power: decentralisation

Answer 26

granted autonomy to local party and economic leader upset central party members who lost control and power

Question 27

reason for khrushchevs fall from power: agriculture

Answer 27

failure of the virgin lands scheme therefore shortages in food supply having to import grain from usa and canada after setting himself up as agricultural expert

Question 28

reason for khrushchevs fall from power: industry

Answer 28

decision to promote production of consumer goods offended those who produced / prioritised heavy goods viewed as weak economic policy

Question 29

reason for khrushchevs fall from power: military

Answer 29

offended military by wanting to reduce expenditure on conventional weapons in favour of nuclear arms

Question 30

reason for khrushchevs fall from power: foreign policy

Answer 30

widespread disapproval of khrushchevs handling of the cuban missile crisis (almost started a nuclear war!!) personally blamed for ussrs poor relations with communist china

Question 31

cuban missile crisis

Answer 31

1962 khrushchev supplying nuclear weapons to cuba, usa found out viewed as a threat, almost resulted in nuclear war