destalinisation Flashcards
(8 cards)
what had Khrushchev already done before the 20th party congress of 1956 which reversed stalinist policy?
-released those accused of doctors’ plot
-attacked beria (was the biggest threat to his authority), secret police and gulag system
-began a cultural thaw (to increase his own popularity and increase cultural criticisms of stalin
why were some of the presidium concerned about the change in direction?
-many had been involved in the purges so were scared of incriminating themselves
what did they do to combat this?
they told Khrushchev he could only speak out in a ‘closed session’ where no delegates could ask questions
describe what was included in the ‘secret speech’:
-personal attack on stalin - accused him of responsibility for purges, terror etc
-ideological criticism - said stalin caused ‘tremendous harm to the cause of the socialist progress’
-accused him of betraying leninist principles, and used quotes from Lenin’s testament to back this up
-blamed stalin for Kirov’s murder, called for rehabilitation of Trotsky’s legacy, questioned stalin’s war leadership
-condemned autocratic leadership, suppression of party members and the impact on the soviet ruling elite
what was the response to the speech in congress and in the satellite states?
-met with lots of applause
-copies of speech were sent to foreign parties
-younger communists demanded those involved in stalinist crimes should be held to account but Khrushchev didn’t respond to this
-led to uprisings in favour of reform in hungary, poland and georgia - khrushchev used force to crush them
what did the speech fail to do?
-it didn’t criticise stalin’s attack on ordinary citizens because the speech wasn’t to them - khrushchev’s main aim was to get the party on side
what did the speech justify?
-economic controls, strong leadership. a single party state and the eradication of factions were presented as legitimate
-he emphasised for quite a lot of continuity but distanced himself from STALIN’S mistakes - he didn’t criticise the soviet system
-he emphasised there should be no more punishment for those involved in stalin’s mistakes
