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Presentation for POL 328 Dr. Kevin Lasher
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Post-Stalinism Collective leadership – no more attacks on the party
Reform USSR while maintaining CPSU control
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Khrushchev Era Totalitarian System Conservative Authoritarian
and Bureaucratic System
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Khrushchev Era: Issues
Leadership Struggle De-Stalinization Domestic Policy Foreign Policy Ouster x x x
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Foreign Policy A complex of foreign policy successes and failures
“Regularization” of Cold War competition with USA
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Foreign Policy Peaceful coexistence with the West
War was not inevitable Ideological and political competition would continue Agreements were possible US-Soviet summits begin
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Foreign Policy: Successes
Sputnik is first satellite in space in 1957 Yuri Gagarin first human in space in 1961
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Foreign Policy: Successes
Khrushchev claimed his factories were “cranking out missiles like sausages” (they were not, but some Americans feared it was true)
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Foreign Policy: Successes
Complex visit to US in 1959 in which Khrushchev insults and charms Americans Eisenhower was to visit Moscow in 1960 (cancelled by U-2 incident)
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Foreign Policy: Successes
Khrushchev reaches out to Third World during era of de-colonialization Friendly relations but few communist victories
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Foreign Policy: Successes
Finds a new ally in America’s backyard Castro’s revolution was internal matter
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Foreign Policy: Failures
Numerous disputes lead to Sino-Soviet split in Hard to blame Khrushchev too much
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Foreign Policy: Failures
Gamble to place nuclear missiles in Cuba fails World goes to brink of nuclear war Perception is that Khrushchev “lost” war of nerves with Kennedy Soviet nuclear build-up of 1960s Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962
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Foreign Policy: Mixed Polish communist wins “permission” for modest reforms and prevents Soviet invasion in 1956 Poland remains part of communist empire
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Foreign Policy: Mixed Hungarian Revolution is crushed in 1956
2500 deaths Hungary remains part of communist empire
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Foreign Policy: Mixed Uprisings in Poland and Hungary are linked to the “Secret Speech” and de-Stalinization Helps lead to effort to oust Khrushchev in 1957
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Foreign Policy: Mixed Construction on Berlin Wall in 1961 ends crisis of the depopulation of East Germany via West Berlin Avoid WW III Also provides one of the greatest tools of anti-communist propaganda
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Foreign Policy: Conclusion
More successes than failures China break was “inevitable” Maintained Soviet empire in Eastern Europe Cuban Missile crisis was “dangerous anomaly” in slightly improving US-Soviet relations USSR popular in Third World, supporter of de-colonialization
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Khrushchev’s Ouster: 1964 Khrushchev removed by unanimous vote by Politburo Puts up little resistance Lives in reclusive retirement until death in 1971 Change: created new party which was confident enough to kick him out
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Khrushchev’s Ouster: 1964 Economic problems, especially in agriculture
Hare-brained schemes International crises harmful to USSR Certain privileges of party elites attacked K-Personality: becoming a mini-Stalin (?) New de-Stalinization in 1961 Khrushchev was tired and old (ousted at 70)
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Khrushchev: Assessment
Devoted but confused reformer Re-directed Soviet economy toward consumer goods and housing Created new social contract Halting de-Stalinization ended the worst of Stalinism and tried to “purge” Stalin’s legacy Greatly reduced repressive measures
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Assessment Cooperation and conflict with USA, but a kind of “regularization” of the Cold War Cuban Missile Crisis brought world to brink of nuclear war Went far in transforming USSR into a different kind of country Much better life for average Soviet citizen
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Assessment “Reform communism is to be understood as an effort to humanize and liberalize the Stalinist legacy without abandoning its integral socialist nature, that is to say, planning, collective property and the leading role of the Party.” Martin Malia, The Soviet Tragedy
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Assessment Non-economic reforms were fairly successful
Economic reforms were generally not successful; however, Soviet economy continued to perform fairly well But fundamental cracks in the economic structure were beginning to appear Khrushchev tried but failed to deal with these fundamental cracks Bureaucratic reforms instead of quasi-free market reforms
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The End
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