Nikita Kruschev

• Stalin died in 1953.

• He was hated all over eastern Europe and many people celebrated.

• After a short struggle for power, Nikita Khrushchev became the new ruler in Russia.

Peaceful Co-existence

• At first, the western powers hoped that Khrushchev would be the start of a ‘thaw’ in the Cold War.

–Khrushchev often met western leaders at ‘summit’ meetings

• In 1955 Khrushchev went to Yugoslavia, telling their leader Tito that ‘there are different roads to communism’.

• Western leaders thought he would no longer insist that all communist countries take orders from Russia.

• In a speech at the Twentieth Party Congress in 1956, Khrushchev attacked Stalin, saying that Stalin was a murderer and a tyrant.

• Khrushchev began to ‘de-stalinise’ Russia - political prisoners were set free and Beria (Stalin’s Chief of Secret Police) was executed.

DE-STALINIZATION

• Stalin’s statues and portraits were removed from public places

• The secret police were given less power • The death penalty was eliminated • Laws of censorship were relaxed so there was

more freedom in the media and the arts • Increased freedom was given to writers and

artists • No elimination of his rivals, as Stalin had done,

they were just given unimportant jobs instead

• Stalingrad was renamed to Volvograd • Stalin’ body from the Red Square where it was buried and

buried it in a grave alongside the walls of the Kremlin with other Soviet leaders.

• Thousands of political prisoners were released from Gulags which were closed.

• Improved Khrushchev’s image – portraying him as good and Stalin as bad and disassociated himself from Stalin’s crimes even though he had been responsible for thousands of deaths himself

• Other places and buildings named after Stalin were renamed • Nevertheless, the basic elements of the Soviet system,

including the dominance of the Communist Party, remained intact

• Khrushchev said that he wanted ‘peaceful co-existence’ with the West. Western leaders hoped this meant the end of the Cold War.

• Quote 1956

– You do not like Communism. We do not like capitalism. There is only one way out – peaceful co-existence.

• Khrushchev speaking on a visit to Britain in 1956.

• Quote 1959

– We may argue. The main thing is to argue without using weapons.

– While denouncing Joseph Stalin in a speech one day, Khrushchev was interrupted by a voice from the audience: "You were one of Stalin's colleagues," the man declared. "Why didn't you stop him?"

– "Who said that!?" Khrushchev roared. This was followed by a terrified silence - only broken at last by Khrushchev himself.

– "Now..." he said in a quiet voice, "Now you know why."

Increasing Tension

• If the rulers of the West hoped that Khrushchev would bring an end to the Cold War, they were disappointed.

• By ‘peaceful co-existence’, Khrushchev really meant ‘peaceful competition’.

• He started to build up Russian power

• 'De-stalinisation’ did not mean a change back to capitalism, or freedom from Russian control.

• When communist countries went too far in their reforms, Khrushchev sent in the Red Army.

• He visited countries like Afghanistan and Burma and gave them economic aid if they would support Russia.

• Russia began an 'arms race' and a ‘space race’ with America.

• In 1955 Khrushchev set up the Warsaw Pact – a military alliance of Communist countries – to rival NATO. – Pact countries had detailed plans of how to wage

nuclear war against NATO if there was a war.

• Russia waged a propaganda war against America and Britain.

EIGHT Countries in the Warsaw Pact:

• USSR

• Albania

• Bulgaria

• Czechoslovakia

• East Germany

• Hungary

• Poland

• Romania.

AMERICAN REACTION

• In America, Senator McCarthy led a ‘witch-hunt’ for ‘Communists’ in America.

• There was a propaganda war against Communism.

• America was determined to win the 'arms race' and 'space race' with Russia.

• The Americans used U2 planes to spy on Russia.

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