The Cold War in global context, 1945-1991 - The Khrushchev era, 1955-1964

7 important questions on The Cold War in global context, 1945-1991 - The Khrushchev era, 1955-1964

What came after Stalin's death?

Stalin's death in 1953 was followed by two years of collective leadership before the first secretary of the Communist Party, Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1871), emerged as the top Soviet official in 1956.

What did the West think of Khrushchev's denunciation?

Khrushchev's 1956 denunciation of Stalin's regime at a secret session of the twentieth annual Soviet Party Congress; the arrest and execution of Lavrenti Beria, Stalin's head of the dreaded secret police; the release of thousands of Stalin's victims from Soviet jails; and the announcement that the USSR would seek "peaceful coexistence" with its neighbors raised modest hope in the West that meaningful confidence-building measures could be undertaken.

What was the political order in Soviet "satellite" states?

  • Since 1947 the Soviet "satellite" states had mirrored the repressive political order in Moscow, where large cadres of secret police were given extensive powers to root out dissent, where the press and education were tightly controlled, and where arbitrary judicial systems made a mockery of the rights of the accused.
  • The economies of these states were nationalized, and under Stalin grain and manufactured goods had to be sold to the Soviets in order to compensate for Russian deficiencies.
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How was regional autonomy possible?

Greater regional autonomy might be possible under the leadership of a Soviet statement who dared to question the notion that truth in the communist world emerged only from the offices of the Kremlin.

What happened when Nagy called for Hungary's withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact?

When Nagy called for Hungary's withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact in 1956, Khrushchev responded by ordering Soviet tanks and troops into the country.

What signaled a more combative relationship between East-West?

The forceful suppression of the uprising in Hungary in 1956, together with the collapse of a planned 1960 summit with President Eisenhower, signaled a return to a more combative relationship with the West.

What was the Berlin wall a symbol of?

  • In August 1961 East German authorities constructed a 100-mile wall around Berlin, topped with barbed wire and manned by armed guards who were ordered to shoot anyone attempting to cross into the western half of the former capital.
  • The wall instantly became a stark symbol of the deep divide between the communist and capitalist systems.
  • The panicked construction of the Berlin Wall in August 1961 demonstrated that it was military force, not worker solidarity, that kept communism alive in Eastern Europe.

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