The Post Stalin Thaw and the Bid for Peaceful co-existence

The Cold War & the USSR after Stalin
1. Stalin died March 1953
2. Destalinistation begun by Soviet leadership 1953, of moving away from Stalin's policies by:
  1. ending personality cult politics
  2. Reforming Secret Police = KGB
  3. Arresting & Executing Beria - though he would become Stalin's hardline successor
  4. New Course in economic policy - placed greater emphasis on production of consumer goods.
3. Collective leadership from 1953-1955
  1. Malenkov, Molotov, Bulganin & Khrushchev to prevent period of one man rule
4. Khrushchev's secret speech 1956
  1. Denounced Stalin's reign of terror.
  2. USA saw it a sign of change in USSR
  3. Expectation of change for people of Soveit satellites
  4. Potential to affect Soviet FP & dev. of Cold War
5. Khrushchev
  1. Committed communist, persued competitive ideological and military policies. Contradictory. Believed in peaceful co-existence - but antagonistic.
  2. Faith in superiority of Communism hence unwilling to back down in dealings with USA
Soviet Motives for, and moves towards, peaceful co-existence.
1. Peaceful solutions between Socialist/Capitalist possible
2. New Course policies focused on Peaceful co-existence
3. Adopted because
  1. Believed capitalism would eventually fall
  2. Confident USSR economy would overtake West.
  3. Greater sense of security because areas of influenced recogised
  4. Fear of Nuclear War -with peaceful co-existence or most destructive was in history, no third way
4. Key Measures
  1. End of war in Korea July 53
  2. Cuts in red Army from 5.8m to 3.7m also to save on spending
  3. Austrian State Treaty 1955 - removed all foreign troops from Austria provided they stayed neutral
  4. Soviet Withdrawal from Finland 1956
  5. Border disputes with other countries such as Turkey and Iran settled
Internal Threats to the Soviet System: East Germany, Poland and Hungary
1. Hungary 1956
  1. Protesters called for Multiparty democracy, a free press, Hungary's withdrawal from Warsaw Pact
    1. Nagy agreed but USSR saw this as act of revolt sent in Red Army Nov 1956
      1. By 11 Nov revolt crushed by SU and imposed one party govt.
  2. Received no help from the West
2. Berlin Rising 1953
  1. Enter text here
3. Poland 1956
  1. Large demonstrations in Poland
    1. Khrushchev tried to force Polish leader to back down but saw strength of feeling and backed down
  2. some economic reforms permitted on condition Poland remained committed to Warsaw Pact
Eisenhower and Dulles, and the "New Look' policy
The 'Geneva Spirit' and conference diplomacy 1954-61
End of the thaw: the U-2 incident and the impact of the Berlin Crisis

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The Post Stalin Thaw and the Bid for Peaceful co-existence

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