Taking you through AQA A2 History of the Soviet Union in as little time and as little pain as possible... see you on results day!

EXAM DATE:

16 June 2010, AM

4 June 2010

Unit Two - Destalinisation (part three)

Back again! Make sure you're ready for this - because pretty soon, it gets even more boring. Yes, pretty soon, we're tackling B-R-E-Z-H-N-E-V... *shudders*

Anyway. On with the show. :)

Ousting Khrushchev

ANTI-PARTY CONSPIRACY
- May 1957, majority of Presidium members threatened to demote Khrushchev
- Zhukov stood against them and said the military would intervene without a vote
- plotters gave in and Khrushchev had them removed from the Presidium

CHANGES POST-CONSPIRACY
- Khrushchev's supporters in key positions
- became Commander-in-Chief
- held all Stalin's old positions
- established a system where a % of the powerful positions had to be re-elected each Congress

OUSTING KHRUSHCHEV
- reforms failed; concerns
- Cuban Missile Crisis
- called to a Presidium meeting in october 1964 and presented with a list of his own short-comings
- no supporters came forward; he resigned

What were the main effects of the Anti-party conspiracy and Khrushchev's downfall?

Criticisms of Khrushchev

...OF PERSONALITY AND STYLE
- disliked
- brash
- opportunist
- seen as building a cult-of-personality
- too focussed on foreign relations

...OF INTERNAL POLICY
- party reforms too radical
- economic growth declined
- agriculture still failing
- bad consumer goods
- nuclear expenditure annoyed army

...OF FOREIGN POLICY
- 1956 Suez Crisis
- provocative Berlin policy
- 3rd world aid brought no benefits
- Cuban Missile Crisis
- destalinisation caused problems in the Eastern Bloc and China
- general conduct upset colleagues

What was the main reason for Khrushchev's fall from power?

So, that's Khrushchev been and gone! On to Brezhnev...

(You might want to find yourself a stiff whisky before the next blog. I warn you in advance... *shudders*)

- HistGrrl x

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