Khrushchevs Time in Office Essay - 1447 Words

Khrushchevs Time in Office Immediately after World War II, there were serious threats of a war with Russia. Events around the world sparked conflict between the two nations. In each conflict tensions were high and the possibility of nuclear war was present. The American policy of repression was the driving force behind their position in almost all cases. For the Russians, the objective of most of these incidents was to expand their sphere of influence. Spheres of influence were an important concept during the Cold War. Russia fought to spread the idea of Communism to other nations in the East while the United States fought to prevent its spread. But in reality, both nations were†¦show more content†¦The first challenge to this arrangement occurred in 1953, when the powerful Beria planned a coup. However, Beria, who had made many enemies during his bloody term as security chief, was arrested and executed. After the elimination of Beria, the succession struggle became more delicate. Malenkov found a frightening rival in Khrushchev, who was elected as first secretary in September 1953. Of peasant background, Khrushchev had served as head of the Ukrainian party organization during and after World War II, and he was also a member of the Soviet political elite during the late Stalin period. After a poor showing by light industry and agriculture, Malenkov resigned as prime minister in February 1955. Because the new prime minister, Bulganin, had little influence or real power, the leaving of Malenkov made Khrushchev the most important figure within the collective leadership. At the 20th Party Congress, held in February 1956, Khrushchev further advanced his position within the party by disapproving Stalin’s crimes in a dramatic secret speech. He revealed that Stalin had subjectively settled thousands of party members and military leaders, thereby contributing to the initial soviet defeats in World War II. With this speech, Khrushchev not only distanced himself from Stalin and his close associates, but he also rejected the dictator’s use of terrorShow MoreRelatedEssay on Nikita Khrushchev1575 Words   |  7 PagesAlthough Khrushchev’s tolerance of creative works wavered during his years of leadership, the new cultural period, known as the quot;thawquot;, represented a clear break with the repression of the arts under Stalin. amp;#9;After the Twentieth Party Congress, Khrushchev continued to expand his influence, although he faced opposition. Khrushchev’s rivals in the Presidium, hastened by potentially threatening economic reforms and the de-Stalinization campaign, united to vote him out of office in JuneRead MoreThe Short Term Significance Of De Stalinization On Russian Politics And Society2176 Words   |  9 Pagesleader that controlled Russia for 30 years â€Å"Since not everyone yet understands what the personality cult led to in practise and what immense damage was done† (â‚ ). 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