Jun 28, 2016 on the surface, the main reason was that beria, in the period between stalins death and his own overthrow, was advocating many highly progressive reforms such as abandoning socialism in east germany, freeing many political prisoners, allowing m. What were khrushchevs likely motivations in delivering. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Create your citations, reference lists and bibliographies automatically using the apa, mla, chicago, or harvard referencing styles. Khrushchevs secret speech obliterated stalin s cult of personality and began the widespread movement to dismantle stalinist influences in the soviet government. In the soviet union itself, these events were seen and judged as a direct consequence of khrushchevs liberalization. Silent destalinisation there were dangers in denouncing stalin as he was placed on a pedestal both at home and among communists abroad. Khrushchevs secret speech remembered after 50 years. There were dangers in denouncing stalin as he was placed on a pedestal both at home and among communists abroad. In a secret speech before a closed plenum of the 20th congress of the cpsu, khrushchev. Certainty, probability, and stalins great party purge. The consequences of destalinization in eastern europe. After khrushchevs secret speech feb 1956, rakosi tries to run things as if nothing has happened.
Khrushchevs secret speech, february 25, 1956, in russian history, denunciation of the deceased soviet leader joseph stalin made by nikita s. Nikita khrushchev, history of the soviet union, khrushchev thaw, 1956 georgian demonstrations, on the personality cult and its consequences, 20th congress of the communist party of the soviet union, rehabilitation, shvernik commission, pospelov. Since the opening of the former soviet archives, much new information has. Khrushchev denounced stalin s cult of personality and some of. There were dangers in denouncing stali n as he was placed on a pedestal both at home and among communists abroad. The secret speech that changed world history world news. Get an answer for in what year and why did destalinization begin. Western intelligence agencies had no difficulties obtaining the secret speech shortly after it was delivered. The khrushchev era is increasingly seen as a period in its own right, and not just as poststalinism or a forerunner of subsequent thaws and reform from within. Stalinization article about stalinization by the free. I also think that a lot of the soviet unions successes were due to him. At the twentieth congress of the cpsu february 2425 1956, khrushchev delivered a report in which he denounced stalin s crimes and the cult of personality surrounding stalin. The holocaust encyclopedia of the united states holocaust memorial museum provides a concise origin of the term geno cide.
He denounced stalin s cult of personality, his mismanagement of the economy, and legion brutalities. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. In 1965, joined jeanpaul sartre and others in cosigning letter of protest against unfair trial of joseph brodsky as a result of the court case against him initiated by the soviet authorities. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The secret speech that changed world history fifty years ago nikita khrushchev shocked the soviet union by denouncing stalin in a special address to. Destalinization, political reform launched at the 20th party congress february 1956 by soviet communist party first secretary nikita khrushchev that condemned the crimes committed by his predecessor, joseph stalin, destroyed stalin s image as an infallible leader, and promised a return to socalled socialist legality and leninist principles of party rule.
Zubok shelved 1 time as destalinization avg rating 3. Rejects the doctrine that conflict is inevitable, announces that conflict between communism and capitalism dont need to lead to war i. I can only offer a summary of the ethical dimension of it. Khrushchev history bibliographies cite this for me. The speech was the nucleus of a farreaching destalinization campaign intended to destroy the image of the late dictator as an infallible leader and to revert. The dilemmas of destalinization baseesroutledge series on. On the effects of khrushchevs secret speech and the destalinization process on soviet society, see the archivebased studies of zubkova, elena, russia after the war. The secret speech novel the secret speech is the second novel in a trilogy by british author tom rob smith.
The secret speech that changed world history fifty years ago nikita khrushchev shocked the soviet union by denouncing stalin in a special address to communist party comrades. I think that there are a lot of evidence to argue that his policies and ideas were crucial to helping the people of the soviet union. Destalinization was a process that spread throughout the ussr and the eastern bloc, and the. The speech was the nucleus of a farreaching destalinization campaign. If us state department hadnt published in june the secret speech the rest of the world would have waited much longer to hear it. State department and has been widely published and annotated in the free world. Til that nikita khrushchev delivered a secret speech denouncing stalin in 1956 which was so shocking that it caused heart attacks for some in attendance and others to. The soviet union in the cold war from stalin to gorbachev the new cold war history by. Whats generally accepted to be the best biography of stalin.
Destalinization was the process begun by nikita khrushchev, following the death of former russian dictator joseph stalin in march 1953, of first discrediting stalin and then reforming soviet russia leading to large numbers being released from imprisonment in gulags, a temporary thaw in the cold war, a slight relaxation in censorship and an increase in consumer goods, an era dubbed as the. Aksiutin, yurii, khrushchevskaia ottepel i obshchestvennye nastroenia v sssr v 19531964 gg. The secret speech has been made by the new leader nikita khrushchev in a bid to put the violence and torture of stalin s regime behind him and the country. Nikita khrushchev and destalinization in the soviet union. Til that nikita khrushchev delivered a secret speech. List of books and articles about joseph stalin online. In a sevenhour secret session speech to the twentieth communist party congress in moscow, communist party general secretary nikita khrushchev made a full and damning case against his predecessor joseph stalin.
Although less visible than public trials, policy shifts, or statements of apology, russian satire has subtly yet insistently participated in the protracted process of destalinization. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and. The hungarian revolution and prague spring had a causal parallelism with the soviet decisionmaking process. Khrushchev to a closed session of the 20th congress of the communist party of the soviet union. A critical examination of the published evidence and accounts contradicts this version and suggests a number of points. In 1959 khrushchev had wanted to build a submarine base off the coast of the prc, but mao denied it.
This novel takes us back to the bleak world of the former ussr where people betray their friends, neighbors, colleagues and even family to the state. Khrushchevs secret speech 1956 what was the impact on all. Its chronological boundaries are not clearly defined, but the process began soon after stalin died in march 1953 and was generally halted in the early years of the brezhnev period following khrushchevs ouster in october 1964. February 1956 entered history as the first step toward destalinization. Workers were compensated better, reasonable minimum wage. Was nikita kruschevs destalinization campaign successful in. The secret speech is the second book in the leo demidov trilogy and it follows child 44.
Russia is marking the 50th anniversary of khrushchevs secret speech, in which he denounced crimes committed under josef stalin and the cult of. Nikita khrushchevs secret speech a summary rupert colley. Nov 24, 2009 to what degree stalin was and is in us is a central question of all these works. Real and ideal responses to destalinization, in he dilemmas of destalinization. Khrushchevs secret speech texts seventeen moments in. For twentyfive years ive been speaking and writing in defense of your right to happiness in this world, condemning your inability to take what is your due, to secure what you won in bloody battles on the barricades of paris and vienna, in the american civil war, in the russian revolution. Destalinization and reactions in eastern europe by nathalie. Perhaps, the real moral imperative to crush stalinism was not c. Buy the secret speech by tom rob smith from amazons fiction books store. More generally, my study explores the frequently ignored social and historical dimensions represented in this case by the returnee phenomenon of high soviet politics, including policymaking by the top leadership.
Mao agreed with stalins use of fear and the cult of personality, making it clear that he had no intention of opposing personality cults. Stalin and the soviet union offers new interpretations of recently uncovered archives examining the soviet leaders domestic and foreign policy. In his 1956 secret speech at the twentieth congress of the communist party of the soviet union, general secretary khrushchev denounced the arbitrariness. Matyas rakosi in hungary and antonin novotny in czechoslovakia had copied. Text of speech on stalin by khrushchev as released by the.
Khrushchevs secret speech on stalin 1956 internet archive. The most likely reason for this hatred was that stalin refused to forgive his son leonid who shot a fellow officer while being drunk. One year after khrushchevs secret speech, the stalinists attempted to oust khrushchev from the leadership position in the soviet communist party. In 1944, a polishjewish lawyer named raphael lemkin 19001959 sought to describe nazi policies of system. Harm of cult noted stalin characterized by lenin two new documents read stalins abuse of power repressive policy start. Buy the secret speech child 44 trilogy 2 by tom rob smith from amazons fiction books store.
Even though khrushchev gave the speech to party loyalists, its contents quickly leaked out to the general public. Khrushchev believed that stalin had damaged russia both politically and socially and wanted to eliminate the mark stalin had on russia and its people. Why did khrushchev pursue a policy of destalinization. Khrushchevs secret speech soviet history britannica. On the cult of personality and its consequences wikipedia. These regimes continued after the death of stalin, despite the denunciation of the crimes of stalin by khrushchev in 1956. Destalinization secret speech on the cult of personality and its consequences was a report by soviet leader nikita khrushchev made to the twentieth party congress of the communist party of the soviet union on 25 february 1956. Peaceful coexistence more than one way to achieve communist victory encourages other communist parties to adapt to local conditions. The dilemmas of destalinization negotiating cultural.
Stalinization, between stalins death in 1953 and khrushchevs overthrow in 1964. Destalinization definition of destalinization by merriam. Texts excerpts from the secret speech full text of the speech related texts purges repudiated varga remembers bela kun the incidents in georgia, march 1956 criticism of student behavior. Negotiating cultural and social change in the khrushchev era, ed. I recommend to anyone the excellent and detailed howard yale ledermans answer. On the cult of personality and its consequences russian. After the speech, khrushchev worked tirelessly to expose the many crimes of stalin. On 25 february 1956, nikita khrushchev delivered a speech to a closed session of party leaders in which he dismantled the legend of the recentlydeceased joseph stalin and, over four hours, criticized almost every aspect of stalin. The role of destalinization in the sinosoviet split. Negotiating cultural and social change in the khrushchev era. Faculty mentor abstract in 1935, stalin decided to purge his own party to consolidate power in the soviet government.
This is good news, a new and more fair way to live except that not everyone believes so and there are many who, in following the old regime, feel under threat. Worn dust jacket has short tears to chipped edges, booksellers marks, page edges tanned. The speech to the 20th party congress of the soviet union aka on the cult of personality and its. Since the inception of historical research about this event, a debate has developed regarding the number of arrests. Tom rob smiths second novel, the secret speech, is set in 1956 as the soviet union takes its first baby steps toward destalinization. In the years 19531955, a period of silent destalinization took place, as the revision of stalins policies was done in secret, and often with no explanation. However, prior to khrushchevs secret speech to the 20th party congress, no direct association between stalin as a.
Certainty, probability, and stalins great party purge brett homkes mcnair scholar edward cole, ph. Hopes, illusions, and disappointments, 19451957 armonk, ny. Khrushchevs secret speech, on the cult of personality and its consequences, delivered at the twentieth party congress of the communist party of the soviet union, february 25, 1956, history and public policy program digital archive, from the congressional record. Translated into english, possibly by russian speakers working in west germany for the cia.
Stalin is dead, and a violent regime is beginning to fractureleaving behind a society where the police are the criminals, and the criminals are innocent. Go here for more about khrushchevs secret speech it follows the english translation of an excerpt transcript of nikita khrushchevs secret speech, delivered at moscow february 25, 1956. This book provides a comprehensive history of reform in the period, focusing especially on social and cultural developments. After stalins death the central committee of the party began to implement a policy of explaining concisely and consistently that it is impermissible and foreign to the spirit of marxismleninism to elevate one person, to transform him into a superman possessing supernatural characteristics akin to those of a god. Incorporating an extensive range of materials, including the personal experiences of many people who lived through the stalinist years, medvedev, a dissident soviet historian, reassesses stalins character and actions in a withering indictment of the stal. Khrushchev reiterates his secret speech indictment, that there was something unquestionably sick about stalin, and he compares stalin s acts to those of hitler and mussolini. However, since the publication of his works new information has been released by the kremlin which radically changes the story he presents, so much so that the old narratives are unreliable. A secret speech composed by stalin s successor khrushchev is distributed to the entire nation. Khrushchevs secret speech on the personality cult and its consequences had a tremendous impact on the relative decentralization in the eastern europe since the death of stalin. The secret speech is a further exploration of the soviet union joseph stalin created. Mike haynes writes on how 50 years ago khrushchevs secret speech began the demolition of stalinism.
When we look at many of our novels, films, and historical scientific studies, the role. The book features a repeat appearance of leo stepanovich demidov, the protagonist of smiths first book, child 44 2008. The secret speech february 24 th the sensational development of the congress was not made public at all. Text of speech on stalin by khrushchev as released by the state department.
Congress of the communist party of the soviet union and. Israel was not the single and perhaps not the first source for the text to reach the west. Israeli intelligence and the leakage of khrushchevs. Khrushchevs secret speech, on the cult of personality and its. The secret speech is the second novel in a trilogy by british author tom rob smith. The secret speech at the twentieth party congress in i956 that initiated destalinization is still secret in the soviet union. In 1989, he was elected as a representative for kharkov in the soviet parliament congress of peoples deputies. Rationale for examining the psychopathology of joseph stalin. Gobbet 2 khrusschevs secret speech the source is an extract of a speech given by nikita khrushchev at the twentieth party congress of the soviet union on february 25th 1956.
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