The Kruschev Years, Part 4

Question 1: Discuss the power struggle Khrushchev faced in the Soviet government after the removal of Lavrentiy Beria.

Answer 1: Although Lavrentiy Beria’s removal from the Soviet government resolved a lot of problems, it was still no guarantee that Khrushchev would emerge as the new leader of the Soviet Union. Georgy Malenkov, who had aided Khrushchev in overthrowing Beria, held power in the central state apparatus and aimed to reduce the authority of the CPSU, which was where Khrushchev was based. To deal with this, Khrushchev recruited party members to his side who were then appointed to the Central Committee. He also presented himself as much more appealing socially than the bland Malenkov. Most importantly, however, was evidence Khrushchev obtained from Beria incriminating Malenkov in some of Stalin’s atrocities. After consolidating support for himself, Khrushchev presented this information in 1955, resulting in Malenkov’s demotion. With Malenkov out of the way, there was no one left to challenge Khrushchev’s authority.

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Question 2: Briefly discuss On the Personality Cult and Its Consequences.

Answer 2: On the Personality Cult and Its Consequences was a speech by Nikita Khrushchev delivered to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union at its 20th Congress on February 26, 1956. It is sometimes called the Secret Speech, as it was delivered during a closed session, and its full content was not revealed to the public until 1989. Delivered almost three years after Joseph Stalin’s death, the speech was notable for Khrushchev’s harsh criticism of Stalin and his practices, particularly the cult of personality he had built for himself and his repression and persecution of Bolsheviks and Trotskyists in order to seize power for himself. It lasted four hours. As Khrushchev had recently consolidated his own power over the Soviet Union, it was also a strategic maneuver to draw support for his own political agenda, which favored Leninism over Stalinism. The speech would prove a landmark event of the Khrushchev Thaw.

Question 3: Briefly describe the 1956 Georgia riots.

Answer 3: In March 1956, only days after Nikita Khrushchev delivered his famous On the Personality Cult and Its Consequences speech criticizing the late Joseph Stalin’s rule of the Soviet Union, a series of demonstrations broke out in Georgia, Stalin’s homeland. Young Georgians had been raised on Stalinist ideology and were taught to revere the infamous tyrant, unaware of the many atrocities committed under Stalin’s regime. Khrushchev’s criticism was considered an insult, and the Georgian reaction was severe. The state-wide demonstrations quickly escalated into riots beyond the control of the demoralized Georgian authorities, and the Red Army was called in to restore order. The ordeal came to a head on March 9, when Soviet soldiers opened fire on a group of young protestors around government buildings. Estimates vary on the casualties, ranging from dozens to hundreds. Order was finally restored the following day with the arrival of tanks. The riots turned Georgia against Soviet rule and served as a reminder of just how far the Soviet Union had to go before it could escape the brutal shadow of the late Stalin.

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