Khrushchev’s reforms After denouncing Stalin in the secret speech of 1956, Khrushchev planned two major changes to the Soviet system of government. – Democratisation of the Communist Party – Decentralisation of control

Democratisation of the Communist Party From 1954 to 1964, membership of the Communist Party increased from 6.9 million to 11 million Many new members were workers and peasants Khrushchev revived ‘comrades courts’ which were led by ordinary members of the party. These dealt with minor offences

Decentralisation of control Khrushchev transferred power from the Soviet central government to the fifteen republics of the USSR In 1957, the Sovnarkhozy was created, with 105 regional councils given control over economic development Stalin had used Gosplan to centrally monitor the implementation of the Five Year Plans This caused most opposition between Khrushchev and those of the anti-party group

Khrushchev wanted to undermine Stalin’s policies and improve the standard of living for the Soviet people. Khrushcehv also narrowed the differences in pay between rich and poor saw a rapid housing construction programme which doubled the number of homes in the USSR Most of these were in poorly made high rise blocks in city centres 1958 saw the abolition of tuition fees in education, with a view to allowing all to achieve higher education

Agriculture

Industry

Why did Khrushchev fall from power in 1964? On 14 th October 1964, the Central Committee of the CSPU ‘freed’ Khrushchev from his position as Prime Minister of the USSR and General Secretary of the CSPU The reason given was deteriorating health At the meeting of the Central Committee, Khrushchev was accused of mismanaging the economy and errors in foreign policy

Khrushchev’s relations with China and his backing down during the Cuban Missile Crisis had earned him many enemies Khrushchev was also seen as an embarrassment abroad, such as the shoe banging incident at the UN Khrushchev relaxed laws on the press, but this allowed a wave of anti-Stalinist feeling and forced him to clamp down on literary freedoms once again.

Economic mismanagement By the early 1960s, claims of waste and mismanagement were frequent Military spending was taking up a large amount of government resources, which demanded the best materials, workers and technologies. Other industries therefore suffered. Agriculture fared the worst, which was still backward and inefficient, although the drought of 1963 did not aid Khrushchev’s cause

The main reason for his fall were his attempts at decentralisation and attack on the party apparatus, as the leader now lacked the control over the various republics Many higher ranking members of the party saw their power reduced as bureaucracy was reorderd. Khrushchev’s personal style and impulsive behaviour caused many enemies, and his appointment of his son in law to the editor of the Izvestia newspaper won him little support

Dismissal By February 1964, senior officials led by Nicholas Podgorny and Leonid Brezhnev began plotting to remove Khrushchev He ignored these warnings Whilst on holiday in the Crimea in October, the plotters convened a special meeting of the Central Committee which openly criticised Khrushchev and his leadership His fall from power was quick and bloodless, dying in 1971

LeaderKey features of ruleOppositionChanges to Government Changes to Russia Alexander II Alexander III Nicholas II Provisional Government Lenin Stalin Khrushchev