De-Stalinization

Khrushchev’s De-Stalinization Speech

February 1956 Moscow at XX Party Congress
Khrushchev dominated proceedings
The roster of full members of the Presidium remained unchanged
One noteworthy addition to the alternate membership – L.I. Brezhnev, First Secretary of the Kazakh Party
Sixth 5 Year Plan (for 1956-1960) was announced
In his public report Khrushchev made a gesture to Tito by referring to different “forms of transition of various countries to socialism” – cited Yugoslavia as an example of one such “form”
He made few other surprising statements

The “Secret Speech” (February 24^th)

The sensational development of the Congress was not made public at all
If US State Department hadn’t published in June the “secret speech” the rest of the world would have waited much longer to hear it
Khrushchev itemised many of Stalin’s crimes including the murder of Party leaders loyal to him and the break with Tito
Also said that Stalin couldn’t read a map and planned military ops on a globe
Many of his most serious crimes weren’t mentioned at all

Reasons

In his public report to the Congress Khrushchev called for a new history of the CPSO to replace Stalin’s ‘Short Course’
But it was Mikoyan who during the Congress criticised Stalin most strongly
In doing so he announced rehabilitation of Kosior who Khrushchev had helped to purge in the Ukraine
Some concluded that Mikoyan had forced Khrushchev to outbid him in the secret speech
Others thought that Tito had successfully demanded the attack
Others believed the Mikoyan speech was a trial balloon planned by Khrushchev to test reaction before going further
Khrushchev was probably trying to exorcise the incubus of his dead master who he’d loyally served so long because of the massive unpopularity of all Stalin stood for among the Soviet peoples
But he wanted to avoid calling into question the structure of the whole regime or opening the way to public queries about the role of the leaders of 1956 during the commission of the crimes that he detailed

Khrushchev’s Conclusion

He said that the ‘whole tragedy’ lay in the fact that Stalin’s errors were not “the deeds of a giddy despot”, but that he “doubtlessly performed great services to the Party, to the working class, and to the international workers’ movement”
Under the slogan of “Leninism”, Khrushchev told the Party to eradicate “the cult of personality”, strengthen “collective leadership”, and restore “the Leninist principles of Soviet socialist democracy” as expressed in the constitution

Post Congress

There were several public rehabs of Party leaders long dead
Foreign Communist leaders reacted with a mixture of shock and unwanted frankness
Palmiro Togliatti, Italian party leader, saw Khrushchev’s evaluation of Stalin unduly harsh, but, if it had been warranted, then the current leaders were also implicated
Other foreign communists spelled out these hints
June 30^th the Central Committee admitted that some comrades were “not completely clear on the question of the personality cult...”
By noting that the needs of Stalin’s day included “iron discipline...vigilance...strictest centralization of leadership” – the implication was that criticism had got out of hand and should be curbed

Reactions to Khrushchev’s Speech

Weeks after the Congress over a hundred were killed in riots in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia
Although Stalin had treated his homeland harshly, it was opposition to the regime that underlay the trouble
In Eastern Europe it was hoped that reconciliation between Tito and Khrushchev would lead to a relaxation of control from Moscow
It didn’t happen and the reaction in Poland led to the chief polish hard-liner Jakub Berman being forced from office
On June 28^th during the international fair at Poznan, factory workers demonstrated leading to clashes with the police – hundreds killed
Some put on public trial but received mild sentences – criticism continued

The end of the Cominform

Khrushchev abolished in April 1956
Earlier he had taken steps to improve relations with Tito
In the “secret speech” he ascribed the break of 1948 to Stalin
2 months after the end of the Cominform Tito went to Moscow just after Molotov was replaced by Shepilov as foreign minister
In Hungary Rakosi was replaced by Erno Gero as First Secretary (July)

Gomulka

In Hungary public criticism growing against the Petofi circle of writers
Gero criticised the circle but took no action against it
October 6^th the reburial of Laszlo Rajk (executed 1949 as a Titoist) became a silent mass demonstration
Writers’ discussions now came to include university students, who successfully demanded the end of compulsory Russian language instruction
Few days later events came to a head
Gomulka who had been Poland’s chief Titoist had been reinstated in August
October 19^th the Party made him First Secretary and demanded internal reforms
Khrushchev arrived in Warsaw the same day
There was a fierce row in which Khrushchev threatened to use the Soviet troops stationed in Poland and Gomulka threatened to use the workers to disrupt communications
Publicly they said that agreement had been reached on problems of mutual interest
So for the time being the Soviets held back from action
On appeal from Gomulka and from Cardinal Wyszynski (just released from arrest) the Polish people refrained from erupting into an armed revolt

Log in