Khrushchev 1953-1964

How:-

• Reduction in censorship
• Political prisoners released
• Towns and cities renamed eg. Stalingrad became Volgagrad
• Less centralised industry planning
• Soviet citizens allowed abroad

Why:-

• Distance himself from Stalin-a new type of leader.
• Peaceful co-existence with the West
• To introduce major economic change

More focus on consumer goods; watches, cars, motorbikes. Move away from heavy industry

Sovnarkhozy set up (regional economic councils) less centralised industry

These meant that:-

• spending on welfare services increased
• Standard of living was better but still well below that experienced in UK, USA, West Germany
• An increase in real wages

Virgin lands Scheme (VLS) :-

• Use land that had not been farmed before in areas such as-Kazakhstan and Siberia (obviously there was a good reason why they hadn't been farmed before-they weren't suitable!)
• Grow animal feed here and then grain could be used to feed deprived citizens

Failed:-

• Infrastructure could not handle it, harvested crop was left on the side of the road and rotted
• Poor weather-Hurricanes ripped fertile soil off farming land onto mountain sides
• The land was farmed too intensively and was, after a few years, infertile.

Why:-

• Public disliked him
• Poilitburo disliked him
• Many of his policies spent a lot of money and there was no reward, most of them failed