For many years the USSR pictured Stalin as a national hero for millions of Soviets. he had defeated Hitler and made the USSR a nuclear superpower
Stalin died in 1953. There was a lot of greif and moaning. People wondered who would take over the USSR.
In 1955 Nikita Kruschev rose to power. He was very different to Stalin and he ended USSR's long rivalries with China and Yugoslavia.
He talked of "peaceful co-existance" with the west. He planned spending cuts on arms, and also went to the first post-war summit between the USSR, the USA, France and Britain in July 1955. He also wanted to improve standards of living for Soviets.
Kruschev relaxed control of the Soviet Union. He shut down Cominform, released political prisoners from the Gulag and pulled Soviet troops out of Austria.
He seemed to be signalling to the countries of Eastern Europe that they would be allowed much greater independance to control their own affairs.
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De-Stalinisation
After the Communist Party International in 1956, Kruschev made an astonoshing attack on Stalin.
He got all the gory evidence on Stalin's purges and denounced him as a wicked tyrant who was an enemy of the people and who kept all power to himself.
Kruschev also said much worse things about Stalin and began a programme of De-Stalinisation.
He released more political prisoners
He closed down Cominform as part of his policy of reconciliation with Yugoslavia.
He invited Marshall Tito to Moscow
He dismissed Stalin's former Foreign Minister, Molotov
Those in Eastern Europe who wanted more freedom saw hopefull times ahead.
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The Warsaw Pact
One aspect of Stalin's policy did not change
His aim in Eastern Europe was to create a buffer against attack from the West.
Kruschev continued this policy
In 1955 he created the Warsaw Pact. This was a military allowance similar to NATO. The members would defend each other if one was attacked.
The Warsaw Pact included all Communist countries of Eastern Europe, except for Yugoslavia, however it was mainly dominated by the USSR.
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