The post-Stalin thaw and the bid for peaceful coexistence: Soviet policy under Khrushchev

Soviet policy under Khrushchev

Khrushchev emerged as a Soviet leader in 1955.
Malenkov was removed from Soviet leadership after the failure of his policies in East Germany.

Khrushchev's personality

His personality played a big part in the development of the Cold War.
His temperament was unpredictable and was known for his sudden explosions of anger.
He didn't always consult colleagues or think through policies and had a tendancy to make wild claims about the scale of the USSR's nuclear arsenal.
His erratic nature and crude manner of expression led to an attempt to remove him from the leadership in 1957.
Eisenhower recognised that Khrushchev was under pressure from the Soviet government to stand up to the US.

Khrushchev's policies

Domestic aims:-

Krushchev agreed with Malenkov that the USSR's primary aim must be to revitalise the economy.
This along with his belief in peaceful coexistence had massive implications for the conduct of foreign policy including cuts in the defence budget.
This created problems with some Kremlin hardliners and also with leaders of the…

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