Thaw in the USSR years history. Khrushchev thaw and its results

The thaw in the USSR is conditional informal name a period that lasted from the mid-50s to the mid-60s. It is characterized by significant changes, in particular, the debunking of Stalin's personality cult, the liberalization of freedom of speech, and the reduction of censorship. AT more Western literature became available. With regard to political and public life of that era, there were also certain indulgences, which the Soviet reality has not seen since the 20s.

And some moments in the history of the USSR generally happened for the first time: condemnation of one's own mistakes, the past, repressions. Unfortunately, this did not become a deep process, did not change the essence of the ongoing events: universal control, centralization of power, and much more remained in the USSR, at least until perestroika, and something disappeared only with the collapse of the Soviet Union. But the influence of the Khrushchev thaw had an effect for a long time. The authorities have demonstrated that dictatorship is optional.

The spiritual life has also changed quite interestingly. In the USSR, steel more attention to show to everything Western, to show great openness. Creativity was less censored. Attempts to achieve certain changes in management also belong to the same period. national economy. They are characterized by a certain naivete, since for successful implementation required more serious and deeper study. However positive results these changes did exist.

The period of the thaw struck the majority in the USSR with criticism of Stalin's personality cult. However, he also showed that many did not agree with the policy being implemented. A prime example there was a rapprochement with Yugoslavia, relations with which the dictator severed. In addition, one should not forget what event happened in the USSR during the thaw period: the liquidation of the Gulag. It was also directly connected with the condemnation of repression, with the outbreak of riots. Some historians point out that over time this system it was becoming increasingly unprofitable to maintain, so there may have been a commercial reason for the destruction of the structure from the inside.

Nevertheless, the thaw period also includes the proclamation of a course towards peaceful coexistence with Western countries. Emphasis was placed on the fact that it is very important to be able to get along in one big world. It should be noted that the nomenklatura rejoiced at these changes and quite willingly supported them, because under Stalin the danger threatened almost everyone. Now I don't have to constantly fear for my life. So for many, the thaw period had only positive moments.

Khrushchev's policy turned out to be quite loyal for prisoners of war: many Japanese and Germans were simply sent home to their countries. It is worth noting that we are talking about tens of thousands of people. Most deported peoples were allowed to return to their original places of residence. noticeably softened labor law: they abolished criminal liability for absenteeism, in addition, there was talk of decriminalizing other articles. The concept of “enemy of the people” was also removed from the Criminal Code.

There were also some developments in international arena. They agreed with the USSR on the withdrawal of the occupying troops from Austria and that the state would maintain political neutrality. In this regard, the thaw period gave the West more than they initially expected. He showed that with the Soviet Union it is difficult, but it is possible to negotiate. And after the Second World War, they wanted this most of all.

contradictions

At the same time, during the thaw period in the USSR, Joseph Brodsky was arrested, Pasternak was persecuted for publishing his work in Italy, an uprising was suppressed in Grozny, in Novocherkassk (the latter with the use of weapons). In addition to the above, the money changers were shot in violation of the fundamental principles of law (the Rokotov case), and the case was reviewed three times. The death sentence was imposed after the law giving the corresponding right came into force. As is known, the criminal law does not and cannot have retroactive effect, with the exception of certain situations of amnesty. However, this principle was simply ignored here. This decision caused protests even among the investigators who were in charge of this case. But it was not possible to influence the situation: the sentence was carried out.

The episode with Brodsky, characterized by attempts to attract the attention of the Soviet intelligentsia and the world community, turned out to be rather scandalous and unpleasant for the USSR. As a result, it was possible to achieve that the poet's term was reduced. BUT vigorous activity on liberation became the foundation for the birth of the human rights movement in the USSR, which is still developing today. The issue of human rights in the Soviet Union was riveted, they began to talk about it, which during the life of Stal was simply unimaginable. This has already shown some progress in public consciousness, but did not make society completely healthy.

Changes in art

The theme of de-Stalinization, the need and importance of change was raised in the film " Clear sky". Pasternak was able to publish Doctor Zhivago in Milan, although he later ran into problems with it. They printed Solzhenitsyn, which, again, was impossible to imagine before. Leonid Gaidai and Eldar Ryazanov began to realize themselves as directors. The film "Carnival Night" turned into a real cultural event, there were other interesting works.

Negative changes

It cannot be said that all the changes, without exception, were unambiguously positive. Changes in architecture turned out to be rather negative for the USSR. In an effort to quickly provide everyone with housing, it was decided to abandon the "unnecessary decoration", so long as it does not interfere with the functionality of the houses. As a result, the buildings turned out to be typical, monotonous, they began to look like template boxes, they lost their individuality. Significantly reduced the area per person. The problem with audibility worsened: houses appeared in which what was said on one floor could be easily disassembled after several floors. Unfortunately, such standards in construction remained until the collapse of the USSR, changing for the most part only for the worse.

Positive Feedback

The appearance of the thaw gave rise to another phenomenon - the sixties, that is, young people who went through the war (or their relatives) became disillusioned with Stalin. However, at the same time, they decided that the communist government had nothing to do with it, having heard about the debunking of the personality cult. They actively opposed the image of the dictator - Lenin, romanticized the revolution and existing ideals.

As a result, as many researchers note, the appearance of such softening looks somewhat twofold. Of course, the liberalization of the regime, greater creative freedom is positive. However, the people got the feeling that the Soviet government really knows how to admit its mistakes, draw conclusions that there will be no return to the former, that something is moving towards improvement and correction.

Meanwhile, the execution, contrary to the legislation that was in force at that time, of the currency traders very eloquently showed that all the changes are more likely to relate to the form, and not the essence of what is happening. The Gulag was disbanded, but at the same time, those who were directly related to the crimes that took place there were not convicted. They did not publicly declare the inadmissibility of such methods in relation to people. The Soviet government did not admit responsibility for what it actually allowed.

Such exposure would have been too dangerous for the nomenklatura itself, which in one way or another was part of the Stalinist repressive machine. Someone carried out criminal decrees, and someone even took the initiative. As a result, the condemnation of Stalin was cautious. He still admitted prominent figure of his era. The genocide he carried out was called "mistakes" that took place, according to Soviet leaders, "closer to the end".

Summing up, it can be noted that there have certainly been certain positive changes. But they turned out to be much smaller, besides, many were temporary. And some achievements on the way to liberalization were canceled in connection with the arrival of Brezhnev. Therefore, speaking about the positive aspects, we should not forget about the negative ones.

The period in history from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s is conventionally referred to as the “Khrushchev thaw”. (this period was named after the eponymous novel by Ilya Ehrenburg “The Thaw”). This period is characterized by a number of essential features: condemnation of the personality cult of Stalin and the repressions of the 1930s, the liberalization of the regime, the release of political prisoners, the liquidation of the Gulag. There was some freedom of speech, relative democratization of political and public life.

Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev (1953 - 1964).

In 1953-1955, Stalin still continued to be officially revered in the USSR as a great leader.

At the XX Congress of the CPSU in 1956, N. S. Khrushchev made a report "On the personality cult and its consequences", in which Stalin's personality cult and Stalinist repressions were criticized, and in foreign policy The USSR was proclaimed a course towards "peaceful coexistence" with the capitalist world. Khrushchev also began rapprochement with Yugoslavia, relations with which had been severed under Stalin.

Generally, new course was supported at the top of the party and corresponded to the interests of the nomenklatura, since earlier even the most prominent party leaders who fell into disgrace had to fear for their lives. Many survivors political prisoners in the USSR and countries socialist camp were released and rehabilitated. Since 1953, commissions have been formed to review cases and to rehabilitate. Most of the peoples deported in the 1930s-1940s were allowed to return to their homeland.

Labor legislation has been liberalized (in 1956, criminal liability for absenteeism was abolished).

Tens of thousands of German and Japanese prisoners of war were sent home. In some countries, relatively liberal leaders came to power, such as Imre Nagy in Hungary. An agreement was reached on the state neutrality of Austria and the withdrawal of all occupying troops from it. In 1955, Khrushchev met in Geneva with US President Dwight Eisenhower and the heads of government of Great Britain and France.

At the same time, de-Stalinization had an extremely negative impact on relations with Maoist China. The CCP condemned de-Stalinization as revisionism.

In 1957, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR banned the assignment of names of party leaders to cities and factories during their lifetime.

Limits and contradictions of the thaw[edit | edit wiki text]

The thaw period did not last long. Already with the suppression of the Hungarian uprising in 1956, clear boundaries of the policy of openness appeared. The party leadership was frightened by the fact that the liberalization of the regime in Hungary led to open anti-communist speeches and violence, respectively, the liberalization of the regime in the USSR could lead to the same consequences. On December 19, 1956, the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU approved the text of the Letter of the Central Committee of the CPSU "On strengthening the political work of party organizations among the masses and suppressing attacks by anti-Soviet, hostile elements." It said: " Central Committee The Communist Party of the Soviet Union considers it necessary to appeal to all party organizations ... in order to attract the attention of the party and mobilize communists to intensify political work among the masses, to fight decisively to stop the sorties of anti-Soviet elements, which of late, due to some aggravation international situation, intensified their hostile activities against the Communist Party and the Soviet state". Further, it was said about the recent "intensification of the activities of anti-Soviet and hostile elements." First of all, this is a “counter-revolutionary conspiracy against the Hungarian people”, conceived under the guise of “false slogans of freedom and democracy” using “the discontent of a significant part of the population caused by serious mistakes made by the former state and party leadership of Hungary”. It was also stated: “Recently, among individual workers in literature and art, who are slipping from party positions, politically immature and philistine-minded, there have been attempts to question the correctness of the party line in the development of Soviet literature and art, to move away from the principles of socialist realism to positions of unprincipled art, put forward demands to “liberate” literature and art from the party leadership, to ensure “freedom of creativity”, understood in the bourgeois-anarchist, individualistic spirit. The letter contained instructions to the communists working in the organs state security, "to vigilantly guard the interests of our socialist state, to be vigilant against the intrigues of hostile elements and, in accordance with the laws Soviet power to prevent criminal acts in a timely manner. A direct consequence of this letter was a significant increase in 1957 in the number of those convicted for "counter-revolutionary crimes" (2948 people, which is 4 times more than in 1956). Students for critical statements were expelled from institutes.

1953 - massive protests in the GDR; in 1956 - in Poland.

· 1956 - the pro-Stalinist protest of the Georgian youth in Tbilisi was suppressed.

· 1957 - persecution of Boris Pasternak for publishing a novel in Italy.

· 1958 - mass unrest in Grozny was suppressed. In the 1960s, the Nikolaev dockers, during interruptions in the supply of bread, refused to ship grain to Cuba.

· 1961 - in violation of the current legislation [Note. 1] money-changers Rokotov and Faibishenko were shot (the Case of Rokotov-Faibishenko-Yakovlev).

· 1962 - the performance of workers in Novocherkassk was suppressed with the use of weapons.

1964 - arrested Joseph Brodsky [Note. 2] The trial of the poet became one of the factors in the emergence of the human rights movement in the USSR.

Thaw in art[edit | edit wiki text]

During the period of de-Stalinization, censorship noticeably weakened, primarily in literature, cinema and other forms of art, where more critical coverage of reality became possible. The "first poetic bestseller" of the thaw was a collection of poems by Leonid Martynov (Poems. M., Young Guard, 1955). The main platform of supporters of the "thaw" was literary magazine « New world". Some works of this period gained popularity abroad, including Vladimir Dudintsev's novel "Not by Bread Alone" and Alexander Solzhenitsyn's story "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich". Other significant representatives of the thaw period were writers and poets Viktor Astafiev, Vladimir Tendryakov, Bella Akhmadulina, Robert Rozhdestvensky, Andrey Voznesensky, Evgeny Yevtushenko. Film production has been dramatically increased.

Grigory Chukhrai was the first in cinematography to touch upon the topic of de-Stalinization and the thaw in the film Clear Sky (1963). The main film directors of the thaw are Marlen Khutsiev, Mikhail Romm, Georgy Danelia, Eldar Ryazanov, Leonid Gaidai. An important cultural event was the films - "Carnival Night", "Outpost of Ilyich", "Spring on Zarechnaya Street", "Idiot", "I'm walking around Moscow", "Amphibian Man", "Welcome, or No Outsiders" and other.

In 1955-1964 television broadcasting was extended to the territory of most of the country. Television studios are open in all the capitals of the Union republics and in many regional centers.

In 1957, Moscow hosted the 6th World Festival of Youth and Students.

Thaw in architecture[edit | edit wiki text]

Main articles: On the elimination of excesses in design and construction, Khrushchev

Increasing pressure on religious associations[edit | edit wiki text]

Main article: Khrushchev's anti-religious campaign

In 1956, the anti-religious struggle began to intensify. The secret resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU "On the Note of the Department of Propaganda and Agitation of the Central Committee of the CPSU for the Union Republics" On the Shortcomings of Scientific and Atheistic Propaganda "" dated October 4, 1958, obliged party, Komsomol and public organizations to launch a propaganda offensive against "religious survivals"; government agencies it was ordered to carry out administrative measures aimed at tightening the conditions for the existence of religious communities. On October 16, 1958, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted the Decrees "On Monasteries in the USSR" and "On Increasing Taxes on the Income of Diocesan Enterprises and Monasteries".

On April 21, 1960, the new chairman of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vladimir Kuroyedov, appointed in February of the same year, in his report at the All-Union Conference of the Commissioners of the Council, characterized the work of its former leadership as follows: Main mistake Affairs Council Orthodox Church consisted in the fact that he inconsistently pursued the line of the party and the state in relation to the church and often slipped into positions of service church organizations. Occupying a defensive position in relation to the church, the council pursued a line not to combat violations of the legislation on cults by the clergy, but to protect church interests.

The secret instruction on the application of the legislation on cults in March 1961 paid special attention to the fact that clergymen do not have the right to interfere in the administrative, financial and economic activities of religious communities. For the first time, the instructions identified “sects whose doctrine and nature of activity are anti-state and savage in nature, which were not subject to registration: Jehovists, Pentecostals, and Adventist reformists” that were not subject to registration.

AT mass consciousness there is a statement attributed to Khrushchev from that period in which he promises to show the last priest on TV in 1980.

The end of the "thaw"[edit | edit wiki text]

The end of the “thaw” is considered the removal of Khrushchev and the coming to the leadership of Leonid Brezhnev in 1964. However, the tightening of the internal political regime and ideological control was begun during the reign of Khrushchev after the end of Caribbean Crisis. De-Stalinization was stopped, and in connection with the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War the process of exalting the role of victory began Soviet people in the war. They tried to bypass Stalin's personality as much as possible, he was never rehabilitated. A neutral article about him remained in the TSB. In 1979, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Stalin, several articles were published, but no special celebrations were held.

Mass political repression, however, were not renewed, and Khrushchev, deprived of power, retired and even remained a member of the party. Shortly before this, Khrushchev himself criticized the concept of "thaw" and even called Ehrenburg, who invented it, a "swindler."

A number of researchers believe that the thaw finally ended in 1968 after the suppression of the Prague Spring.

With the end of the thaw, criticism of Soviet reality began to spread only through unofficial channels, such as samizdat.

Mass riots in the USSR[edit | edit wiki text]

· June 10-11, 1957, an emergency in the city of Podolsk, Moscow Region. The actions of a group of citizens who spread rumors that police officers killed the detained driver. The number of "groups of drunken citizens" - 3 thousand people. 9 instigators were prosecuted.

· August 23-31, 1958, the city of Grozny. Reasons: the murder of a Russian guy against the backdrop of escalated ethnic tensions. The crime caused a wide public outcry, and spontaneous protests grew into a large-scale political uprising, for the suppression of which troops had to be sent into the city. See Mass riots in Grozny (1958)

January 15, 1961, the city of Krasnodar. Reasons: the actions of a group of drunken citizens who spread rumors about the beating of a serviceman when he was detained by a patrol for violation of wearing a uniform. The number of participants is 1300 people. applied firearms, one person was killed. 24 people were brought to criminal responsibility. See Anti-Soviet rebellion in Krasnodar (1961).

June 25, 1961 in the city of Biysk Altai Territory 500 people participated in the riots. They stood up for a drunkard whom the police wanted to arrest in the central market. The drunk citizen resisted the security guards during the arrest public order. There was a fight with the use of weapons. One person was killed, one was wounded, 15 were prosecuted.

June 30, 1961 in the city of Murom Vladimir region over 1.5 thousand workers of the local plant named after Ordzhonikidze almost destroyed the construction of a sobering-up honey tank, in which one of the employees of the enterprise, brought there by the police, died. Law enforcement officers used weapons, two workers were injured, 12 men were put on trial.

· On July 23, 1961, 1,200 people took to the streets of the city of Alexandrov, Vladimir Region, and moved to the city police department to rescue two of their detained comrades. The police used weapons, as a result of which four were killed, 11 wounded, 20 people were put in the dock.

· September 15-16, 1961, street riots in the North Ossetian city of Beslan. The number of rebels - 700 people. The riot arose because of an attempt by the police to detain five people who were in a state of intoxication in public place. Armed resistance was provided to the guards. One is killed. Seven have been put on trial.

June 1-2, 1962, Novocherkassk Rostov region, 4 thousand workers of the electric locomotive plant, dissatisfied with the actions of the administration in explaining the reasons for the increase in retail prices for meat and milk, came out to protest. The protesting workers were dispersed with the help of troops. 23 people died, 70 were injured. 132 instigators were brought to justice, of which seven were later shot (See Novocherkassk execution)

· June 16-18, 1963, the city of Krivoy Rog, Dnepropetrovsk region. About 600 people took part in the performance. The reason is the resistance to police officers by a serviceman who was in a state of intoxication during his detention and the actions of a group of people. Four killed, 15 wounded, 41 put on trial.

· November 7, 1963, the city of Sumgayit, more than 800 people came to the defense of the demonstrators who were marching with photographs of Stalin. Police and vigilantes tried to take away unauthorized portraits. Weapons were used. One demonstrator was wounded, six sat in the dock (See Riots in Sumgayit (1963)).

On April 16, 1964, in Bronnitsy near Moscow, about 300 people defeated the bullpen, where a resident of the city died from beatings. The police, by their unauthorized actions, provoked popular indignation. No weapons were used, there were no dead or wounded. 8 people were brought to criminal responsibility.

De-Stalinization- the process of overcoming the cult of personality and the elimination of the political and ideological system created in the USSR during the reign of I.V. Stalin. This process led to a partial democratization of public life, called the "thaw". The term "de-Stalinization" is used in Western literature since the 1960s.

Sometimes they talk about three so-called "waves" of de-Stalinization.

1 Khrushchev thaw

o 1.1 Khrushchev's indecisiveness

2 Brezhnev era

3 Perestroika

4 Overcoming the Past

5 After 2000

6 Destalinization support

7 Criticism of the de-Stalinization program

· eight Public opinion about de-Stalinization

· 9 Separate opinions

10 See also

11 Notes

Khrushchev thaw[edit | edit wiki text]

Main articles: Khrushchev thaw, XX Congress of the CPSU, About the cult of personality and its consequences

The process of partial transformation of the Soviet state-political system began already in 1953, when the first steps were taken to eliminate the consequences of Stalin's repressive policies, to partially restore law and order. Already in the theses of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Institute of Marx - Engels - Lenin - Stalin under the Central Committee of the CPSU for the fiftieth anniversary of the CPSU, it was said: “The cult of personality contradicts the principle of collective leadership, leads to a decrease in creative activity party masses and the Soviet people and has nothing in common with the Marxist-Leninist understanding of the high importance of guiding activity governing bodies and leaders... This statement marked the beginning of the process of de-Stalinization both in the country and in the party leadership.

In February 1956, the XX Congress of the CPSU was held, at which the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU N.S. Khrushchev made a report "On the cult of personality and its consequences", where he condemned the practice of mass repressions in the USSR and dated their beginning to 1934, thereby excluding among the crimes of the Stalinist regime "dispossession", as well as political repressions of the early 1930s. Stalin's political behavior was opposed to the "correct" Bolshevik policy, which was generally recognized as legitimate and in line with Lenin's ideological principles. The entire burden of blame for unleashing political repressions was placed on I. V. Stalin and his inner circle. At the same time, Khrushchev sought to exclude his involvement in the Stalinist political terror, so criticism of Stalinism was limited, reliable information about political repressions was strictly dosed and presented Soviet society with the sanction of the highest party-state leadership. The exposure of Stalinism begun by Khrushchev from the 20th Congress did not affect the essence of the Soviet command and administrative system, reducing all the system's shortcomings to Stalin's personality cult.

Khrushchev's campaign to purge Stalin's legacy public sphere was carried out in the late 1950s. In the process of de-Stalinization, all settlements, streets and squares, enterprises and collective farms that bore the name of Stalin were renamed everywhere. Stalinabad, capital Tajik SSR, received the former name of Dushanbe. Staliniri, the capital of the South Ossetian Autonomous Okrug, was returned historical name Tskhinvali. Stalino (formerly Yuzovka) was renamed Donetsk. Stalinsk ( oldest city Kuznetsk) was named Novokuznetsk. The Stalinskaya metro station in Moscow was renamed Semyonovskaya (1961). In Bulgaria, the city of Stalin was given back the name of Varna, in Poland, Stalinogrud again became Katowice, in Romania, the city of Stalin was given back the name of Brasov, etc.

In the same period, monuments and monumental images of Stalin were also dismantled in the USSR with almost 100% coverage - from gigantic ones, 24 m high (on the banks of the Volga at the entrance to Volga-Don Canal), to his images in interiors, for example, in the Moscow Metro.

In the same way, the names of Stalin's closest associates, declared members of the "anti-party group" were erased from the map of the USSR: the city of Molotov was returned the name Perm, Molotovsk - Nolinsk, the Moscow Metro, which bore the name of Kaganovich from the opening in 1935, was renamed in honor of V. .AND. Lenin.

The process of official de-Stalinization, begun in 1956, reached its peak in 1961 at XXII congress Communist Party of the Soviet Union. As a result of the congress, two of the most significant acts of de-Stalinization were adopted: on October 31, 1961, Stalin's body was removed from the Mausoleum and buried in Red Square, and on November 11, 1961, Stalingrad was renamed Volgograd.

Khrushchev's indecisiveness[edit | edit wiki text]

Information about the Stalinist repressions presented by Khrushchev to the 20th Congress was far from complete. Some old communists who went through the Gulag, such as A. V. Snegov and O. G. Shatunovskaya urged Khrushchev to bring de-Stalinization to its logical end, publish documents from Stalin's personal archive and investigate the perpetrators of repression. Otherwise, in their opinion, the danger of revenge by the Stalinists, who have settled in the highest echelons of power, will remain. However, Khrushchev rejected these proposals and arguments, fearing that “the settling of scores would cause new wave violence and hatred." Instead, he suggested postponing the publication archival documents exposing Stalin for 15 years.

State University Office

Institute of National and World Economy

Specialty: Organization management

Department of Cultural Studies.

Abstract on the topic:

"Thaw" in the cultural life of the country (mid-50s-60s)"

Checked by: Lyudmila Nikolaevna Levkovich

Completed by: student of the 1st year of the 3rd group

Moscow 2004.

Plan:

1. Introduction…………………………………………………….1

2. Literature………………...………………………………...2

3. Sculpture and architecture………………………………...3

4. Music……………………………………………………..5

5. Theater………………………………………………………...6

6. Cinematography………………………………………………8

7. Conclusion………..………………………………………..10

8. List of references……………………………………………………11

The period of the Khrushchev thaw is the conventional name for the period in history that lasted from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. A feature of the period was a partial retreat from the totalitarian policies of the Stalin era. Khrushchev thaw- this is the first attempt to understand the consequences of the Stalinist regime, which revealed the features of the socio-political policy of the Stalin era. The main event of this period is considered to be the 20th Congress of the CPSU, which criticized and condemned Stalin's personality cult and criticized the implementation of the repressive policy. February 1956 marked the beginning of a new era, which set itself the task of changing the socio-political life, changing the domestic and foreign policy of the state.

Khrushchev thaw events

The period of the Khrushchev thaw is characterized by the following events:

The process of rehabilitation of the victims of repressions began, the innocently convicted population was granted amnesty, the relatives of the “enemies of the people” became innocent.
The republics of the USSR received more political and legal rights.
The year 1957 was marked by the return of Chechens and Balkars to their lands, from which they had been evicted during Stalin's time in connection with the accusation of treason. But such a decision did not apply to the Volga Germans and Crimean Tatars.
Also, 1957 is famous for holding International Festival young people and students, which, in turn, speaks of the “opening iron curtain”, mitigation of censorship.
The result of these processes is the emergence of new public organizations. Trade union bodies are being reorganized: staff reduced top management trade union system, extended rights to primary organizations.
Passports were issued to people living in the village, the collective farm.
Swift lung development industry and agriculture.
Active construction of cities.
Improving the standard of living of the population.

One of the main achievements of the policy of 1953 - 1964. was the implementation social reforms, which included solving the issue of pensions, increasing the income of the population, solving the housing problem, introducing a five-day week. The Khrushchev thaw was hard time in history Soviet state. For so a short time(10 years) a lot of transformations and innovations were carried out. The most important achievement was the exposure of the crimes of the Stalinist system, the population discovered the consequences of totalitarianism.

Results

So, the policy of the Khrushchev thaw was of a superficial nature, did not affect the foundations of the totalitarian system. The dominant one-party system with the application of the ideas of Marxism-Leninism was preserved. Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev was not going to carry out complete de-Stalinization, because it meant the recognition of his own crimes. And since it was not possible to completely renounce the Stalinist era, Khrushchev's transformations did not take root for a long time. In 1964, a conspiracy against Khrushchev matured, and from this period a new era began in the history of the Soviet Union.

After the death of I. Stalin in Soviet history has begun new period received from light hand writer's name "Khrushchev's thaw". What changed at that time, and what were the consequences of Khrushchev's reforms?

Breaking stereotypes

The beginning of a new period was marked by the Soviet leadership's rejection of the Stalinist policy of repression. Of course, this did not mean that the new leaders would behave like gentlemen in the struggle for power. Already in 1953, among the emerging collective leadership (Khrushchev, Beria, Malenkov), a struggle for power began. The result was the removal and arrest of Lavrenty Beria, who was shot on charges of espionage and conspiracy.

In relation to ordinary citizens, the policy of Khrushchev and his associates was characterized by the curtailment of repressions. First, the "Doctors' Case" was terminated, and later the rehabilitation of the rest of the political prisoners began. For it became clear that it was impossible to remain silent about repressions. The consequence of this was the famous report "On Stalin's personality cult and its consequences", which was delivered by Khrushchev at the 20th Congress of the CPSU. Despite the fact that the report was secret, its contents quickly became known throughout the country. However, in the public sphere, in fact, it ended. Khrushchev and his comrades-in-arms were well aware that if we expand this topic further, then society might think about changing the entire Soviet leadership: after all, both the speaker and his colleagues accepted the most Active participation in mass repression, signing execution lists and sentences of triplets. But even such half-hearted criticism at that time had the effect of an exploding bomb.

The Khrushchev thaw brought a certain freedom of action to the figures of literature and art. State control over creative process weakened, which contributed to the emergence of works on topics that were previously considered taboo: for example, about life in Stalin's camps. True, already by the beginning of the 1960s, Khrushchev began to gradually tighten the screws and actively impose his opinion during meetings with the intelligentsia. But it was too late: the thaw in the USSR had already begun, and protest moods began to grow in the ranks of the intelligentsia, which led to the emergence of dissidents.

Sphere of management

The reforms could not but affect the authorities and the party itself. Republican authorities and party organizations received broader powers, including in the field of economic planning. Attempts were made to renew the leading cadres of party organizations, which ended in failure due to the resistance of the nomenklatura.

But the most important innovation was the elimination of ministries and organization. These bodies were created on the territory of 1-2 regions to manage industry and construction. It was assumed that the economic councils would better manage local affairs, knowing the needs of their region. But in practice, this reform has created a lot of problems. First, economic councils managed objects in the same commanding style as the ministries. Secondly, the interests of the state or neighboring regions were quite often ignored. Therefore, after the removal of Khrushchev, everything returned to normal.

Education, Agriculture

The Khrushchev thaw affected the social sphere the most. Firstly, legislation was improved, thanks to which old-age pensions appeared, which, however, did not affect collective farmers. The work schedule of enterprises has also changed: two days off have been introduced.

Secondly, in the social sphere, one of the most painful issues - housing - began to be resolved. It was decided to mass housing construction. It was carried out at a fast pace, not only because of budget injections, but also due to the cheapness of the material. Five-story concrete boxes were erected in a couple of weeks. Of course, such houses had a lot of shortcomings, but for people who lived in basements and workers' barracks, they were just chic apartments. However, already at that time the state, not hoping for own forces, began to stimulate the creation of housing cooperatives, when citizens invested their money in housing construction.

Reforms were also carried out in the education system. According to the new law, compulsory 8-year education was introduced. After 8 years spent at the school desk, the student could choose whether to finish his studies for another three years, or go to a vocational school, technical school or vocational school. In reality, the reform did not bring the school closer to production, because at educational institutions there simply were no material opportunities to give students working professions. The adoption of laws in which the language of instruction at school was chosen by parents, and students could be exempted from learning the language, had detrimental consequences for the national republics. union republic. This strengthened Russification and reduced the number national schools.

Except social sphere The Khrushchev thaw also affected agriculture. Collective farmers received passports and freedom of movement. Purchase prices for crops were increased, which increased the profitability of collective farms. But here, too, there were failures. These include the craze and consolidation of collective farms. The liquidation of machine and tractor stations also created problems. Farms received the right technique, but at the same time they got into huge debts, since they did not have the funds to purchase it.

Khrushchev's reforms changed a lot in Soviet society and many of them were progressive for that time. But their ill-conceived and chaotic nature, on the one hand, and the resistance of the party bureaucracy, on the other, led to their failure and the removal of Khrushchev from his leadership position.

The release of political prisoners, the elimination of the Gulag, the weakening of totalitarian power, the emergence of some freedom of speech, the relative liberalization of political and social life, openness to the Western world, greater freedom of creative activity. The name is associated with the tenure of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU Nikita Khrushchev (1953-1964).

The word "thaw" is associated with the story of the same name by Ilya Ehrenburg [ ] .

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Story

The starting point of the "Khrushchev thaw" was the death of Stalin in 1953. The “thaw” also includes a short period (1953-1955), when Georgy Malenkov was in the leadership of the country and major criminal cases were closed (“Leningrad case”, “Case of doctors”), an amnesty for those convicted of minor crimes passed. During these years, uprisings of prisoners broke out in the Gulag system: Norilsk, Vorkuta, Kengir and others [ ] .

De-Stalinization

With the strengthening of Khrushchev's power, the "thaw" became associated with the debunking of Stalin's personality cult. At the same time, in 1953-1956, Stalin still continued to be officially revered in the USSR as a great leader; at that time, he was often depicted in portraits together with Lenin. At the XX Congress of the CPSU in 1956, Khrushchev made a report "On the cult of the personality" and its consequences, in which the cult of the personality of Stalin and Stalin's repressions were criticized, and in the foreign policy of the USSR the course for "peaceful" coexistence with the capitalist world was proclaimed. Khrushchev also began rapprochement with Yugoslavia, relations with which were severed under Stalin [ ] .

In general, the new course was supported at the top of the CPSU and was in line with the interests of the nomenklatura, since previously even the most prominent party leaders who fell into disgrace had to fear for their lives. Many surviving political prisoners in the USSR and the countries of the socialist camp were released and rehabilitated. Since 1953, commissions have been formed to review cases and to rehabilitate. Most of the peoples deported in the 1930s and 1940s were allowed to return to their homeland.

Labor legislation was also softened, in particular, on April 25, 1956, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR approved a decree of its presidium abolishing legal liability for unauthorized departure from enterprises and institutions, as well as for absenteeism without good reason and being late for work.

Tens of thousands of German and Japanese prisoners of war were sent home. In some countries, relatively liberal leaders came to power, such as Imre Nagy in Hungary. An agreement was reached on the state neutrality of Austria and the withdrawal of all occupation troops from it. In 1955, Khrushchev met in Geneva with US President Dwight Eisenhower and the heads of government of Great Britain and France [ ] .

At the same time, de-Stalinization had an extremely negative impact on relations with Maoist China. The Chinese Communist Party denounced de-Stalinization as revisionism.

On the night of October 31 to November 1, 1961, Stalin's body was taken out of the Mausoleum and reburied near the Kremlin wall.

Under Khrushchev, Stalin was treated neutrally positively. In all Soviet publications Khrushchev's thaw, Stalin was called a prominent figure in the party, a staunch revolutionary and a major theorist of the party, who rallied the party during the period severe trials. But at the same time, all publications of that time wrote that Stalin had his shortcomings and that in the last years of his life he made major mistakes and excesses.

The Limits and Contradictions of the Thaw

A direct consequence of this letter was a significant increase in 1957 in the number of those convicted for "counter-revolutionary crimes" (2948 people, which is 4 times more than in 1956). Students for critical statements were expelled from institutes.

The following events took place in the period 1953-1964:

1953 - mass protests in the GDR; in 1956 - in Poland.
- the pro-Stalinist performance of the Georgian youth in Tbilisi was suppressed.
- persecution of Boris Pasternak for publishing the novel in Italy.
- mass riots in Grozny were suppressed.
In the 1960s, the Nikolaev dockers, during interruptions in the supply of bread, refused to ship grain to Cuba.
- In violation of the current legislation, the money-changers Rokotov and Faibishenko were shot (Case Rokotov - Faybishenko - Yakovlev).
- the performance of the workers in Novocherkassk was suppressed with the use of weapons.
- Joseph Brodsky was arrested. The trial of the poet became one of the factors in the emergence of the human rights movement in the USSR.

"Thaw" in art

During the period of de-Stalinization, censorship noticeably weakened, especially in literature, cinema and other arts, where more critical coverage of reality became possible. The "first poetic bestseller" of the "thaw" was a collection of poems by Leonid Martynov (Poems. M., Young Guard, 1955). The literary magazine Novy Mir became the main platform for the supporters of the thaw. Some works of this period gained fame abroad, including Vladimir Dudintsev’s novel “Not by Bread Alone” and Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s story “One day Ivan Denisovich”. In 1957, Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago was published in Milan. Other significant [ ] representatives of the "thaw" period were writers and poets Viktor Astafiev, Vladimir Tendryakov, Bella Akhmadulina, Robert Rozhdestvensky, Andrey Voznesensky, Evgeny Yevtushenko.

There has been a dramatic increase in motion picture production. Grigory Chukhrai was the first in cinematography to touch upon the topic of de-Stalinization and the “thaw” in the film Clear Sky (1963). The main film directors of this period are Marlene Khutsiev, Mikhail Romm, Georgy Danelia, Eldar Ryazanov, Leonid Gaidai. An important cultural event was the films - “Carnival Night”, “Outpost of Ilyich”, “Spring on Zarechnaya Street”, “Idiot”, “I'm walking” in Moscow”, “Amphibian Man", "Welcome," or "Outsiders" are forbidden" and other [ ] .

In 1955-1964, television broadcasting was distributed throughout most of the country. Television studios were opened in all the capitals of the union republics and in many regional centers.

Thaw in architecture

The new face of the security forces

The Khrushchev era was a time of transformation of the Soviet security agencies, which was complicated by the resonance caused by the report of Khrushchev in 1956, when the role of the special services in the Great Terror was condemned. At that time, the word "chekist" lost its official approval, and its very mention could cause sharp reproaches. However, soon, by the time Andropov was appointed to the post of chairman of the KGB in 1967, it was rehabilitated: it was in the Khrushchev era that the term "chekist" was cleared, and the reputation and prestige secret service gradually restored. The rehabilitation of the Chekists included the creation of a new series of associations, which were supposed to symbolize a break with the Stalinist past: the term "Chekist" received a new birth and acquired a new content. As Sakharov later said, the KGB "became more 'civilized', acquired a face, albeit not quite human, but in any case not a tiger."

Khrushchev's reign was marked by a revival and re-establishment of the veneration of Dzerzhinsky. In addition to the statue on the Lubyanka, opened in 1958, the memory of Dzerzhinsky was immortalized in the late 1950s. throughout Soviet Union. Untainted by participation in Great Terror, Dzerzhinsky was supposed to symbolize the purity of the origins of Soviet Chekism. In the press of that time, there was a noticeable desire to separate the legacy of Dzerzhinsky from the activities of the NKVD, when, according to the first chairman of the KGB Serov, "provocateurs" and "careerists" filled the secret apparatus. The gradual official restoration of confidence in the security agencies during the Khrushchev era relied on strengthening the continuity between the KGB and the Dzerzhinsky Cheka, while the Great Terror was portrayed as a retreat from the original KGB ideals - a clear historical border was drawn between the Cheka and the NKVD.

Khrushchev, who paid great attention to the Komsomol and staked "on the youth", in 1958 appointed a young 40-year-old Shelepin, a non-Chekist who had previously held leadership positions in the Komsomol, to the post of chairman of the KGB. This choice corresponded to the new image of the KGB, responded to the desire to create a strong association with the forces of renewal and revival. During the personnel changes that began in 1959, total strength KGB personnel were reduced, but there was also a recruitment of new Chekists, attracted mainly from the Komsomol. The image of the security officer in the cinema has also changed: instead of people in leather jackets from the beginning of the 1960s. young neat heroes in strict suits began to appear on the screens; now they were respected members of society, fully integrated into the Soviet state system, representatives of one of the state institutions. The increased level of education of the Chekists was emphasized; so, in the newspaper "Leningradskaya Pravda" it was noted: "today absolute majority employees of the State Security Committee have higher education, many own one or more foreign languages”, while in 1921 1.3% of the Chekists had a higher education.

Selected writers, directors and historians were given access to earlier on October 16, 1958, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted the Resolutions “On Monasteries in the USSR” and “On Increasing Taxes on Income of Diocesan Enterprises and Monasteries”.

On April 21, 1960, the new chairman of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vladimir Kuroyedov, appointed in February of the same year, in his report at the All-Union Conference of the Commissioners of the Council, characterized the work of its former leadership as follows: “The main mistake of the Council for the Affairs of the Orthodox Church was that it inconsistently pursued the line parties and the state in relation to the church and often slipped into positions of serving church organizations. Occupying a defensive position in relation to the church, the council pursued a line not to combat violations of the legislation on cults by the clergy, but to protect church interests. (1976), a neutral article about him remained. In 1979, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Stalin, several articles were published, but no special celebrations were held.

Massive political repression, however, was not renewed, and Khrushchev, deprived of power, retired and even remained a member of the party. Shortly before this, Khrushchev himself criticized the concept of "thaw" and even called Ehrenburg, who invented it, a "swindler."