Khrushchev thaw and its results

After Stalin's death, a new period began in Soviet history, which was given the name Khrushchev's Thaw with the light hand of writer Ilya Ehrenburg . What has changed at this time, and what were the consequences of the Khrushchev reforms?

Breaking stereotypes

The beginning of the new period was marked by the refusal of the Soviet leadership from the Stalinist policy of repression. Of course, this did not mean that in the struggle for power the new leaders would behave in a gentlemanly manner. 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 plotting.

In relation to ordinary citizens, the policies of Khrushchev and his comrades-in-arms were characterized by the curtailment of repressions. First, the "Doctors' Case" was discontinued, and later the rehabilitation of other political prisoners began. For the Soviet leaders it became clear that it was impossible to remain silent about repression. The result of this was the famous report "On the cult of the personality of Stalin and its consequences", sounded from the mouth of Khrushchev at the 20th Congress of the CPSU. Despite the fact that the report was secret, its content became quickly known throughout the country. However, this de-Stalinization in the public sphere actually ended. Khrushchev and his comrades knew perfectly well that if the topic was further developed, society might think about changing the entire Soviet leadership: after all, both the speaker and his colleagues took an active part in the mass repressions, signing the execution lists and triad sentences. But even such half-hearted criticism had at that time the effect of a bomb exploding.

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

Sphere of management

Reforms could not but affect the authorities and the party itself. The republican authorities and party organizations gained broader powers, including in the field of economic planning. Attempts were made to update the leading cadres of party organizations, which ended in failure because of the resistance of the nomenclature.

But the most important innovation was the liquidation of ministries and the organization of Soviets of National Economy (Sovnarkhoz). These bodies were created in the territory of 1-2 areas for the management of industry and construction. It was assumed that the Sovnarkhoz will better manage local affairs, knowing the needs of its region. But in practice, this reform has created a bunch of problems. First, the economic councils managed objects in the same command style as the ministries. Secondly, quite often ignored the interests of the state or neighboring regions. Therefore, after Khrushchev's dismissal, everything returned to normal.

Social sphere, education, agriculture

Social sphere Khrushchev's thaw touched the most. Firstly, the legislation was improved, which resulted in the appearance of old-age pensions, which, incidentally, did not affect collective farmers. The schedule of work of the enterprises also has changed: two days off have been entered.

Secondly, in the social sphere, one of the most sensitive issues began to be solved - housing. It was decided to mass housing construction. It was carried out at a great pace not only because of budget injections, but also because of the cheapness of the material. Five-story boxes of concrete were erected in a couple of weeks. Of course, such houses had a lot of shortcomings, but for people living in cellars and workers' barracks, it was just a chic apartment. However, already at that time the state, not hoping for its own strength, began to stimulate the creation of housing and construction cooperatives, when citizens invested their money in housing construction.

Reforms were also carried out in the education system. Under the new law, compulsory 8-year training was introduced. After 8 years spent at the school desk, the student could choose to finish his studies for another three years, or go to vocational school, technical school or vocational school. In reality, the reform did not bring the school closer to production, because The educational institutions simply did not have the financial means to give students working trades. The pernicious consequences for the national republics were the adoption of laws in which the language of instruction in the school was chosen by parents, and the students could be freed from studying the language of the union republic. This increased Russification and reduced the number of national schools.

In addition to the social sphere, Khrushchev's thaw embraced agriculture. Collective farmers received passports and freedom of movement. Procurement prices for crops were increased, which increased the profitability of the collective farms. But here, too, there has been no failure. These include the general interest in corn sowings, and the consolidation of collective farms. Problems also created the elimination of machine and tractor stations. Farms received the necessary equipment, but they climbed into huge debts, as they did not have the funds to purchase it.

Khrushchev's reforms changed much in Soviet society and many of them were progressive for that time. But their rashness and randomness on the one hand, and the resistance of the party bureaucracy, on the other, led to their failure and the removal of Khrushchev from the leading position.