De-Stalinization Essays - Nikita Khrushchev,

De-Stalinization Although many of his ideas did not bring the expected results, Nikita Khrushchev policies of de-Stalinization were politically wise. He went against many of Stalin's tyrannical policies and gave the people a much greater sense of freedom. In the process known as "de-Stalinization", legal procedures were restored, some greater degree of meaningful public controversy was permitted, forced labor camps were closed and the secret police tactics of Stalin's era were erased. Stalin's method of personal rule was replaced by group rule and more orderly processes of government, the terror apparatus was largely dismantled, the economy was notably modernized and foreign policy was conducted with much greater diplomatic initiative and flexibility. There was free political discussion, a standard forty-hour work week where people were free to change jobs, better government planning on production, and eased travel restrictions over the "Iron Curtain". In the process of de-Stalinization the cities that were once named in honor of Stalin were given new names or returned to their old names1. The statues and pictures of Stalin were destroyed and letters were sent to families of those who were killed in battle, which criticized Stalin's weak leadership during the time of the war. Stalin's grave was vandalized during this process, and Khrushchev gained approval from the West. These policies were used to erase the past and ease the minds of those who suffered under the dictator2. Khrushchev worked to denounce his former leaders doings and clean up the image of the nation on a worldwide scale. Khrushchev worked hard to be agreeable with the majority of people he ruled. He sought to contrast his own present policies with the extremities of Stalinism, and therefore restore public confidence in the Soviet system.3 Perhaps the most notable example of de-Stalinization was where Khrushchev denounced Stalin and criticized the dictator along with those who agreed with his views. These views which murdered so many Russian Citizens. At the 20th All-Union Party Congress (1956) where Khrushchev delivered a "secret" report on "The Personality Cult and Its Consequences," bitterly denouncing the rule, policies, and personality of Stalin.4 The speech was supposedly kept a secret so that the Capitalist media would not receive word of it and gain an edge over the Communists if they knew of the problems occurring within the party. Khrushchev accused Stalin of being responsible for mass murders and deportations, the German invasion during World War II (1939-1945), and the USSR's break with Yugoslavia. During this period the public was given a say in the government, even though an extremely minor one, and the judicial system eased it's aggressiveness allowing a defendant a better chance of defending themselves. This was called The Associates Credit Card ServicesThe Associates Credit Card Services thaw, which meant the relaxation of police terror, the release of hundreds of thousands from labor camps, and the relaxation of censorship. A new policy of economy was brought in known as "New Course". Khrushchev concerned himself with bettering the troubles of the individual, attempting to increase the supply of food and making goods such as home appliances, making automobiles somewhat available, and providing more housing. A new policy of efficiency and quality control was brought in. Leadership was somewhat decentralized to allow common managers and directors more power to run their production units. It helped to balance the agriculture and increase food production so there were less food shortages. Machine and Tractor Stations (MTSs) were set up in the countryside with skilled mechanics employed to provide and service agricultural machinery. The districts were allowed to decide on what crops to plant and when, rather than being directed from the center. Quotas for compulsory sale to the state were eased. Thousands of young people and Party workers were dispatched as labor and supervisory personnel to do the job. Also Khrushchev initiated the Virgin Lands Program in 1953, introducing intensive irrigation to increase arable land and thus raise food production bringing into cultivation 32 million acres of previously uncultivated land in Kazakhstan and southwestern Siberia. 85,000,000 additional acres of land were under cultivation by 1956.. All these measures were identified with Khrushchev, who evidently took over agricultural policy from Malenkov in September 1953. In January 1955 Khrushchev demanded that around seventy million acres be planted in corn for fodder in order to increase livestock production. The resulting cornfields, on flat and hilly country, in cold and warm regions, earned him the nickname of kukuruzchik (''the corn enthusiast''). Soil erosion and unpredictable weather wiped out whole harvests, and by the mid-1960s sandstorms became a serious problem. Despite everything, the project of expanding agriculture into the