Destalinization

Context
When Joseph Stalin died on March 5th 1953, cold war tensions were at their worst. Meaningful diplomatic negotiations between the communist and capitalist adversaries had long since ended, and the nuclear arms race was entering a new and more dangerous phase. An atmosphere of hysteria and suspicion gripped the world’s two superpowers. In Moscow, ageing Stalin had spent his last days laying plans for murderous purges, while in Washington McCarthy continued his pursuit of communism.
Soviet-American relations were further intensified with Moscow’s “hate America” campaign, just before the death of Stalin. In 1952 America had a change in leadership, the victory of the General D Eisenhower administration; this administration was more aggressive and wanted to “win the cold war”.

Nikita Khrushchev, a member of Stalin’s inner circle, eventually emerged as the new leader of the USSR. Khrushchev forged a more open path in soviet politics, both at home and abroad, and the Communist party control loosened.
The process of destalinization began by Nikita Khrushchev, following the death of former dictator Stalin in March 1953, denouncing Stalin and then reforming Soviet Russia. Destalinization was characterised by slight relaxation in hostility and aggression towards the US, an era dubbed as ‘The Thaw’. This new direction was announced by Khrushchev at a speech to the Twentieth Party Congress on February 25th 1956 entitled ‘On the Personality Cult and its Consequences’, referring to the “Stalin Cult” in which he attacked Stalin, his tyrannical rule and the crimes of that era against the party. A theory developed out of the speech, the theory of peaceful coexistence. Simply put, this theory meant that the USSR and the capitalist bloc could peacefully coexist. This theory was in contrast to the idea that communism and capitalism could never coexist. This was an attempt to reduce the hostility between the two camps, particularly in light of nuclear war.
The most influential point in the speech was when Khrushchev spoke of easing tensions with the United States. He rejected the inevitability of war between the two super powers and between the capitalists and the communist system, saying “at the present time the situation has changed radically... war is not fatalistically inevitable”. Khrushchev believed that the cold war was a transition period in the path to “Peaceful coexistence”.

Khrushchev felt challenged, at least initially, to bring about this peaceful coexistence more quickly. He set his hopes on a new generation of leaders that would acknowledge the Soviet Union’s rightful place in the world. With this on his mind, he made a number of official visits with different countries to forge personal relationships with other world leaders, even to the US in 1959. This idea of peaceful coexistence challenged the idea that the USSR was driven by world domination.
Khrushchev’s early years in power have often been called “the thaw”, as many aspects of soviet life seemed to relax. Political persecution, which had been part of everyday life under Stalin’s rule, eased considerably. Almost immediately after coming to power, Khrushchev greatly reduced the number of forced labour camps and free tens of thousands political prisoners, this gave the impression to the US that Khrushchev was really willing to change foreign policy, and old Stalinist ways.
Another point of Khrushchev’s thaw was the dissolving of coniform, two months after the 20th party congress speech, this organisation Stalin created in 1947 was made to ensure communist loyalty among satellite states in Eastern Europe. Khrushchev’s actions seemed to prove that Moscow was now more open to the rest of the world and in particular the USA.
Conclusion:
With the death of Stalin, almost overnight, the whole atmosphere of the cold war seemed to change. Malenkov promptly announced his government’s willingness to resolve international disputes peacefully. With Nikita Khrushchev’s 20th party congress speech, the conflict between the divided communist and capitalist camps, under Stalin’s headship had been replaced by “peaceful coexistence”. Between 1953 and 1955 the Austria peace treaty was signed on May 15th 1955, which was a withdrawal of all military occupation from Austria and the restoration of political sovereignty, cease fire between Indochina and Korea and the heads of American, British and French governments met with their soviet adversaries in Geneva at the first post-war conference. Leaders spoke of the very real possibility of “just and durable peace”.
But despite these positive signs, peaceful coexistence increased tensions between the two camps and continued the Cold war. At the end of the decade of most divisive issues remained unsettled despite continuous pledges by either camps of their willingness to resolve the East-West Conflict.
The decade ended with the two camp’s nuclear arsenals growing exponentially. After Stalin’s death the super-powers found themselves close to mutually assured destruction over the soviet placement of nuclear missiles in Cuba. No meaningful coexistence developed. This continued for nearly four more decades.