How Did Nikita Khrushchev Rise To Power

Nikita Khrushchev became party leader after the death of Stalin in 1953, and rose above his opponents. Khrushchev distanced himself from his predecessor by presenting new policy reforms and denouncing the "cult of personality" that surrounded Stalin. This famous Secret speech was presented to the delegates of the 20th Party Congress on February 25, 1956 and accused Stalin of crimes and the use of terror as an instrument of policy. This effectively distanced Khrushchev from Stalin's close associates, Molotov, Malenkov, and Lazar Kaganovich and the more conservative elements of the Party. In 1958, Bulganin resigned making Khrushchev prime minister and later established himself as the undisputed leader of both state and party. He became Premier
In 1957, Khrushchev got rid of the industrial ministries in Moscow and replaced them with regional economic councils. This was a politically motivated move to weaken the central state bureaucracy. Although his intentions were to make the economic councils more responsive to local needs, the decentralization of industry led to difficulties and inefficiency. Coupled with this decentralization was Khrushchev's 1962 decision to change party organizations along economic lines. The division of the party structure into industrial and agricultural sectors at the provincial level, contributed to the disorder and alienation of many party officials at all levels. As a result Khrushchev's special seven-year economic plan (1959-65) was discarded two years short of
Agriculture showed no new progress, it was barely keeping up with the population and abroad, the Berlin crisis, the split with China, and the Cuban missile crisis hurt the Soviet Union's international influence. Khrushchev's efforts to improve relations with the West alienated China and many in the military. Finally, the party reorganization in 1962 caused disorder throughout the communist party. In October 1964, the Presidium voted him out of office and refused to let him to take his case to the Central Committee. Khrushchev retired as a private citizen after his successors denounced him for his erratic policies. Overall Khrushchev step away from the Stalin era encouraged liberal policies, and the release political prisoners. This “Thaw” encouraged the arts and influenced other countries like Czechoslovakia in 1968, to liberalize their