二十三, The USSR 1953-1958
The death of Joseph Stalin in March 1953 brought some changes to the Soviet Union. Stalin was succeeded by Georgy Malenkov, but his rival Nikita Khrushchev was powerful as well. Khrushchev thought of himself as the rightful leader of the Soviet Union, and the two would not get along well during the following years. Lavrentiy Beria, who led Stalin’s notorious secret police, was made Deputy Premier. Beria also wished to be Stalin’s successor, but was content to work with Malenkov to keep Khrushchev from gaining control of the Soviet government. Malenkov and Beria viewed each other as useful, even if they didn’t really trust each other. Malenkov had a more trustworthy ally in foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov.
(Left: Georgy Malenkov, Right: Lavrentiy Beria)
Georgy Malenkov was more lenient than his predecessor. Many prisoners in the gulags were released. Soviet officials did not live in constant fear of purges. Khrushchev was able to oppose Malenkov and still remain a powerful figure in Soviet politics for years. Political power was no longer concentrated in one person as it was under Stalin. Malenkov continued to defend Stalin’s legacy, even if his method of governing was different. Factories in the Soviet Union would begin to produce more consumer goods. Malenkov hoped that this would improve the standard of living for Soviet citizens and thus increase his own popularity. Other than the new focus on consumer goods, the Soviet economy would largely function the same way it had previously.
(Soviet factory)
Foreign policy was another area where Malenkov sought to make his mark. He desired to deescalate the Cold War. A few months earlier, Robert Taft was inaugurated as President of the United States. Though Taft was firmly anti-Communist, he wanted the US to be less involved in international affairs. There was real hope that the Cold War could be ended. Malenkov wanted to create a unified neutral Germany as a buffer between the East and West just like Austria. He was ultimately unable to accomplish that. He also pushed for a halt to nuclear weapons tests. He was able to come to an agreement with the US and UK on this issue in 1953. Malenkov wanted the world to view him as a man of peace. His efforts seemed to be working, and around the world he was much more popular than Stalin.
Malenkov did run into some trouble. Late in 1953, Mohammad Mossadegh was ousted in a coup [1] and American President Robert Taft died of cancer. This meant that Iran was no longer an ally and the US was under a much more hostile administration. President William F. Knowland, though not a warmonger, did not see eye-to-eye with Taft on matters of foreign policy. Malenkov continued to court the developing world, or third world. In particular, he saw China and India as potential allies against the imperialist West. Any attempts to violently overthrow the Chinese government were abandoned. Both countries worked together to pressure France to leave Indochina, and both would have influence in the newly independent nations of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Malenkov even praised Chiang Kai-shek for invading Taiwan and destroying a reactionary feudal state.
Relations between the Soviet Union in China would eventually deteriorate. China condemned the Soviet Union’s invasions of Poland and Hungary in 1956 in order to put down local anti-Communist uprisings. Then in 1957, China began air strikes against Soviet-backed forces in Vietnam and enacted a blockade to prevent the Soviet Union from supplying its allies there. And in 1958, China invaded Vietnam to stop the Viet Minh. Sino-Soviet cooperation had ended. The Soviet Union was back to supporting anti-government revolutionaries in China. The Soviets continued to support India and turned to the Middle East, where they sent aid to and Egypt. At the same time, aid was also given to Israel. The Soviet Union also sought to increase its influence in Afghanistan.
In 1958, Malenkov faced criticism for his previous support of Nationalist China. His rival Nikita Khrushchev was regularly meeting with opponents of Malenkov. He was maneuvering to overthrow Malenkov, who he claimed was an ineffective leader. Malenkov had never let his guard down when it came to Khrushchev, and took steps to secure his support within the Soviet government. The Central Committee was divided between supporters and opponents of Malenkov. In the end, Malenkov had the support of Lavrentiy Beria, Vyacheslav Molotov, and Chairman of the Presidium Kliment Voroshilov, and was able to stop Khrushchev’s attempted power grab. Khrushchev was not killed; he was instead given an agricultural position in the Yakut Autonomous SSR. Georgy Malenkov would increase his own power in the following years.
(Nikita Khrushchev)1: This time without any US involvement.
(Left: Georgy Malenkov, Right: Lavrentiy Beria)
Georgy Malenkov was more lenient than his predecessor. Many prisoners in the gulags were released. Soviet officials did not live in constant fear of purges. Khrushchev was able to oppose Malenkov and still remain a powerful figure in Soviet politics for years. Political power was no longer concentrated in one person as it was under Stalin. Malenkov continued to defend Stalin’s legacy, even if his method of governing was different. Factories in the Soviet Union would begin to produce more consumer goods. Malenkov hoped that this would improve the standard of living for Soviet citizens and thus increase his own popularity. Other than the new focus on consumer goods, the Soviet economy would largely function the same way it had previously.
(Soviet factory)
Foreign policy was another area where Malenkov sought to make his mark. He desired to deescalate the Cold War. A few months earlier, Robert Taft was inaugurated as President of the United States. Though Taft was firmly anti-Communist, he wanted the US to be less involved in international affairs. There was real hope that the Cold War could be ended. Malenkov wanted to create a unified neutral Germany as a buffer between the East and West just like Austria. He was ultimately unable to accomplish that. He also pushed for a halt to nuclear weapons tests. He was able to come to an agreement with the US and UK on this issue in 1953. Malenkov wanted the world to view him as a man of peace. His efforts seemed to be working, and around the world he was much more popular than Stalin.
Malenkov did run into some trouble. Late in 1953, Mohammad Mossadegh was ousted in a coup [1] and American President Robert Taft died of cancer. This meant that Iran was no longer an ally and the US was under a much more hostile administration. President William F. Knowland, though not a warmonger, did not see eye-to-eye with Taft on matters of foreign policy. Malenkov continued to court the developing world, or third world. In particular, he saw China and India as potential allies against the imperialist West. Any attempts to violently overthrow the Chinese government were abandoned. Both countries worked together to pressure France to leave Indochina, and both would have influence in the newly independent nations of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Malenkov even praised Chiang Kai-shek for invading Taiwan and destroying a reactionary feudal state.
Relations between the Soviet Union in China would eventually deteriorate. China condemned the Soviet Union’s invasions of Poland and Hungary in 1956 in order to put down local anti-Communist uprisings. Then in 1957, China began air strikes against Soviet-backed forces in Vietnam and enacted a blockade to prevent the Soviet Union from supplying its allies there. And in 1958, China invaded Vietnam to stop the Viet Minh. Sino-Soviet cooperation had ended. The Soviet Union was back to supporting anti-government revolutionaries in China. The Soviets continued to support India and turned to the Middle East, where they sent aid to and Egypt. At the same time, aid was also given to Israel. The Soviet Union also sought to increase its influence in Afghanistan.
In 1958, Malenkov faced criticism for his previous support of Nationalist China. His rival Nikita Khrushchev was regularly meeting with opponents of Malenkov. He was maneuvering to overthrow Malenkov, who he claimed was an ineffective leader. Malenkov had never let his guard down when it came to Khrushchev, and took steps to secure his support within the Soviet government. The Central Committee was divided between supporters and opponents of Malenkov. In the end, Malenkov had the support of Lavrentiy Beria, Vyacheslav Molotov, and Chairman of the Presidium Kliment Voroshilov, and was able to stop Khrushchev’s attempted power grab. Khrushchev was not killed; he was instead given an agricultural position in the Yakut Autonomous SSR. Georgy Malenkov would increase his own power in the following years.
(Nikita Khrushchev)
