I've been browsing through a number of articles related to the various Congress of the CPSU and I've reached the 20th, where Khrushchev delivered his denunciation of Stalin's cult of personality.
To say it caused a stir is an understatement and it has been credited with undermining Soviet influence in the West and causing tension with various Warsaw Pact members, it certainly came as a shock to members of the Congress, some of whom were reportedly taking ill during the speech.
I wonder if Khrushchev could have dealt with Stalin's legacy in a more subtle manner, could he have chipped away at it over the years? Or did Stalin's cult need to be tackled head-on and abruptly?
I'm not well versed enough in Soviet history of this era to give a full opinion. One guess I have is that Khrushchev would maybe not face the anti-party group coup the next year, though he would have faced some sort of showdown with headliners eventually.