The Khrushchev Era examines the major political, social, and economic reforms of Nikita Khrushchev, from the 'Secret Speech' and Khrushchev's limited, but at the time earth-shattering critique of Stalin, to his ill-fated reorganizations of the Communist Party, agriculture, and industry. Besides giving a factual account of the reforms themselves, Filtzer analyses the complex factors behind their failure, focussing not so much on the inadequacies of Khrushchev as a leader, as on the structural obstacles to reform within the Stalinist system itself. As such the Khruschev period is shown to contain instructive historical lessons for our understanding of Mikhail Gorbachev and his own failed perestroika.

Autorentext

Don Filtzer

Zusammenfassung
Examines the major political, social and economic reforms of Nikita Khrushchev, from the "secret speech" and Khrushchev's limited, but at the time, earth-shattering critique of Stalin, to his ill-fated reorganizations of the Communist Party, agriculture and industry.

Inhalt

Preface.- Introduction: The Problems of Reform in the Post-Stalin Era.- The Background to De-Stalinization: The Events of 1953 The Secret Speech and its Aftermath.- Political and Social Reforms.- Agriculture Industry.- The Reorganization of the Communist Party Conclusion: The Failures of De-Stalinization and Perestroika in Historical Perspective.