Question by : How was Nikita Khrushchev similar and different from Josef Stalin?
Answers and Views:
Answer by Vincent
They were similar in that they both were ruthless and willing to crush opponents with deadly force.
They were different in that Stalin had absolute power, but Khrushchev’s power was more limited by his peer group.
Read all the answers in the comments.
Know better? Leave your own answer!
randomtypings says
Khrushchev and Stalin were both in the generation of revolutionaries that overthrew the czarist state and introduced communism. They were closely associated with each other during WW2 in the fight against the Germans.
When Stalin died and Khrushchev took over, however, he showed himself to be a reformer. He did not believe the brutality and harshness of Stalinism were in line with communist principles. He therefore made efforts to ease restrictions on Soviet citizens and create better relations with the West. However, his leadership was always threatened by Stalinist hawks in the Communist Party leadership, so he had to tow a fine line to avoid angering them. This was misunderstood in the US, and Cold War relations did not improve as much as they arguably should have.
DANNY: Suspended #8 says
Khrushchev was more willing to co operate with the West and even talked about ‘peaceful co-existance’ with Capitalism. However this was later brought to an end when Eisenhower refused to apologize for letting a U2 plane spy on USSR.