After WWII, Germany was divided between the Allies and Russia. Russia had the Eastern Germany under control. It was a problem, as United Stated controlled the West Berlin. They had different policies, economy and culture as they were capitalists. Lot of people, mainly workers ran away from East Berlin to West side, because of the communism. Here we can see he is cooperating with capitalists, which he should not be doing just like Stalin did. Stalin cooperated with Britain and U.S.A before the WWII to gain some allies to protect Russia, and was also working with non-marxists states. They were both reaching out to non-marxist states for alliance to get what they wanted.In this case protection and safe Russia and also peaceful coexistence with West.
The Berlin blockade in 1948, which Stalin started was also a division between West and East. The Soviets wanted to control whole Berlin, to supply Berlin. The communist Germany could not accept any trades from West. It was isolated and only Russia was supplying that part. But the blockade failed and the western powers were airlifting the supplies. We can say he just finished what Stalin started. In 1961, after Russia was humiliated by all the people disappearing from the East to West, and their economic collapse, Khrushchev made a radical step. They agreed to built the Berlin Wall. We can argue that this was also a continuation of what Stalin did, but this wall was also physical and people were completely isolated from the West and no one could escape from East.
During the Korean War in 1950s, Stalin deliberately provoked U.S.A to join the war. Same with Khrushchev. He also provoked them in Cuban missile crisis, when United States were pointing at him with weapons from Turkey, while he started to point at them from Cuba. He wanted to make a deal to protect Russia. Khrushchev continued the hostility towards America and provoking them, as it went through whole Cold War.
We can also argue, that when Khrushchev uses violence to suppress the uprising against Soviet control in Hungary, that can show the russification which Stalin started. To make Russia even more Russia and not accept any other nations in USSR. The suppression of Hungarian uprising can show this. As the Hungarians think he is to lenient towards the uprising, he follows steps of Stalin by suppressing it with Red Army. It was probably unintentional movement of russification, or mirroring the step which Stalin did. But also the part of de-Stalinisation was not softening the soviet security, so he had to use the Red Army.
Khrushchev was a bit different in foreign policy from Stalin. Stalin did not want to expand communism throughout the world and he also did not travel. Khrushchev was constantly moving and traveling around other countries, to have peaceful cooperations with other countries and expanding communism, as we can see through whole Eastern Europe and also Cuba. Stalin and his foreign policy was mainly to protect Russia and to prevent expand of fascism throughout Europe, as he would feel unsafe. But both of them did foreign policy for further development of Russia and its economy.
Stalin did not expand the communism on purpose because it was not his intention. Khrushchev continued in the expansion and russification of the countries. His policy was not to expand the communism but during the WWII, to defeat Germany, Stalin had to move through Europe. The communism expanded throughout Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and other countries in South-Eastern Europe. Khrushchev continued in what Stalin started because also he did not have other choice with foreign policy. He could not cut off all relations or impact of communism in other countries, as it went against his ideology and would massively impact Russia. He continued in the russification of countries or also, as was previously mentioned, with the Berlin blockade or Eastern Europe. He continued Stalin’s policy but did even more, where Stalin did not go. Khrushchev was travelling around the world, to keep good relations with other countries and also expanded communism, like in Cuba, which was far away from their sphere of impact. However, he did not keep good relations with China, as there were lot of conflicts with the leader of communism in China, Mao, because of Khrushchevs attack on Stalins rule. Also he travelled around the world and focused on foreign policy, while Stalin was focused on domestic policies. Khrushchev finished what Stalin started, so the de-Stalinisation did not have effect on foreign policy.
by
vanousek (student)
