How did life in the Soviet Union change in the period 1953 to 1985?
How did life in the Soviet Union change in the period 1953 to 1985? In 1953, the reign of Stalin came to an end leaving a power struggle behind him, from 1953 to 1958 there was no obvious winner, although there was no lack of competition. Nikita Khrushchev pulled himself away from the other contenders by making the Secret Speech to the 20th Congress. This speech was in favour for De-Stalinisation, it meant that people no longer had to be afraid of what they said or worry each time there was a knock on the door for fear of being arrested. Millions of people were released from prisons and camps and spread the word of the evil regime of Stalin. This later won the leadership for Khrushchev to lead in power. Khrushchev introduced many new different schemes for agriculture and industry. There were the Virgin Land Schemes, 13 million hectares in the West would be ploughed up and 20 million tonnes of grain would be produced. Collective farms were reduced in numbers, and tractor farms were closed down, instead tractors were produced for the farms. However, the tractors were often faulty and new parts and replacements were hard to get. Khrushchev also thought that growing maize would be a good idea because it would give food for the animals and produce grain. However, Khrushchev did not plan these schemes very well, he generalised too much and geographically the site was not good.
A history to overcome
A history to overcome Indigenous Australians have experienced many setbacks throughout their long history. Extreme climates, colonization, and the stolen generations; just to name a few of the many challenges Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders have endured. Most have overcome these past disputes. However, in Australia today, there is a prominent gap forming between Indigenous Australians and the rest of the population. Indigenous people in contemporary Australia face discrimination that leads to a decline in housing, health, educational conditions. Housing and land rights have become a major issue for Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders. In 2007, the Federal Government, under John Howard introduced the Northern Territory National Emergency Response. This was implemented after the release of the Little Children are Sacred report that claimed that the child sexual abuse rate was extremely high in Indigenous communities. One of the numerous measures taken in the intervention was the acquisition of land held under the Native Title Act 1993 established in the Mabo vs. Queensland case (World News Australia). The Native Title Act 1993 includes rights to: live on the region, access it for traditional purposes, hunt and fish, and teach customs on the land (Native Title). The intervention took this land away from the Indigenous population and is currently holding it with five
United States Policy towards Cuba
Memorandum from Eric Wickersham of the National Security Council Staff Dec. 15 1960 Subject United States Policy towards Cuba U.S foreign policy regarding Cuba has become an extremely contentious issue since the decline of the Batista government. The ascendancy of Fidel Castro and the 26th of July Movement has raised a multitude of concerns and speculations. The development of a clear strategic plan and ability to take decisive action has not been demonstrated primarily because of the ambiguous nature of the Cuban threat. It is advised that this administration resolves to define its position on Cuban affairs before the inauguration of the incoming Kennedy administration Accordingly, the State Dept. must provide a clear analysis of the dangers Cuba poses to the United States. Therefore my memorandum will summarize the issues that comprise the Cuban threat through an integrative analysis of several points of view. It is obviously important to examine the historical effectiveness of our past policies regarding Cuba, thus I will provide examples of past policy as point of reference. Finally, I will outline my recommendation on which of the available options should be promoted to the incoming Administration. . Summary of Past Policy The United State's initial stance on Cuba was one of tolerance towards the Castro regime in order to provide this government a chance to
Why did the intelligence system apparently fail to forewarn the American government of the attack on Pearl Harbor?
Why did the intelligence system apparently fail to forewarn the American government of the attack on Pearl Harbor? "Why, with some of the finest intelligence available in our history, with the almost certain knowledge that war was at hand, with plans that contemplated the precise type of attack that was executed by Japan on the morning of December 7th - why was it possible for Pearl Harbor to occur?"1 Report of the Congressional Inquiry, 1946 The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 raises some fundamental questions regarding American Intelligence at that time. The Intelligence system was sufficiently developed by 1941, with the breaking of the Japanese encoding device which is referred to as Purple, and an abundance of broken codes and signals received during the few weeks leading up to Pearl, which should have served as a serious warning to Intelligence that an attack was about to take place. Why is it then that Intelligence failed to recognise the signs and dismissed them as irrelevant? There are several explanations for this, the first being the largely discussed conspiracy theory, which claims that President Roosevelt withheld vital information from responsible officers, thus keeping the Pacific Fleet in Hawaii open for attack, with the intention of U.S. involvement in the European War. Roosevelt knew it would be impossible to obtain support for war from
The Cuban revolution
Almost every nation in the world has experienced a revolution. A revolution can be simply defined as "a change." When a country undergoes a revolution, its ideals that it once believed in are being modified. Sometimes revolutionaries act intellectually, yet others may respond physically through destruction. Some may be peaceful, some short lasting, and some pointless. Historians do argue on identifying whether a revolution has occurred. Revolutions usually follow a rupture in the nation's events, are directed by a hero, have an ideology and belief system, and use symbols or tools to get its points across to the people. Cuba and its leader today, Fidel Castro, have their own roots in a revolution that took place only some forty years ago. The causes of the Revolution itself laid behind the military dictatorship of General Batista. The overthrow of the June 1952 elections by Batista indirectly led to the Cuban Revolution. With this event the weakness behind Cuba's politics was revealed to the people. Their economy also fluctuated between high and low profits. Because Cuba, after the destruction of land in Europe in WWII, had the most sugar production in the world, small farm owners prospered. Yet because sugar was the only major crop they produced, Cubans suffered when economies in other nations prospered. This in turn resulted in unemployment in the cities. With these
By 1989, Hungary was a leading charge in the fundamental political, social and economic change that would sweep through Eastern Europe, ending the communist Warsaw Pact.
Donald Maier Essay 2 SSC102 DL04 By 1989, Hungary was a leading charge in the fundamental political, social and economic change that would sweep through Eastern Europe, ending the communist Warsaw Pact. Like many revolutions, these movements should have seemed anticipated, but instead caught not only the Soviet Union's leadership by surprise, but the West as well. While the West had its "pull" of consumer culture, the newfound reform policies of Soviet Premier Gorbachev should have been seen as the impetus, or "push" that lead to the 1989 "revolutions." Gorbachev came to power in 1985 as a known reformist. Nevertheless, his reformation of 1985 was to be one that would improve the communist system, not overthrow it.1 But his motives would be a key "push" onto not only the Soviet Union, but to its East European satellites as well. Gorbachev called for a new openness, or glasnost. Glasnost was to eliminate strict censorship, a tenant of the Soviets for decades.2 This was essentially official permission to discuss issues and have access to information. Gorbachev had led the effort for glasnost, but it took the Chernobyl disaster to see it forward. This new openness allowed Hungary and other Eastern European countries to reexamine its past, open its press, have publicly differing opinions. This new openness "pushed" Hungary to more open debates and eventually the
Explain the origins of the Cold War.
James Rees Explain the origins of the Cold War. Germany's defeat in World War Two was inevitable by the beginning of 1945. The Soviet Union's army of 12 million soldiers had taken control of Poland and was preparing to cross the border into pre-war Germany and to attack Berlin. However on February 3rd 1945, the Red army was ordered to stop progressing for one week. From February 4th until February 11th 1945, the Presidents of the United States (Franklin Roosevelt) and the Soviet Union (Joseph Stalin) and the Prime Minister of Great Britain (Winston Churchill) met in the Russian city of Yalta, located on the Crimean southern shore of the Black Sea, to determine how World War Two should be finished. The famous meeting of the "Big Three" would also sow many of the seeds that would eventually develop into the Cold War. Many important decisions were made at Yalta, most notably the re-establishing and giving back independence to the countries, which had been conquered and destroyed by Nazi Germany. At the end of World War Two, most Western nations wanted to re-establish the liberated states of Eastern Europe as democratic states with capitalist economies. However the Soviet Union dictator, Joseph Stalin believed that the Soviet Union had the right to control Eastern Europe. Stalin had argued that since the Soviet Union had twice been invaded by Germany in less than
Effect of Gorbachev's Glasnost and Perestroika reforms was to destroy rather than to rebuild Soviet society.' Discuss. Mikhail Gorbachev grew up with the new optimism
* 'The effect of Gorbachev's Glasnost and Perestroika reforms was to destroy rather than to rebuild Soviet society.' Discuss. Mikhail Gorbachev grew up with the new optimism and desire for improvement under Khrushchev. He quickly worked his way up the political ladder, becoming Party secretary for agriculture in the CPSU in 1978. In 1980, he became a member of the Politburo and, after a period of uncertainty during which time Andropov and Chernekov followed in quick succession, Gorbachev was appointed head of the Party and the country in March 1985. He was the seventh leader of the CPSU and many viewed him as a new and dynamic leader who was ready and willing to make changes. He was viewed as a 'frontier' leader, i.e. his frontier lay between the almost defunct Soviet regime and an unknown future. He is considered as being on of the most notable statesman in twentieth century Russian history, second only to Lenin. Almost immediately, Gorbachev set about reforming the Soviet Union. He had had his reform agenda set out as early as December 1984, however the details were vague. Perestroika, which translates to English as restructuring, was Gorbachev's plan for all areas of Soviet society, namely the economy. The day before Gorbachev became General Secretary, he is quoted as saying, "We can't go on living like this any more." People had been saying the same for years, however
Why is Joseph Stalin significant in history?
Why is Joseph Stalin significant in history? Joseph Stalin was one of key figures in 20th century history. He transformed Russia during his time in power. In this essay, I will be discussing the life and influence of Joseph Stalin upon the Soviet Union and the world. Stalin has a long life and a long political career too. He was dictator (or comrade) of Soviet Russia from 1929 right up until his death in 1953. Stalin is a household name fifty years after his death, even though he didn't start wars like Hitler did or make such bold moves. As far as world history goes, he didn't do that much, but he transformed Russia from a minor rural country into a great and powerful industrial nation. Joseph Stalin was born in 1879 in what is now the republic of Georgia. His real name is not Stalin, he changed his name to Stalin, which means 'man of steel' in 1910. Both his parents were peasants whom neither could speak Russian. Whilst training for priesthood, he read Karl Marx's Das Kapital which inspired him to think about the ideas portrayed in the work. After reading Marx's work, he quit the priesthood and began his long political career, first as a revolutionary. He began his career in 1899 as a propagandist for the social democratic party. He was arrested, however in 1902 and put into prison. He escaped in 1904 from the Siberian prison and married. In the years following, Stalin
Coming of Age in Mississippi. Anne Moodys memoir, Coming of Age in Mississippi, portrays her life experiences and the troubles she faced growing up in Mississippi before and during the African-American civil rights movement.
Alex Johnson Hist 202 Prof. Hesen Coming of Age in Mississippi The United States during the mid-twentieth century is often described as being a time of conformity and compliance. However, it also represents a time in which the seeds of rebellion were being planted within American society. As these seeds began to grow so too did the African-American civil rights movement in the United States. Even though African-Americans had been granted their freedom following the Civil War and even gained the right to vote, they were still treated as second class citizens, especially in the South. Anne Moody's memoir, "Coming of Age in Mississippi", portrays her life experiences and the troubles she faced growing up in Mississippi before and during the African-American civil rights movement. Moody begins her memoir by reflecting on her rough childhood around the time that she was four years old. Anne lived in a two bedroom shack with her mother, father, and younger sister on a plantation owned by a white man known as Mr. Carter. Many other African-Americans also lived on this plantation and like Anne's mother and father, they too were sharecroppers. Sharecropping is defined as an agricultural system in which a land owner allows a tenant to use and live on their land in return for the tenant's labor. Following the Civil War and the emancipation of slaves, sharecropping became
