How peaceful was Peaceful Co-existence?

Stalin died in 1953.  He was hated all over eastern Europe.  When they heard he was dead, people in East Berlin rioted. 

After a short struggle for power, Khrushchev became the new ruler in Russia. 

Peaceful Co-existence

At first, the western powers hoped that Khrushchev would be the start of a ‘thaw’ in the Cold War. 

1. In a speech (text) at the Twentieth Party Congress in 1956, Khrushchev attacked Stalin, saying that Stalin was a murderer and a tyrant.  Khrushchev began to ‘de-stalinise’ Russia - political prisoners were set free and Beria (Stalin’s Chief of Secret Police) was executed.  In 1961 Khrushchev declared that the period of 'the dictatorship of the proletariat' was at and end, and that he would bring in instead: 'the state of the whole people'.

2. Stalin had made all Communist countries do what he wanted – and he had fallen out with President Tito of Yugoslavia.  But in 1955 Khrushchev went to Yugoslavia, telling Tito that ‘there are different roads to communism’. 

3. Khrushchev met US leaders at four ‘summit’ meetings (Geneva, 1955; Camp David, 1959; Paris, 1960 and Vienna, 1961).  He visited India, Burma, Egypt, Afghanistan, China (twice) and the United states (twice).  He allowed more than two million Soviet citizens to travel abroad 1957-1961 (almost ¾ million to the West) and allowed foreigners to visit the Soviet Union. 

4. Khrushchev said that he wanted ‘peaceful co-existence’ (see Source A) with the West.  

Going Deeper

What was Khrushchev Up To? - my ideas on the dilemma of Khrushchev's 'mixed messages'

- BBC debate-podcast on Khrushchev's effect on the Cold War

Source D

This Russian cartoon shows Khrushchev destroying the snowman (representing the Cold War).

Click here for the interpretation

Increasing Tension

If the rulers of the West hoped that Khrushchev would bring an end to the Cold War, they were disappointed:

‘De-stalinisation’ did not mean a change back to capitalism, or freedom from Russia; when communist countries went too far in their reforms, Khrushchev sent in the Red Army to stop them.

And by ‘peaceful co-existence’, Khrushchev really meant ‘peaceful competition’.  He started to build up Russian power:

1. He expanded Soviet influence into the Far East and the Middle East, visiting countries like India, Afghanistan and Burma and promising them economic aid if they would support Russia;

2. Russia began the ‘space race’ with America: in 1957 Russia launched Sputnik, the first satellite, and in 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first astronaut to orbit the earth;

3. In 1955 Khrushchev set up the Warsaw Pact – a military alliance of Communist countries – to rival NATO: Pact countries were expected to draw up detailed plans of how to wage nuclear war against NATO if there was a war;

4. Russia began an ‘arms race’ with America: Russia got the hydrogen bomb in 1953, and increased its power to the Tsar Bomba of 1961;

5. He bragged about how many nuclear weapons the USSR had ("we are turning out missiles like sausages"), told Mao Zedong: "we hold America by the throat" (1958), and in a speech of 1956 told the capitalist states: "Whether you like it or not, history is on our side.  We will bury you!"

6. Russia waged a propaganda war against America and Britain.

Faced by this, America became just as aggressive:

1. In America, Senator McCarthy led a ‘witch-hunt’ for ‘Communists’ in America (e.g.  Charlie Chaplin was accused of being a Communist);

2. There was a propaganda war against Communism.

3. America had an 'arms race' with Russia: in 1955, NATO agreed to a West German Army of ½ million men (this led to the formation of the Warsaw Pact);

4. America became determined to win the Space race;

5. The Americans used U2 planes to spy on Russia. 

As a result, the period 1955–1963 was a time of GREAT TENSION in the Cold War.

Source G

This 1961 cartoon shows America and Russia at loggerheads with each other.  Most people expected that a nuclear war would happen - the atom bomb affected modern life and culture?.  Both the British and US governments have out public advice on what to do in the event of a nuclear attack, and American children were trained what to do in the event of a nuclear strike - 'Duck and Cover'.