Imagine you are the new US president Eisenhower in 1953. Does the news of Stalin

1
? starter activity
Imagine you are the new US president Eisenhower
in 1953. Does the news of Stalins death come as
a relief or does it send you into panic?
2
(No Transcript)
3
What impact did Stalins death have on the
international community?
? LOs

• To assess the impact of Stalins death on
  international relations
• To be able to explain how Peaceful Coexistence
  developed

4
? Your task

• Read p.73-4 of Phillips and list the effects of
  Stalins death on international relations

5
Impact of Stalins death

• Liberal historians (intentionalist) emphasising
  role of individuals in history see his death as
  beginning of Thaw
• Revisionist historians (structuralist) see cause
  of Thaw in changing positions of Politiburo and
  Army leaders
• Stalins daughter, Sveltlana thought Stalin had
  become isolated by end of his life

6
Sveltlana with Stalin, 1935
7

• Eisenhower was looking for a way of reducing
  government spending by implementing New Look
  policy towards East
• Both sides had established their boundaries and
  were looking for new approaches to foreign policy

Eisenhower, US President, 1953-61
8
? Extension task

• Read Isaacs, p.140-3 and note down the reactions
  of different countries to Stalins death

Stalins death mask in Gori
9
? Extension

• Visit the BBC news website at http//news.bbc.co.u
  k/1/hi/world/europe/2793501.stm and investigate
  the conspiracy theories behind Stalins death

10
Answer the questions 1-9 on Peaceful
Co-existence
11
? Your task

• Read p.75. Where did the phrase Peaceful
  co-existence originate? What were some of the
  factors which caused it?
• Read p.75-8 and list the reasons why peaceful
  co-existence emerged between the two
  superpowers. Take notes under these headings
• Consolidation of positions
• Military economic context
• Death of Stalin
• Beria
• Malenkov

12
Peaceful Co-existence

• Origins of term 1st coined by Malenkov, head of
  Communist Party Soviet PM , 1952 developed
  into fully formed policy under Khrushchev
• Purpose means of co-operating between East
  West until Marxist aims of communist society
  could be fulfilled
• Causes changes in leadership, need to avoid
  all-out nuclear war, wider issues

13
Consolidation

• By 1949 division of Europe entrenched
• Formation of NATO (1949) Warsaw Pact (1953)
  made divisions more evident
• Positions were secure now more willing to
  negotiate

14
Military economic context

• By 1955 USA USSR possessed hydrogen bombs
• Arms race picking up speed, e.g 1950 US had 298
  atomic bombs, in 1955 it had 2,422
• 1/3 of USSR spending went on military projects

US Hydrogen bomb one very similar was
jettisoned in 1958 of coast of Georgia and
remains there to this day!
15
Death of Stalin

• Power struggle between Beria (head of secret
  police), Malenkov (Politburo member) Nikita
  Khrushchev (Politburo member)

Beria (with Svetlana)
Khrushchev
Malenkov
? Read about Berias depraved sexual antics
16
Berias initiatives

• Beria All we want is a peaceful Germany, and it
  makes no difference to us whether it is socialist
  or not
• Proposed reunified, united East Germany
• BUT Berlin Uprising (1953) dashed hopes of
  unified Germany 25,000 arrests, 400 executions

17
Malenkovs New Course

• New Course war between capitalism and
  communism no longer inevitable
• Resources should be directed towards improving
  living conditions in USSR

18

• Khrushchev built on Malenkovs policy, developing
  New Course into Peaceful Co-existence
  De-Stalinisation

19
? Plenary

• Why did the world react positively and negatively
  to Stalins death
• Who coined the phrase Peaceful Co-existence?
• Reasons for development of PC?
• ?Extension. Who do you think should really be
  credited with PC? Should it even be a Russian?

20
? Homework

• 1. Create factoids on these key players in the
  rise of peaceful coexistence using the
  information on p.78-9 and your own research
• Lavrenti Beria
• Georgi Malenkov
• Nikita Khrushchev
• Chart their earl careers, their attitudes towards
  the US and their failings/weaknesses
• 2. Take notes on Austria Finland (p.80) using
  the Skills builder question to guide you.