Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
Changes in Leadership, 1953-1956 (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Why did Leadership Change in the USA and the Soviet Union, 1953-56? - Summary
Leadership changes in the US government were not as common in the 1940s as they are in modern times. In the 21st century, an elected US president only holds office for 4 years before they have to be re-elected. A president in the USA can only hold the position two times. The American government introduced this rule in 1947. Franklin D. Roosevelt held the presidency four times between 1932 and 1944 due to the Great Depression and the Second World War. The government under Harry Truman decided the constitution should limit a president to two terms in office. By 1952, Truman had already held the position of president twice. In the Soviet Union, leadership changes were much rarer. In 1917, the Bolshevik Party established a communist dictatorship in Russia. From 1917 to 1953, there were only two leaders of the Soviet Union - Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. Both leaders died in office. The political atmosphere of the Soviet Union was tense. Stalin, in particular, feared that a political rival would assassinate him. In 1953, it was unclear who would take ultimate control of the Soviet Union. It would take three years to declare a new General Secretary of the Soviet Union. |
Dwight Eisenhower and the Cold War
The 1950s was influenced by McCarthyism and the Red Scare
Joseph McCarthy was the US senator for Wisconsin
He made several speeches on the dangers of communism
From 1947 to 1954, he accused up to 200 government officials of being communists. This created widespread panic among the American population
His accusations triggered intensive investigations within the government. These investigations occurred in the Army and the CIA. Legal trials proved that McCarthy's claims were false. This did not end the US public's fear of communism
In the 1952 presidential election, the Republican candidate Dwight Eisenhower became the new president of the USA
Eisenhower did not know how to approach the USA's relationship with the Soviet Union
Eisenhower was anti-communist
Eisenhower's presidential campaign centred on attacking communism in the USA and worldwide
His Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, wanted Eisenhower to take a firm stance against communism
However, Eisenhower feared nuclear warfare
He understood the dangers of new nuclear weapons developed in the Arms Race with the Soviet Union. The USA developed the hydrogen bomb in 1952. It was 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb
To avoid nuclear warfare, he wanted to work on improving the USA's relationship with the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union's General Secretary: Nikita Khrushchev
The Soviet Union's dictator Joseph Stalin died on 5th March 1953
He named Georgy Malenkov as his successor
Stalin's death triggered a three-year power struggle between various politicians in the Soviet Union
Malenkov was a weak leader
He did not know how to stop political rivals from taking his power
An alliance against Malenkov resulted in Nikita Khrushchev formally taking the position of General Secretary of the Soviet Union in 1956
To the world, Khrushchev marked a change in the leadership style of the Soviet Union
At the 20th Party Congress in 1956, Khrushchev denounced Stalin's leadership
The three-hour 'Secret Speech' accused Stalin of abusing his power
Khrushchev stated the need for 'peaceful co-existence' with the West
Khrushchev began a process called 'De-Stalinisation'
He released a large number of political prisoners
He lifted some censorship of information
He increased the number of consumer goods in the Soviet Union
Khrushchev's actions indicated that the Soviet Union wanted to improve relations with the West
The two powers met in 1955
The USA and Soviet Union met to discuss how the two countries should govern Austria
The superpowers failed to agree on the issues of disarmament and what should happen to Germany. However, the atmosphere was positive and collaborative between the USA and the Soviet Union
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Students often struggle to spell 'Khrushchev.' Try to remember that his name contains three h's and that the root of the word spells 'rush'.
The Impact of a Change in Leadership on Cold War Tensions
World events also motivated Eisenhower and Khrushchev to improve their relationship
The USA and the Soviet Union gave support to different sides in the civil war in Korea. This is called a proxy war
After the Second World War, Korea split into North and South
North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950 with the support of the Soviet Union
The United Nations sent troops to support South Korea
In July 1953, the Korean War ended. This allowed the USA and the Soviet Union to pursue better relations
There was an economic motivation to improve US-Soviet relations
The arms race meant that the USA and the Soviet Union spent an excessive amount of money on their defence budget
During the 1950s, the USA invested more than 13% of its GDP in military spending
The optimism for better relations did not work in practice
The leaders of the USA and the Soviet Union did not take the necessary steps to improve their relationship
The US government and population could not accept collaborating with a communist country
Khrushchev could not implement too many capitalist elements and freedoms into a communist dictatorship
Events in Europe escalated tensions between both countries
West Germany joined NATO in 1955
In response, the Soviet Union established the Warsaw Pact
Khrushchev's retaliation against the uprising demonstrated his use of violence to prevent freedom within the Eastern Bloc. He acted in the same way as Stalin
Worked Example
Explain the importance of the changes in leadership between 1953 and 1956 for US-Soviet relations
8 marks
Partial answer:
A change in leadership between 1953 and 1956 worsened US-Soviet relations. Eisenhower had a hatred of communism and Khrushchev ruled the Soviet Union as a dictatorship. This worsened US-Soviet relations because, despite attempts, both countries could not work together. The American public wanted Eisenhower to take a harsh stance against the Soviet Union and communism in general due to the atmosphere of McCarthyism in the 1950s. This worsened their relations as Eisenhower could not be seen to collaborate or agree with the Soviet Union. This was shown at the summit meeting about Austria in 1955. The powers could not agree on issues such as disarmament and how Germany should be governed.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
This style of question in the exam paper would be worth 8 marks. An examiner would expect you to write two paragraphs analysing the importance of an event on a wider theme like US-Soviet relations. The worked example shows how you could start an answer for this style of question. A good response to this style of question would have:
A logical structure of paragraphs. Within each paragraph, each sentence should link to the next. This will build a strong argument as to why the event is important to the wider theme
Specific own knowledge linked to the event, showing in-depth knowledge of the period
A clear explanation as to why the event was important to a wider theme. In the example above, you can see the phrase 'this worsened US-Soviet relations because' is used. This helps to keep the response focused on the question
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