The Soviet Union Since Stalin

"The brutal social and economic revolution under Stalin began with the collectivization of 125 million peasants. Despite the losses of the 1920s, Stalin led the Soviet people to triumph over German fascism during World war II. Stalin's death in 1953 triggered a decade of reform--A promise for more consumer-goods production and housing construction. Nikita Khrushchev sought to stimulate agricultural production with lower taxes and higher prices to peasants. Censorship became less oppressive in literature. Political prisoners were amnestied. The partial rapprochement towards Yugoslavia eased, Soviet military bases in Finland were relinquished, and a peace settlement with Austria--all in 1955. In 1959, Khrushchev's pursuit of peaceful coexistence with the West developed. The conservative reaction under Kosygin and Brezhnev, especially their stance on civil rights, its harsh treatment of political dissent, and resurgence of neo-Stalinism, inevitably raise profound questions."