The Khrushchev Thaw was a period in Soviet history when political repression and censorship were relaxed, after the death of Joseph Stalin and the rise of Nikita Khrushchev. Its turning point was Khrushchev's secret speech to the Twentieth Party Congress in 1956, in which he denounced Stalin's crimes and cult of personality. Many prisoners were released from the Gulag, and writers and artists gained more freedom, as with the publication of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. The name comes from a novel by Ilya Ehrenburg. The period also saw the launch of Sputnik, Yuri Gagarin's flight and a policy of peaceful coexistence. The Thaw ended with Khrushchev's removal from power, and a more conservative course under Leonid Brezhnev.
Before and after
- 26 July 1953Cuban Revolution
- 17 August 1953Birth of Herta Müller
- from 18 August 1953 to 19 August 19531953 Iranian coup d'état
- 19 August 1953Construction of Yad Vashem
- from 1954 to 1964Khrushchev thaw
- 1954Publication of The Lord of the Rings
- 1954Founding of Burger King
- 1954Founding of Bank of Israel
- 1954Construction of Wien-Schwechat Airport
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 1966Founding of Lesotho
- 10 July 1973Founding of The Bahamas
- 1974Founding of Grenada
- 1975Founding of Papua New Guinea
- 1 October 1978Founding of Tuvalu
- 1 November 1981Founding of Antigua and Barbuda
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.