"History of Russia in 100 Minutes" is a crash course for beginners. Here you will find the complete history summarized and retold in simple language with accurate dates, the most relevant names and essential concepts. After finishing the course, you will know:

- The basic characteristics of Russian history in different epochs
- The 54 most important rulers and 106 historical persons in Russian history
- 126 key dates and events in Russian history
- The basic terms and concepts of Russian history

The text is accompanied by numerous online resources:
- 20,000 pictures
- 700 videos
- 3,500 songs
- 100 podcast episodes

All that is available via the smarthistories.com website.


[ Ссылка ]


Narrated by: Sammi Bold
Written by: Tanel Vahisalu
Edited by: Madis Maasing and Kerry Kubilius
Proofread by: Tony Burnett
Graphic Art by: Mehak Zaib Suddle

Video:
“President Kennedy and Khrushchev” by US Information Agency (1961)
“Khrushchev Resigns” Universal Newsreel (1964)
"The 1956 Hungarian Revolution as Depicted in Newsreels” by ormbk
"Space History. Reds Orbit Two Craft” Universal Newsreel (1962)

Music:
"Tchaikovsky (Part II)" and "Crocodile Ghena's Song" (1995) by J.M.K.E.
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KHRUSHCHEV THAW

The period, known as the “Khrushchev Thaw,” during the 1950’s and the beginning of the 1960’s, was the most promising, open, and prosperous time in Soviet history. It was Nikita Khrushchev who banished Stalin’s reign of terror and improved people’s living standards.

STRUGGLE FOR POWER
After Stalin’s death in 1953, a fierce fight for power began between his ministers, Lavrenty Beria, Georgy Malenkov, and Nikita Khrushchev. Over the next few years, Khrushchev managed to gain the upper hand, and he subdued his opponents.

AGRICULTURAL REFORM
Khrushchev was a self-educated countryman, and he was eager to reform the agricultural sector. The “Virgin Lands Campaign,” was initially a great success. Peasants were encouraged to take up new farmlands in Central Asia. The overall area of harvested land, indeed, increased by 50% in the middle of the 1950’s.

THAW
Khrushchev’s time is known as the “Thaw,” heralding a more relaxed atmosphere for everyday life. It all began at the Twentieth Party Congress in 1956. In Khrushchev's secret speech, he criticized Stalin for his tyranny, thereby effectively ending Stalin’s cult of personality. A number of political prisoners were freed from the Gulag camps and some of Stalin’s victims were rehabilitated.

In 1956, the Soviet Union faced a popular uprising, against Soviet hegemony, in Hungary. It was mercilessly put down with tanks, and about 3,000 civilians lost their lives. Nevertheless, Khrushchev’s popularity grew at home and abroad. In 1959 he was the first Soviet leader to visit the United States.

The Soviet Union overtook the United States many times in the space race. In 1957 they sent the world's first satellite, Sputnik 1, into orbit. Then, in 1961, Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, became the first man in space. Very optimistic plans were made for the future at that time. Khrushchev advocated peaceful coexistence with the United States, at the same time reassuring the Russian public that the Soviet Union would soon surpass the United States economically, and attain true communism in the near future.

CHINA, CUBA AND CORN
Khrushchev failed in three cases: China, Cuba, and corn. Differences of opinion arose between Krushchev and the communist leader of China, Mao Zedong, who accused Khrushchev of pro-westernness. After the 1960’s, there was more competition than cooperation between China and the Soviet Union. Also, Khrushchev’s plan of revolutionizing Russian agriculture, with extensive corn growing, was a total failure. Most importantly, the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis delivered a decisive blow to Soviet prestige.

In 1964, Khrushchev's more conservative party members conspired against him. He had to step down, and the power was handed to Leonid Brezhnev. Khrushchev lived quietly, as a pensioner, until his death in 1971.

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