ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter, we saw how Stalin’s death brought to the surface a pressing need to reactivate the economy, which had fallen into serious decline. Activities connected with post-war reconstruction had served to some extent to obscure serious systemic problems, but, at the 1952 Party Congress, these problems could no longer be dismissed. Differences of opinion between the top leaders waiting to take over – notably Khrushchev and Malenkov – came out into the open. In the political sphere, the perceived need for an economic reorientation can be traced in the form of a realization that the Party would have to re-emerge in a leading role. In a sense, the core of Stalin’s political legacy can thus be seen to have held the elements of a leadership crisis. As we may recall from our previous discussion, Stalin’s consolidation of personal power had meant, essentially, a suppression of the Party as a decision-making apparatus. A realization of this latter fact can also be found in the pages of the Party press of the time.
