The USSR by 1953

History: Edexcel IGCSE USSR, 1924-1953, topic 5.3.2

By 1953, the USSR was a superpower engaged in a Cold War with the US. Stalin left a lasting legacy on the Soviet Union.

By 1953, the Soviet Union was recovering from WW2. It emerged as a ‘superpower’, alongside the US.
Tensions between the Soviet Union and the US were growing in the Cold War.
Ideological conflict drove the Korean War.
The Soviet Union was strengthening ties with its satellite states through the Cominform and COMECON.

Stalin died in 1953. After his death, there was a power struggle for control. In 1956, Khrushchev would become the next leader.
Stalin was a totalitarian dictator.
He ruled through terror, eliminating enemies through purges.
Stalin drove collectivisation and industrialisation in the USSR.
Historians disagree over the success of these programmes. It is clear that Stalin’s focus on heavy industry led to famines and the death of millions.
The standard of living for the population was very low.
Stalin played a key role in the emerging Cold War. Using his ‘salami’ tactics, Stalin sought to spread communism across Eastern Europe.

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