Decline+of+the+USSR+Research+Events+and+Leaders


 * Stalin's death was a shock, and disappointment for everyone (http://www.ushanka.us/blog/images/Stalin_Dead.jpg)||
 * Joseph Stalin died March 5, 1953.
 * Stalin died during a dinner with other Soviet leaders.
 * Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov, claimed that Internal Affairs Commissariat Lavrenty Beria claimed to of poisoned Stalin.
 * There is various evidence for this.
 * Stalin had symptoms which matched those of the pesticide Warfarin.
 * Warfarin is tasteless, colorless, and odorless.
 * There was a power struggle for the new leadership.
 * Beria's close ally, Georgy Malenkov became the Premier of the Soviet Union after Stalin's death.
 * Beria was at the head of a liberalization movement post-Stalin.
 * Malenkov, Molotov, and many other Soviet leaders united under "General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev"
 * Khrushchev, and co. Met with Beria, where Khrushchev accused Beria of being paid by British Intelligence.
 * Others then also spoke out against Beria, and passed a motion for his "instant dismissal"
 * In Febuary, 1956, Khrushchev made a "secret speech", in which he denounced Stalin
 * After that point, a "de-Stalinisation" campaign started.{3}
 * In this campaihn, Khrushchev tried to improve Soviet standards of Living.
 * He also tried to give Soviets more freedoms.{3}
 * USA attempted to invade Cuba, April 17, 1961, which was an ally to the USSR
 * The Soviets responded by sending defensive long, and intermediate range missiles to Cuba
 * This initiated the "Cuban Missile Crisis".
 * After a long standoff between the USA, and the USSR, a deal was reached, October 28, 1962
 * The Soviets removed the missiles from Cuba, with the USA promising not to invade
 * The USA also removed nuclear missiles from Turkey, which was close to the Soviet Union
 * This deal was made in secret
 * Khrushchev fell out of favor after this crisis
 * October 14, 1964, Leonid Brezhnev, and many others removed Khrushchev from office
 * November 12, 1982, Yuri Andropov replaced Brezhnev
 * February 13, 1984, Konstantin Chernenko replaced Andropov
 * March 11, 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev replaced Chernenko
 * Andropov, and Chernenko lasted in office both very briefly because of medical problems
 * Soviet system collapsed 1990-1991(Kotz, Weir, 2)
 * Party collapsed, socialism collapsed, nation collapsed
 * Surprising is an understatement
 * Attempt to reform system called "Perestroika" (Kotz, Weir, 2)
 * This lead to Soviet demise
 * Two main downfall theories
 * Socialism can not ever work (Kotz, Weir, 3)
 * - Socialism worked perfectly for 60 years
 * - Soviets encountered some difficulties in 70's, 80's
 * Repression wasn't complete enough (Kotz, Weir, 3)
 * - First serious attempt at reform gave way to resistance
 * - It became clear Gorbachev would not use force to repress this (Kotz, Weir, 3)
 * - This let the rebellion breed
 * - Nobody actually wanted American capitalism (Kotz, Weir, 3)
 * - Referendum supported union by 76.4%, 9 months before disbandment (Kotz, Weir, 3)
 * Foreign pressure might of disbanded the union (Kotz, Weir, 4)
 * Gorbachev might have actually been pro-disbandment (Kotz, Weir, 4)
 * There are truths, and lies to all these theories