Khrushchev`s Cabinet 1962

Khrushchev’s Cabinet 1962
Chair: Katie Carpenter, Crisis Director: Ari Boyarski
The Greater Washington Conference on International
Affairs
The George Washington University
International Affairs Society
November 1 st , 2014
Introduction from the Dias
Welcome to Khrushchev’s Cabinet, delegates!
My name is Katie Carpenter, and I am thrilled to be serving as your chair for GWCIA
XIX. I am a second-year graduate student at GW in the European and Eurasian Studies
program in the Elliott School of International Affairs. I graduated from Saint Louis
University in 2013 with majors in Political Science, International Studies and Russian. I
first participated in Model UN at SLU and have continued to be an active participant here
at GW. Additionally, I am on the executive board for GW’s Professionals in European,
Eurasian, and Russian Studies (PEERS) group. I am a self-proclaimed language geek,
and have studied five different languages at the college level: Russian, Spanish, Italian,
Polish and Czech. Away from academics, I am a huge sports fan, especially in regards to
the Olympics (GO USA!) and my amazing hometown of St. Louis, Missouri (GO
CARDS!). Your crisis director and I, as well as the rest of our staff, are enthusiastic about
this committee’s topics and we are so excited to see what you can do with it! Good luck,
and feel free to contact us with any questions!
Sincerely,
Katie Carpenter, Chair
Welcome delegates!
Welcome to GWCIA! My name is Ari Boyarsky, and I am currently a sophomore at GW,
majoring in Computer Science and International Affairs. I am incredibly pleased to be
serving as your crisis director during the duration of this simulation! I also serve on the
executive board of the International Affairs Society and on the secretariat of GW’ high
school model UN conference, the Washington Area Model United Nations Conference
(AMUNC). Aside from Model UN and GW’s International Affairs Society, I am a
member of GW’s chapter of Engineers without Borders and the School of Engineering
and Applied Science Student Peer Advisory Network. In my free time I enjoy writing
code and developing websites, having worked in the field for the past 6 years. When I’m
not at the computer, I love to play either Tennis or Golf. We have been working hard
these past months to provide you with a wholesome debate, that we are sure will be both
informative and enjoyable. I wish each of you the best of luck and I look forward to
meeting you all in November!
Best,
Ari Boyarski, Crisis Director
Life After Stalin
12
The post-Stalinist period in the Soviet Union is often referred to as a “thaw.” A
denunciation of Stalinist practices and a host of new reforms characterized the struggle
for power after Stalin’s death in 1953. Nikita
Khrushchev came out on top of this struggle
and implemented a number of new proposals.
Over 1 million prisoners were freed from
gulags. These prisoners spread their stories
about the harsh life in the labor camps, and
Khrushchev wanted to use this information to
delegitimize Stalin’s regime. At the 20th Congress of the Communist Party, Khrushchev
denounced Stalin in his speech “On the Personality Cult and its Consequences,” which
became known as the “Secret Speech.”
After this speech, censorship and repression of arts
were largely reversed and the Soviet Union was able to
showcase its culture domestically and abroad more than
ever before. In sport, the USSR had just attended its first
Olympics in 1952, and the first Soviet Spartakiad took
place in 1956. In 1957, Moscow hosted the 6th World
Festival of Youth and Students, the largest to ever take
place. The new Soviet society also allowed some foreign
films and books and music. Khrushchev himself approved
the publication of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, which is a novel that details
the life of a prisoner in one of Stalin’s gulags.
1 Khrushchev making a speech to the Party Congress. 2 Postcard from the 6th World Festival of Youth and Students, Moscow 1957. 3
Khrushchev’s beginning was also
characterized by a different attempt at foreign
policy. He had a “peaceful coexistence” theory with
the United States and, combined with President
Eisenhower’s cautiousness, provided a temporary
relief in tensions. Domestically, peasants were
liberated and given more opportunities for mobility,
and new styles and behaviors from the West picked up steam in the Soviet Union.
Khrushchev was forced to catch up with Western consumerism because of citizen
demand, so items like washing machines and vacuum cleaners became more popular and
products like makeup and perfume became more mainstream. Khrushchev believed US
Vice President Richard Nixon to be a “hardliner” and was at first satisfied with John F.
Kennedy’s presidential victory over Nixon in 1960, but was later disgruntled by
Kennedy’s surprisingly harsh tone, and made sure not to concede too much.
This committee is set in 1962 and thus will take into account what has happened
up until that point. The USSR scored a major point in the space race by accomplishing
the first manned spaceflight in 1961 with astronaut Yuri Gagarin. At the Vienna summit
in June 1961, Khrushchev demanded action on Berlin from Kennedy. In August, the
Berlin wall was put up to divide East and West Germany and further cement the division
between the “first world,” America and Western Europe and their allies, and the “second
world,” the USSR and its allies. This tension sets the stage leading into 1962 and the
crisis in Cuba.
The Cold War Reaches its Height
In the years leading up to 1962, the cold war on both sides began to rise to new
heights. As Communism expanded, the United States became more aware of the rise of
the political system in new countries. The addition of Cuba to the list of nations ruled
under Communist regimes struck the United States harsher than any previous nations fall
to the regime type. Cuba was close to home, and any missiles placed here would have the
3 Nina Khrushcheva, Mamie Eisenhower, Nikita Khrushshev and Dwight Eisenhower at a state dinner, 1959. US within their range. The Latin American countries association with the Soviet Union
further increased the United States’ concern. The failed Bay of Pigs invasion already
opened the issue to public scrutiny. The CIA had attempted to train a force of Cuban
exiles to overthrow the communist government further enhanced Soviet beliefs that they
had the leeway to act more dramatically than before.
Cuba had become a communist state after the
overthrow of the Batista government in 1959. Fidel Castro
led the communist revolution that established a
Communist Cuba. It was the first nation in the western
hemisphere to fall under a communist regime. Castro
began his rebellion in 1953 by attacking army barracks
with 120 men.4. After failing, Castro was sentenced to
prison but released shortly after because Batista wanted to
improve his image with the United States – a prominent
backer of the Batista regime. After Castro was released, he
went to Mexico where he met Ernesto Guevara, more commonly
Figure 1 known as ‘Che’. Castro then
sailed back to Cuba and was attacked by Batista’s
military forces. Castro, Guevara and Castro’s brother
Raul fled into the Cuban mountains where they began
recruiting and engaging in guerrilla warfare. Castro was
the able to continue his offensives until January of 1959
when he was able to take control of the Batista
government. He quickly became prime minister and
started executing5 members of the old regime.
Castro began his rule in 1960 with a
nationalization of all US owned businesses in Cuba.
Figure 2 The United States immediately ended diplomatic relations with Cuba and imposed a trade
embargo.
The United States continued to attempt to destabilize the Castro regime with the
Bay of Pigs invasion. The invasion consisted of over a thousand Cuban exiles of the
Castro regime landing in the Bay of Pigs, attempting to overthrow Castro. The exiles
44 http://www.history.com/ Figure 1. A photo of Fidel Castro from http://greenstarnews.files.wordpress.com Figure 2. A photo of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara from http:// wikimedia.org/ were trained and funded by the CIA. The invasion failed when US bombers failed to
support the exiles invasion. The exiles were all either killed or captured by Castro’s
regime, further intensifying the US-Cuban conflict. Castro then declared himself a
Leninist, further fostering the Cuban – Soviet relationship.
The Soviet government saw the creation of a pro-Soviet Cuba an opportunity
leverage pressure against the United States, especially because previously they had had
no allies close to the geographic borders of the United States. The United States saw it as
an opportunity to increase pressure on the Soviets via Cuba and European allies in the
Russian area. However, it was geopolitically more advantageous to the Soviets
The Cuban regime at this point is relatively stable. The government has seen the
failure of the bay of Pigs Invasion as a mandate to continue its pro-Soviet stance. The
regime has freed prisoners from the Invasion for 52 million dollars in aid from the United
States government. Furthermore, with the declaration of the Cuban state as a Leninist
state, the Soviet Union can now easily work with its Cuban allies.
Cuba and the Committee
Figure 3 For the purposes of the Committee, At this point in time, what has been described
in 6this document has passed. You will have the ability to utilize Cuba to your advantage
during this simulation. However, understand that as with any actions , the United States
will respond to the Soviet Union putting pressure on Cuba.
The situation in Cuba is a highly important geopolitical issue that lays at the heart
of western hemisphere and thus poses a major threat in the eyes of the United States and
its western allies. For this reason proceed with caution with Cuba while also understating
the importance that Cuba will have to the Soviet Union in all its international relations
policies.
Figure 3. A map of Cuba from http://www.mit.edu/ Character Descriptions
The characters in this crisis simulation are the members of the 22nd Presidium of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union under Nikita Khrushchev in 1962. Each has a
distinct role, and their brief histories as of 1962 are given below. All are Soviet citizens,
but have varying national backgrounds.
1. Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev is the
chairman of the Presidium of the
Supreme Soviet, although full power
resides with Khrushchev. Brezhnev
was General Secretary over the
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
and is responsible for the creation of
the Baikonur Cosmodrome. A strong
public supporter of Khrushchev in
the battle against Malenkov,
Brezhnev has much control over the
space and defense industries.
Brezhnev was born in the Ukrainian
part of the Russian empire, and has a
background as a metallurgical
engineer.
2. Gennady Voronov
Gennady Ivanovich Voronov is a full
member of the Presidium and the
Chairman of the Council of
Ministers of the Russian Soviet
Federative Socialist Republic. This
means that he is the Prime Minister,
or head of the government, in the
largest of the republics of the USSR.
Voronov was born Russian.
3. Frol Kozlov
Frol Romanovich Kozlov is another
full member of the Presidium who is
publicly very close with Khrushchev.
He was formerly the Chairman of the
Council of Ministers of the Russian
SFSR and the First Deputy of the
Council of Ministers. Currently, he is
the Second Secretary of the Central
Committee. He was born in Russia
and now identifies under Soviet
nationality.
4. Alexei Kosygin
Alexei Nikolayevich Kosygin is a
full member of the Presidium and
one of the First Deputy Chairmen of
the Council of Ministers. He was
previous the chairman of the State
Planning Committee. He had been
removed from the Politburo by Stalin
but has been reinstated by
Khrushchev. Kosygin spends
significant time traveling abroad on
trade missions. He is a native
Russian and has a teaching
background.
5. Otto Kuusinen
Otto Wilhelmovich Kuusinen was a
Finnish politician who fled to the
Soviet Union after the Finnish Civil
War. From 1940-1956, he served as
the Chairman of the Presidium of the
Supreme Soviet of the KareloFinnish SSR. He became a member
of the Politburo and is now a full
Presidium member and Secretary of
the Central Committee of the
Communist Party. He was born in
Finland but resides in Moscow.
6. Anastas Mikoyan
Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan is an
Armenian-born statesman and civil
servant. He is a full member of the
Presidium and one of the First
Deputy Chairmen of the Council of
Ministers of the Soviet Union. He
was sent to dispel the uprising in
Hungary in 1956, and was the first
senior governing member of the
Council of Ministers to visit the
United States on a diplomatic
mission. He is an Atheist.
7. Nikolai Podgorny
Nikolai Viktorovich Podgorny is the
First Secretary of the Communist
Party of Ukraine. He is a full
member of the Presidium. He had
previously been in charge of the food
industry in the Ukrainian SSR, and
was one of the founders of the
Karlovka Komsomol. He was born in
the Ukrainian portion of the Russian
Empire and classifies his nationality
as Soviet. His background is in
mechanical engineering and civil
service.
8. Dmitry Polyansky
Dmitry Stepanovich Polyansky is a
full member of the Presidium and the
Chairman of the Council of Minsters
of the Russian Soviet Federative
Socialist Republic. He is essentially
the “Prime Minister” of the largest of
the republics of the USSR. He is of
Russian descent.
9. Mikhail Suslov
Mikhail Andreyevich Suslov is the
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs
Commission of the USSR. He is a
full member of the Presidium and
Secretariat, and is a leader in a
movement of opposition to
Khrushchev’s revisionism. He is of
Russian nationality and comes from
a background of civil service and
economics.
10. Nikolay Shvernik
Nikolay Mikhailovich Shvernik was
Chairman of the Presidium of the
Supreme Soviet until 1953. He is a
full member of Khrushchev’s
Presidium. He worked on the
Pospelov Commission and is now a
member and the head of the Shvernik
Committee, which rehabilitates the
victims of Stalin’s purges. He was
born Russian but classifies his
nationality as Soviet.
11. Andrei Kirilenko
Andrei Pavlovich Kirilenko has
recently become a full member of the
Presidium. He is the First Secretary
of the Sverdlovsk Regional Party
Committee, and Khrushchev has
named him a leader in economic
planning and urban personnel
selection. He is of Russian
nationality and his original
profession was a design and aircraft
engineer as well as an electrician and
civil servant.
12. Petro Shelest
Petro Ykhymovich Shelest is the
First Secretary of the Communist
Party of the Kiev Oblast. He is also
the Mayor of Kiev. He is not yet a
full member of the Presidium. He
was a member of the Politburo and a
deputy of the Verkhovna Rada in
Ukraine. He was born in the
Ukrainian part of the Russian empire
and identifies as Soviet Ukrainian.
13. Alexander Shelepin
Alexander Nikolayevich Shelepin is
not yet a full member of the
Presidium. He was previously 2nd
Chairman of the Committee for State
Security, First Secretary of the
Komsomol, and head of the KGB.
He was born in Soviet Russia and is
a candidate member of the Politburo.
14. Viktor Grishin
Viktor Vasilyevich Grishin is a
candidate member of the Presidium.
He was born in Russia and served in
the Red Army from 1938 to 1940.
He is known for being a hardliner.
and worked as a teacher, journalist
and editor in Samarkand. He fought
in the Red Army and was injured on
the German front. He is the most
known Communist Party leader in
the Uzbek SSR.
15. Kirill Mazurov
Kirill Trofimovich Mazurov is a
candidate member of the Presidium
and the First Secretary of the
Communist Party of Byelorussia. He
is a deputy of the Supreme Soviet.
He was born in the Byelorussian part
of imperial Russia and now identifies
as Soviet-Byelorussian.
16. Vasil Mzhavanadze
Vasil Pavlovich Mzhavandze is a
candidate member of the Presidium
and the First Secretary of the
Communist Party of the Georgian
SSR. He was born Georgian and is a
candidate member of the Politburo.
He served in the Red Army during
World War II. He has a strong
military background and after the
war became a deputy commander for
political affairs in the Kiev military
district.
17. Sharof Rashidov
Sharof Rashidovich Rashidov is the
First Secretary of the Communist
Party of the Uzbek SSR and a
candidate member of the Presidium
and Politburo. He was born Uzbek
18. Volodymyr Shcherbytsky
Volodymyr Vasylyovich
Shcherbytsky is a candidate member
of the Presidium. He is currently the
“Prime Minister” of the Ukrainian
SSR. He was born Ukrainian and
during World War II he was a
member of the Soviet forces that
invaded Iran.