The Soviet Union, Part 2 of 2
Short History Of...
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The Death of Stalin
In 1953, Khrushchev orchestrates his surprise arrest on treason and other charges. Tried in a closed court, he's convicted, and in December 1953, executed. By now Khrushchev is first secretary of the Communist Party. He spends the next few years arm-wrestling his major rivals into submission. In May 1955, the USSR signs up to the Warsaw Pact, a treaty of cooperation mirroring NATO. A year later, in the great hall of the Kremlin, Kh rushchev delivers what becomes known as the secret speech - dismantling Stalin's legacy.
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