1. Did the Virgin Lands Scheme change Soviet Agriculture?

Russia – Nikita Khrushchev's Domestic Policy, 1953-64

In this course, Dr Robert Hornsby (University of Leeds) discusses the domestic rule of Nikita Khrushchev from 1953-1964. In the first lecture, we explore Khrushchev’s agricultural policy, moving away from Stalin’s collectivisation, instead establishing the Virgin Lands Scheme and Corn Campaign to increase harvests. In the second lecture, we investigate the Space Race, looking at the ways in which the USSR overtook the US and utilised these advances to improve the perception of the Soviet Union at home and abroad. Third, we consider how policy regarding religious freedom shifted under Khrushchev, as a rejuvenation of religious repression runs counter to established narratives that ‘the Thaw’ represented new freedom. In the fourth lecture, we delve into the reconstitution of the secret police, as the Stalinist terror state was transformed into a strict police state. Finally, in the fifth, we discuss the fall of Khrushchev with his disposition in 1964, and the rise of his successor, Leonid Brezhnev.

1. Did the Virgin Lands Scheme change Soviet Agriculture?

In this module, we think about agriculture under Khrushchev, focussing on: (i)the severe agricultural challenges post-WWII, with widespread hunger and poorly compensated collective farmers, and the reforms after 1953 to address these issues; (ii)the successes and failures of Khrushchev's Virgin Lands Scheme; (iii) the ultimate failure of the American inspired Corn Campaign, and Khrushchev's decision to buy grain from the West.