Skip to content
    History A-Level

    De-Stalinisation

    What De-Stalinisation means in History A-Level, as defined for AQA, Pearson Edexcel.

    Definitions of De-Stalinisation

    Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.

    Check what you remember

    Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain De-Stalinisation in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.

    Reference: AQA

    Ending mass terror and the cult of personality within the USSR, launched by the Secret Speech, while the Communist Party retained an absolute monopoly on political power.
    AQA · 2T The Crisis of Communism: The USSR and the Soviet Empire, 1953–2000 (A-level only) – De-Stalinisation, 1953–1964 (study guide)
    A move away from Stalin's terror, launched in the 1956 Secret Speech, which denounced his cult of personality and purges.
    AQA · 1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964 – The Stalinist dictatorship and reaction, 1941–1964 (A-level only) (study guide)
    The cause supported by reformers within the Communist Party, which hardliners opposed out of fear of losing control.
    AQA · 1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964 – The Stalinist dictatorship and reaction, 1941–1964 (A-level only) (study guide)
    Process that aimed to legitimise Khrushchev's leadership and revive party norms, while preserving one-party rule.
    Pearson Edexcel · Paper 3, Option 38.1: The making of modern Russia, 1855–1991 - 4 Khrushchev and attempts to reform the Soviet system, 1956–61 (study guide)
    The 1956 Secret Speech condemned Stalin's crimes, and this process removed his cult from public life.
    Pearson Edexcel · Communist government in the USSR, 1917–85 (study guide)

    Topics that use De-Stalinisation

    Related terms

    Using De-Stalinisation in the exam

    Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.

    Practise History questions

    Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.

    Start free

    A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge

    All History A-Level terms