Episode 2 follows on from where our first episode left off. Here, the power struggle between the Soviet Union’s top men is in full swing, and power plays, character assassination, genuine assassination and even more tactics besides distinguish this period of post-Stalin Soviet history. The end result – Nikita Khrushchev’s victorious succession and confirmation as First Secretary – was far from certain once the struggle began, but as his rivals continued to underestimate him, and as he worked to build up his power base while the big fish sniped at one another, Khrushchev emerged as the best candidate to fill Stalin’s murderous shoes. Yet, it was far from clear at the same time exactly what Khrushchev had in mind.

For one, the so-called Thaw had been on-going since Stalin’s death, as prisoners were released, trumped up charges commuted, and some of the more unpopular policies relaxed. Would Khrushchev make efforts to expand upon this approach to Soviet rule, or would he contain its potential dangers as soon as he was in a position to do so? The different possibilities for life after Stalin remind us that what followed and what opened the year 1956 was by no means the only course, yet it was the most radical option at the time.

The act of building towards that infamous event in Khrushchev’s tenure of rule – the secret speech – thus occupies a great deal of our time here. Of most interest to us here though is the spectacle of Khrushchev’s elimination of his rivals, either through execution or political neutralisation. As far as Khrushchev was concerned, while a collective leadership on paper looked nice, in reality, there could be only one...

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Remember history friends, the next episode of 1956 continues for Patrons at the $5 level, so be sure and join us at www.patreon.com/WhenDiplomacyFails so that you can keep up with this incredible story, from the Soviet Union to the Suez Crisis, and discover for yourself why 1956 was a key year in the transformation and development of the 20th century.

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Our first episode of the EXCLUSIVE series 1956 is out now! To give you a taster of what’s to come, this first episode and its follow up are absolutely FREE for all listeners, but episode 3 onwards will require you guys to sign up for the bargain price of just $5 a month to join in the party. By paying $5 a month, you’ll not only secure your place as a valued history friend, you’ll also guarantee that you get the best of WDF, the earliest access and of course, access to future exclusive series like the Age of Bismarck! Above all, you’ll be helping to ensure that I can continue to do this as part of my living, and you’ll be making history thrive in the process.

Above all you should notice, as per some previous announcements, that this podcast series is moving to a new address! 1956 will have its own RSS feed and its own home within the WDF podcast group, soon to be joined by many more, as you’ll soon see! This way, 1956 can serve as a constant advertisement for the benefits of becoming a Diplomat, but it also means that we don’t clog up the feed with any 1956 episodes. My OCD senses are pleased, but your history senses should be well pleased too! Remember that all Patrons can even help out further by giving a review in 1956’s new home if you are enjoying the series. Now then, you may be wondering – what does 1956 have to offer? What exactly is in the box?

Well, if you want to learn more about what followed after the Korean War – as a story and as a year of significance, 1956 has few equals, and we open our narrative with the event which set up all subsequent events – the death of Josef Stalin on 5th March 1953. As far as deaths of prominent characters go, the death of Stalin from a succession of strokes at the age of 73 sticks out particularly – a man who allowed his paranoia get the better of him, out of fear of his own vulnerability and out of lust for power, died without being the victim of any underhanded scheme. As we’ll see, he also died without naming an official successor, throwing into chaos those men who had stuck around long enough to accumulate some power for themselves.

In this episode we’ll meet these figures – the so-called ‘collective leadership’ of the Soviet Union, which included such heavy hitters as Molotov, Malenkov, Lavrenti Beria, Anastas Mikoyan and a sometimes crude, always blunt figure by the name of Nikita Khrushchev. The story of what would come after Stalin is a gripping and fascinating snapshot of life at the top of the Soviet greasy pole. It prepares us for the eventful months which are to come, by investigating exactly what it was that compelled these men to undo some of what Stalin had made, while still holding onto the terrifying edifice which held half of the continent of Europe in rapture. I hope you’ll join me – and a huge thanksss for all your support so far!

Remember to head on over to https://www.patreon.com/WhenDiplomacyFails if you want to access all that this incredible story has to offer! By pldging $5 a month to our Patreon page, you can access over 20 hours of content that already sits in the XTRA feed, but you can also prepare yourself for exclusive series to come,1956 right here, and even the Age of Bismarck in the future! I hope you'll think about it - but make sure and listen to this episode here and its sequel first, my lovely history friends! Thankssss!

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1956 is divided into two parts, the first tackles the question of life after Stalin, the second examines the run up to the Suez Crisis. Here in our introduction to Part 1, we'll see what we're dealing with when we attempt to delve into a world that had just lost its most dominating personality. Could the Soviet Union endure life after Stalin? What would it look like now that it was led by a collective leadership? Could this collective leadership possibly last? Let's find out, and remember to check out the other two episodes of Part 1 here as well, entitled 1.1 and 1.2.

Remember history friends that if you want to access all of what 1956 has to offer - you can! Simply head over to https://www.patreon.com/WhenDiplomacyFails and pledge $5 a month, and you'll have access to 1956 and over 20 hours of additional content to boot! Thankssss!

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