1956: Mao's China and the Hungarian Crisis

摘要

The year 1956 marks a turning point in the relations between the socialist world and China. In February, at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Khrushchev destroyed Stalin's cult by condemning his crimes. De-Stalinization was initiated in the Soviet Union, but in a matter of months it shook the unity of the socialist camp. By autumn, discontent grew and Stalin's empire was threatened with collapse. In China, Mao Zedong's position also weakened, but by mid-1957 the Chinese leader was able to regain control and consolidate his power at home and increase China's influence within the socialist camp.