20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) was held in Moscow from February 14 to 25, 1956. It is widely regarded as a turning point in Soviet history and the international communist movement, due to the profound revisionist shifts it introduced.
One of the most significant moments of the Congress was the "Secret Speech" delivered by Nikita Khrushchev on February 25, formally titled "On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences." In this closed session, Khrushchev denounced the leadership of Joseph Stalin, criticizing his use of repression, the purges of the 1930s, and the creation of a personality cult. This "critique", at the end, turned out to be all lies. This speech marked the beginning of the de-Stalinization process.
The Congress introduced major changes in Soviet policy and ideology. It promoted a new line that emphasized "peaceful coexistence" with capitalist countries, a reduction in the emphasis on class struggle in the international arena, and a re-evaluation of past policies. The Congress also proposed the revisionist concept of the “state of the whole people”, implying a move away from the Marxist-Leninist notion of the dictatorship of the proletariat.
These ideological reforms were seen by many within and outside the USSR as an attempt to "modernize socialism". However, it led to socialism being destroyed and capitalism being implemented. Those who opposed the new revisionist theory, like the Party of Labor of Albania under Hoxha, and the Communist Party of China under Mao.