policies, investment policies and diplomacy. Constantly under threat and
pressure, according to his aid Oleg Troyanovsky, by 1957 the situation within the Kremlin was close to boiling point. 66 The Anti-Party Group – a Stalinist
group that attempted to dispose of Khrushchev – led by Molotov, Malenkov,
and Kaganovich had achieved a majority support in the Presidium and launched
an ‘all - out attack’ on Khrushchev, questioning his capacity to exerci se power and accusing him of all sorts of mistakes in the domestic sphere. 67 The group
also called out Khrushchev for appeasing Western powers, criticising his
peaceful coexistence approach to Soviet foreign policy. For example, it was
argued that the 1956 crisis in Hungary and Poland was a consequence of his ‘liberal’ policies. 68 Mao Zedong also shared Molotov’s doubts and blamed him for a loss of dignity, urging Khrushchev to demonstrate strength and resilience towards the ‘American imperialists.’ 69 Khrushchev as a result, in the lead-up to
the Sputnik programme, was under constant threat and pressure from the Soviet
top echelons, acting not on his own initiative but responding to the growing
possibility of internal defeat.
The launch of the first Sputnik in October 1957, followed by the successful
breakthrough of Sputnik II reaffirmed Krushchev’s power, leading to the defeat of domestic rivals and the fall of the Anti-Party Group. 70 Sputnik’s significance
lies in the prestige it gave the USSR and the tensions and fears it provoked in
66 Oleg Troyanovsky, ‘ The Making of Soviet Foreign Policy ’ in Nikita Khrushchev , ed. by William Taubman, Sergei Khrushchev and Gleason Abbott (New Haven: Yale University, 2000), p.215. 67 T. S., ‘Khrushchev and the ‘Anti - Party’ Group’, The World Today , 13.9 (1957), 377-388 (p.377) < https://www.jstor.org/stable/40393752 > [accessed 27/02/2024]. 68 Troyanovsky, p.215. 69 Vladislav Zubok, ‘ The Case of Divided Germany ’ in Nikita Khrushchev , ed. by William Taubman, Sergei Khrushchev and Gleason Abbott (New Haven: Yale University, 2000), p.291. Mao Zedong was the first Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and founder of the People's Republic of China. 70 William D. Jackson, ‘The Soviets and Strategic Arms: Towards and Evaluation of the Record’ , Political Science Quarterly , 94.2 (1979), 243-261 (p.248) < https://www.jstor.org/stable/2149850 > [accessed 28/02/2024].
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