The Military–Strategic Factor in the Economic Policy of the “Khrushchev Decade”

The role of the military–strategic factor in determining the main trends of the economic policy of the “Khrushchev decade” is analyzed. It is noted that the limitation of military spending after Stalin’s death made it possible to reduce disproportions in the country’s economy. As a result, the pace of its development increased and the well-being of the population grew noticeably. Based on the successes achieved, long-term plans were made. They envisaged the acceleration of economic growth and the improvement of the material well-being of the Soviet people. However, the publicized plans proved unworkable. The desire of the Soviet leadership to strengthen radically the position of the Soviet Union in the international arena in the conditions of the Cold War turned into a return to the policy of unlimited buildup of military power and a decrease in investment activity. As a result, instead of acceleration, at the turn of the 1950s–1960s, there were a decline in the rate of economic growth, stagnation, and even a decline in the standard of living of the population.