feb 25, 1956 - Secret Speech

Description:

The secret speech made by Khrushchev to the communist party started the process of destalinisation in the Eastern Bloc.
He criticised and detailed the brutality that Stalin had used to keep control and put forward his idea of peaceful coexistence.
This shocked the communist party and was met with mixed reactions - especially by those who owed their positions to Stalin - and so had a destabilising affect on the Warsaw pact.
Although secret, the speech's intended message spread through the Eastern Bloc.

Added to timeline:

Date: