# The Secret Speech (1956)

URL: https://history-russia.com/timeline/1956-the-secret-speech
Categories: main-event

At the 20th Party Congress Khrushchev delivered 'On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences', condemning Stalin's crimes against party members. Millions of prisoners were released and rehabilitated. The speech was soon known abroad. It began de-Stalinisation and shook the Communist world.

## Why it matters
It began de-Stalinisation and shook the Communist world.

Ruler at the time: [Nikita Khrushchev](https://history-russia.com/rulers/nikita-khrushchev)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Cult_of_Personality_and_Its_Consequences)
- [Wikipedia — Khrushchev thaw](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khrushchev_thaw)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — The Secret Speech](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=The+Secret+Speech)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Russian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Russian_history)