Destalinisation was meant to be a show of innovation and of progress in all areas; Khrushchev's changes did not help progression in many instances. However, this does not mean he did not have an impact. In order to judge the impact of Khrushchev's policy it is necessary to consider the situation he inherited and how much was changed. The meaning of impact must also be considered; impact can be divided into long-term and short-term effects. Many of Khrushchev's policies had an impact in the short term, but as they failed were abandoned and had, therefore, little long term effect. Others caused long term chaos and therefore had huge effects.

The main problem with the Stalinist economy was its over-centralised and wasteful nature which was costing the USSR time, money and valuable progress. Workers were avoiding responsibility, there was passive disobedience and labour productivity was not increasing satisfactorily. Khrushchev's...