ZZCPA5 COMMEMORATIVE PRESENTATION ALBUM OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE 20TH CONGRESS OF THE COMMUNIST PART OF THE SOVIET UNION. N.p. (Moscow), n.d. (1956). 29 original black-and-white photographs mounted on board, one per page. 27 photographs measure 16x22 cm , 2 foldout photographs measuring 16x41 cm and 16x38 cm. 25x36 cm. Full leather. GBP 2,000.00 The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) took place in Moscow in February 1956 and is most famous for the unscheduled closed-door speech given on the final day to Soviet delegates by Khrushchev where he denounced Stalin's policies, his brutality and pursuit of a personality cult. Foreign delegates were not invited but were given transcripts the following day. Four of the photographs show views of the Kremlin, the remaining 25 show delegates to the Congress, speeches being made, views of the conference hall and associated events and receptions. Many of the photographs show foreign delegates to the Congress and this album was apparently presented to a Danish delegate. That it can be dated to the 20th Congress is evidenced by the presence in a couple of the photographs of Marshal Zhu De and a young-looking Deng Xiaoping, both of whom are known to have only attended this one Congress. Large, weighty and fascinating photographic record of an event that sparked a turning point in world communism, not least being a factor in the 1956 uprisings in eastern Europe. It could also be argued that the Congress marked the beginning of the Sino-Soviet Split. Very rare. Subjects: Photography Propaganda Item 8 in List 209. URL for this record: hanshan.com/?c/ZZCPA5.HTM Record produced by Hanshan Tang Books, www.hanshan.com. |