The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was held during February 14—February 26, 1956. It is known especially for Nikita Khrushchev's Secret Speech, which denounced recently deceased Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Russian: Коммунисти́ческая Па́ртия Сове́тского Сою́за = КПСС) was the name used by the successors of the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party from 1952 to 1991, but the wording Communist Party was present in the partys name since 1918 when the Bolsheviks became the All... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchyov (Khrushchev) (Russian: Ники́та Серге́евич Хрущёв   listen?, April 17, 1894 â€“ September 11, 1971) was the leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Joseph Stalin. ... The Secret Speech is the common name of a speech given on February 25, 1956 by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev denouncing the actions of Josef Stalin. ... Iosif (usually anglicized as Joseph) Vissarionovich Stalin (Russian: Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин), original name Ioseb Jughashvili (Georgian: იოსებ ჯუღაშვილი; see Other names section) (December 21, 1879[1] – March 5, 1953) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and leader of the Soviet Union. ...

During the morning closed session of the last day of the Congress, Khrushchev, the Communist Party Secretary, took the opportunity to give a stinging rebuke of the policies of Stalin, his late predecessor. Khrushchev denounced Stalin's cult of personality, and Stalin's apparent support of the concept of individuality. He went on to denounce a list of crimes committed by Stalin's supporters, many of which had previously been denied by the Soviet Union. Adolf Hitler built a strong cult of personality, based on the Führerprinzip. ... Individualism, in general, is a term used to describe a theoretical or practical emphasis of the individual, as opposed to, and possibly at the expense of, the group. ...

The speech shocked delegates to the congress, as it flew in the face of years of Soviet propaganda, which had claimed that Stalin was a wise, peaceful, and fair leader. After long deliberations, in a month the speech was reported to the general public, but the full text was published only in 1989. North Korean propaganda showing a soldier destroying the United States Capitol building. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

One of its most notable fallouts was the collapse of the United States Communist Party which had previously been composed of many die-hard Stalinists. Stalin's fall from grace left the party badly fractioned, and it never regained its former influence. The Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA) is one of several Marxist-Leninist groups in the United States. ... Stalinism is a brand of political theory, and the political and economic system implemented by Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. ...

See also: Congress of the CPSU The Congress of the CPSU was the gathering of the delegates of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and its predecessors. ...