Final answer:
Nikita Khrushchev emphasized a policy of 'peaceful coexistence' with the West, aimed at reducing tensions and avoiding the spread of communism through military force, while improving the Soviet standard of living. He faced opposition from other Communist leaders and Soviet hardliners who saw his approach as too lenient. Khrushchev’s policy represented a strategic move that he believed would lead to the eventual downfall of Western capitalism.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet premier, sought to increase emphasis on a policy of "peaceful coexistence" with the West as part of a new Soviet foreign policy. This policy aimed to ease Cold War tensions, pledging not to extend communism through invasions, yet creating a solid military alliance within the Soviet Bloc, known as the Warsaw Pact, to counter NATO. Khrushchev also focused on improving the standard of living for Soviet workers by championing communism as a superior social system.
However, his reforms and diplomacy met resistance both internationally from other Communist leaders, such as Castro and Mao, and domestically from hardliners within the Soviet Union. These figures criticized Khrushchev’s approach to be too lenient towards the West and accused him of abandoning the global struggle against capitalism. Despite such opposition, Khrushchev continued to advocate for his policies, believing they would eventually lead to the West being "buried" not by a military force but by their own working class.