The death of Stalin in March, 1953, was probably the starting thaw because new leaders now came into the forefront. The thaw showed itself in several ways. The signs were shown when Korean War came to an end by a peace treaty and the end of the war in Indo china. The Russians also made important concessions in 1955 when they agreed to wind up their military base in Finland. Russian leader, Bulgarian attended a summit meeting in Geneva where he met the American President Elisenhower. Then, Russia lifted her veto power on the admission of sixteen new members to the United Nations. Khrushchev paid a visit to Tito and thus, quarrel with Yogoslavia was healed to some extent. The Come in form’ was abandoned, suggesting more freedom for the satellite states. 

The signing of the Austrian State Treaty on May 1955 was another step forward for thaw. After the Second World War, Austria was divided into four zones of occupation with the capital Vienna in Russian zone. Austria was allowed her own government because she was vied not as a defeated enemy but as a state liberated from the Nazis. Three Western occupying powers organized the recovery of their respective zones but Russia collected reparation in the form of food supply. Early in 1955, the Austrian Government persuaded the Russian Government to be more cooperative. Russia had an apprehension of a merger between West Germany and western Austria. 

The Russian Government became cooperative and signed an agreement. As a result, all occupying troops were withdrawn and Austria became independent. But Austria was not to be united with Germany, her armed forces were restricted and she was to remain neutral in any dispute between Western and Eastern Bloc. This meant that Austria could join neither the NATO nor the European Economic Community. The Austrians were not happy for the loss of German-speaking people of South Tyrol which were given to Italy. 

In fact, the thaw was only partial. Khrushchev sometimes followed conciliatory policy and sometimes a policy seemed to be a threat to the Western Bloc. He did not show any desire to relax Russian control over the satellite states. When the Hungarians revolted in Budapest against the Communist Government, the movement was crushed by Russian tanks in November 1956. 

Khrushchev now signed the Warsaw Pact in 1955 with the satellite states just after Western Germany as admitted to the NATO. The Pact was a mutual defense agreement with the satellite states. Apart from this, to put the Western Bloc on pressure, Russia successfully tested in inter continental ballistic missile and launched first space satellite ‘ Sputnik-1’.