Nikita Khrushchev: First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964

He ruled from 1953 to 1964 when Leonid Brezhnev, a Red Army Major General and President of the Soviet Union from 1960 to 1964 (during Khrushchev's own rule) came to power in 1964 after a bloodless palace coup against Khrushchev, just 11 years after Stalin died.

Nikita Khrushchev Никита Хрущёв
Khrushchev in East Berlin during a visit to East Germany in 1963
First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
In office September 14, 1953 – October 14, 1964
President	Kliment Voroshilov Leonid Brezhnev Anastas Mikoyan
Premier	Georgy Malenkov Nikolai Bulganin Himself
Preceded by	Joseph Stalin
Succeeded by	Leonid Brezhnev
Premier of the Soviet Union
In office March 27, 1958 – October 14, 1964
President	Kliment Voroshilov Leonid Brezhnev Anastas Mikoyan
First Deputies	Frol Kozlov Alexei Kosygin Dmitriy Ustinov Lazar Kaganovich Anastas Mikoyan
Preceded by	Nikolai Bulganin
Succeeded by	Alexei Kosygin
Personal details
Born	(1894-04-15)15 April 1894 Kalinovka, Dmitriyevsky Uyezd, Kursk Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	September 11, 1971(1971-09-11) (aged 77) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Nationality	Soviet
Political party	Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Spouse(s)	Yefrosinia Khrushcheva (1916–1919, died) Marusia Khrushcheva (1922, separated) Nina Khrushcheva (1923–1971, survived as widow)
Signature

He supported the Soviet space program and was the leader when Yuri Gagarin flew into space and became the first man to leave Earth in April 1961. Khrushchev was also the leader who ordered the Berlin Wall to be built in the East Berlin half of the former Nazi capital city Berlin. The wall separated it from West Berlin in August 1961 until the end of the Cold War .

 

Nikita was born in the town of Kalinovka in Russia. He later moved to Ukraine. He worked in mines, and became part of the Bolshevik movement. He was a political commissar in the Red Army in the Russian Civil War and again in World War II and moved his way up in the Communist Party, eventually becoming trusted by Joseph Stalin. When Stalin died, Georgy Malenkov and several others including Khrushchev shared power. Eventually Khrushchev became the leader.

When Nikita became the leader of the Soviet Union, he began something he called "De-Stalinization". He made a secret speech, in which he denounced Stalin as a man who committed many murders of innocent people. In early 1956, he took down all posters and statues of Joseph Stalin. Also, he moved Stalin's grave to a place where people could not see it.

 

He also had better contacts with the western countries like the USA, Britain, and France. This means the USSR and the western world were friendlier. He visited America in 1959. During this visit, Khrushchev spoke at the United Nations and visited where he wanted, including destinations such as New York and Hollywood. However, his visit to Disneyland was cancelled for security reasons.

But the USSR and the US still did not trust each other. In 1962 America and the USSR had a Cuban Missile Crisis which could have led to nuclear war, but didn't. Khrushchev had bargained with the Americans to get rid of the missiles they had placed in Turkey, for the missiles in Cuba were the only way for withdrawal.

 

During the period of "De-Stalinization", relations deteriorated between the Soviet Union and China. These policies were viewed by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party as divergences in the two states interpretations of Marxist-Leninist Doctrine. The resulting tensions were a contributing factor to the Sino-Soviet Split

 

Khrushchev's removal in 1964 was a result of political opposition within the Soviet leadership, citing economic failures and his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis. His ousting marked a shift in Soviet leadership dynamics. After his removal in 1964, he lived a relatively quiet life, writing his memoirs and staying out of politics. His later years were marked by a retreat from the public eye until his death in 1971.

 

Khrushchev's legacy is marked by significant events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and his efforts at de-Stalinization in the Soviet Union. His impact on Soviet policies and relations with the West shaped the Cold War era.