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Nikita Khrushchev

1894 – 1971 Soviet First Secretary of the Communist Party, Soviet leader

Soviet leader who denounced Stalin's crimes and led the USSR through the tensest years of the Cold War.

Affiliations
Communist Party of the Soviet Union

Nikita Khrushchev rose through the party under Stalin and emerged as leader after the succession struggle that followed Stalin's death. In his 1956 secret speech he denounced Stalin's cult of personality and terror, launching a partial de-Stalinization and thaw. He oversaw the Sputnik and Gagarin space triumphs but also the crushing of the Hungarian uprising and the Cuban Missile Crisis, which brought the world close to nuclear war. His erratic reforms and the missile crisis climbdown led colleagues to remove him from power in 1964.

Connections

  • ally of Fidel Castro — Backed Cuba and placed the missiles at the heart of the 1962 crisis.
  • ally of Fidel Castro — Soviet patron whose missiles triggered the 1962 crisis.
  • successor of Joseph Stalin — A protege who later denounced his crimes.
  • successor of Joseph Stalin — Rose under Stalin, then denounced him after his death.
  • rival of Lavrentiy Beria — Khrushchev led the coalition that had him shot.
  • rival of Lavrentiy Beria — Organized the plot to remove and execute Beria.
  • rival of Leonid Brezhnev — Helped remove him from power in 1964 and took over as leader.
  • rival of Leonid Brezhnev — Promoted him, then was removed from power by him and his allies in 1964.
  • successor of Leonid Brezhnev — Brezhnev helped oust him and took his place.
  • successor of Leonid Brezhnev — Helped depose Khrushchev and replaced him.
  • rival of Vyacheslav Molotov — Purged from leadership by Khrushchev in 1957.

In the timeline

Wikipedia