Changes

==Career==

==Career==

Born to a poor peasant family, he left school at 14 and followed his father to work in a distant coal mine. he rose through the working-class youth during an era of dramatic industrial growth, world war and civil war. He rose rapidly through the Communist party of the Soviet Union Party (CPSU in Ukraine, becoming Party secretary in Moscow in 1934. he played a major role in building the subway--one system that works well in Russia to this day. Returning in 1938 to Ukraine, he was regional boss for twelve years. The Ukraine was a main theater of war and he was political commissar at the front 1941-45. He return to Stalin's side in Moscow in 1949 in charge of agriculture, always the most essential and backward part of the economy.  

Born to a poor peasant family, he left school at 14 and followed his father to work in a distant coal mine. he rose through the working-class youth during an era of dramatic industrial growth, world war and civil war. He rose rapidly through the Communist party of the Soviet Union Party (CPSU in Ukraine, becoming Party secretary in Moscow in 1934. he played a major role in building the subway--one system that works well in Russia to this day. Returning in 1938 to Ukraine, he was regional boss for twelve years. The Ukraine was a main theater of war and he was political commissar at the front 1941-45. He return to Stalin's side in Moscow in 1949 in charge of agriculture, always the most essential and backward part of the economy.  

==Coming to Power, 1953==

==Coming to Power, 1953==

After Stalin's death in 1953, Khrushchev and premier Georgi Malenkov united their networks against Soviet security chief Lavrenti Beria. The defection of two of Beria's deputy ministers, Sergei Kruglov and Ivan Serov, allowed Khrushchev and Malenkov to arrest Beria for Beria no longer had control of Ministry of Interior troops and the troops of the Kremlin guard. Beria was shot.  By 1957 he had consolidated his dictatorship by building a network of loyalists among oblast secretaries, which enabled him to win victory in the Central Committee over the "anti-party group" of Malenkov, Vyacheslav Molotov, and Lazar Kaganovich.

After Stalin's death in 1953, Khrushchev and premier Georgi Malenkov united their networks against Soviet security chief Lavrenti Beria. The defection of two of Beria's deputy ministers, Sergei Kruglov and Ivan Serov, allowed Khrushchev and Malenkov to arrest Beria for Beria no longer had control of Ministry of Interior troops and the troops of the Kremlin guard. Beria was shot.  By 1957 he had consolidated his dictatorship by building a network of loyalists among oblast secretaries, which enabled him to win victory in the Central Committee over the "anti-party group" of Malenkov, Vyacheslav Molotov, and Lazar Kaganovich. Officially he was First Secretaryof the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the SovietUnion from 1953 to 1964 and Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministersfrom 1958 to 1964. He lived in a Kremlin apartment with his wife Nina and their children.

 

==Foreign policy==

==Foreign policy==

Khrushchev handled foreign policy poorly.  He had to preserve control of Eastern Europe--persuasion failed and he sent in his army. Second, he had to maintain the unity of the world Communist movement, which turned above all on relations with China. He failed and made his most important ally into his most implacable foe.  Finally he had to de-escalate tensions and reach equilibrium with the United States.  He instead tried confrontation, leading to near disaster in 1964 until he drew back at the last second over Cuba.  More successful was his quest for prestige which centered on the Space Race--where the Soviets astonished the world by taking a clear lead over the U.S. for a few years.

Khrushchev handled foreign policy poorly.  He had to preserve control of Eastern Europe--persuasion failed and he sent in his army. Second, he had to maintain the unity of the world Communist movement, which turned above all on relations with China. He failed and made his most important ally into his most implacable foe.  Finally he had to de-escalate tensions and reach equilibrium with the United States.  He instead tried confrontation, leading to near disaster in 1964 until he drew back at the last second over Cuba.  More successful was his quest for prestige which centered on the Space Race--where the Soviets astonished the world by taking a clear lead over the U.S. for a few years.

{{Cquote|Kennedy went there shortly after his spectacular blunders at the [[Bay of Pigs]], and was savaged by Khrushchev.... I had an hour alone with President Kennedy immediately after his last meeting with Khrushchev in Vienna at that time...Khrushchev had assumed, Kennedy said, that any American President who invaded Cuba without adequate preparation was inexperienced, and any president who then didn't use force to see the invasion through was weak. Kennedy admitted Khrushchev's logic on both points.}}

{{Cquote|Kennedy went there shortly after his spectacular blunders at the [[Bay of Pigs]], and was savaged by Khrushchev.... I had an hour alone with President Kennedy immediately after his last meeting with Khrushchev in Vienna at that time...Khrushchev had assumed, Kennedy said, that any American President who invaded Cuba without adequate preparation was inexperienced, and any president who then didn't use force to see the invasion through was weak. Kennedy admitted Khrushchev's logic on both points.}}

Seeing Kennedy's indecisiveness, he ordered the building of the [[Berlin Wall]] in 1962 to stop the exodus of talent from East Germany to freedom.  Kennedy made some speeches then accommodated to the new tyranny.

Seeing Kennedy's indecisiveness, he ordered the building of the [[Berlin Wall]] in 1962 to stop the exodus of talent from East Germany to freedom.  Kennedy made some speeches then accommodated to the new tyranny.  Emboldened, the Soviets expanded their subversion in weak nations, knowing that the American [[containment]] policy would force the West to defend itself under the most adverse conditions, as selected by the Kremlin.  Sums were spread widely to see where trouble would best brew.

===Cuban Missile Crisis===

===Cuban Missile Crisis===

Khrushchev denounced Stalin as soon as he died and tried to purge all memory ofDétente Stalin (“destaDétentelinization”).  The glasnost had to be controlled lest it get out of hand.  By blaming his predecessor for all of Russia's ills Khrushchev bought time to reform the system.  He ended the worst features of the Gulag and mass executions, while maintaining a high enough fear level in people's minds to keep the wheels turning.

Khrushchev denounced Stalin as soon as he died and tried to purge all memory ofDétente Stalin (“destaDétentelinization”).  The glasnost had to be controlled lest it get out of hand.  By blaming his predecessor for all of Russia's ills Khrushchev bought time to reform the system.  He ended the worst features of the Gulag and mass executions, while maintaining a high enough fear level in people's minds to keep the wheels turning.

===Agricultural reform===

===Agricultural reform===

Khrushchev's favorite project was to till the virgin and long-fallow lands of Kazakhstan and nearby Soviet republics in order to increase the USSR's agricultural production, especially of grain. Despite his belief that scientific socialism could overcome all obstacles, the task proved far more immense and complex than the authorities had anticipated; the results were mostly failures, although some local achievements were attained.<ref> Taubman (2003) p 305-6</ref>

Khrushchev's favorite project was to till the virgin and long-fallow lands of Kazakhstan and nearby Soviet republics in order to increase the USSR's agricultural production, especially of grain. Despite his belief that scientific socialism could overcome all obstacles, the task proved far more immense and complex than the authorities had anticipated; the results were mostly failures, although some local achievements were attained.<ref> Taubman (2003) p 305-6</ref>

===Space race===

===Space race===

 

==Overthrown==

==Overthrown==

By late 1964 Kremlin leaders were troubled by Khrushchev's irascible and self-contradictory behavior; he had been weakened by the Cuban Missile Crisis and his split with China,  but there was no orderly way to change rulers. Top conspirators included [[Leonid Brezhnev]], Aleksei Kosygin, Nikolai Podgorny, Mikhail Suslov; they acted in a bloodless coup to remove Khrushchev from his government and party positions in October 1964. They persuaded the [[Politburo]], which governed the Communist Party, to replace Khruschev with Brezhnev. Khruschev then quietly lived out the remainder of his life under the watch of the [[KGB]] until his death in 1971. He managed to smuggle out his memoirs for publication in the West.

By late 1964 Kremlin leaders were troubled by Khrushchev's irascible and self-contradictory behavior; he had been weakened by the Cuban Missile Crisis and his split with China,  but there was no orderly way to change rulers. Top conspirators included [[Leonid Brezhnev]], Aleksei Kosygin, Nikolai Podgorny, Mikhail Suslov; they acted in a bloodless coup to remove Khrushchev from his government and party positions in October 1964. They persuaded the [[Politburo]], which governed the Communist Party, to replace Khruschev with Brezhnev. Khruschev then quietly lived out the remainder of his life under the watch of the [[KGB]] until his death in 1971. He managed to smuggle out his memoirs for publication in the West.

On November 18, 1956 Khrushchev said, in regard to the West, "We will bury you".  This caused a great deal of consternation within the Western world during the time of the [[Cold War]] between the nuclear powers and the Soviet Union's recent stamping out of resistance in Hungary through military force.  He later said he meant it economically.<ref>http://www.bartleby.com/66/52/32552.html</ref>  He actually believed that it was possible to overtake the U.S. in the production of meat, butter and milk. What happened was that urbanization was bringing millions of peasants from jobs of low productivity on the farm to jobs of much better productivity in the cities, though still at levels well below western Europe and the U.S. The result was a temporary boost in very high growth rates that leveled off after so may people had quit the farms that food shortages loomed.  Khrushchev was a true believer in Communism; his son Sergei is now an American citizen.

On November 18, 1956 Khrushchev said, in regard to the West, "We will bury you".  This caused a great deal of consternation within the Western world during the time of the [[Cold War]] between the nuclear powers and the Soviet Union's recent stamping out of resistance in Hungary through military force.  He later said he meant it economically.<ref>http://www.bartleby.com/66/52/32552.html</ref>  He actually believed that it was possible to overtake the U.S. in the production of meat, butter and milk. What happened was that urbanization was bringing millions of peasants from jobs of low productivity on the farm to jobs of much better productivity in the cities, though still at levels well below western Europe and the U.S. The result was a temporary boost in very high growth rates that leveled off after so may people had quit the farms that food shortages loomed.  Khrushchev was a true believer in Communism; his son Sergei is now an American citizen.

==External link==

==External link==

*[http://www.richardsorge.com/appendixes/beria/translation.html Gianni Agnelli quoted on Khruschev], 11 May 2003.

*[http://www.richardsorge.com/appendixes/beria/translation.html Gianni Agnelli quoted on Khruschev], 11 May 2003.

* Tompson, William J. ''Khrushchev: A Political Life'' (1997) [http://www.amazon.com/Khrushchev-Political-William-J-Tompson/dp/0312163606/ref=sr_1_39?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255060227&sr=1-39 excerpt and text search]

* Tompson, William J. ''Khrushchev: A Political Life'' (1997) [http://www.amazon.com/Khrushchev-Political-William-J-Tompson/dp/0312163606/ref=sr_1_39?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255060227&sr=1-39 excerpt and text search]

* Von Bencke, Matthew J. ''The Politics of Space: A History of U.S.-Soviet/Russian Competition and Cooperation in Space'' (1997) [http://www.questia.com/read/65419161?title=The%20Politics%20of%20Space%3a%20A%20History%20of%20U.S.-Soviet%2fRussian%20Competition%20and%20Cooperation%20in%20Space online edition]

* Von Bencke, Matthew J. ''The Politics of Space: A History of U.S.-Soviet/Russian Competition and Cooperation in Space'' (1997) [http://www.questia.com/read/65419161?title=The%20Politics%20of%20Space%3a%20A%20History%20of%20U.S.-Soviet%2fRussian%20Competition%20and%20Cooperation%20in%20Space online edition]

===Primary sources===

===Primary sources===

* Talbot, Strobe, ed. ''Khrushchev Remembers'' (1970), very candid interviews.

* Khrushchev, Nikita. ''Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev'', edited by his son Sergei N. Khrushchev

*** ''Volume 3: Statesman, 1953–1964'' (2007), 1176pp [http://www.psupress.psu.edu/books/titles/978-0-271-02935-1.html contents]

* ''Khrushchev Remembers'' (1970), ed. by Talbot, Strobe, very candid interviews.

 

 

==References==

==References==