...Marcela Gonzalez January 25, 2013 Period 6 Nikita Khrushchev As the Soviet leader during a great part of the Cold War, Nikita Khrushchev sure left an imprint on world politics and history as we know it. Nikita Khrushchev was born to Sergei Khrushchev and Ksenia Khrushchev on April 15, 1894 in the peasant village of Kalinovka, Russia. Money was always short and his family did whatever they could to get by. When he was young, he worked as a herdsboy and only attended school for four years. Part of his schooling was in the village’s parochial school and the other part was spent in Kalinovka’s state school. His teacher, Lydia Shevchenko, told him to continue studying and to attend school, but his family’s economic state could not support it. In 1908 his father moved to Yuzovka to work as a miner and Nikita followed, fourteen at the time. At fifteen he became a mechanic’s apprentice. After his apprenticeship ended, a factory hired him. That job was lost because he collected money to help the families of victims of the Lena Goldfields Massacre. Later he was hired to fix underground equipment for a mine in Rutchenkovo. In 1914, World War I he did not have to join since he was a skilled metal worker. That same year he married Yefrosinia Pisareva. Later on the couple had a daughter named Yulia in 1915. They also had a son named Leonid in 1917. In 1918 Khrushchev joined the Bolsheviks. It was a year where the Russian Civil War between the Bolsheviks and the White Army was escalating...
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...“In a fight you don’t stop to choose your cudgels”. Nikita Khrushchev is a Russian leader. He has a lot of quotes and was a very good leader. Another one of his quotes are “If you start throwing hedgehogs under me, I shall throw a couple of porcupines under you.” I think this means that if you start fighting with him he will fight back. Struggles in Nikita’s life. Nikita’s dad was a coal miner so Nikita didn’t see him a lot. Nikita’s family was also very poor, and Nikita received barely any education. He began to expose the terrible crimes the terrible crimes the dictator had committed against his people. He worked as a mechanic in the coal mines of Ukraine when he aged on until he was finally able to have a job. What was Nikita Khrushchev...
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...The Cold War (1945-1991) was basically an ideological standoff between the ideas of Communism supported by the Russians and Democracy/Capitalism supported by the Americans. Communism is a political ideology which has the central principle of ¡§communal or communist ownership¡¨ of all property and therefore the abolition of private property. Democracy is a form of government in which the people vote, have a representative government and via these representatives ¡§govern themselves¡¨. During the period between 1961 to 1963, Nikita S. Khrushchev represented Communism and ruled Russia, while John F. Kennedy embodied democracy and lead America. The two leaders differed in their foreign policies as is evident by the Berlin Wall incident and the Cuban missile crisis, but both were somewhat radical in their domestic policies. Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev was first secretary of the Soviet Communist party from 1953 to 1964 and effective leader of the USSR from 1956 (premier from 1958) to 1964. He was born on April 17th, 1894, in the village of Kalinovka, Kursk province. As a young boy, Khrushchev worked long hours in the coal mines. Khrushchev seemed to be a revolutionist from a young age as he organized several strikes and in 1918 he joined the Bolshevik party and fought in the Civil War. Afterward, he was sent by the party to a technical institute to learn more about Marxism. Khrushchev rose steadily up the party ladder, always combining his talents as an administrator with his...
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...The Soviet economy after Stalin: how could Khrushchev de-Stalinise the Stalinist system? Author(s): Jonathan Davis Source: 20th Century History Review. 4.1 (Sept. 2008): p21. Document Type: Article Full Text: When Nikita Khrushchev came to power after Josef Stalin's death in 1953, the new Soviet leader hoped to restructure the USSR along less harsh Stalinist, lines. Khrushchev famously sought to de-Stalinise the USSR and part of his reforms saw him demand changes to an economy that had a less than successful agricultural sector and industries that prioritised heavy machinery over everything else. While some aspects of the Stalinist economy were regarded as successful and therefore continued (for example, heavy industry remained a priority), it was now recognised that other areas were in much need of improvement. Heavy industry had always been favoured over light industry and this led to a severe lack of consumer goods. The brutal methods used by the Stalinist government to collectivise the agricultural sector left millions of peasants bitter and resentful; the agricultural question remained one of the most difficult problems for leaders and policy makers. Moreover, the supposedly planned economy was, in places, more improvised than planned, causing numerous difficulties. Rectifying the problems in the Stalinist economy was crucial for Khrushchev, for the Soviet people and for the Soviet Union. The USSR had to maintain its position as a superpower during the Cold...
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...During Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidential tenure, a disagreement with Fidel Castro caused friction between the United States and Cuba. The turmoil between the United States and Cuba continued after John F. Kennedy took office. Each one these men, Fidel Castro, President Eisenhower, President Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev struggled for power and almost led our nations to a nuclear war. What led to the Cuban Missile Crisis? Fidel Castro was a lawyer in Cuba, he was unhappy with Fulgencio Batista’s dictatorship and tried to use the law to remove Batista from power.1 After his failed attempts he became a rebel with the intent of overthrowing Cuba’s dictator Fulgencio Batista. His vision was to spread the wealth of the rich and give to the poor; and provide everyone with the same resources.2 Batista’s cruel behavior and murder of the Cuban people made him a target, he eventually fled.3 After winning public support and overthrowing their dictator, Fidel Castro began to spread the wealth among the Cuban people.4 This was a positive movement for the poor, but not popular among the more educated people who knew how to make money, so they began to flee Cuba.5 On April 15th 1959, Fidel Castro made an attempt to meet with President Eisenhower, instead, President Eisenhower went to play golf to avoid interaction with Castro.6 His intentions may have been to address the turmoil between the United States and Cuba. Instead, Vice President Nixon met with Fidel Castro, the vice presidents...
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...Antionette Lopez World Since 1945 11/21/13 Power point question How does Kruschev’s message differ from that of Stalin in substance and tone? What is the significance? When repression hit the Soviet Union, millions of Soviet political prisoners were released from Gulag labor camps, due to Nikita Khrushchev's policies of de-Stalinization and peaceful coexistence with other nations. . Khrushchev denounced Stalin in "The Secret Speech" at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party, then banned the pro-Stalinists during his power struggle. The Thaw initiated irreversible transformation of the entire Soviet society by opening up for some economic reforms and international trade, educational and cultural contacts, etc; it was a chain of steps to free people from fear and dictatorship under Stalin. Although the power struggle between liberals and conservative pro-Stalinists never stopped, it eventually weakened the Soviet Communist Party. Khrushchev's Thaw allowed some freedom of information in the media, arts and culture; international festival, foreign films, uncensored books, and new forms of entertainment on the emerging national TV, ranging from massive parades and celebrations to popular music and variety shows, satire and comedies. Such political and cultural updates all together helped liberate minds and changed the public’s view of the government. So many people took to Khruschev’s policies because unlike Stalin he was less cruel and suspicious...
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...How successful was Khrushchev’s policy of destalinization Destalinization was a political reform launched by Soviet Communist Party First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev at the 20th Party Congress, otherwise known as the secret speech. The main components of the reforms were changing or removing prominent institutions that had helped Stalin remain in power; the Stalinist political system, political party members that had supported him (beginning with the arrest and subsequent execution of political rival Lavrentiy Beria) and the removal of the Gulag labour camp system. Khrushchev was desperate to present himself as a reformer, completely breaking away from the reliance of ‘fear into submission’ tactics of the Stalinist era, by presenting himself as a ‘man of the people’. He wished to lessen the gap between the soviet leadership and the people, whilst undermining his predecessors’ dictatorship rule. It has been argued that his attempt to end the use of terror both in political and public life and the reintegration of those who had fallen victim to said terror, was one of the successes of the destalinization policy. This included the released of five million prisoners from labour camps. A total of eight million prisoners had been released by the end of 1956. Shortly after, in 1961, Khrushchev initiated a campaign to rename cities that previously honoured Stalin; Stalingrad was renamed Volgograd. Stalin’s persona was publicly attacked; most importantly in destroying his image...
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...Recently, John F Kennedy's security assistant, brought photographs taken from U-2 planes flying over Cuba to him on Tuesday 16 October 1962. The images showed Soviet soldiers setting up nuclear-armed missiles. Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, had promised repeatedly not to send offensive weapons to Cuba after John Kennedy warned the Soviet Union that if they ever introduced offensive weapons, 'the gravest issues would arise.’ These photos were proof that Khrushchev had been lying. It has been reported to us that the USA has 25,000 nuclear weapons and the Soviet union have much less. Kennedy has decided that it would be seen as an act of war if he attacked the missile site hence the decision for him not doing so. Furthermore, if nuclear weapons were used it would cause humans in the northern hemisphere to perish, as found out by Kennedy's predecessor, Dwight Eisenhower. Kennedy made a decision, with the help of Excomm (Executive Committee of the National Security Council) about what should happen and they decided on a blockade to prevent the missiles getting into the missile base, this seemed like a good idea because it wouldn't be seen as an act of war but it would stop the missiles. John Kennedy told the USSR that the USA would sink any missiles that attempted to go through the blockade The USSR know that if they did so it would cause a war, yet they didn't back down at first. Khrushchev sent twenty soviet ships to the blockade however when they got there they turned around...
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...evidence that the missiles were 90 miles off the American costal line. Although it seems as if the Cuban Missile Crisis happened at a blinding pace, this crisis actually was a culmination of a much longer process. In this essay I will be focusing on the events that led up to the terrifying 14 day event of the Cuban Missile Crisis as well as looking at the crisis from an individual level of analysis and from a realist point of view. In order to fully understand the Cuban Missile Crisis, we must first take a look at all of the events that had lead up to the crisis. Among many of the factors leading up to the nuclear standoff between the countries, one of the factors, of course, was the genuine concern of defense of each leader, John F. Kennedy, Nikita Khrushchev, and Fidel Castro. Each leader would act in uncertainty trying to offset the actions of the other leaders out of fear of what the others might do. One major event that had raised lots of concern, was in April, 1961, during the Bay of Pigs. This was an unsuccessful invasion by the untrained CIA of the United States to overthrow the Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro. Due...
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...president John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev came to an agreement which during the time created the perspective that the U.S. was the more powerful country in the situation; but later on creating the impression that the U.S. was privately trying to defend themselves. Khrushchev agreed to publicly remove the nuclear missiles from Cuba, while the U.S. agreed publicly to not attack Cuba. Many people believed that this was a greater positive for the U.S. and created the impression that The United States took control situation and was the aggressor in the negotiations. It was not until decades later that it was found and announced that the U.S. had also agreed to secretly remove the nuclear missiles from Turkey. During the Cuban Missile Crisis the Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin...
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...I had three participants in my interview about the Cold War. They varied in age and gender. Jane Doe is a 40 year old mother who completed high school. Jim Johnson is an 18 year old male who just began his Associates degree. James Black is a 52 year old man who finished high school. Each had similar and differing answers depending on the question asked. To get a basic understanding of their knowledge of the Cold War I asked, “Did you ever study the Cold War in school? If so, what are some aspects of the Cold War that you remember?” Responses to this question seemed to change according to age. James, being the oldest of the interviewed subjects stated that he honestly did not know if they learned about it in school. He stated with a chuckle, “That was a long time ago, but I think the Berlin wall was involved.” He stated that everyone seemed to be anti-communism. Jane, also felt that school was so long ago that she was unsure. She did state that she felt fairly certain that she did learn about this subject while in school. Jim, the freshest out of school was much more confident in his answer. Jim stated, “Yes, the Cuban missile crisis was the peak of the Cold War. It was a time when Soviet Russia set up a missile base in Cuba, which was the closest to America. It caused great distress.” When I asked the subjects, “What words or phrases come to mind when you think of the term Cold War”, the answers were similar. James’s answer was the most basic stating, “Russia and nuclear war...
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...Introduction I decided to write about the Cuban missile crisis, because it was a very important event in mankind history. There was a higher risk or probability of nuclear war than ever before. It could cost millions of lives and change the progress of the people. Everything depended on the solutions of the two countries, or simplified, on the solutions of two men – president of the United States of America, John F. Kennedy and president of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev. I will try to focus on the particular question, which is – why did the Soviet Union decide to place nuclear missiles in Cuba. I have chosen this question because it is the principle of the crisis. Looking on it from different points of view will secure the objectivity of the conclusions. First, I will analyze it with using the theory of Constructivism, then I will use the Game theory. Realism In realism, states are the principal actors in the international system, which is anarchic. States look on their own interests and they are rational unitary actors. Placing of the missiles in Cuba was in conflict of the Soviets behavior and their statements: The Soviets gave every indication of sensitivity both to American strategic interests and to the president's political needs. In their September 4 meeting, Ambassador Dobrynin called on Robert Kennedy to relay a confidential promise from Chairman Khrushchev that the Soviet Union would not create any trouble for the United States during the election...
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...Crisis can be readily attributed to the realist perspective. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy launched the Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba, which was a thwarted attempt by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with assistance from United States armed forces, to oust the corrupt government of Fidel Castro. This failed operation had sent the US back into a defensive position. In former President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s remarks to Kennedy he stated, “The failure of the Bay of Pigs will embolden the Soviets to do something that they would otherwise not do (Absher, 10).” However, not only was the US more alert; so was Cuba. Cuba had evidence that the US would try to invade once more. Thus, Castro and the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev conceived the plan to strategically place nuclear missiles in Cuba to protect themselves from the US. The realist perspective, among other things, involves the pursuit of power and, more importantly, a balance of power. The Soviet Union felt that a successful American invasion of Cuba would be extremely detrimental to the global communist movement. From the Soviet perspective this would negatively shift the balance of power out of their favor. This presents a security dilemma between two extremely power nations of the United States and the Soviet Union. As the Soviet Union amassed power to protect Cuba from American invasion, through placing nuclear weapons in striking range of the US, the US was in turn threatened by the...
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...The Cuban Missile Crisis February 13, 2012 On October 14, 1962, a U2 spy plane, flying a mission over Cuba, snapped a series of photographs that became the first direct evidence of Soviet medium range ballistic nuclear missiles in Cuba. These missiles clearly displayed an offensive weapons buildup on the island. These photographs lead to the closest the world has ever came to a nuclear war. According to Nikita Khrushchev's memoirs, in May 1962 he conceived the idea of placing intermediate range nuclear missiles in Cuba as a means of countering an emerging lead of the United States in developing and deploying strategic missiles. He also presented the scheme as a means of protecting Cuba from another United States-sponsored invasion, such as the failed attempt at the Bay of Pigs in 1961. Furthermore, the Soviet Union wanted to have missiles within the range of major United States cities because of the Americans stash of missiles in Turkey. After obtaining Fidel Castro's approval, the Soviet Union worked quickly and secretly to build missile installations in Cuba. On October 16, 1962 President Kennedy was informed that the Soviet Union was constructing sites in Cuba for surface to air missiles with a range of 1000 miles. The United States is about 90 miles away from Cuba The missiles had the potential to carry warheads 60 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. The President called together a group of advisors ( named the Ex -Comm) who contemplated...
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...‘Confused and inconsistent.’ How accurate is this assessment of Khrushchev’s foreign policy? Khrushchev's foreign policy throughout his rule is often characterised as “inconsistent” by many historians. Despite outwardly appearing as if he wanted to achieve peaceful relations with the U.S and the West in general, several of Khrushchev’s actions directly contradict this. "There are only two ways- either Peaceful Coexistence or the most destructive war in History. There is no third way." - Khrushchev After the death of Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev took over in control of the USSR. Khrushchev made multiple efforts to appear to work towards a serious “peaceful co-existence.” Though many of the events which took place during Khrushchev’s leadership brought the world closer to another major war than ever before, Soviet domestic and foreign policy during this time is often regarded as a “thaw” in Cold War tension. From this we can gather that his foreign policy was in fact successful. Not only did he manage to avoid nuclear warfare with the U.S, but he also gave a speech in 1956 where he formally announced a new policy of “destalinisation” - political prisoners were set free, Beria (Stalin’s Chief of Secret Police) was executed, giving up bases in Finland, abandoning vetoing admission of new countries to the UN, allowing greater freedom to satellite states and re conciliating with Tito in 1955. In 1961 Khrushchev declared that the period of 'the dictatorship of the proletariat'...
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