Nikita Khrushchev was a significant figure in the history of the Soviet Union, known for his roles as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1953–1964) and as Premier of the Soviet Union (1958–1964). Born on April 15, 1894, in Kalinovka, in what is now Ukraine, Khrushchev rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most powerful men in the world during the Cold War era.
Khrushchev was the son of a peasant family. His early education was limited, but he managed to join the Bolshevik Party in 1918 during the Russian Civil War. His political career began in earnest in the 1920s in Moscow, where he worked in various party positions, eventually becoming involved in the leadership of the city.
After the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, Khrushchev emerged as part of a collective leadership, eventually outmaneuvering his rivals to consolidate power. His most famous act during this period was the "Secret Speech" at the 20th Party Congress in 1956, where he denounced Stalin's cult of personality and initiated the process of De-Stalinization.
Khrushchev's erratic leadership style, along with economic failures and his handling of foreign policy, contributed to his ousting in 1964. He was replaced by a collective leadership with Leonid Brezhnev as the new First Secretary.
Despite his removal from power, Khrushchev's reforms and his attempt to break from Stalinist practices had a lasting impact on Soviet politics and society. His policies of de-Stalinization, though incomplete, set the stage for later reforms under Mikhail Gorbachev.