History UsefulNotes / NikitaKhrushchev

The bravest thing Khrushchev did was give his "Secret Speech" to the 20th Party Congress on the 25th of March 1956. In it he denounced Stalin's elevation of himself to godhood, his tyranny, his pettiness, and his incompetence before the entire leadership of the Soviet Union. He had a script, but he got so emotional he couldn't stick to it.[[note]]"He was a coward. He panicked! ''[[SuddenlyShouting NOT ONCE DURING THE WHOLE WAR DID HE DARE GO TO THE FRONT]]''"[[/note]] Even the original transcript, as read out to people by their managers, is said to have reduced some to tears. Of course, Khruschev sidestepped the issue of his own complicity in Stalin's policies, let alone that of his audience which included Mikoyan and Molotov. Yes, ''[[ThoseWackyNazis that]]'' [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Molotov]].

Outside the Soviet Union, the reviews were not good from all those commies who had idealized Stalin, with China's UsefulNotes/MaoZedong denouncing the speech and Khruschev's de-stalinization initiatives as "revisionist" and a deviation from ideological orthodoxy. Khrushchev also supported a policy of "peaceful coexistence", which was based on the radical notion that blowing up the world would be bad. In the paranoid climate of the Cold War, that sounded like capitulation to China, Albania, and North Korea. Soon, the Sino-Soviet split developed. On the other hand, it allowed Soviet-Yugoslav relations to recover after the Tito-Stalin split (after Khrushchev, ever the happy SentimentalDrunk, got hammered with the rest of the Soviet delegation at a summit in Belgrade and plied Tito and his aides with drink and pleas to "drink up and let bygones be bygones").

--> ''Damn your eyes, Mr. Khruschev''\\

Other notable events of his time in power include the launching of ''Sputnik'' and UsefulNotes/YuriGagarin's orbit around the Earth. On a less positive note, he crushed the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and oversaw the construction of the UsefulNotes/BerlinWall. And yes, he is partly to blame for the Crimean crisis in Ukraine. [[PatrioticFervor A Ukrainian himself]], he found it prudent to give away Crimea to the Ukranian Soviet Republic in 1953. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice Job Breaking It, Boychick]]. Finally, it should be noted that, although his efforts to improve the Soviet agriculture mostly failed[[note]]mainly because he attempted to introduce corn to so-called "Virgin Lands" which were unsuited for corn-based agriculture. This caused several tons of topsoil to just erode, making them even MORE unsuited for farming[[/note]], the improved relations with the West allowed the USSR to import grain and finally put a stop to the famines that plagued it since The Russian Civi lWar and the later collectivisation of agriculture in 1929 (and [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI wartime Tsarist Russia]] before that, what with [[HeroicRROD the over-mobilization and goods-shortage crises]]).

In [[InsaneTrollLogic a classic piece of Khrushchev-ian logic]] Khrushchev later came to believe that [[AdultFear his familiarity with war's horrors meant]] that he could prove more able to stomach the possibility of a war than someone who had not experienced them (and therefore was even more scared of war) - namely the US President in 1962, John Kennedy (who had 'only' served in the Navy). [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready This proved not to be the case]], as Khrushchev's harsher experiences seem to have inspired more fear than did Kennedy's.

Other notable events of his time in power include the launching of ''Sputnik'' and {{Yuri Gagarin}}'s orbit around the Earth. On a less positive note, he crushed the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and oversaw the construction of the UsefulNotes/BerlinWall. And yes, he is partly to blame for the Crimean crisis in Ukraine. [[PatrioticFervor A Ukrainian himself]], he found it prudent to give away Crimea to the Ukranian Soviet Republic in 1953. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice Job Breaking It, Boychick]]. Finally, it should be noted that, although his efforts to improve the Soviet agriculture mostly failed[[note]]mainly because he attempted to introduce corn to so-called "Virgin Lands" which were unsuited for corn-based agriculture. This caused several tons of topsoil to just erode, making them even MORE unsuited for farming[[/note]], the improved relations with the West allowed the USSR to import grain and finally put a stop to the famines that plagued it since The Russian Civi lWar and the later collectivisation of agriculture in 1929 (and [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI wartime Tsarist Russia]] before that, what with [[HeroicRROD the over-mobilization and goods-shortage crises]]).

The bravest thing Khrushchev did was give his "Secret Speech" to the 20th Party Congress on the 25th of March 1956. In it he denounced Stalin's elevation of himself to godhood, his tyranny, his pettiness, and his incompetence before the entire leadership of the Soviet Union. He had a script, but he got so emotional he couldn't stick to it[[note]] "He was a coward. He panicked! ''[[SuddenlyShouting NOT ONCE DURING THE WHOLE WAR DID HE DARE GO TO THE FRONT]]''" [[/note]]. Even the original transcript, as read out to people by their managers, is said to have reduced some to tears. Of course, Khruschev sidestepped the issue of his own complicity in Stalin's policies, let alone that of his audience which included Mikoyan and Molotov. Yes, ''[[ThoseWackyNazis that]]'' [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Molotov]].

The bravest thing Khrushchev did was give his "Secret Speech" to the 20th Party Congress on the 25th of March 1956. In it he denounced Stalin's elevation of himself to godhood, his tyranny, his pettiness, and his incompetence before the entire leadership of the Soviet Union. He had a script, but he got so emotional he couldn't stick to it[[note]] "He was a coward. He panicked! ''[[SuddenlyShouting NOT ONCE DURING THE WHOLE WAR DID HE DARE GO TO THE FRONT]]''". [[/note]]. Even the original transcript, as read out to people by their managers, is said to have reduced some to tears. Of course, Khruschev sidestepped the issue of his own complicity in Stalin's policies, let alone that of his audience which included Mikoyan and Molotov. Yes, ''[[ThoseWackyNazis that]]'' [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Molotov]].

Interestingly enough for someone remembered for his failed brand of Nuclear Brinkmanship, personal accounts note him having a particular hatred and fear of war. Although both Khrushchev and his right-hand man, later Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, served as Commissars to Red Army military units and [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo were physically present around Stalingrad during the eponymous 1942-3 campaign]], neither was actually 'at the front' due to their rank. As the Commissar of the Stalingrad Front at that time Khrushchev was responsible for the morale of the 100,000+ combat and 200,000+ logistics troops serving under General Vasily Chuikov, so his role mostly consisted of paperwork and interviews with high-ranking officers and commissars. That said, both saw their share of unpleasantness in the course of visiting hospitals and attacks by German ground-attack aircraft, [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight which caused many of said visits and interviews to be conducted with additional blood and viscera]]. This, and probably a sense of lingering guilt about the horribly botched Kharkov offensive operation of summer 1942 (launched by Stalin on Khrushchev's recommendations against professional military advice), caused Khrushchev to become an alcoholic by 1943. In [[InsaneTrollLogic a classic piece of Khrushchev-ian logic]] Khrushchev later came to believe that [[AdultFear his familiarity with war's horrors meant]] that he could prove more able to stomach the possibility of a war than someone who had not experienced them (and therefore was even more scared of war) - namely the US President in 1962, John Kennedy. [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready This proved not to be the case]], as Khrushchev's knowledge seems to have inspired more fear than did Kennedy's ignorance.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In ''Das Bus'' the Springfield children hold a Junior United Nations meeting which ends in fighting. Principal Skinner restores the order by banging with his shoe on the table.

* The 'crafty' side of Khrushchev is given center stage in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''. He eventually [[TheCavalry comes to the heroes' rescue]] by calling off his [=MiG=] aircraft, allowing them safe passage to Alaska.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In ''Das Bus'' the Springfield children hold a Junior United Nations meeting which ends in fighting. Principal Skinner restores the order by banging with his shoe on the table.
* ComicStrip/{{Nero}}: Khrushchev and Nikolai Bulganin have a cameo in the album ''De Wortelschieters'', where they arrive among the huge crowd present to take over Nero's island ''with only pacifist intentions in mind''.

* The second part of Tom Rob Smith's thriller/drama novel series revolving around Tcheka agent Leo Demidov is named after Khrushchev's Secret speech. Parts of the speech are quoted in the novel and it plays a decisive role in the plot.

* The third part of Tom Rob Smith's thriller/drama novel series revolving around Tcheka agent Leo Demidov is named after Khrushchev's Secret speech. Parts of the speech are quoted in the novel and it plays a decisive role in the plot.

* The third part of Tom Rob Smith's thriller/drama novel series revolving around Tcheka agent Leo Demidov is named after Khrushchev's Secret. Parts of the speech are quoted in the novel and it plays a decisive role in the plot.

-->-- Nikita Khrushchev[[note]]Somewhat LostInTranslation. He meant the U.S.S.R. would outlast the U.S. and thus be around to help dig its grave, [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp which obviously didn't happen]].[[/note]]

'''Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev''' (April 15, 1894 – September 11, 1971) was the guy who led the Soviet Union after UsefulNotes/JosefStalin. In the USSR he was remembered as that ''utter and incompetent idiot'' [[UsefulNotes/RedsWithRockets who destroyed the Red Army]] and was ''obsessed'' with missiles, practicing an ''absolutely idiotic'' brand of nuclear-blackmail/brinkmanship that nearly killed several hundred million people. In the West, he's remembered as a hotheaded buffoon who pounded his shoe on a table at the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations. Whether the shoe-related incident really happened is a matter of some debate, but it's become a symbol of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar anyway. In Russia, he's remembered for his domestic work, particularly his (failed) efforts to improve Soviet agriculture by introducing corn to the USSR, and the Khruschyovkas, low-quality, very cookie-cutter style apartment buildings that were supposed to be a temporary measure to alleviate the housing shortage (they were partially successful in this) until "communism is achieved in 20 years or so". Obviously, this never happened, and many people still live in such buildings today.

--> ''Damn your eyes, Mr. Khruschev''
--> 'Don't go dropping bombs over here''

'''Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev''' (April 15 1894 – September 11, 1971) was the guy who led the Soviet Union after UsefulNotes/JosefStalin. In the USSR he was remembered as that ''utter and incompetent idiot'' [[UsefulNotes/RedsWithRockets who destroyed the Red Army]] and was ''obsessed'' with missiles, practicing an ''absolutely idiotic'' brand of nuclear-blackmail/brinkmanship that nearly killed several hundred million people. In the West, he's remembered as a hotheaded buffoon who pounded his shoe on a table at the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations. Whether the shoe-related incident really happened is a matter of some debate, but it's become a symbol of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar anyway. In Russia, he's remembered for his domestic work, particularly his (failed) efforts to improve Soviet agriculture by introducing corn to the USSR, and the Khruschyovkas, low-quality, very cookie-cutter style apartment buildings that were supposed to be a temporary measure to alleviate the housing shortage (they were partially successful in this) until "communism is achieved in 20 years or so". Obviously, this never happened, and many people still live in such buildings today.

-- Nikita Khrushchev[[note]]Somewhat LostInTranslation. He meant the U.S.S.R. would outlast the U.S. and thus be around to help dig its grave, [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp which obviously didn't happen]].[[/note]]

-->''"We will bury you."''\\

Khrushchev was the guy who led the Soviet Union after UsefulNotes/JosefStalin. In the USSR he was remembered as that ''utter and incompetent idiot'' [[UsefulNotes/RedsWithRockets who destroyed the Red Army]] and was ''obsessed'' with missiles, practicing an ''absolutely idiotic'' brand of nuclear-blackmail/brinkmanship that nearly killed several hundred million people. In the West, he's remembered as a hotheaded buffoon who pounded his shoe on a table at the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations. Whether the shoe-related incident really happened is a matter of some debate, but it's become a symbol of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar anyway. In Russia, he's remembered for his domestic work, particularly his (failed) efforts to improve Soviet agriculture by introducing corn to the USSR, and the Khruschyovkas, low-quality, very cookie-cutter style apartment buildings that were supposed to be a temporary measure to alleviate the housing shortage (they were partially successful in this) until "communism is achieved in 20 years or so". Obviously, this never happened, and many people still live in such buildings today.

Also, he and UsefulNotes/RichardNixon had some sort of fight in a kitchen or something.

Khrushchev was the guy who led the Soviet Union after UsefulNotes/JosefStalin. In the USSR he was remembered as that ''utter and incompetent idiot'' [[UsefulNotes/RedsWithRockets who destroyed the Red Army]] and was ''obsessed'' with missiles, practicing an ''absolutely idiotic'' brand of nuclear-blackmail/brinkmanship that nearly killed several hundred million people. In the West, he's remembered as a hotheaded buffoon who pounded his shoe on a table at the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations. Whether the shoe-related incident really happened is a matter of some debate, but it's become a symbol of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar anyway. In Russia, he's remembered for his domestic work, particularly his (failed) efforts to improve Soviet agriculture by introducing corn to the USSR, and the Khruschyovkas, low-quality, very cookie-cutter style apartment buildings that were supposed to be a temporary measure to alleviate the housing shortage (they were partially successful in this) until "communism was achieved in 20 years or so". Obviously, this never happened, and many people still live in such buildings today.

Khrushchev was the guy who led the Soviet Union after UsefulNotes/JosefStalin. In the USSR he was remembered as that ''utter idiot and incompetent'' [[UsefulNotes/RedsWithRockets who destroyed the Red Army]] and was ''obsessed'' with missiles, practicing an ''absolutely idiotic'' brand of nuclear-blackmail/brinkmanship that nearly killed several hundred million people. In the West, he's remembered as a hotheaded buffoon who pounded his shoe on a table at the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations. Whether the shoe-related incident really happened is a matter of some debate, but it's become a symbol of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar anyway. In Russia, he's remembered for his domestic work, particularly his (failed) efforts to improve Soviet agriculture by introducing corn to the USSR, and the Khruschyovkas, low-quality, very cookie-cutter style apartment buildings that were supposed to be a temporary measure to alleviate the housing shortage (they were partially successful in this) until "communism was achieved in 20 years or so". Obviously, this never happened, and many people still live in such buildings today.

Other notable events of his time in power include the launching of ''Sputnik'' and {{Yuri Gagarin}}'s orbit around the Earth. On a less positive note, he crushed the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and oversaw the construction of the UsefulNotes/BerlinWall. And yes, he is partly to blame for the Crimean crisis in Ukraine. [[PatrioticFervor A Ukrainian himself]], he found it prudent to give away Crimea to the Ukranian Soviet Republic in 1953. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice Job Breaking It, Boychick]]. Finally, it should be noted that, although his efforts to improve the Soviet agriculture mostly failed[[note]]mainly because he attempted to introduce corn to so-called "Virgin Lands" which were unsuited for corn-based agriculture. This caused several tons of topsoil to just erode, making them even MORE unsuited for farming[[/note]], the improved relations with the West allowed to USSR to import grain and finally put a stop to the famines that plagued it since The Russian Civi lWar and the later collectivisation of agriculture in 1929 (and [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI wartime Tsarist Russia]] before that, what with [[HeroicRROD the over-mobilization and goods-shortage crises]]).

Khrushchev was the guy who led the Soviet Union after UsefulNotes/JosefStalin. In the USSR he was remembered as that ''utter idiot and incompetent'' [[UsefulNotes/RedsWithRockets who destroyed the Red Army]] and was ''obsessed'' with missiles, practicing an ''absolutely idiotic'' brand of nuclear-blackmail/brinkmanship that nearly killed several hundred million people. In the West, he's remembered as a hotheaded buffoon who pounded his shoe on a table at the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations. Whether the shoe-related incident really happened is a matter of some debate, but it's become a symbol of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar anyway. In Russia, he's remembered for his domestic work, particularly his (failed) efforts to improve Soviet agriculture by introducing corn to the USSR, and the Khruschyovkas, low-quality, very cookie-cutter style apartment buildings that were supposed to be a temporary measure alleviate the housing shortage (they were partially successful in this) until "communism was achieved in 20 years or so". Obviously, this never happened, and many people still live in such buildings today.

Other notable events of his time in power include the launching of ''Sputnik'' and {{Yuri Gagarin}}'s orbit around the Earth. On a less positive note, he crushed the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and oversaw the construction of the UsefulNotes/BerlinWall. And yes, he is partly to blame for the recent tumults in Ukraine. [[PatrioticFervor A Ukrainian himself]], he found it prudent to give away Crimea to the Ukranian Soviet Republic in 1953. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Nice Job Breaking It, Boychick]]. Finally, it should be noted that, although his efforts to improve the Soviet agriculture mostly failed[[note]]mainly because he attempted to introduce corn to so-called "Virgin Lands" which were unsuited for corn-based agriculture. This caused several tons of topsoil to just erode, making them even MORE unsuited for farming[[/note]], the improved relations with the West allowed to USSR to import grain and finally put a stop to the famines that plagued it since The Russian Civi lWar and the later collectivisation of agriculture in 1929 (and [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI wartime Tsarist Russia]] before that, what with [[HeroicRROD the over-mobilization and goods-shortage crises]]).

Interestingly enough for someone remembered for his failed brand of Nuclear Brinkmanship, personal accounts note him having a particular hatred and fear of war. Although both Khrushchev and his right-hand man, later Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, served as Commissars to Red Army military units and [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo were physically present around Stalingrad during the eponymous 1942-3 campaign]], neither was actually 'at the front' due to their rank. As the Commissar of the Stalingrad Front at that time Khrushchev was responsible for the morale of the 100,000+ combat and 200,000+ logistics troops serving under General Vasily Chuikov, so his role mostly consisted of paperwork and interviews with high-ranking officers and commissars. That said, both saw their share of unpleasantness in the course of visiting hospitals and attacks by German ground-attack aircraft. This, and probably a sense of lingering guilt about the horribly botched Kharkov offensive operation of summer 1942 (launched by Stalin on Khrushchev's recommendations against professional military advice), caused Khrushchev to become an alcoholic by 1943. [[InsaneTrollLogic In a classic piece of Khrushch-evian logic]] Khrushchev later believed that [[AdultFear his familiarity with its horrors meant]] that he could prove more able to stomach the possibility of a war than someone who had not experienced them and therefore was even more scared of war - namely the US President in 1962, John Kennedy. [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready This proved not to be the case]], as Khrushchev's knowledge seems to have inspired more fear than did Kennedy's ignorance.

The bravest thing Khrushchev did was give his "Secret Speech" to the 20th Party Congress on the 25th of March 1956. In it he denounced Stalin's elevation of himself to godhood, his tyranny, his pettiness, and his incompetence before the entire leadership of the Soviet Union. He had a script, but he got so emotional he couldn't stick to it[[note]] He was a coward. He panicked! ''[[SuddenlyShouting Not once during the whole war did he dare go to the front!]]'' [[/note]]. Even the original transcript, as read out to people by their managers, is said to have reduced some to tears. Of course, Khruschev sidestepped the issue of his own complicity in Stalin's policies, let alone that of his audience which included Mikoyan and Molotov. Yes, ''[[ThoseWackyNazis that]]'' [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Molotov]].

He's also remembered for his role in the Cuban missile crisis, traditionally as the "loser" to UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy. However, Khrushchev didn't make it out of that confrontation as badly as it initially seems, due to a secret deal to remove U.S. missiles from Turkey in exchange for the Soviet missiles in Cuba. But since that deal was, you know, secret, Khrushchev couldn't use it to fight the general (and generally correct, given his litany of horrible misjudgements and diplomatic bunglings ''which nearly caused WorldWarThree'') impression that he was incompetent. In the end, he was deposed by more hardline rivals, making him and UsefulNotes/MikhailGorbachev the only Soviet leaders to leave office before their deaths. If sources are to be believed, the man could be embarrassingly free-spoken and honest about things, something which actually annoyed his own secret police. May be a reason why the other leaders decided to remove him.