Soviet Leaders

Nikita Khrushchev

Nikita Krushchev was born in 1894 to an illiterate peasant family in Kalinovka, a village near Russia's border with Ukraine. To assist his family Krushchev began to find odd jobs at an early age. Even with Nikita's supplemental income and his Father working two jobs, his family was unable to survive as Farmers. In 1908 his family moved to an industrial center in the Ukraine. Nikita was able to find a job as a factory worker. This is where he first began to get involved in activism. At the age of 18, Khrushchev joined a group of workers at the factory he was working at in a strike, requesting better-working conditions. Due to his actions he was fired. Shortly afterward he was able to find a different job but sitll remained active in different activist causes, such as organizing strikes. After the Russian Revolution Khruschchev had joined the Bolshevik forces in the red army during the Russian Civil War. From this point forward he was a dedicated communist. After the Russian Civil War had ended, Khrushchev was given several political assignments, including formal training in Marxism form a technical college. Shortly after he graduated he received an assignment in a poltical post in the Ukraine. The person in charge of the political post where Khrushchev was assigned was Lazar Kaganovich, a protege of Joseph Stalin. Khrushchev Joined him in his support of Stalin, especially in his struggles with Leon Trotsky. Once Stalin had officially gained power Khrushchev's political career soared. Constant promotions and other benefits kept coming to Khrushchev. In 1935 he became the second in command of the Moscow communist party. He oversaw many important assignments such as the construction of Moscow's subway system in 1939. Soon afterward he became a full member of the Politburo. By the time World War II had begun Khrushchev was sent to head the Communist party in the Ukraine. This put him in near the Front lines during the war. One the war had ended Khrushchev was called back to Moscow, where he became one of Stalin's close advisors.
After Stalin's death in 1953 Khrushchev and Kikolai Bulganin, a fellow member of the politburo won power. Bulgarian became the premier and Khrushchev was put in charge of the Communist Party, soon Khrushchev became the Dominate figure of the two. The leadership style of Khrushchev was drastically different from that of Joseph Stalin. In a monumental speech to the 20th congress in 1956 Khrushchev denounced Stalin for his actions. Censorship was reduced, Legal order was restored and the secret police became less of a threat. Khrushchev's reforms contributed to a large amount of Independence movements in Eastern Europe. even though Khrushchev supported many reforms he still did not accept any dissent. He sent troops into Hungary in 1956. In 1958 he became also became the premier giving him absolute power.
Unlike Stalin, Khrushchev supported Peaceful co-existence with the west. He toured the United States in 1959. His relations with China quickly went sour. The Soviet and Chinese style of communism constantly upset the two nations. Khrushchev also with stood large amounts of international tension, such at his "stand over" Berlin and the Cuban Missile Crisis. In October 1964,Khrushchev was removed from power. This was due to several reasons 1) Many of his reforms had alienated many powerful Soviet Constituents. 2) Repeated Short falls in Production 3) The rift with China. A group of conservatives led by Leonid Brezhnev Replaced Khrushchev. He spent the remainder of his days living in obscurity in the rural village of Dacha where he died in 1971.

Leonid Brezhnev

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was born to Russian Parents in the Ukrainian mining town of Kamensk on December 19, 1906. Very little is known about his youth except that at the age of 15 he went to work in the steel mill that employed his father. After the Revolution he pursued a technical education, and after graduation became a land Surveyor. Soon afterward he developed a desire to enter politics. In 1931 he joined the communist party, and took up and manages several party posts. He had a knack for being able to survey to political landscape. After Joseph Stalin had died Brezhnev had aligned himself with Nikita Krushchev. Brezhnez even supported him when the politburo wanted to remove him. Brezhnev was rewarded for his loyalty, so he was given a spot in the politburo.
By the early 1960's Brezhnev looked like the sucussor to Khrushchev, in 1960 he was named the leader of the Supreme Soviet. In 1964 he resigned to become Khrushckev's direct assistant. After only three months at that post he and several other conservatives as part of a collation forced Khrushchev out of power. Brezhnev was named leader of the communist party and became one of the two most important men in all of the Soviet Union. The other person was Soviet Premier Aleksei Kosygin. In time Brezhnev became the dominate figure of the two and was soon manned General Sectary of the Communist Party.
Brezhnev's style of leadership was drastically different from that of Khrushchev's. Brezhnev's colorless style was in sharp contrast to that of Khruschev.
Under Brezhnev the Soviet Buracray flourished. Other elements of the Government that lost power during the reign of Khrushchev such as the KGB regained authority. in 1968 the Soviet Government decided to Czechoslovakia was an indication of Brezhnev's control. In a speech shortly after the Invasion he justified his actions in what eventually became to be called the "Brezhnev Doctrine". It stated that the Soviet Union had the right to intervene in the affairs of other socialist states.
Brezhnev was dedicated to the ongoing struggle with the United States. He was notably more cautious than Khrushchev but he still supported many anti-American regimes throughout the world, such as in Vietnam, and the Middle East. Détente entered a new era when he along with United States President Richard Nixon signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT). The progress was short lived and by 1979 SALT was a distant memory.
Around this time Brezhnev became increasingly feeble and his health declined rapidly. The Soviet economy also declined along with Brezhnev's health. Years of heavy spending on Defense and Aerospace, at the expense of agriculture had began to take its toll. Ordinary Soviet citizens had to wait in long lines to basic needs such as bread. Economic productivity and the Soviet Standard of Living fell into a slow and steady decline.
Brezhnev died on November 12,1982 at the age of 75.