The book describes nikita khrushchev s rise from obscurity to lead the second most powerful nation in the world, until his ignominious departure in a political coup similar to the one that had brought him into powerexcept for its being bloodless. The inside story of an american adversary by aleksandr fursenko and timothy naftali, w. Through an award winning digital archive, the project allows scholars, journalists, students, and the interested public to reassess the cold war and its many contemporary legacies. Altogether it is one of the best books ever written about the soviet union.
The book concludes with khrushchevs death on september 11, 1971. May 27, 2011 rusk had been shocked that soviet premier nikita khrushchev had used the word war during their acrimonious exchange about berlins future, a term diplomats invariably replaced with any number of less alarming synonyms. In the soviet union, nikita khrushchev s leadership from 19551964 is remembered as a period of thaw during the cold war. Biography of nikita khrushchev, cold war era soviet leader. Khrushchevs trip itinerary american experience official. I hope readers who lived through the cold war will also find the volume useful, because as marx once said groucho, not karl, outside of a dog, a book. Learn about khrushchev s disastrous 1959 trip to the u. Nikita sergeyevich khrushchev led the soviet union as the first secretary of the communist. Despite all the presidents presummit briefings, rusk felt kennedy had been unprepared for khrushchev s brutality. No, you wont accept communism outright, but well keep feeding you small doses of socialism until youll finally wake up and find you already have communism. Throughout the 1960s, the terrain of the cold war became truly global, ranging from europe to asia, africa, and latin america, with the possibility of nuclear war and the reality of guerrilla war, insurrection, and subversion. The united states, the soviet union, and the cold war. One of the giants of american journalism now recreates an unforgettable timein which the whole world feared extinction. With their deeply researched khrushchevs cold war, aleksandr fursenko and timothy naftali lift the veil of secrecy further than ever, exposing how moscow made foreign policy decisions during.
Jfk was completely unprepared for his summit with khrushchev. Constantine pleshakov, coauthor, inside the kremlins cold war few books in the field of cold war history have been as eagerly awaited as william taubmans biography of nikita khrushchev. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading khrushchevs cold war. Khrushchev s thaw had its genesis in the concealed power struggle among stalins lieutenants. The inside story of an american adversary, by aleksandr fursenko and timothy naftali. Things like chicken breeding and hybrid corn took an outsized, and somewhat surprising, role in u. The khrushchev thaw is an unofficial name of the period in the history of the ussr after the death of joseph stalin from 1953 to 1964. Nikita khrushchev s dramatic destalinization speech in february 1956 was a watershed moment in the cold war. Description this film shows the news footage of soviet premier nikita khrushchev s visit to iowa in 1959. The west confronts communism, 19501953 by michael hickey john murray, 1999 about the author. Aleksandr fursenkos and timothy naftalis khruschevs cold war is one of the best books written on the soviet leaders life in recent years and incorporates many newly declassified documents to present a new and detailed account on the soviet leaders life.
Stalin appointed him a political commissar, and khrushchev served on a number of fronts as an intermediary between the local military commanders and the political rulers in moscow. Khrushchev arrives in america a clip from cold war. High noon in the cold war captures the cuban missile crisis in a new light, from inside the hearts and minds of the famous men who provoked and, in the nick of time, resolved the confrontation. When nikita khrushchev toured america in 1959the first russian leader ever to set foot in the western hemisphere, let alone the united statesthe country was enjoying a period of unprecedented prosperity, just as the cold war and the possibility of thermonuclear annihilation were causing widespread, bonedeep dread throughout the land. If you want to know about khrushchev s upbringing or how he got to where he was, read taubman, but if you want to know specifically about the soviet and even the broader us perspective on the cold war, specifically in europe, the middle east, the congo and cuba, i dont think you could find a better book. The origins of the cold war new enemy is the united states.
The fact that the soviets were successful fed fears that the u. Go here for another memorable cold war clash during the 1961 berlin crisis. Battles hot and cold were fought in cuba, berlin, and vietnam. He was a prominent leader of indonesias nationalist movement during the dutch colonial period and. Yesterday, i posted a list of great histories of the cold war. Khrushchev s foreign policy of pursuing peaceful coexistence with the united states and its allies was a dramatic change from previous leaders attitudes. A new history is meant chiefly, therefore, for a new generation of readers for whom the cold war was never current events. Khrushchev was born in 1935 when his father was moscow party chief. As a child he remained in the village, tending livestock for most of the year, though in the winter he was able to attend an elementary school a rarity for peasant children before the russian. Nikita khrushchev, first secretary of the communist party of the soviet union 195364 and premier of the soviet union 195864 whose policy of destalinization had widespread repercussions throughout the communist world.
Economics and foreign policy to understand his policy, need to understand him as a true believer and dedicated to the principles of 1917. Dec 18, 2006 with their deeply researched khrushchevs cold war, aleksandr fursenko and timothy naftali lift the veil of secrecy further than ever, exposing how moscow made foreign policy decisions during. In the west, khrushchev s thaw is known as a temporary thaw in the icy tension between the united states and the ussr during the cold war. Khrushchevs cold war by aleksandr fursenko and timothy. His leadership played a key role in the 1960s during the height of the cold war, a fourdecade standoff between the united states and the soviet union. When world war i broke out in 1914, khrushchev was exempt from conscription because he was a skilled metal worker. This acclaimed study from the authors of one hell of a gamble brings to life headtohead confrontations between the soviet premier nikita khrushchev and presidents eisenhower and kennedy. Nikita khrushchev 18941971 led the soviet union during the height of the cold war, serving as premier from 1958 to 1964. Khrushchev and the cold war 1947 truman doctrine and marshall plan. And still, after the cold war, americanrussian relations are based on many misunderstandings. Among his many books are moscow spring and stalins american policy. Publicly, he called for a peaceful coexistence with the west and then.
Khrushchev was born in 1894 to a peasant family in ukraine. Oct 22, 2018 lasting a little over a decade, his leadership spanned a crucial phase of the cold war. The inside story of an american adversary kindle edition by fursenko, aleksandr, naftali, timothy. Nikita khrushchev biography life, childhood, children, name. Nikita khrushchev world war ii war against germany. Laid basis for post war order stalin, churchill, roosevelt. He is the editor and translator of khrushchev on khrushchev by sergie n. How the supermarket helped america win the cold war ep. Nixon was obviously interested in preparing himself for the trip raymond l. When the germans invaded the ussr, in june 1941, khrushchev was still at his post in kiev. He led the soviet union during the first part of the cold war. The book is indispensable for anyone hoping to understand the cold wars most dangerous phase, and how the world managed to survive it. Oct 29, 2018 nikita khrushchev april 15, 1894september 11, 1971 was the leader of the soviet union during a critical decade of the cold war.
Khrushchevs cold war by aleksandr fursenko and timothy naftali. Nikita khrushchev biography life, childhood, children. Aleksandr fursenko and timothy naftali, khrushchev s cold war. The inside story of an american adversary has 2 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace. In foreign affairs he pursued a policy of peaceful coexistence with the capitalist west. Did nikita khrushchev say well keep feeding you small. Dec 17, 2006 with their deeply researched khrushchevs cold war, aleksandr fursenko and timothy naftali lift the veil of secrecy further than ever, exposing how moscow made foreign policy decisions during. Drawing on their unrivaled access to politburo and kgb materials, aleksandr fursenko and timothy naftali combine new insights into the cuban missile crisis as well as startling narratives of the contests for suez, iraq, berlin, and southeast asia, with vivid portraits of leaders who challenged moscow. Woitv film collection, special collections and university archives, iowa state university library. Aug 05, 2020 after world war i and world war ii came the cold war, between the u. Khrushchev and the struggle for succession3 candidates to replace stalin.
Did nikita khrushchev say well keep feeding you small doses. Nikita khrushchev, first secretary of the communist party of the soviet union. Top 25 quotes by nikita khrushchev of 84 az quotes. Ten cold war memoirs worth reading council on foreign relations. Frederick kempe, president and ceo of the atlantic council, argues in his book berlin 1961 that kennedy could have prevented this if he were tougher on khrushchev in vienna. It was the nucleus of a campaign intended to repudiate the late dictator. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Aleksandr fursenko and timothy naftali, khrushchevs cold. The inside story of an american adversary paperback illustrated, october 17, 2007.
The book describes nikita khrushchev s rise from obscurity to lead the second most powerful nation in the world, until his ignominious departure in a political coup similar to the one. It is mostly a book about his time in charge during the cold war. In a voluminous but thoroughly engaging 545 pages, aleksandr fursenko and timothy naftali make a detailed study of the cold wars most enigmatic leader in khrushchevs cold war. When nikita khrushchev became the first soviet premier ever to visit the u. Book by nikita sergeevich khrushchev, strobe talbott little, brown, p. In khrushchevs cold war, a sequel to their international history of the cuban missile crisis, aleksandr fursenko and timothy naftali use new archival sources to provide a detailed and dramatic look through soviet eyes at the most dangerous years of the cold war. In the crowded field of cold war historiography, fursenko and naftali continue to unearth valuable gems from newly available soviet government documents, a portion of which were first put to use in their history of the 1962 u. Saw an era of peaceful economic competition and the cold war as a transition period. When khrushchev gained power within the soviet union, he wanted to disassociate himself from the salin years. Khrushchevs memoirs were originally published as khrushchev remembers in. Soviet premier nikita khrushchev visits farms, research.
The articles appeared in late november and early december and the book, khrushchev remembers, came out in late december. Jun 11, 2020 during much of the cold war, khrushchev could be charming, playfully combative or belligerent, depending on his audience. It featured a space race, an arms race, and a farms race. Feb 18, 2021 khrushchevs secret speech february 25, 1956, in russian history, denunciation of the deceased soviet leader joseph stalin made by nikita khrushchev to a closed session of the 20th congress of the communist party of the soviet union. Oct 01, 2006 but, as it happens, khrushchev had to fight many battles back home. Khrushchev s aggression during the talks surprised kennedy as well as secretary of state dean rusk, who was shocked khrushchev raised the possibility of war something neither leader wanted. The cold war began, a long period of rivalry 19471991 which pitted the u. Potsdam conference, the alliance started to crumble, july 1945 the cold war was fought on the political, economic, and propaganda fronts. Khrushchev considered himself his own foreign minister. Cold war communism country economy giving history politicians politics revolution socialism war. Soviet expansionism can be seen as a reason for the cold war. The soviet political leader nikita khrushchev was a major force in world politics in the second half of the twentieth century. His leadership style and expressive personality came to represent russians hostility toward the united states in the eyes of the american public.
The inside story of an american adversary fursenko, aleksandr, naftali, timothy on amazon. As a result, the launch of sputnik served to intensify the arms race and raise cold war tensions. Aleksandr fursenko and timothy naftali, khrushchevs cold war. The inside story of an american adversary, the authors explore the complicated balance between cooperation with the west and competition for third world support that undergirded the soviet diplomatic strategy from 1955 to 1963. The video focuses on khrushchev at the swine research center of iowa state university. To understand these diplomatic maneuvers, fursenko and naftali focus on khrushchevs complex policies of building detente with his penchant for risky brinkmanship and coercive diplomacy which, he hoped, would yield substantive geopolitical gains. The survivors of a nuclear war would envy the dead. Khrushchevs cold war provides a gripping history of the crisis years of the cold war.
The cold war international history project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the cold war. For the first time, the proceedings of the committee were made public in book form, a practice which was. Cold war communism country economy giving history politicians politics revolution socialism war you americans are so gullible. Khrushchev at his most khrushchevian wilson center. On the surface, the red army and the soviet leadership seemed united after their victory in world war ii. During the 1950s, both the united states and the soviet union were working to develop new technology. After a succession crisis following stalins death in 1953, khrushchev, as general secretary of the communist party, decided to open a box long closed even to party members. The tensions were able to thaw because of khrushchev s destalinization of the ussr and peaceful coexistence theory and also because of us president eisenhower s cautious attitude and peace attempts. Using his personal memories of covering the conflict, and gathering evidence. Those books provide an excellent analysis of the u. Several major leaders among the red army commanders, such as marshal georgy zhukov and his loyal officers, had some serious tensions with stalins secret service. Oct 25, 2010 contains unsettling insights into some of the most dangerous geopolitical crises of the time.
478 1396 472 78 1009 1158 242 724 679 76 1451 995 928 1259 1488 580 512 1270 546 1226 1308 51 127 854 1345 998 493 209