Nikita Khrushchev

As Premier of the Soviet Union from 1953-1964, Nikita Khrushchev was responsible for the process known as "De-Stalinization," a rejection of the cult of personality, harsh economic and social restrictions and occasionally brutal measures of former Premier Joseph Stalin's dictatorial regime. This period of reversal came to be known as "The Thaw" or "Khrushchev's Thaw."

Khrushchev's downfall came as a result of a conspiracy among the Party bosses - Leonid Brezhnev, Aleksandr Shelepin and Vladimir Semichastny - who saw his behavior as an embarrassment. The Communist Party accused Khrushchev of making political mistakes, such as mishandling the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, mismanaging The Cold War and disorganizing the Soviet economy, especially in the agricultural sector.

Leonid Brezhnev took over power and forced Khrushchev's retirement - the former Premier lived under house arrest till his death in 1971. The Soviet Union denied him a State Funeral and he wasn't allowed to be buried in the Kremlin Wall, as is tradition for heads of state and other high ranking officials.