This text covers all aspects of the Khruschev era during the years 1953-1964. When Stalin died in 1953 he left behind a political vacuum and a flawed legacy. By 1957, Krushchev was the acclaimed national leader who embarked on a series of economic reforms and attempted to make the Communist Party more accountable as well as bureaucrats more responsive to the needs and aspirations of the people. However, he believed, like Gorbachev until 1988, that he could do all this without fundamentally changing the system. The personal characteristics of Khrushchev are also displayed here.
