In this film, Dr Alexander Titov (Queen's University of Belfast), provides a profile of Khrushchev’s background and personality and how these influenced his politics and ideas.

Dr Titov takes us on a journey from Khrushchev's peasant beginnings in Kursk, his rapid rise in the communist party, his role in the purges, to finally becoming a member of the Politburo in the 1930s. Dr Titov looks as Khruschev’s experience during WWII and how this impacted his view of Stalin, he discusses politics in the Soviet Union after the war and how Khrushchev found himself in one of the leading positions to succeed Stalin when he died.

This first film in the series is available open-access to all. The other films are available to HA Historian members. Find out about membership here.