 |
 |
 Nikolai
Aleksandrovich Bulganin served in a
number of minor and major positions in the
Communist Party and earned a reputation as a
more-than-capable administrator. He became
Premier of the Soviet Union in 1955, but was
removed by Nikita Khrushchev in 1958. |
 Nikita Sergeyevich
Khrushchev served as Premier from
1958 to 1964. Events during his tenure included
the U-2 affair, the building of the Berlin Wall,
the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the launching of
Sputnik. |
 Mikhail Sergeyevich
Gorbachev was the first man since
Joseph Stalin to head the Soviet Union as both
President and General Secretary. His time in
those offices was marked by warming of relations
with the United States, and, eventually, the end
of the Soviet Union. He was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in ending the
"Cold War." |
 Boris Nikolayevich
Yeltsin became the first popularly
elected President of Russia in 1991. He survived
two coup attempts and one impeachment attempt
during his first term, but health problems forced
him to resign in 1999. |
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