Nikita Khrushchev: The One With The Shoe

Nikita Khrushchev was a Soviet politician who served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964. He was known for his belligerence and his fondness for banging his shoe on tables.

Khrushchev was born in 1894 in a rural part of Russia. He became involved in Communist politics at a young age and rose through the ranks of the Soviet government. In 1953, following the death of Joseph Stalin, Khrushchev became the leader of the Soviet Union.

Khrushchev was a controversial leader. He launched a campaign of liberalization known as the “Thaw,” which loosened restrictions on free speech and artistic expression. However, he also presided over a period of tense relations between the Soviet Union and the West, culminating in the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Despite his serious demeanor, Khrushchev was known for his sense of humor. He once famously quipped, “Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even where there is no river.”

However, Khrushchev is perhaps best remembered for one particular incident: banging his shoe on a desk during a United Nations General Assembly meeting in 1960. The incident was sparked by a speech given by the Filipino delegate, who accused the Soviet Union of colonialism. Khrushchev was incensed and took off his shoe, banging it on the desk in a fit of rage.

The incident was widely reported in the press and has become a symbol of Khrushchev’s confrontational style. It even inspired a popular joke: “Why did Khrushchev bang his shoe on the desk? Because he ran out of vodka.”

Khrushchev was eventually removed from power in 1964 and lived out his remaining years in retirement. He died in 1971.

Love him or hate him, Nikita Khrushchev was a larger-than-life figure whose impact on Soviet history is still felt to this day. And, of course, there’s always his infamous shoe-banging incident to make us all laugh.