|
Krushchev's son Sergei who moved to the west painted a benign portrait of his father. Other biographers are less kind. Most paint a man whose crass buffonery often hid a ruthless core. [Montefiore] Stalin treated him as a country bumkin, but a loyal one. [Khriuschec, 1970] Khrushchev was a true believer in Communism, but over time came to question Stalin's judgment, at least to himself. Like many of his generation, the Revolution had provided opportunities that were incoceiveable under the Tsarist regime. He was not even able to continue his education beyond primary school before the Revolution. He thus was convinced that the Communist system was an undisputable force for good and as Marx depicted it a scientifically based system that if properly managed would out produce the West and create a utopia era of prosperity. he was perplexed when confronted with the Soviet Union's deep seated economic problems. But he remained a true believer. And of course like the Spanish inqusitors, possession of the absolute truth justified extremne cruelty and brutality. Historians argue about Hhrishchev's role in Stalin's attrocities. And one has to ask just what an individual could do when questioning could lead to an NKVD bullet in the head or the Gulag and when a belief in Communism justfied the harshest methods. Now while this all has generated debates among historians, we think one assessment is less controversial. Hjrushchev did not have Stalin's dark heart. He did bot believe in terror as an instrument of governence or the murder and incarceration of millions of innocent souls. This shows up in the photographic record in his interactions with people, especially children. Now it is not unusual for dictators to be photographed with children. There are thousands of images of Hitler with children. And many of Stalin with children. But Khrushchev was not just photographed with children. Krushchev embraced children in a way that you never see Hitler, Stalin, and other dictators.
Montefiore, Simon Sebag. Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar (Knopf), 785p.
Navigate the Children in History Website:
[Return to Main Nikita Khrushchev page]
[Return to Main Stalin page]
[Return to Main Soviet communism page]
[Return to Main Stalinist page]
[Return to Main specific war and crisis page]
[Introduction]
[Animals]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Climatology]
[Clothing]
[Disease and Health]
[Economics]
[Geography]
[History]
[Human Nature]
[Law]
[Nationalism]
[Presidents]
[Religion]
[Royalty]
[Science]
[Social Class]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Children in History Home]
