The Uygh Gheil, yes,

or ras, if yes or Ross.

We're you,

again, Welcome to the Russian rulers history podcast.

Episode number 90.

Who is this Kruzistruff guy anyway? Well last episode we saw how

Nikita Crustruff began its consolidation of power by taking out Georgie Malankof

and diminishing the influence of Yachislav Molotov.

Now I know I ended last week's podcast by saying that this week I will be talking about the

Soviet Union's next big crisis, the Hungarian

revolution, but that won't be happening today. Sorry, but I think I jumped the gun

as I haven't said much about the background of the man who will be running the country for the next few years.

Nikita Khrushchev.

So how did this son of poor peasants Sergei Khrushchev rise to the pinnacle of power in the Soviet Union?

The story is as unbelievable as any fiction novelist could dream up.

Born on April 15, 1894, and the town of Kalinovka, a little village in what is now

Russia's Kurzk Oblast near the Ukrainian border.

The abject poverty of Kalinovka was profound.

Eaking out a living was extremely difficult for most, if not all the inhabitants of the small remote town.

Now to understand what we mean by abject poverty, I'm going to read to you a turn-of-the-century account of the living conditions.

Cottages, having no chimneys, are still very common.

Almost all had thatched roofs which often lean, and in the winter the walls are generally covered with dung to keep the place warm.

...