#soviet leader

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Nikita Khruschev's visit to the United States in 1959 marked the first time a Soviet leader had ventured there. As you can see, the crowds that lined 34th Street to watch his motorcade take him from Penn Station to the Waldorf were wildly enthusiastic, September 17, 1959.

Photo: Associated Press

[professorambrius]

Mikhail Gorbachev, who steered Soviet breakup, dead at 91

Mikhail Gorbachev, who as the last leader of the Soviet Union waged a losing battle to salvage a crumbling empire but produced extraordinary reforms that led to the end of the Cold War, died Tuesday. The Central Clinical Hospital said in a statement that Gorbachev died after a long illness. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that Russian President Vladimir Putin offered deep condolences over Gorbachev’s death and would send an official telegram to Gorbachev’s family in the morning.

A true giant in the history of world politics.

[ilovecommies]

Joseph Stalin and Kliment Voroshilov share a joke, c. 1935

[lifeofalostprincess]

Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build bridges even when they're are no rivers.

Nikita Khrushchev.