Khrushchev became leader of the USSR after the death of Stalin, and also ruled over a brutal regime. In 1956, he faced protests in Poland over food prices. From 23 October to 10 November, anti-Communist uprisings in Hungary broke out – these were crushed by the Red Army.

Khrushchev tried to keep a tight rule over the Eastern bloc. He also took a tough line with the West, believing that Berlin should be a united city. In November 1958, he issued an ultimatum to the West to withdraw from Berlin, leading to the Berlin Crisis.

Khrushchev's leadership was defined by the Cuban Missile Crisis, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. In the end, he backed down and withdrew his nuclear missiles from Cuba, receiving much criticism within the USSR for having given in to Kennedy by withdrawing from the island.

It was during Khrushchev's leadership, and as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis, that a telephone hotline was set up between the USSR and the USA to communicate in times of crisis.