How to Pronounce Nikita Khrushchev

Meaning and Context

Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev, born in 1894, was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964, emerging as the definitive Soviet leader in the post-Stalin era. His tenure was a period of dramatic Cold War confrontation and significant domestic reform, most famously marked by his secret speech in 1956 that initiated the de-Stalinization campaign, denouncing the cult of personality and political terror of his predecessor. Khrushchev's foreign policy was characterized by a volatile mix of peaceful coexistence and brinksmanship, culminating in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, a thirteen-day standoff with the United States that brought the world to the edge of nuclear war. Domestically, his leadership saw the Khrushchev Thaw, a cultural liberalization, and ambitious but often erratic economic policies like the Virgin Lands campaign. His unceremonious ouster by the Politburo in 1964 ended a rule defined by its rejection of Stalinist orthodoxy, its pivotal role in Soviet history, and its indelibly colorful, often contradictory, public persona.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The most common challenge in spelling Nikita Khrushchev's name lies in the transliteration from the Cyrillic alphabet (Никита Хрущёв). The primary variation occurs in the surname, particularly with the use of "shch" versus "sch." The standard and most accurate transliteration is Khrushchev, capturing the "щ" (shch) sound. A frequent misspelling is Khruschev, omitting the second 'h', which alters the pronunciation. Another common error is Kruschev or Krushchev, dropping the initial 'H' or misplacing it. His first name, Nikita, is less problematic but can occasionally be misspelled as Nikita with a double 'k' or confused with the feminine name. Additionally, the patronymic "Sergeyevich" is sometimes misspelled as Sergeevich or Sergeivich. In historical documents, one may also encounter the older transliteration Chruščëv, following different linguistic conventions.

Example Sentences

Historians often credit Nikita Khrushchev's secret speech at the 20th Party Congress with fundamentally altering the ideological landscape of the Eastern Bloc.

During the tense negotiations of the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy and Chairman Khrushchev engaged in a clandestine correspondence that was crucial to averting war.

The policy of de-Stalinization, for all its limits, allowed for a brief cultural flowering known as the Khrushchev Thaw.

In a famous display of his impulsive diplomacy, Khrushchev reportedly pounded his shoe on a desk during a 1960 United Nations General Assembly meeting.

His ambitious agricultural project, the Virgin Lands campaign, initially boosted grain yields but ultimately fell victim to unsustainable practices and poor soil conditions.

Related Pronunciations

• How to pronounce Dimitar Glavchev
• How to pronounce Claire Lee Chennault
• How to pronounce Royal E. Ingersoll
• How to pronounce Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck
• How to pronounce Hans Oster