Khrushchev had effectively led the Soviet Union away from the harsh Stalin period. Under his rule Russia continued to dominate the union but with considerably more concern for minorities. Economic problems, however, continued to plague the union. Khrushchev attempted to reform the industrial ministries and their subordinate enterprises but failed.

In 1940, after Soviet forces had occupied eastern Poland, Khrushchev presided over the “integration” of this area into the Soviet Union. His principal objective was to liquidate both the Polish and Ukrainian nationalist movements, as well as to restore the Communist Party organization in Ukraine, which had been shattered in the Great Purge.

As leader of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, he also became arguably the most well- liked communist leader to date (that is, by democratic nations). Perhaps most notably, he denounced Stalin and implemented de-Stalinization, a move that shocked the country and communist supporters worldwide.