As English speakers, we typically learn about the American side of the Cold War, with leaders like Kennedy and Reagan and even Harry Truman. But many of us have never studied Russian history in school, or at least are a little bit hazy on the events that took place in Russia during the Cold War. I'm just going to briefly go over the Soviet leaders from Lenin to Gorbachev. So we're going to start with Vladimir Lenin, who was in power from 1917 to 1922. And born in 1870, Lenin's greatest contributions were his roles as Russian Revolutionary, the leader of the Bolshevik Party, and the first premier of the Soviet Union. He was the founder of the ideology of Leninism, which was later expanded into Marxism Leninism by Joseph Stalin. In 1917, Lenin was elected by the Russian Soviet Congress. At the time, the Soviet Union was faced with the threat of a German invasion. Lenin argued that Russia should sign a peace treaty, however, other Bolshevik leaders advocated continuing the war. As Germany launched their invasion, much of Russia's western territory was lost. This turned events bolstered Lenin's popularity and gained the support of the Bolshevik leadership. Russia eventually signed a treaty in March 1918. In August of 1918, a number of the socialist Revolutionary Party attempted to assassinate Lenin, whose health and political power declined from that point forward. Following the death of Lenin, Joseph Stalin became the general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in 1922. Stalin's policies and leadership, based on Marxist Leninist ideology, are often considered the foundation of a political and economic system called Stalinism. Under Stalin's rule, the Soviet Union was transformed from a nation based on agriculture to a global superpower. The industrialization of USSR was successful and also critical to defeating the Axis invasion during World War II. While it's certain that Stalin's social and economic policies laid the foundations for Russia's emergence as a superpower, the harshness in which this transformation took place was later repudiated by his successors in the Communist Party leadership. Stalin is generally thought to be directly or indirectly responsible for the death of millions of Russians. On March 1, 1953, after an all-night dinner, Stalin collapsed, suffering a stroke that paralyzed the right side of his body. He died four days later on March 5, 1953, at the age of 73. Next we have Georgi Malinkov, and upon Stalin's death, he succeeded to all of Stalin's titles, but was forced to resign most of them within a month. Through the office of Premier, Malinkov was locked in a power struggle against Nikita Krushchev. His two-year term ended in a failure, and was soon replaced with Nikita Krushchev. And Krushchev 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. During World War II, Krushchev served as a political leader with the equivalent rank of Lieutenant General. In the world, and within Russia, he was considered a leader with a bad temper. Krushchev was responsible for establishing the Warsaw Pag, which was an alliance between Eastern Europe and Eastern Black countries that felt threatened by NATO during the Cold War. Krushchev was also responsible for putting forth the doctrine of peaceful coexistence into foreign policy. He led the way for the Soviet space program that launched the Sputnik I and Yuri Gagarin into space. He played an important role in the deployment of missiles in Cuba, which led to the Cuban missile crisis. He is also responsible for the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961. Leonid Breznev remained outwardly loyal to Krushchev, but in 1963 he became involved in a plot to remove Krushchev from power. In that same year, Breznev was named Secretary of the Central Committee, making him the likely successor to Krushchev. In October of 1964, while Krushchev was on vacation, Breznev and his conspirators removed Krushchev from office. Under Breznev rule, relations with China continued to deteriorate. In 1969, Soviet and Chinese troops fought a series of clashes along the border. Breznev supported the North Vietnamese and the Vietnam War, and in January of 1969, a Soviet army officer tried to assassinate Breznev. The highlight of Breznev's reign was the easing of tensions and the signing of the Helsinki Act in 1975. And this recognized the post-war frontiers at Eastern and Central Europe and effectively legitimized Soviet domination over the region. During the 1970s, the Soviet Union reached the peak of its strategic and world power due to the fact that a treaty established parity and nuclear weapons between Russia and the United States. The Soviet Union extended its political influence in the Middle East and Africa, and it also successfully intervened in the 1975 Civil War in Angola. The last years, the Breznev's role were marked by a growing personality cult, and his unfortunate legacy to its successors was his decision to intervene in Afghanistan in 1979, and this maneuver resulted in the subsequent grain embargo of the United States. Breznev died of a heart attack in November of 1982. Yuri Andropov was a Soviet politician and general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from November of 1982 until his untimely death just 16 months later. During his role, Andropov made attempts to improve the economy and reduce political corruption. He initiated campaigns against alcohol and struggled to increase work discipline amongst the people of Russia. Unfortunately, these campaigns were carried out using an approach that was reminiscent of Joseph Stalin's strong-handed grain. Andropov made little progress in foreign policy as the war continued in Afghanistan. His role was also marked by the weakening of relations with the United States. One of his most notable acts was responding to a letter from an American child and inviting here to the Soviet Union. After several months of failing health, Andropov died of kidney failure in February of 1984. Constantine Chernango was the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and led the country from February of 1984 until his death 13 months later. Chernango's role represented a return to the hard-line policies of Breznev. He supported a larger role for the unions, pushed for reform and education, and wanted to trim bureaucracy. Unfortunately, he also escalated the Cold War with the United States. Chernango's poor health made him an ineffective governor of Russia. He was frequently absent from office. Surprisingly, Chernango's short-time in office brought about some significant policy changes. He gave much greater emphasis to public opinion and used the resources of his country to invest in consumer goods, services, and agriculture. And finally, we arrived at our last Soviet leader, the Kal Gorbachev. Gorbachev tried to move the Communist Party and the economy by introducing openness, restructuring, and the acceleration of economic development. The law on cooperatives, which was enacted in 1987, was the most extreme of the economic reforms, enabling private ownership of businesses and services, manufacturing and foreign trade. People in Russia were given the freedom of speech, and that news was now less controlled and political prisoners were released. In 1987, Gorbachev called for the introduction of democratic elements into the Soviet Union's political process. Gorbachev also sought to improve political relations and trade with the West. He and Ronald Reagan met in Iceland, which eventually led to the signing of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF, of 1987. And in early 1989, Gorbachev completed the withdrawal of Russian forces from Afghanistan. The loosening of Soviet control over Eastern Europe effectively ended the Cold War, and Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990. The democratization of the USSR stripped away the power of the Communist Party in Gorbachev, who was forced to resign on December 25, 1991 as the USSR disintegrated. Even if someone doesn't agree with the political ideology of a government, it's still possible to learn from their leaders in the history of their countries.