William Taubman on Nikita Khrushchev

William Taubman, Bertrand Snell Professor of Political Science at Amherst College, speaks about the life and legacy of Nikita Khrushchev. Taubman’s biography of Krushchev, Krushchev: The Man and His Era (2003), recieved the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 2004. Taubman shares two short videos with footage of Krushchev to illustrate his mannerisms and public identity at different stages in his life. He then speaks about the subjectivity of history, focusing on the particularly famous incident of Kruschev banging his shoe on a table at the UN. Taubman explains that even with many living eyewitnesses and photographic evidence, it remains unclear if Kruschev actually banged the shoe, or just held it in his hand. He then speaks in more detail about Kruschev’s life, which he describes as “a series of contradictions.” He comments on Kruschev’s poor upbringing, his relationship with Stalin and later fight against Stalinism, and his ultimate failure to change the course of the Soviet Union. The lecture is followed with questions from the audience.