Nikita Khrushchev was a Soviet statesman who led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War as the First Secretary of the Communist Party from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Premier) from 1958 to 1964. His leadership is marked by efforts to de-Stalinize the Soviet Union and to ease tensions with the West through peaceful coexistence policies, although his tenure also included notable crises such as the Cuban Missile Crisis.