ABSTRACT
Khrushchev and his time. One of the indisputably important and perhaps most complex periods in our history. Important because it has things in common with the nation's present restructuring, with the present democratization process. Complex because it concerns a decade that was initially called "glorious" but was subsequently condemned as a period of voluntarism and subjectivism. It was the time of the Twentieth and Twenty-second Party congresses, which became the reflection of bitter political struggles that determined the nation's new course. Under N. S. Khrushchev, the first steps were taken toward restoring Leninist principles and purifying socialist ideals. This was also the time when the transition from the Cold War to peaceful coexistence began and a window was once again opened to the modern world. At this sharp juncture in history, society took in a full breath of the air of renewal and choked, . . . whether from an excess or a shortage of oxygen.
