President John F. Kennedy And Nikita Khrushchev - 1913 Words

President John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev were two of the most important men during the Cuban Missile crisis; they had a lot of differences in character and response to the situation, but had some similarities as well. The two were a couple of the most influential men of their time, especially considering the tense Cold War and resulting Cuban Missile Crisis. John F. Kennedy was the youngest man to be elected president at his time, so you can imagine the pressure he must have felt as a prominent leader in such a trying time. However, he had an admirable history, having gone to some of the most respectable schools throughout his life, including Princeton University and Harvard University (Encyclopedia of World Biography). Born into a†¦show more content†¦When it capsized, he ordered his men to swim to a small island about three miles away. He towed one man to shore in a heroic five-hour struggle. Several days later, having displayed great courage, leadership, and endura nce, Kennedy succeeded in having his men rescued (Encyclopedia of World Biography). After coming into office, he led a renewed drive for public service and eventually provided federal support for the growing civil rights movement. He called on his fellow Americans to work together in the pursuit of progress and the elimination of poverty, but also in the battle to win the ongoing Cold War against communism around the world, saying, â€Å"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.† (www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/john-f-kennedy) Nikita Khrushchev, a short and plump man, was known to have a quick temper, and was a seemingly likeable man with a sense of humor (The Human Odyssey: From Modern Times to our Contemporary Era 226). It was much harder for Nikita to rise to power than Kennedy. Nikita started out his career as a pipe fitter, and later joined the Red Army against the whites in the Ukraine during the Civil War, being employed by Stalin to do so. The following year, he became a full member of the Politburo, and later became the first Secretary of the Communist party in 1953 (http://spartacus-educational.com/RUSkhrushchev.htm). By 1956, he became the USSR’s dominant leader (World History: