Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945):
Led the U.S. through the Great Depression and World War II; implemented the New Deal.
Harry S. Truman (1945-1953):
Made the decision to use atomic bombs in WWII; initiated the Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine.
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961):
Managed Cold War tensions; promoted the Interstate Highway System.
John F. Kennedy (1961-1963):
Known for the Cuban Missile Crisis and the establishment of the Peace Corps.
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969):
Advanced civil rights legislation; initiated the Great Society programs.
Richard Nixon (1969-1974):
Ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam; first president to resign from office.
Ronald Reagan (1981-1989):
Known for conservative economic policies; played a key role in ending the Cold War.
Joseph Stalin (1924-1953):
Expanded industrialization; initiated collectivization; led the USSR during WWII; implemented Great Purge.
Georgy Malenkov (1953-1955):
Briefly succeeded Stalin; focused on peaceful coexistence; emphasized consumer goods production.
Nikita Khrushchev (1955-1964):
De-Stalinization; Cuban Missile Crisis; promoted space race; initiated agricultural reforms.
Leonid Brezhnev (1964-1982):
Era of stagnation; emphasized military buildup; signed SALT treaties; maintained status quo in Eastern Europe.
Yuri Andropov (1982-1984):
Anti-corruption campaigns; attempted economic reforms; focused on KGB influence.
Konstantin Chernenko (1984-1985):
Continued Brezhnev's policies; limited reforms; faced health issues.
Mikhail Gorbachev (1985-1991):
Introduced Glasnost and Perestroika; ended Cold War; led to the dissolution of the USSR.