Who led the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

The correct answer is Nikita Khrushchev, who was the leader of the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. This pivotal moment in Cold War history was marked by a tense standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States, primarily over the placement of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from Florida.

Khrushchev's decision to place nuclear missiles in Cuba was driven by a desire to strengthen the Soviet position in the face of U.S. nuclear capability in Turkey and Italy, and to support the Cuban government's security against perceived threats from the U.S. His leadership during this crisis was critical as it involved direct communication and negotiation with U.S. President John F. Kennedy, highlighting the delicate balance of power and the necessity of avoiding nuclear war.

The other figures listed did not play a role during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Leon Trotsky was a key figure in the early years of the Soviet Union but was expelled from the Communist Party and assassinated long before this event. Joseph Stalin, who led the Soviet Union during World War II and the early Cold War, had passed away in 1953. Mikhail Gorbachev, known for his reformist policies in the