Heads of the Central Committee of the CPSU in order. General secretaries of the USSR in chronological order

General Secretaries of the USSR in chronological order
General secretaries of the USSR in chronological order. Today they are simply part of history, but once upon a time their faces were familiar to every single inhabitant of the vast country. The political system in the Soviet Union was such that citizens did not elect their leaders. The decision to appoint the next secretary general was made by the ruling elite. But, nevertheless, the people respected government leaders and, for the most part, took this state of affairs as a given.
Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Stalin)
Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, better known as Stalin, was born on December 18, 1879 in the Georgian city of Gori. Became the first General Secretary of the CPSU. He received this position in 1922, when Lenin was still alive, and until the latter’s death he played a minor role in government.
When Vladimir Ilyich died, a serious struggle began for the highest post. Many of Stalin's competitors had a much better chance of taking over, but thanks to tough, uncompromising actions, Joseph Vissarionovich managed to emerge victorious. Most of the other applicants were physically destroyed, and some left the country.
In just a few years of rule, Stalin took the entire country into a tight grip. By the beginning of the 30s, he finally established himself as the sole leader of the people. The dictator's policies went down in history:
· mass repressions;
· total dispossession;
· collectivization.
For this, Stalin was branded by his own followers during the “thaw”. But there is also something for which Joseph Vissarionovich, according to historians, is worthy of praise. This is, first of all, the rapid transformation of a collapsed country into an industrial and military giant, as well as the victory over fascism. It is quite possible that if the “cult of personality” had not been so condemned by everyone, these achievements would have been unrealistic. Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin died on the fifth of March 1953.
Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev was born on April 15, 1894 in the Kursk province (Kalinovka village) into a simple working-class family. He took part in the Civil War, where he took the side of the Bolsheviks. Member of the CPSU since 1918. At the end of the 30s he was appointed secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine.
Khrushchev headed the Soviet state shortly after Stalin's death. At first, he had to compete with Georgy Malenkov, who also aspired to the highest position and at that time was actually the leader of the country, presiding over the Council of Ministers. But in the end, the coveted chair still remained with Nikita Sergeevich.
When Khrushchev was secretary general, the Soviet country:
· launched the first man into space and developed this area in every possible way;
· was actively built up with five-story buildings, today called “Khrushchev”;
· planted the lion's share of the fields with corn, for which Nikita Sergeevich was even nicknamed “the corn farmer.”
This ruler went down in history primarily with his legendary speech at the 20th Party Congress in 1956, where he condemned Stalin and his bloody policies. From that moment on, the so-called “thaw” began in the Soviet Union, when the grip of the state was loosened, cultural figures received some freedom, etc. All this lasted until Khrushchev was removed from his post on October 14, 1964.
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was born in the Dnepropetrovsk region (village of Kamenskoye) on December 19, 1906. His father was a metallurgist. Member of the CPSU since 1931. He took the main post of the country as a result of a conspiracy. It was Leonid Ilyich who led the group of members of the Central Committee that removed Khrushchev.
The Brezhnev era in the history of the Soviet state is characterized as stagnation. The latter manifested itself as follows:
· the country's development has stopped in almost all areas except military-industrial;
· The USSR began to seriously lag behind Western countries;
· citizens again felt the grip of the state, repression and persecution of dissidents began.
Leonid Ilyich tried to improve relations with the United States, which had worsened during the time of Khrushchev, but he was not very successful. The arms race continued, and after the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan, it was impossible to even think about any reconciliation. Brezhnev held a high post until his death, which occurred on November 10, 1982.
Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov
Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov was born in the station town of Nagutskoye (Stavropol Territory) on June 15, 1914. His father was a railway worker. Member of the CPSU since 1939. He was active, which contributed to his rapid rise up the career ladder.
At the time of Brezhnev's death, Andropov headed the State Security Committee. He was elected by his comrades to the highest post. The reign of this Secretary General covers a period of less than two years. During this time, Yuri Vladimirovich managed to fight a little against corruption in power. But he didn’t accomplish anything drastic. On February 9, 1984, Andropov died. The reason for this was a serious illness.
Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko
Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko was born in 1911 on September 24 in the Yenisei province (village of Bolshaya Tes). His parents were peasants. Member of the CPSU since 1931. Since 1966 - deputy of the Supreme Council. Appointed General Secretary of the CPSU on February 13, 1984.
Chernenko continued Andropov’s policy of identifying corrupt officials. He was in power for less than a year. The cause of his death on March 10, 1985 was also a serious illness.
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev was born on March 2, 1931 in the North Caucasus (the village of Privolnoye). His parents were peasants. Member of the CPSU since 1952. He proved himself to be an active public figure. He quickly moved up the party line.
He was appointed Secretary General on March 11, 1985. He entered history with the policy of “perestroika,” which included the introduction of glasnost, the development of democracy, and the provision of certain economic freedoms and other liberties to the population. Gorbachev's reforms led to mass unemployment, the liquidation of state-owned enterprises, and a total shortage of goods. This causes an ambiguous attitude towards the ruler on the part of citizens of the former USSR, which collapsed precisely during the reign of Mikhail Sergeevich.
But in the West, Gorbachev is one of the most respected Russian politicians. He was even awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Gorbachev was Secretary General until August 23, 1991, and headed the USSR until December 25 of the same year.
All deceased general secretaries of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics are buried near the Kremlin wall. Their list was completed by Chernenko. Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev is still alive. In 2017, he turned 86 years old.
Photos of the secretaries general of the USSR in chronological order
Stalin
Khrushchev
Brezhnev
Andropov
Chernenko

Soviet party and statesman.
First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee since 1964 (General Secretary since 1966) and Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1960-1964. and since 1977
Marshal of the Soviet Union, 1976

Biography of Brezhnev

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev born on December 19, 1906 in the village of Kamenskoye, Ekaterinoslav province (now Dneprodzerzhinsk).

L. Brezhnev's father, Ilya Yakovlevich, was a metallurgist. Brezhnev's mother, Natalya Denisovna, had the surname Mazelova before her marriage.

In 1915, Brezhnev entered the zero class of a classical gymnasium.

In 1921, Leonid Brezhnev graduated from labor school and took his first job at the Kursk Oil Mill.

The year 1923 was marked by joining the Komsomol.

In 1927, Brezhnev graduated from the Kursk Land Management and Reclamation College. After studying, Leonid Ilyich worked for some time in Kursk and Belarus.

In 1927 - 1930 Brezhnev holds the position of land surveyor in the Urals. Later he became the head of the district land department, was deputy chairman of the District Executive Committee, and deputy head of the Ural Regional Land Department. He took an active part in collectivization in the Urals.

In 1928 Leonid Brezhnev got married.

In 1931, Brezhnev joined the All-Russian Communist Party of the Bolsheviks.

In 1935, he received a diploma from the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute, being a party organizer.

In 1937 he entered the metallurgical plant named after. F.E. Dzerzhinsky as an engineer and immediately received the position of deputy chairman of the Dneprodzerzhinsk City Executive Committee.

In 1938, Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was appointed head of the department of the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, and a year later received a position as secretary in the same organization.

During the Great Patriotic War, Brezhnev occupied a number of leadership positions: deputy Head of the Political Department of the 4th Ukrainian Front, Head of the Political Department of the 18th Army, Head of the Political Department of the Carpathian Military District. He ended the war with the rank of major general, although he had “very weak military knowledge.”

In 1946, L.I. Brezhnev was appointed 1st Secretary of the Zaporozhye Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine (Bolsheviks), and a year later he was transferred to the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Committee in the same position.

In 1950, he became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, and in July of the same year - 1st Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Moldova.

In October 1952, Brezhnev received from Stalin the position of Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and became a member of the Central Committee and a candidate member of the Presidium of the Central Committee.

After the death of I.V. Stalin in 1953, the rapid career of Leonid Ilyich was interrupted for a while. He was demoted and appointed 1st Deputy Chief of the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy.

1954 - 1956, the famous uplifting of virgin soil in Kazakhstan. L.I. Brezhnev successively holds the positions of 2nd and 1st Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Republic.

In February 1956, he regained his position as Secretary of the Central Committee.

In 1956, Brezhnev became a candidate, and a year later a member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee (in 1966, the organization was renamed the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee). In this position, Leonid Ilyich led knowledge-intensive industries, including space exploration.

(November 7, 1875, the village of Verkhnyaya Trinity, Korchevsky district, Tver province, - June 3, 1946, Moscow). From peasants. He graduated from public school in 1888. Since 1893, a turner's apprentice, a turner at St. Petersburg factories, studied at evening courses of the Russian Technical Society at the Putilov plant. Since 1898, a member of the circles of the St. Petersburg “Union of Struggle for the Liberation of the Working Class.” Agent of the newspaper "Iskra" in Revel. After the 2nd Congress of the RSDLP (1903) Bolshevik. Participant of the Revolution of 1905-07 (St. Petersburg), delegate to the 4th Congress of the RSDLP (1906). Participated in the creation of the newspaper "Pravda". He was repeatedly arrested and exiled. In 1916 he was arrested in St. Petersburg and sentenced to exile in Eastern Siberia; released from prison to prepare for the journey to his place of exile, disappeared and went into hiding. During the February Revolution of 1917, one of the leaders of the disarmament of the guards and the capture of the Finlyandsky Station, the release of political prisoners from the Kresty prison. Since March 2, member of the Executive Commission of the first legal Petrograd Committee of the RSDLP, its representative in the Russian Bureau of the Central Committee of the RSDLP; Member of the editorial board of Pravda. Elected member of the Petrograd Council of the RSD from the Vyborg side. On May 10, at the Petrograd City Conference, he was elected a member of the Executive Commission of the PC RSDLP(b), a member of the Municipal Commission of the Committee. During the June crisis, at a meeting of the PC, he supported the line of peaceful development of the revolution in conditions of dual power. Delegate to the 6th Congress of the RSDLP(b) (July 26 – August 3). On August 20, he was elected a member of the Petrograd City Duma. In October, he was elected chairman of the factory committee of the Pipe Plant. On October 24-26, on the instructions of the Central Committee of the RSDLP(b) and the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee, Kalinin and other Bolshevik vowels prevented the Petrograd City Duma from speaking out against the II All-Russian Congress of Soviets of the RSD; participated in the meetings of the congress. He was elected as a deputy of the Constituent Assembly from Petrograd, and later as chairman of the City Council. One of the organizers of the resettlement of working families from the slums of the city outskirts to houses confiscated from the bourgeoisie, the transfer of schools to the maintenance of the City Duma, etc. Delegate of the 3rd All-Russian Congress of Soviets of the RSKD (January 1918). From March 1918, while remaining the mayor of the city, he headed the Commissariat of Municipal Economy of the Petrograd Labor Commune. Since September 1918, chairman of the board of the Commissariat of Municipal Economy of the Union of Communes of the Northern Region. From March 30, 1919, Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, from 1922 - the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, from 1938 - the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Shvernik Nikolay Mikhailovich(May 7, 1888, St. Petersburg - December 24, 1970, Moscow). Son of a worker. From 1902 he worked as a turner. In 1905 he joined the RSDLP(b). Conducted party work in St. Petersburg, Nikolaev, Tula, Samara. In 1910-1911 - member of the board of the Union of Metalworkers (St. Petersburg). In 1917-1918, chairman of the factory committee of the Pipe Plant (Samara), then chairman of the Pipe District Committee of the RCP (b), member of the Samara Council. Since October 1917, Chairman of the All-Russian Committee of Workers of Artillery Factories and member of the Board of Artillery Factories. In 1918 he became commissar of the regiment, then in the Main Artillery Directorate. Since April 1919, Chairman of the Samara City Executive Committee. In 1919-1921 he worked in senior positions in the army supply system in the Caucasus. Since 1921 - at trade union work. Since 1923, People's Commissar of the Workers' and Peasants' Inspectorate of the RSFSR and member of the Presidium of the Central Control Commission of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. Since 1925 member of the party Central Committee. In 1925-1926, secretary of the Leningrad Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the North-Western Bureau of the Central Committee. 9.4.1926 - 16.4.1927 Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. In 1926-1927 and 1930-1946 member of the Organizing Bureau of the Central Committee. In 1927-1928 First Secretary of the Ural Regional Committee. In 1929, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Union of Metalworkers. From 1930, 1st Secretary of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions and at the same time from July 13, 1930 to January 26, 1934, candidate member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. In 1937-1966 deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. During the Great Patriotic War - Chairman of the Extraordinary Commission to establish and investigate the atrocities of the Nazi invaders. 03/04/1944-06/25/1946 – Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR and 1st Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. From 03/19/1946 to 03/15/1953 Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. From 10/16/1952 – member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. On March 6, 1953, he was reappointed as chairman of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions and at the same time transferred from member to candidate member of the Presidium of the Central Committee. In December, member of the Special Judicial Presence over L.P. Beria. Since 1956, Chairman of the Party Control Committee of the CPSU Central Committee. In 1957 he was restored to the rank of member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. Chairman of the CPSU Central Committee Commission on Rehabilitation. Hero of Socialist Labor (1958). Since 1962, Chairman of the Party Commission under the CPSU Central Committee. Retired since 1966. The ashes are buried in the Kremlin wall.

(January 23 (February 4), 1881, Verkhnee Bakhmut district, Ekaterinoslav province - December 2, 1969, Moscow). In 1893-1895 studied at a rural zemstvo school. Joined the RSDLP in 1903. In 1917, chairman of the Lugansk Soviet and city party committee, commissar of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee, then chairman of the Extraordinary Commission for the Protection of Petrograd. In 1918 in the Red Army, in 1918-1919. member of the Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Government of Ukraine, People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR. Since 1919, a member of the RVS of the 1st Cavalry Army, since 1921 commander of the troops of the North Caucasus, since 1924 - of the Moscow military districts. Member of the Central Committee (1921-1961, 1966-1969), member of the Politburo (Presidium) of the Central Committee 01/01/1926 - 07/16/1960, member of the Organizing Bureau of the Central Committee 06/02/1924-12/18/1925. Since January 1925, deputy People's Commissar, November 1925 - June 1934 People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs of the USSR, member since 1924, chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR in 1925-1934. In 1934-1940, People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR. Since 1940 - Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and Chairman of the Defense Committee of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. During the Great Patriotic War - member of the State Defense Committee. Since 1946 - Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. In 1940-1953 deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (Council of Ministers) of the USSR. 03/15/1953-05/7/1960 Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, since 1960 - member of the Presidium. Member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR 1-7 convocations. Hero of the Soviet Union (1956, 1968). Hero of Socialist Labor (1960). Marshal of the Soviet Union (1935). He was buried on Red Square in Moscow.

(December 6, 1906, Kamenskoye village (modern Dneprodzerzhinsk) - November 10, 1982, Moscow). At the age of 15, after graduating from a unified labor school, he entered the factory as a mechanic. From 1923 he studied at the Kursk Land Management College. At the end of 1931 he returned to the metallurgical plant in Kamensky, joined the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), entered the metallurgical technical school, where he successively worked his way up from party group leader and chairman of the trade union committee to secretary of the party committee and director of the technical school. In 1935 -1937 – service in the Red Army. In 1937 he was appointed deputy chairman of the executive committee of the Dneprodzerzhinsk City Council. In 1938 - head of the Soviet trade department, from 1939 - secretary of the Dnepropetrovsk regional committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine (Bolsheviks) for propaganda, from 1940 - member of the regional committee bureau as head. defense industry department. From June 1941 - Deputy Head of the Political Department of the Southern Front, from 1943 - Head of the Political Department of the 18th Army, in which he participated in the Kerch-Eltigen operation. In 1944 he was awarded the rank of major general. In 1945 he was appointed head of the Political Directorate of the 4th Ukrainian Front, and then head of the Political Directorate of the Carpathian Military District. In August 1946, first secretary of the Zaporozhye regional committee of the Communist Party (b) of Ukraine, in July 1950 - first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Moldova, in October 1952 - secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. In 1953, with the rank of lieutenant general, he was appointed deputy head of the Main Political Directorate of the Soviet Army and Navy. In 1954 he was transferred to second, then first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. In 1956 he was transferred to the secretariat of the CPSU Central Committee (overseeing industry, construction and space research). 05/07/1960-07/15/1964 - Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, from June 1963 at the same time Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. At the October (1964) Plenum of the CPSU Central Committee, he was elected First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee (since 1966 - General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee). From June 16, 1977 to November 10, 1982 – Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

(November 13 (25), 1895, Sanain village, Bochalinsky district, Tiflis province, October 21, 1978, Moscow) Member of the RSDLP since 1915. Active participant in the revolution and civil war in Transcaucasia in 1917-1921. Secretary of party organizations of the Nizhny Novgorod province and the North Caucasus, candidate member of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) (1922-1923), member of the Central Committee (1923-1976). After being nominated as candidates for membership in the Politburo (July 23, 1926 - February 1, 1935), he was appointed People's Commissar of Domestic and Foreign Trade (August 14, 1926 - November 22, 1930). He held a number of posts in the USSR government in the 1930s: People's Commissioner of Supply (November 22, 1930 - July 29, 1934), People's Commissar of the Food Industry (July 29, 1934 - January 19, 1938) and Foreign Trade (November 29, 1938 - March 15, 1946). In 1935 he was elected a member of the Politburo (February 1, 1935 - October 5, 1952), in 1937 he was appointed deputy chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR (July 22, 1937 - March 15, 1946), and led the political purges in Armenia. During the Great Patriotic War, he was a member of the State Defense Committee (February 3, 1942 - September 4, 1945), responsible for supplying the Red Army. Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers (March 19, 1946 - March 15, 1953), Minister of Foreign Trade (March 19, 1946 - March 4, 1949), Internal and Foreign Trade (March 5 - August 24, 1953), Minister of Trade (August 24, 1953 - January 22, 1955 ). Member of the Presidium of the Central Committee (October 16, 1952 - March 29, 1966) and Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR (April 27, 1954 - February 28, 1955) and First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR (February 28, 1955 - July 15, 1964). He retained his posts and gradually became a key member of the Khrushchev administration. From July 15, 1964 - December 9, 1965 - Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Remaining formally a member of the Central Committee and the Presidium of the Supreme Council until 1976 and 1974, respectively, he completely withdrew from political activity after the 23rd Party Congress (1966).

(February 5 (18), 1903, Karlovka village, Poltava province - January 11, 1983, Moscow). Born into a peasant family. He was secretary of the district committee of the Komsomol in the Poltava province in 1921-1923. He joined the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in 1930. From 1931, he worked as an engineer and then as chief engineer at a number of sugar processing enterprises in Ukraine. In 1939 - Deputy People's Commissar of the Food Industry of the Ukrainian SSR. In 1940 he was appointed deputy people's commissar of the food industry of the USSR (1940-1942). In 1942-1944. headed the Moscow Technological Institute of the Food Industry, and then returned to Ukraine again in his previous position as Deputy People's Commissar of the Food Industry of the Ukrainian SSR (1944-1946). In 1946-1950 - permanent representative of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR to the Council of Ministers of the USSR. In 1953-1957 - first secretary of the Kharkov regional party committee, in 1957-1963 - first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine. In 1952 he was appointed a member of the Central Audit Commission of the CPSU. Member of the CPSU Central Committee from 1956 to 1981. On June 18, 1958, he was elected as a candidate member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. With the rank of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, on May 4, 1960 he was transferred to the Presidium. On June 21, 1963 he was approved as Secretary of the Central Committee. From December 6, 1965 to June 16, 1977 – Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. On May 24, 1977, he was removed from the Politburo of the Central Committee for disagreement with Brezhnev’s proposal to combine senior government and party positions. Later, a session of the Supreme Council relieved Podgorny from the post of Chairman of the Presidium (June 16, 1977). Retired since 1977.

(January 31 (February 13), 1901, Sofilovka village, Kostroma province - Moscow) Born into a peasant family. At the age of 15 he began working independently. In 1926 he graduated from the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute. Member of the CPSU since 1927. In 1927-31 engineer at the Makeevka Metallurgical Plant. In 1931-33 he studied metallurgical production abroad. In 1933-37, deputy head of the workshop, head of the laboratory at the Elektrostal plant (Noginsk). In 1937-40 engineer, chief engineer of Glavspetsstal. In 1940-43, Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Committee of the USSR. During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, he was a deputy member of the State Defense Committee for metallurgy issues. In 1943-44, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Trade Union of Ferrous Metallurgy Workers of the Center. In 1944-53, Chairman of the All-Russian Central Council of Trade Unions. Since 1945, member of the General Council of the Executive Committee and vice-chairman of the World Federation of Trade Unions. He repeatedly headed Soviet professional delegations at international congresses and conferences. In 1953-55 - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the USSR to the PRC. Since 1955, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR. Delegate of the XIX – XXIV Congresses of the CPSU. Since 1952, member of the CPSU Central Committee, in 1952-53, member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. USSR State Prize (1941). Hero of Socialist Labor (1971). Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 2nd-8th convocations. 11/10/1982-06/16/1983; 02/9/1984 - 04/11/1984 and 03/10 - 07/2/1985 - Acting Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

(02.06.1914. Nagutskaya village, Stavropol Territory - February 9, 1984. Moscow). In 1930 he graduated from the water transport technical school in Rybinsk, and became a Komsomol organizer at the shipyard. In 1937, in the wake of the fight against the “enemies of the people”, in whose exposure Andropov took an active part, he was elected secretary, and a year later - first secretary of the Yaroslavl regional committee of the Komsomol. In 1938 he was sent to party work in Karelia as the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Komsomol of Karelia. From 1944 - second secretary of the Petrozavodsk city party committee, from 1947 - second secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Karelo-Finnish SSR, in 1951 transferred to the apparatus of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. In 1953 he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the USSR to Hungary. During the anti-communist uprising of October 23 - November 4, 1956, he was one of the organizers of its suppression. In 1967-1982, Chairman of the State Security Committee (KGB). From November 11, 1982 – General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. From June 16, 1983 to February 9, 1984 – Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

(September 11, 1911. Bolshaya Tes village, Krasnoyarsk Territory - March 10, Moscow). He joined the CPSU in 1931, and since 1934 - in party work. In 1941 he was elected first secretary of the Krasnoyarsk regional party committee. After graduating from the Higher Party School, he was elected secretary of the Penza Regional Committee. In 1950 he was transferred to the apparatus of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Moldova. Since February 1956 - in the secretariat of the CPSU Central Committee. Since 1960 - head of the secretariat of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, since 1965 - head of the organizational department of the CPSU Central Committee, where he dealt with issues of training and appointment of senior party personnel. Since 1967 he was elected Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, and since 1978 - a member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. Hero of Socialist Labor (1969, 1979), laureate of the Lenin Prize (1982) and the USSR State Prize (1984). From February 10, 1984 – General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. 04/11/1984 – 03/10/1985 – Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

(July 5, 1909, village of Starye Gromyki, Gomel district, Mogilev province - July 2, 1989, Moscow). From peasants. Graduated from the Minsk Agricultural Institute (1932). In 1931 he joined the CPSU(b). Since 1936, senior researcher at the Institute of Economics of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1939 he was transferred to the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs (NKID) of the USSR in the department of American countries. In 1939-1943, Advisor to the USSR Embassy in the USA. Since 1943 he has been ambassador to the United States and at the same time envoy to Cuba. In 1944 he headed the Soviet delegation at the Washington Conference, where the decision was made to create the United Nations (UN), then the head of the Soviet delegation at the United Nations Conference in San Francisco (1945). Participated in the Crimean and Berlin conferences in 1945. In 1946-1951 - the first permanent representative of the USSR to the UN. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR 2, 5 – 11 convocations. From 1949 – 1st deputy. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR. Member of the CPSU Central Committee in 1956-1989. (candidate since 1952), member of the Politburo of the Central Committee from 04/27/1973 to 09/30/1988. In 1952-53, USSR Ambassador to Great Britain. From March 1953 – 1st deputy. Minister, and from February 1957 - Minister of Foreign Affairs. From April 1973 to September 1988 member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. Twice Hero of Socialist Labor (1969, 1979). Laureate of the Lenin (1982) and State (1984) prizes of the USSR. In March 1983 - July 1985, simultaneously 1st deputy. Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. 2.7.1985 – 1.10.1988 - Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Council. Since October 1988 – retired.

(March 2, 1931, the village of Privolnoye, Krasnogvardeisky district, Stavropol Territory) October 1, 1988 - May 25, 1989 - Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR May 25, 1989 - March 15, 1990 - Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR March 15, 1990 - December 25, 1991 - President of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic From peasants. He joined the Komsomol in 1946. As a student at Moscow State University, he joined the CPSU in 1952. After graduating from the university, he worked in Komsomol and party work in the Stavropol Territory. From September 1966 to August 1968, first secretary of the Stavropol city committee and second secretary of the Stavropol regional committee (August 1968 - April 1970). In April 1970 he was elected first secretary of the Stavropol Regional Committee. Member of the CPSU Central Committee (1971-1991), in 1978 approved as Secretary of the Central Committee (November 27, 1978 - March 11, 1985). Candidate member of the Politburo (November 27, 1979 - October 21, 1980), member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee from October 21, 1980 to August 24, 1991. On March 11, 1985, the Plenum of the Central Committee was elected General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee (March 11, 1985 - August 24, 1991). In 1988, he made serious personnel changes in the Politburo and insisted on the resignation of many elderly party functionaries. On October 1, 1988, he was elected Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. After the adoption of amendments to the Constitution, the 1st Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR was elected Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 25, 1989. On March 14, 1990, the III Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR elected the first President of the USSR. On August 24, 1991, he resigned as General Secretary of the Central Committee and left the CPSU. After the denunciation of the Union Treaty of 1922 by Representatives of the RSFSR, Ukraine and Belarus on December 8, 1991 and the signing of the protocol on the creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), he announced his resignation from the post of President of the USSR in a televised address on December 25, 1991.

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The history of the Soviet Union is the most complex topic in history. It covers only 70 years of history, but the material in it needs to be studied many times more than in all previous time! In this article we will analyze what the general secretaries of the USSR were in chronological order, characterize each one and provide links to the relevant site materials on them!

Position of Secretary General

The position of General Secretary is the highest position in the party apparatus of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), and then in the CPSU. The person who occupied it was not only the leader of the party, but de facto the entire country. How is this possible, let’s figure it out now! The title of the position was constantly changing: from 1922 to 1925 - General Secretary of the Central Committee of the RCP (b); from 1925 to 1953 she was called the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks; from 1953 to 1966 - First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee; from 1966 to 1989 - General Secretary of the CPSU.

The position itself arose in April 1922. Before this, the position was called party chairman and was headed by V.I. Lenin.

Why was the head of the party the de facto head of the country? In 1922, this position was headed by Stalin. The influence of the position was such that he could form the congress at will, which ensured full support for himself in the party. By the way, such support was extremely important. Therefore, the struggle for power in the 20s of the last century resulted precisely in the form of discussions in which victory meant life, and loss meant death, if not now, then in the future for sure.

I.V. Stalin understood this perfectly. That’s why he insisted on creating such a position, which, in fact, he headed. But the main thing was something else: in the 20s and 30s, a historical process of merging the party apparatus with the state apparatus took place. This meant, for example, that the district party committee (the head of the district party committee) is in fact the head of the district, the city party committee is the head of the city, and the regional party committee is the head of the region. And the councils played a subordinate role.

Here it is important to remember that the power in the country was Soviet - that is, the real state authorities should have been councils. And they were, but only de jure (legally), formally, on paper, if you like. It was the party that determined all aspects of the development of the state.

So let's look at the main secretaries general.

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (Dzhugashvili)

He was the first General Secretary of the party, permanent until 1953 - until his death. The fact of the merging of the party and state apparatus was reflected in the fact that from 1941 to 1953 he was also the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, and then the Council of Ministers of the USSR. If you don’t know, the Council of People’s Commissars and then the Council of Ministers are the Government of the USSR. If you are not in the subject at all, then .

Stalin stood at the origins of both the great victories of the Soviet Union and the great troubles in the history of our country. He was the author of the articles “The Year of the Great Turnaround.” He stood at the origins of super-industrialization and collectivization. It is with him that such concepts as the “cult of personality” are associated (see more about it and), the Holodomor of the 30s, the repressions of the 30s. In principle, under Khrushchev, Stalin was blamed for the failures in the first months of the Great Patriotic War.

However, the unrivaled growth of industrial construction in the 1930s is also associated with the name of Stalin. The USSR received its own heavy industry, which we still use today.

Stalin himself said this about the future of his name: “I know that after my death a heap of rubbish will be placed on my grave, but the wind of history will mercilessly scatter it!” Well, we'll see how it goes!

Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev

N.S. Khrushchev served as General (or First) Secretary of the Party from 1953 to 1964. His name is associated with many events both from world history and from the history of Russia: Events in Poland, the Suez Crisis, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the slogan “Catch up and surpass America in meat and milk production per capita!”, the execution in Novocherkassk, and much more other.

Khrushchev, in general, was not a very smart politician, but he was very intuitive. He understood perfectly well how he would rise, because after Stalin’s death the struggle for power became fierce again. Many people saw the future of the USSR not in Khrushchev, but in Malenkov, who then held the position of Chairman of the Council of Ministers. But Khrushchev took a strategically correct position.

Details about the USSR under him.

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev

L.I. Brezhnev held the main position in the party from 1964 to 1982. His time is otherwise called the period of “stagnation”. The USSR began to turn into a “banana republic”, the shadow economy grew, the shortage of consumer goods grew, and the Soviet nomenclature expanded. All these processes then led to a systemic crisis during the years of Perestroika, and ultimately.

Leonid Ilyich himself was very fond of cars. The authorities blocked one of the rings around the Kremlin so that the secretary general could test the new model given to him. There is also an interesting historical anecdote associated with the name of his daughter. They say one day my daughter went to museums to look for some kind of necklace. Yes, yes, to museums, not shopping. As a result, in one of the museums she pointed to the necklace and asked for it. The director of the museum called Leonid Ilyich and explained the situation. To which I received a clear answer: “Don’t give!” Something like this.

And more about the USSR and Brezhnev.

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev

M.S. Gorbachev held the party position in question from March 11, 1984 to August 24, 1991. His name is associated with such things as: Perestroika, the end of the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the attempt to create the SSG, the Putsch in August 1991. He was the first and last President of the USSR.

Read more about all this.

We have not named two more general secretaries. See them in this table with photos:

Post Scriptum: many rely on texts - textbooks, manuals, even monographs. But you can beat all your competitors on the Unified State Exam if you use video lessons. They are all there. Studying video lessons is at least five times more effective than simply reading a textbook!

Best regards, Andrey Puchkov

22 years ago, on December 26, 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a declaration on the termination of the existence of the Soviet Union, and the country in which most of us were born disappeared. Over the 69 years of the existence of the USSR, seven people became its head, whom I propose to remember today. And not just remember, but also choose the most popular of them.
And since the New Year is coming soon, and given that in the Soviet Union the popularity and attitude of the people towards their leaders was measured, among other things, by the quality of the jokes written about them, I think it would be appropriate to remember the Soviet leaders through the prism of jokes about them.
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Now we have almost forgotten what a political joke is - most jokes about current politicians are paraphrased jokes from Soviet times. Although there are also witty and original ones, for example, here is an anecdote from the time Yulia Tymoshenko was in power: There is a knock on Tymoshenko’s office, the door opens, a giraffe, a hippopotamus and a hamster enter the office and ask: “Yulia Vladimirovna, how will you comment on the rumors that you use drugs?”.
In Ukraine, the situation with humor about politicians is generally somewhat different than in Russia. In Kyiv they believe that it is bad for politicians if they are not laughed at, it means they are not interesting to the people. And since in Ukraine they still make elections, the PR services of politicians even order laughs at their bosses. It is no secret, for example, that the most popular Ukrainian “95th Quarter” takes money to ridicule the person who paid. This is the fashion for Ukrainian politicians.
Yes, they themselves sometimes don’t mind making fun of themselves. There was once a very popular anecdote about oneself among Ukrainian deputies: The session of the Verkhovna Rada ends, one deputy says to another: “It was such a difficult session, we need to rest. Let's go out of town, take a few bottles of whiskey, rent a sauna, take girls, have sex...” He answers: “How? In front of girls?!!”.
But let's return to the Soviet leaders.

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The first ruler of the Soviet state was Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. For a long time, the image of the leader of the proletariat was beyond the reach of jokes, but during the Khrushchev and Brezhnev times in the USSR, the number of Leninist motives in Soviet propaganda increased sharply.
And the endless glorification of Lenin’s personality (as it usually happened in almost everything in the Union) led to the exact opposite of the desired result - to the appearance of many anecdotes ridiculing Lenin. There were so many of them that even jokes about jokes about Lenin appeared.
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In honor of the centenary of Lenin's birth, a competition has been announced for the best political joke about Lenin.
3rd prize - 5 years in Lenin's places.
2nd prize - 10 years of strict regime.
1st prize - meeting with the hero of the day.
This is largely explained by the tough policy pursued by Lenin’s successor Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, who in 1922 took the post of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. There were also jokes about Stalin, and they remained not only in the materials of the criminal cases brought against them, but also in people’s memory.
Moreover, in jokes about Stalin one can feel not only a subconscious fear of the “father of all nations,” but also respect for him, and even pride in their leader. Some kind of mixed attitude towards power, which apparently was passed on to us from generation to generation at the genetic level.
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- Comrade Stalin, what should we do with Sinyavsky?
- Which Synavsky is this? Football announcer?
- No, Comrade Stalin, writer.
- Why do we need two Synavskys?
On September 13, 1953, shortly after the death of Stalin (March 1953), Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev became the first secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. Since Khrushchev’s personality was filled with deep contradictions, they were reflected in jokes about him: from undisguised irony and even contempt for the leader of the state to a rather friendly attitude towards Nikita Sergeevich himself and his peasant humor.
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The pioneer asked Khrushchev:
- Uncle, is it true what dad said when you launched not only a satellite, but also agriculture?
- Tell your dad that I plant more than just corn.
On October 14, 1964, Khrushchev was replaced as First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee by Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, who, as you know, was not averse to listening to jokes about himself - their source was Brezhnev’s personal hairdresser Tolik.
In a certain sense, the country was lucky then, because what came to power, as everyone soon became convinced, was a kindly, non-cruel man who did not make any special moral demands on himself, his comrades, or the Soviet people. And the Soviet people responded to Brezhnev with the same anecdotes about him - kindly and not cruel.
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At a Politburo meeting, Leonid Ilyich pulled out a piece of paper and said:
- I want to make a statement!
Everyone looked attentively at the piece of paper.
“Comrades,” Leonid Ilyich began to read, “I want to raise the issue of senile sclerosis. Things have gone too far. Vshera at the funeral of comrade Kosygin...
Leonid Ilyich looked up from the piece of paper.
- For some reason I don’t see him here... So, when the music started playing, I was the only one who thought of asking the lady to dance!..
On November 12, 1982, Brezhnev’s place was taken by Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov, who previously headed the State Security Committee and adhered to a rigid conservative position on fundamental issues.
The course proclaimed by Antropov was aimed at socio-economic transformations through administrative measures. The harshness of some of them seemed unusual to the Soviet people in the 1980s, and they responded with appropriate anecdotes.
On February 13, 1984, the post of head of the Soviet state was taken by Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko, who was considered a contender for the post of General Secretary even after Brezhnev’s death.
He was elected as a transitional intermediate figure in the CPSU Central Committee while it was undergoing a struggle for power between several party groups. Chernenko spent a significant part of his reign at the Central Clinical Hospital.
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The Politburo decided:
1. Appoint Chernenko K.U. General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.
2. Bury him on Red Square.
On March 10, 1985, Chernenko was replaced by Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, who carried out numerous reforms and campaigns that ultimately led to the collapse of the USSR.
And Soviet political jokes about Gorbachev, accordingly, ended.
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- What is the peak of pluralism?
- This is when the opinion of the President of the USSR absolutely does not coincide with the opinion of the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.

Well, now the poll.
Which leader of the Soviet Union, in your opinion, was the best ruler of the USSR?

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

23 (6.4 % )

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin

114 (31.8 % )