In what year did Brezhnev become General Secretary? How many general secretaries of the Central Committee of the CPSU were there in the USSR
Nikita Khrushchev was born on April 15, 1894 in the village of Kalinovka, Kursk region. His father, Sergei Nikanorovich, was a miner, his mother, Ksenia Ivanovna Khrushcheva, he also had a sister, Irina. The family was poor, in many ways they were in constant need.
In winter he attended school and learned to read and write, in summer he worked as a shepherd. In 1908, when Nikita was 14 years old, the family moved to the Uspensky mine near Yuzovka. Khrushchev became an apprentice locksmith at the Machine-Building and Iron Foundry Eduard Arturovich Bosse. Since 1912, he began to work independently as a mechanic at the mine. In 1914, during the mobilization to the front of the First World War, and as a miner, he received an indulgence from military service.
In 1918 Khrushchev joined the Bolshevik Party. Participates in the Civil War. In 1918, he headed the Red Guard detachment in Rutchenkovo, then the political commissar of the 2nd battalion of the 74th regiment of the 9th rifle division of the Red Army on the Tsaritsyno front. Later, an instructor in the political department of the Kuban army. After the end of the war, he was engaged in economic and party work. In 1920 he became a political leader, deputy manager of the Rutchenkovskoye mine in the Donbass.
In 1922, Khrushchev returned to Yuzovka and studied at the workers' faculty of the Don Technical School, where he became the party secretary of the technical school. In the same year, he met Nina Kukharchuk, his future wife. In July 1925 he was appointed party leader of the Petrov-Maryinsky district of the Stalin district.
In 1929 he entered the Industrial Academy in Moscow, where he was elected secretary of the party committee.
Since January 1931, 1 secretary of the Baumansky, and since July 1931 of the Krasnopresnensky district committees of the CPSU (b). Since January 1932, he was the second secretary of the Moscow City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks.
From January 1934 to February 1938 - First Secretary of the Moscow City Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. From January 21, 1934 - Second Secretary of the Moscow Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. From March 7, 1935 to February 1938 - First Secretary of the Moscow Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks.
Thus, from 1934 he was the 1st secretary of the Moscow City Committee, and from 1935 he simultaneously held the position of the 1st secretary of the Moscow Committee, he replaced Lazar Kaganovich in both positions, and held them until February 1938.
In 1938, N.S. Khrushchev became the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (b) of Ukraine and a candidate member of the Politburo, and a year later a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. In these positions, he proved himself as a merciless fighter against the "enemies of the people." In the late 1930s alone, more than 150,000 party members were arrested in Ukraine under him.
During the Great Patriotic War, Khrushchev was a member of the military councils of the Southwestern direction, the Southwestern, Stalingrad, Southern, Voronezh and 1st Ukrainian fronts. He was one of the culprits of the catastrophic encirclement of the Red Army near Kyiv and Kharkov, fully supporting the Stalinist point of view. In May 1942, Khrushchev, together with Golikov, made the decision of the Headquarters on the offensive of the Southwestern Front.
The Headquarters clearly stated: the offensive would end in failure if there were not sufficient funds. On May 12, 1942, the offensive began - the Southern Front, built in linear defense, moved back, because. soon the Kleist tank group launched an offensive from the Kramatorsk-Slavyansky region. The front was broken through, the retreat to Stalingrad began, more divisions were lost along the way than during the summer offensive of 1941. On July 28, already on the outskirts of Stalingrad, Order No. 227 was signed, called “Not a step back!”. The loss near Kharkov turned into a big disaster - the Donbass was taken, the Germans' dream seemed a reality - they failed to cut off Moscow in December 1941, a new task arose - to cut off the Volga oil road.
In October 1942, an order signed by Stalin was issued abolishing the dual command system and transferring commissars from command staff to advisers. Khrushchev was in the front command echelon behind Mamaev Kurgan, then at the tractor factory.
He finished the war with the rank of lieutenant general.
In the period from 1944 to 1947 he worked as chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR, then he was again elected first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (b) of Ukraine.
Since December 1949 - again the first secretary of the Moscow regional and city committees and secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.
On the last day of Stalin's life on March 5, 1953, at the joint meeting of the plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Council of Ministers and the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, chaired by Khrushchev, it was recognized as necessary for him to focus on work in the Central Committee of the party.
Khrushchev acted as the leading initiator and organizer of the removal from all posts and the arrest of Lavrenty Beria in June 1953.
In 1953, on September 7, at the plenum of the Central Committee, Khrushchev was elected First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. In 1954, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR decided to transfer the Crimean region and the city of union subordination of Sevastopol to the Ukrainian SSR.
In June 1957, during a four-day meeting of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU, a decision was made to release N.S. Khrushchev from the duties of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. However, a group of Khrushchev's supporters from among the members of the Central Committee of the CPSU, headed by Marshal Zhukov, managed to intervene in the work of the Presidium and achieve the transfer of this issue to the plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU convened for this purpose. At the June plenum of the Central Committee in 1957, Khrushchev's supporters defeated his opponents from among the members of the Presidium.
Four months later, in October 1957, at the initiative of Khrushchev, Marshal Zhukov, who supported him, was removed from the Presidium of the Central Committee and relieved of his duties as Minister of Defense of the USSR.
Since 1958, simultaneously Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. The apogee of the reign of N.S. Khrushchev is called the XXII Congress of the CPSU and the new party program adopted at it.
The October Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU in 1964, organized in the absence of N. S. Khrushchev, who was on vacation, relieved him of party and government posts "for health reasons."
While in retirement, Nikita Khrushchev recorded multi-volume memoirs on a tape recorder. He denounced their publication abroad. Khrushchev died on September 11, 1971
The period of Khrushchev's rule is often called the "thaw": many political prisoners were released, compared to the period of Stalin's rule, the activity of repressions significantly decreased. Decreased influence of ideological censorship. The Soviet Union has made great strides in space exploration. Active housing construction was launched. During his reign, the highest tension of the Cold War with the United States falls. His policy of de-Stalinization led to a break with the regimes of Mao Zedong in China and Enver Hoxha in Albania. However, at the same time, the People's Republic of China was provided with significant assistance in the development of its own nuclear weapons and a partial transfer of the technologies for their production existing in the USSR was carried out. During the reign of Khrushchev, there was a slight turn of the economy towards the consumer.
Awards, Prizes, Political actions
Exploration of the whole land.
The fight against the cult of personality of Stalin: a report at the XX Congress of the CPSU, condemning the "cult of personality", mass de-Stalinization, the removal of Stalin's body from the Mausoleum in 1961, the renaming of cities named after Stalin, the demolition and destruction of monuments to Stalin (except for the monument in Gori, which was dismantled by the Georgian authorities only in 2010).
Rehabilitation of victims of Stalinist repressions.
Transfer of the Crimean region from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR (1954).
Forceful dispersal of rallies in Tbilisi caused by Khrushchev's report at the XX Congress of the CPSU (1956).
Forceful suppression of the uprising in Hungary (1956).
World Festival of Youth and Students in Moscow (1957).
Full or partial rehabilitation of a number of repressed peoples (except for the Crimean Tatars, Germans, Koreans), restoration of the Kabardino-Balkarian, Kalmyk, Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics in 1957.
The abolition of sectoral ministries, the creation of economic councils (1957).
Gradual transition to the principle of "permanent personnel", increasing the independence of the heads of the union republics.
The first successes of the space program - the launch of the first artificial satellite of the Earth and the first manned flight into space (1961).
Erection of the Berlin Wall (1961).
Novocherkassk execution (1962).
Deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba (1962, led to the Cuban Missile Crisis).
The reform of the administrative-territorial division (1962), which included
division of regional committees into industrial and agricultural ones (1962).
Meeting with US Vice President Richard Nixon in Iowa.
Anti-religious campaign 1954-1964.
Lifting the ban on abortion.
Hero of the Soviet Union (1964)
Three times Hero of Socialist Labor (1954, 1957, 1961) - the third time he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor for leading the creation of the rocket industry and preparing the first manned flight into space (Yu. A. Gagarin, April 12, 1961) (the decree was not published).
Lenin (seven times: 1935, 1944, 1948, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1964)
Suvorov I degree (1945)
Kutuzov I degree (1943)
Suvorov II degree (1943)
Patriotic War I degree (1945)
Labor Red Banner (1939)
"In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin"
"Partisan of the Patriotic War" I degree
"For the Defense of Stalingrad"
"For the Victory over Germany"
"Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
"For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War"
"For the restoration of ferrous metallurgy enterprises of the south"
"For the development of virgin lands"
"40 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
"50 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
"In memory of the 800th anniversary of Moscow"
"In memory of the 250th anniversary of Leningrad"
Foreign awards:
Golden Star of the Hero of the NRB (Bulgaria, 1964)
Order of Georgy Dimitrov (Bulgaria, 1964)
Order of the White Lion 1st class (Czechoslovakia) (1964)
Order of the Star of Romania, 1st class
Order of Karl Marx (GDR, 1964)
Order of Sukhe Bator (Mongolia, 1964)
Order of the Nile Necklace (Egypt, 1964)
medal "20 years of the Slovak national uprising" (Czechoslovakia, 1964)
commemorative medal of the World Peace Council (1960)
International Lenin Prize "For strengthening peace between peoples" (1959)
State Prize of the Ukrainian SSR named after T. G. Shevchenko - for a great contribution to the development of the Ukrainian Soviet socialist culture.
Cinema:
"Playhouse 90" "Playhouse 90" (USA, 1958) episode "The Plot to Kill Stalin" - Oskar Homolka
Zotz Zotz! (USA, 1962) - Albert Glasser
"Rockets of October" The Missiles of October (USA, 1974) - Howard DaSilva
"Francis Gary Powers" Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident (USA, 1976) - David Thayer
"Suez, 1956" Suez 1956 (England, 1979) - Aubrey Morris
"Red Monarch" Red Monarch (England, 1983) - Brian Glover
"Far from Home" Miles from Home (USA, 1988) - Larry Pauling
"Stalingrad" (1989) - Vadim Lobanov
"Law" (1989), Ten years without the right to correspond (1990), "General" (1992) - Vladimir Romanovsky
"Stalin" (1992) - Murray Evan
"Cooperative "Politburo", or It will be a long farewell" (1992) - Igor Kashintsev
"Gray Wolves" (1993) - Rolan Bykov
"Children of the Revolution" (1996) - Dennis Watkins
"Enemy at the Gates" (2000) - Bob Hoskins
"Passion" "Passions" (USA, 2002) - Alex Rodney
"Time Watch" "Timewatch" (England, 2005) - Miroslav Neinert
"Battle for Space" (2005) - Constantine Gregory
"Star of the era" (2005), "Furtseva. The Legend of Catherine "(2011) - Viktor Sukhorukov
"Georg" (Estonia, 2006) - Andrius Vaari
"The Company" "The Company" (USA, 2007) - Zoltan Bersenyi
"Stalin. Live" (2006); "House of Exemplary Content" (2009); "Wolf Messing: who saw through time" (2009); "Hockey Games" (2012) - Vladimir Chuprikov
Brezhnev (2005), And Shepilov who joined them (2009), Once Upon a Time in Rostov, Mosgaz (2012), Son of the Father of Nations (2013) - Sergey Losev
"Bomb for Khrushchev" (2009)
"Miracle" (2009), "Zhukov" (2012) - Alexander Potapov
"Comrade Stalin" (2011) - Viktor Balabanov
"Stalin and Enemies" (2013) - Alexander Tolmachev
"K blows the roof" (2013) - Academy Award nominee Paul Giamatti
Documentaries
"Coup" (1989). Production by Tsentrnauchfilm studio
Historical chronicles (a series of documentaries about the history of Russia, aired on the Rossiya TV channel since October 9, 2003):
57th series. 1955 - "Nikita Khrushchev, the beginning ..."
61st series. 1959 - Metropolitan Nicholas
63rd series. 1961 - Khrushchev. Beginning of the End
"Khrushchev. The first after Stalin "(2014)
This abbreviation, almost never used now, was once known to every child and was pronounced almost with reverence. Central Committee of the CPSU! What do these letters mean?
About the name
The abbreviation we are interested in means or is simpler than the Central Committee. Considering the importance of the Communist Party in society, its governing body could well be called the kitchen in which the fateful decisions for the country were “cooked”. Members of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the main elite of the country, are the "cooks" in this kitchen, and the "chef" is the General Secretary.
From the history of the CPSU
The history of this public entity began long before the revolution and the proclamation of the USSR. Until 1952, its names changed several times: RCP(b), VKP(b). These abbreviations reflected both the ideology, which was specified every time (from the Social Democracy of the Workers to the Communist Party of the Bolsheviks), and the scale (from Russian to All-Union). But the names are not the point. From the 1920s to the 1990s, a one-party system functioned in the country, and the Communist Party had an absolute monopoly. In the Constitution of 1936, it was recognized as the governing core, and in the main law of the country of 1977, it was even proclaimed the leading and guiding force of society. Any directives issued by the Central Committee of the CPSU instantly acquired the force of law.
All this, of course, did not contribute to the democratic development of the country. In the USSR, inequality along party lines was actively propagated. Even small leadership positions could only be claimed by members of the CPSU, from whom one could also ask for blunders along the party line. One of the most terrible punishments was the deprivation of the membership card. The CPSU positioned itself as a party of workers and collective farmers, so there were rather strict quotas for its replenishment with new members. It was hard to be in the party ranks for a representative of the creative profession or a mental worker; The CPSU followed its national composition no less strictly. Thanks to such a selection, the really best did not always get into the party.
From the party charter
In accordance with the Charter, all the activities of the Communist Party were collegiate. In the primary organizations, decisions were made at general meetings, but in general, the congress held every few years was the governing body. Approximately once every six months, a party plenum was held. The Central Committee of the CPSU in the intervals between plenums and congresses was the leading unit responsible for all party activities. In turn, the highest body that led the Central Committee itself was the Politburo, headed by the General (First) Secretary.
The functional duties of the Central Committee included personnel policy and local control, spending the party budget and managing the activities of public structures. But not only. Together with the Politburo, the Central Committee of the CPSU determined all ideological activity in the country and resolved the most responsible political and economic issues.
It's hard for people who haven't lived to understand. In a democratic country where a number of parties operate, their activities are of little concern to the average man in the street - he remembers them only before the elections. But in the USSR the leading role of the Communist Party was even emphasized constitutionally! At factories and collective farms, in military units and in creative teams, the party organizer was the second (and often the first in importance) head of this structure. Formally, the Communist Party could not manage economic or political processes: the Council of Ministers existed for this. But in fact, the Communist Party decided everything. Nobody was surprised by the fact that both the most important political problems and the five-year plans for the development of the economy were discussed and determined by party congresses. The Central Committee of the CPSU directed all these processes.
About the main person in the party
Theoretically, the Communist Party was a democratic entity: from the time of Lenin until the last moment, there was no unity of command in it, there were no formal leaders either. It was assumed that the secretary of the Central Committee was just a technical position, and the members of the governing body were equal. The first secretaries of the Central Committee of the CPSU, or rather the RCP (b), were indeed not very noticeable figures. E. Stasova, Ya. Sverdlov, N. Krestinsky, V. Molotov - although their names were well known, these people had nothing to do with practical leadership. But with the advent of I. Stalin, the process went differently: the “father of peoples” managed to subdue all power for himself. There was also a corresponding post - Secretary General. It must be said that the names of the party leaders changed periodically: the Generals were replaced by the First Secretaries of the CPSU Central Committee, then vice versa. With the light hand of Stalin, regardless of the name of his position, the party leader at the same time became the main person of the state.
After the death of the leader in 1953, N. Khrushchev and L. Brezhnev were in this post, then Yu. Andropov and K. Chernenko held the post for a short period. The last party leader was M. Gorbachev - concurrently the only President of the USSR. The era of each of them was significant in its own way. If many consider Stalin a tyrant, then Khrushchev is usually called a voluntarist, and Brezhnev is the father of stagnation. Gorbachev went down in history as a man who first destroyed and then buried a huge state - the Soviet Union.
Conclusion
The history of the CPSU was an academic discipline mandatory for all universities in the country, and every schoolchild in the Soviet Union knew the main milestones in the development and activities of the party. Revolution, then civil war, industrialization and collectivization, victory over fascism and post-war restoration of the country. And then virgin lands and flights into space, large-scale all-Union construction projects - the history of the party was closely intertwined with the history of the state. In each case, the role of the CPSU was considered dominant, and the word "communist" was synonymous with a true patriot and just a worthy person.
But if you read the history of the party differently, between the lines, you get a terrible thriller. Millions of repressed peoples, exiled peoples, camps and political murders, reprisals against objectionable people, persecution of dissidents... It can be said that the author of every black page in Soviet history is the Central Committee of the CPSU.
In the USSR, they liked to quote Lenin's words: "The Party is the mind, honor and conscience of our era." Alas! In fact, the Communist Party was neither one, nor the other, nor the third. After the putsch of 1991, the activities of the CPSU in Russia were banned. Is the Russian Communist Party the successor of the All-Union Party? Even experts find it difficult to explain this.
Plan
Introduction
1 Joseph Stalin (April 1922 - March 1953)
1.1 Post of General Secretary and Stalin's victory in the struggle for power (1922-1934)
1.2 Stalin - the sovereign ruler of the USSR (1934-1951)
1.3 The last years of Stalin's rule (1951-1953)
1.4 Death of Stalin (5 March 1953)
1.5 March 5, 1953 - Stalin's associates dismiss the leader an hour before his death
2 Struggle for power after Stalin's death (March 1953 - September 1953)
3 Nikita Khrushchev (September 1953 - October 1964)
3.1 Post of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU
3.2 First attempt to remove Khrushchev from power (June 1957)
3.3 Removal of Khrushev from power (October 1964)
4 Leonid Brezhnev (1964-1982)
5 Yuri Andropov (1982-1984)
6 Konstantin Chernenko (1984-1985)
7 Mikhail Gorbachev (1985-1991)
7.1 Gorbachev - general secretary
7.2 Election of Gorbachev as Chairman of the USSR Supreme Council
7.3 Position of Deputy Secretary General
7.4 Ban on the CPSU and the abolition of the post of general secretary
8 List of General (First) Secretaries of the Central Committee of the Party - officially holding such a position
Bibliography
Introduction
Party historyOctober Revolution
war communism
New economic policy
Stalinism
Khrushchev thaw
The era of stagnation
perestroika
The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU (in informal use and everyday speech is often abbreviated to General Secretary) is the most significant and the only non-collegiate position in the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The position was introduced as part of the Secretariat on April 3, 1922, at the Plenum of the Central Committee of the RCP(b), elected by the XI Congress of the RCP(b), when I. V. Stalin was approved in this capacity.
From 1934 to 1953, this position was not mentioned at the plenums of the Central Committee during the elections of the Secretariat of the Central Committee. From 1953 to 1966, the First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee was elected, and in 1966 the post of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee was again established.
Joseph Stalin (April 1922 - March 1953)
Post of General Secretary and Stalin's victory in the struggle for power (1922-1934)
The proposal to establish this post and appoint Stalin to it was made, on the idea of Zinoviev, by a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee, Lev Kamenev, in agreement with Lenin, Lenin was not afraid of any competition from the uncultured and politically insignificant Stalin. But for the same reason, Zinoviev and Kamenev made him general secretary: they considered Stalin a politically insignificant person, they saw him as a convenient assistant, but by no means a rival.Initially, this position meant only the leadership of the party apparatus, while Lenin, the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, formally remained the leader of the party and government. In addition, leadership in the party was considered inextricably linked with the merits of the theorist; therefore, following Lenin, Trotsky, Kamenev, Zinoviev and Bukharin were considered the most prominent "leaders", while Stalin was not seen to have either theoretical merits or special merits in the revolution.
Lenin highly valued Stalin's organizational skills, but Stalin's despotic demeanor and his rudeness towards N. Krupskaya made Lenin repent of his appointment, and in the "Letter to the Congress" Lenin declared that Stalin was too rude and should be removed from the post of general secretary. But due to illness, Lenin retired from political activity.
Stalin, Zinoviev and Kamenev organized a triumvirate based on opposition to Trotsky.
Before the beginning of the XIII Congress (held in May 1924), Lenin's widow Nadezhda Krupskaya handed over the Letter to the Congress. It was announced at a meeting of the Council of Elders. Stalin announced his resignation at this meeting for the first time. Kamenev proposed to resolve the issue by voting. The majority voted in favor of keeping Stalin in the post of general secretary, only Trotsky's supporters voted against.
After the death of Lenin, Leon Trotsky claimed the role of the first person in the party and the state. But he lost to Stalin, who masterfully played the combination, winning Kamenev and Zinoviev over to his side. And Stalin's real career begins only from the moment when Zinoviev and Kamenev, desiring to seize Lenin's inheritance and organize the struggle against Trotsky, chose Stalin as an ally who must be had in the party apparatus.
On December 27, 1926, Stalin submitted his resignation from the post of General Secretary: “I ask you to release me from the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee. I declare that I can no longer work in this post, unable to work in this post anymore. The resignation was not accepted.
Interestingly, Stalin in official documents never signed the full name of the position. He signed as "Secretary of the Central Committee" and was addressed as Secretary of the Central Committee. When the Encyclopedic reference book "The Figures of the USSR and the Revolutionary Movements of Russia" (prepared in 1925-1926) came out, there, in the article "Stalin", Stalin was presented as follows: "since 1922, Stalin is one of the secretaries of the Central Committee of the party, in what position he remains even now. ”, that is, not a word about the post of general secretary. Since the author of the article was Stalin's personal secretary Ivan Tovstukha, it means that such was Stalin's desire.
By the end of the 1920s, Stalin had concentrated such significant personal power in his hands that the position became associated with the highest position in the party leadership, although the Charter of the CPSU (b) did not provide for its existence.
When Molotov was appointed Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR in 1930, he asked to be relieved of his duties as Secretary of the Central Committee. Stalin agreed. And the duties of the second secretary of the Central Committee began to be performed by Lazar Kaganovich. He replaced Stalin in the Central Committee. .
Stalin - the sovereign ruler of the USSR (1934-1951)
According to R. Medvedev, in January 1934, at the 17th Congress, an illegal bloc was formed mainly from the secretaries of the regional committees and the Central Committee of the National Communist Parties, who, more than anyone else, felt and understood the fallacy of Stalin's policy. Proposals were made to move Stalin to the post of chairman of the Council of People's Commissars or the Central Executive Committee, and to elect S.M. Kirov. A group of congress delegates discussed this with Kirov, but he resolutely refused, and without his consent the whole plan became unrealistic.- Molotov, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich 1977: “ Kirov is a weak organizer. He is a good crowd. And we treated him well. Stalin loved him. I say that he was Stalin's favorite. The fact that Khrushchev cast a shadow on Stalin, as if he had killed Kirov, is vile».
Since 1934, the mention of the position of the General Secretary has disappeared from the documents altogether. At the Plenums of the Central Committee held after the 17th, 18th, and 19th Party Congresses, Stalin was elected Secretary of the Central Committee, effectively performing the functions of General Secretary of the Party's Central Committee. After the XVII Congress of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, held in 1934, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks elected the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, consisting of Zhdanov, Kaganovich, Kirov and Stalin. Stalin, as chairman of the meetings of the Politburo and the Secretariat, retained the general leadership, that is, the right to approve this or that agenda and determine the degree of readiness of the draft decisions submitted for consideration.
Stalin continued in official documents to sign as "Secretary of the Central Committee" and continued to be addressed as Secretary of the Central Committee.
Subsequent updates of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks in 1939 and 1946 were also held with the election of formally equal secretaries of the Central Committee. The Charter of the CPSU, adopted at the 19th Congress of the CPSU, did not contain any mention of the existence of the post of "general secretary".
In May 1941, in connection with the appointment of Stalin as Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the Politburo adopted a resolution in which Andrei Zhdanov was officially named Stalin's deputy for the party: “In view of the fact that Comrade. Stalin, remaining, at the insistence of the Politburo of the Central Committee, the first Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, will not be able to devote sufficient time to work on the Secretariat of the Central Committee, appoint comrade. Zhdanova A.A. Deputy Comrade. Stalin on the Secretariat of the Central Committee.
Vyacheslav Molotov and Lazar Kaganovich, who had previously actually performed this role, were not awarded the official status of deputy leader for the party.
The struggle among the leaders of the country escalated as Stalin increasingly raised the question that in the event of his death he needed to select successors in the leadership of the party and government. Molotov recalled: “After the war, Stalin was about to retire and said at the table: “Let Vyacheslav work now. He's younger."
For a long time, a possible successor to Stalin was seen in Molotov, but later Stalin, who considered the post of head of government to be the first post in the USSR, in private conversations suggested that he sees Nikolai Voznesensky as his successor in the state line
Continuing to see in Voznesensky his successor in leadership of the country's government, Stalin began to look for another candidate for the post of party leader. Mikoyan recalled: “I think it was 1948. Once, Stalin pointed to 43-year-old Alexei Kuznetsov and said that future leaders should be young, and in general, such a person could someday become his successor in leadership of the party and the Central Committee.
By this time, two dynamic rival groups had formed in the country's leadership. Further, events turned tragically. In August 1948, the leader of the "Leningrad group" A.A. died suddenly. Zhdanov. Almost a year later, in 1949, Voznesensky and Kuznetsov became key figures in the "Leningrad Affair". They were sentenced to death and executed by firing squad on October 1, 1950.
The last years of Stalin's rule (1951-1953)
Since Stalin's health was a taboo topic, only various rumors served as a source for versions about his illnesses. The state of health began to affect his performance. Many documents remained unsigned for a long time. He was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, and not he, but Voznesensky, chaired the meetings of the Council of Ministers (until he was removed from all posts in 1949). After Voznesensky Malenkov. According to the historian Yu. Zhukov, Stalin's decline in working capacity began in February 1950 and reached its lowest limit, stabilizing in May 1951.As Stalin began to tire of everyday affairs and business papers remained unsigned for a long time, in February 1951 it was decided that three leaders, Malenkov, Beria and Bulganin, had the right to sign for Stalin, and they used his facsimile.
Georgy Malenkov led the preparations for the 19th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, which took place in October 1952. At the congress, Malenkov was instructed to deliver the Report of the Central Committee, which was a sign of Stalin's special confidence. Georgy Malenkov was seen as his most likely successor.
On the last day of the congress, October 14, Stalin delivered a short speech. This was Stalin's last open public speech.
The procedure for electing the leading bodies of the party at the Plenum of the Central Committee on October 16, 1952 was quite specific. Stalin, taking out a piece of paper from the pocket of his jacket, said: “The Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU could be elected, for example, such comrades - Comrade Stalin, Comrade Andrianov, Comrade Aristov, Comrade Beria, Comrade Bulganin ...” and then alphabetically another 20 names, including the names of Molotov and Mikoyan, to whom in his speech he had just, without any reason, expressed political distrust. Then he read out the candidates for membership in the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU, including the names of Brezhnev and Kosygin.
Then Stalin took out another piece of paper from the side pocket of his jacket and said: “Now about the Secretariat of the Central Committee. It would be possible to elect as secretaries of the Central Committee, for example, such comrades as Comrade Stalin, Comrade Aristov, Comrade Brezhnev, Comrade Ignatov, Comrade Malenkov, Comrade Mikhailov, Comrade Pegov, Comrade Ponomarenko, Comrade Suslov, Comrade Khrushchev.
In total, Stalin proposed 36 people to the Presidium and Secretariat.
At the same plenum, Stalin tried to resign from his party duties, refusing the post of secretary of the Central Committee, but under pressure from the delegates of the plenum, he accepted this position.
Suddenly, someone shouted loudly from the spot: “Comrade Stalin must be elected General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU.” Everyone stood up, thunderous applause broke out. The ovation continued for several minutes. We, sitting in the hall, believed that this was quite natural. But then Stalin waved his hand, calling everyone to silence, and when the applause died down, unexpectedly for the members of the Central Committee said: “No! Release me from the duties of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. After these words, some kind of shock arose, an amazing silence reigned ... Malenkov quickly went down to the podium and said: “Comrades! We must all unanimously and unanimously ask Comrade Stalin, our leader and teacher, to continue to be the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Thunderous applause and ovation followed. Then Stalin went to the podium and said: “Applause is not needed at the Plenum of the Central Committee. It is necessary to resolve issues without emotions, in a businesslike way. And I ask to be relieved of my duties as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. I'm already old. I don't read papers. Choose another secretary!”. The people in the hall murmured. Marshal S.K. Timoshenko rose from the front rows and loudly declared: “Comrade Stalin, the people will not understand this! We all as one elect you as our leader - the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. There can be no other solution." Everyone, standing, warmly applauding, supported Comrade Timoshenko. Stalin stood for a long time and looked into the hall, then waved his hand and sat down.
- From the memoir of Leonid Efremov "Roads of struggle and labor" (1998)
When the question arose of forming the leading bodies of the party, Stalin took the floor and began to say that it was hard for him to be both the prime minister of the government and the general secretary of the party: The years are not the same; it's hard for me; tired; well, what kind of prime minister is he who cannot even make a report or a report. Stalin said this and inquisitively peered into the faces, as if studying how the Plenum would react to his words about his resignation. Not a single person sitting in the hall, practically did not admit the possibility of Stalin's resignation. And everyone instinctively felt that Stalin did not want his words about his resignation to be accepted for execution.
- From the memoir of Dmitry Shepilov "Non-joining"
Unexpectedly for everyone, Stalin proposed the creation of a new, non-statutory body - the Bureau of the Presidium of the Central Committee. It was supposed to fulfill the functions of the former omnipotent Politburo. Stalin proposed not to include Molotov and Mikoyan in this supreme party organ. This was adopted by the Plenum, as always, unanimously.
Stalin continued to search for a successor, but he no longer shared his intentions with anyone. It is known that shortly before his death, Stalin considered Panteleimon Ponomarenko as the successor and continuer of his work. The high authority of Ponomarenko manifested itself at the XIX Congress of the CPSU. When he took the podium to make his speech, the delegates greeted him with applause. However, Stalin did not have time to carry out the appointment of P.K. Ponomarenko to the post of Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. Only Beria, Malenkov, Khrushchev and Bulganin out of 25 members of the Presidium of the Central Committee did not have time to sign the appointment document. .
Death of Stalin (March 5, 1953)
According to the official version, on March 1, 1953, at a dacha in Kuntsevo, Stalin suffered an apoplexy, from which he died 4 days later, on March 5. Only at seven in the morning on March 2, the doctors who appeared at the dacha in Kuntsevo began to examine the dying Stalin. Precious time was lost, the leader's death was a foregone conclusion. The first bulletin about Stalin's illness was published on March 4, where it was falsely reported that Stalin was in his apartment in the Kremlin, although in fact he had a stroke at his dacha in Kuntsevo. On March 5, a second bulletin was published, from which it was clear that the patient's situation was hopeless.On March 6, all newspapers will announce the death of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, on March 5 at 9:50 pm.
1.5. March 5, 1953 - Stalin's associates dismiss the leader an hour before his death
After Stalin's stroke, the first meeting of the Bureau of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU was held on March 2 at 12 o'clock in Kuntsevo. Busy days March 2, 3, 4, 5. New meetings of the Bureau of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Malenkov clearly took the reins of government into his own hands.End of the day March 5th. One more session. The resolution adopted at it meant: the top party leaders had already ventured to carry out the procedure for transferring power to a new leader. At the suggestion of Malenkov and Beria, it was decided to hold a joint meeting of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Council of Ministers and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR that evening in the Kremlin.
The adopted resolution noted that “in connection with the serious illness of Comrade Stalin, which entails a more or less long non-participation in leadership activities, to consider, during the absence of Comrade Stalin, the most important task of the party and government is to ensure uninterrupted and correct leadership of the entire life of the country .. .".
The joint meeting was scheduled for 8 pm. Only at eight forty did the meeting open. The meeting was fleeting: it lasted only ten minutes. Its main result - Stalin was dismissed from the post of head of government. This post was taken by Malenkov. They did not want to leave Stalin even formally in the position of the highest government leader. .
Malenkov was one of the main contenders for Stalin's legacy and, having agreed with Khrushchev, Beria and others, he took the most important post in the USSR - Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Malenkov, Beria and others believed that posts in the Council of Ministers were much more important. .
At the same joint meeting, they approved the new composition of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU, which included the dying Stalin. But Stalin was relieved of his duties as secretary of the Central Committee. Thus, Stalin's comrades-in-arms did not allow the leader to die, not only as the head of government, but also as the official leader of the party.
At the end of the meeting, Khrushchev declared the joint meeting closed. Stalin dies one hour after the meeting. Khrushchev is lying in his memoirs when he says that the distribution of "portfolios" was made after Stalin's death.
Newspapers will publish the Decree of the Joint Session of the Plenum of the Central Committee, the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR only on March 7 without indicating the date when the meeting was held or on what date the resolution was adopted. In the history books they will write that the appointment of the new leadership of the country took place on March 6, the dead man will be deleted from the new composition of the Presidium of the Central Committee, the release of Stalin from the posts of secretary of the Central Committee and the presovmin will be hidden - that is, officially Stalin remained the leader of the party and the country until his death.
Struggle for power after Stalin's death (March 1953 - September 1953)
Already on March 14, Malenkov was forced to resign from the post of secretary of the Central Committee, transferring control of the party apparatus to Khrushchev twenties Lenin. Malenkov waged the main rivalry in the struggle for power with Khrushchev. There was an agreement: to draw up the agenda of the meetings of the Presidium of the Central Committee together - Malenkov and Khrushchev.Malenkov stopped betting on an alliance with Beria. The rejection of this alliance deprived Malenkov of powerful support, contributed to the creation of a political vacuum around him, and ultimately contributed to the loss of his leadership. However, both Malenkov and Khrushchev saw in Beria a possible third force in the struggle for power. By mutual agreement, Beria was decided to be eliminated.
Under the actual power of the triumvirate - Malenkov, Beria, Khrushchev - the latter, with the support of Bulganin and Zhukov, organized the arrest of Beria, and later was able to push Malenkov aside
In August 1953, it still seemed to many that it was Malenkov who was acting as the leader of the country. For example, at the session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR held in early August, he made a report that was perceived as a program.
A month has passed, and the situation has changed dramatically. Malenkov's rival - Nikita Khrushchev - relied on the implementation of the installation of the highest party and state bodies, adopted on March 5, 1953 at their joint meeting in the Kremlin. According to this installation, Khrushchev was instructed to "concentrate on work in the Central Committee of the CPSU." A variant of such a "concentration" was unmistakably found by Khrushchev. On the initiative of Khrushchev, the post of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU was established, which he himself took on September 7, 1953.
For six months, from March to September 1953, Malenkov, having taken the post that belonged to Stalin, was perceived as his immediate heir. However, Stalin, who abolished the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the party, did not leave a special party position for inheritance and thus deprived his successors of the right to "automatically" decide the issue of leadership. Khrushchev, having achieved the introduction of a post of similar importance, came to the desired goal, reviving the Stalinist formulation of the question: the party leader is the leader of the country.
Nikita Khrushchev (September 1953 - October 1964)
3.1. Post of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU
During the September Plenum of the Central Committee, during a break between sessions of the plenum, Malenkov unexpectedly turned to the members of the Presidium with a proposal to elect Khrushchev as First Secretary of the Central Committee at the same plenum. Bulganin enthusiastically supported this proposal. The rest reacted to the proposal with restraint. The fact that the chief leader of the country, Malenkov, was provoked to make such a proposal contributed to his support by other members of the Presidium. Such a decision was proposed at the plenum. Literally in the last minutes of work, without any discussion, in passing, they unanimously elected N.S. Khrushchev as the first secretary of the party.The creation of this post meant the actual revival of the post of General Secretary. Neither the post of First Secretary, nor the post of General Secretary in the 1920s, was provided for by the party charter. The establishment of the post of First Secretary in September 1953 also meant the abandonment of the principle of collective leadership, adopted only six months earlier at the March Plenum of the Central Committee.
Having received the post of First Secretary of the Central Committee, Khrushchev did not immediately take the place corresponding to his leading position in the hierarchy of state structures. Political power was divided between the First Secretary and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, who was supported by the conservative wing of the communists. . And the leader of the country could suit, according to the ideas of the time, the post of head of government. Both Lenin and Stalin held such a post. Khrushchev also received it, but not immediately, but four and a half years after the September 1953 Plenum.
After September 1953, Malenkov still tried to share the palm with Khrushchev, but he did not succeed. Malenkov then served as chairman of the Council of Ministers for less than a year and a half. It was the end of his political career.
First attempt to remove Khrushchev from power (June 1957)
In June 1957, the first attempt was made to remove Khrushchev by a group of Stalinists - Malenkov, Molotov, Kaganovich and others. At a four-day meeting of the Presidium of the Central Committee, 7 members of the Presidium voted for the release of Khrushchev from the duties of First Secretary of the Central Committee. They accused Khrushchev of voluntarism and discrediting the party, after the removal they thought of appointing him as Minister of Agriculture. .The post of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU was supposed to be abolished. According to Malenkov, the meetings of the Presidium of the Central Committee should have been chaired by the head of the Council of Ministers, according to Saburov and Pervukhin, all members of the Presidium in turn. The old Stalinist guard considered Vyacheslav Molotov as a candidate for the post of party leader.
June 18, 1957 - The Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU decided to dismiss N.S. Khrushchev from the post of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU.
The Presidium of Ministers Bulganin ordered the Minister of the Interior to send encrypted telegrams to the regional committees and republican Central Committees about the decision of the Presidium of the Central Committee, and ordered the leaders of TASS and the State Committee for Radio and Television to report this to the media. However, they did not comply with these orders, since Khrushchev had already managed to take measures to ensure that the secretariat of the Central Committee actually took control of the country into his own hands. While the meeting of the Presidium of the Central Committee was going on, the employees of the secretariat of the Central Committee began to notify the members of the Central Committee loyal to Khrushchev and gather them to organize a rebuff to the Presidium, and at the same time, under the pretext that it was necessary to gather all the members of the Presidium of the Central Committee, Mikoyan succeeded in continuing the meeting of the Presidium the next day.
Khrushchev could use against the rebels from the Presidium in the event of the neutrality of Marshal Zhukov, well-armed KGB units. If in June 1953 Malenkov and Khrushchev feared that Beria would use armed men from the Ministry of Internal Affairs against them, now Malenkov and his allies could fear that KGB chairman Serov and his people would stand up for Khrushchev. At the same time, the warring parties were looking for Zhukov's support. His position was significantly different from what he held in June 1953. Then he obediently carried out the commands of his superiors, which Bulganin and Malenkov were for him. Now he was a candidate member of the Presidium of the Central Committee and Minister of Defense. In a situation of temporary dual power, Zhukov felt the dependence of the struggling groups on him. Ultimately, Zhukov took Khrushchev's side.
Before the meeting of the Presidium of the Central Committee, again continued on June 19, Khrushchev held a meeting with those who were on his side. Zhukov told Khrushchev: "I will arrest them, I have everything ready." Furtseva supported Zhukov: "That's right, we need to remove them." Suslov and Mukhitdinov were against it. At the same time, the secretariat organized, secretly from the Presidium of the Central Committee, the call of members of the Central Committee to Moscow, who were outside the capital. They were delivered to Moscow by aircraft of the air force. By June 19, several dozen members and candidate members of the Central Committee had gathered in Moscow. The actions of these people were coordinated by Furtseva and Ignatov. They formed a delegation of 20 people to negotiate with members of the Presidium of the Central Committee.
Zhukov announced at a meeting of the Presidium of his intention to act as the leader of the rebellious armed forces of the country. Zhukov's threats, the active assistance of other power ministers, the sabotage of TASS and Gosteleradio, pressure from members of the Central Committee - had an impact on the members of the Presidium. On June 20 and 21, the meeting of the Presidium was continued. The discussion was extremely heated. With thirty years of experience in the highest party body, Voroshilov complained that nothing like this had happened during his entire time in the Politburo. Unable to withstand the intensity of passions, Brezhnev lost consciousness and was carried out of the meeting room. The members of the Central Committee, who gathered in the Sverdlovsk Hall, managed to convene a plenum.
On June 22, 1957, the plenum of the Central Committee opened, at which Suslov, Khrushchev and others sought to lay the main blame on the three - Malenkov, Kaganovich and Molotov, so that the fact that the majority of the members of the Presidium of the Central Committee opposed Khrushchev was not too obvious. It immediately became clear that the speaker's assessments received support in the hall.
The plenum lasted eight days, from 22 to 29 June. Resolution of the plenum (published only on July 4) "On the anti-party group of Malenkov G.M., Kaganovich L.M., Molotov V.M." was adopted unanimously, with one abstention (V.M. Molotov). At the plenum, Molotov, Malenkov, Kaganovich and Shepilov were expelled from the Central Committee. Khrushchev repeatedly emphasized that all four were not arrested and shot, and he saw his own merit in this. He kept silent about the fact that his opponents also did not propose to arrest him and did not even intend to expel him from the Presidium of the Central Committee.
The June events in 1957 showed that the fate of the country's leadership largely depends on the position of Marshal Zhukov. Khrushchev remembered and often repeated Zhukov's words that without his order the tanks would not budge. In the midst of the June political battles, Zhukov threw a phrase at Khrushchev's opponents that it was enough for him to turn to the people - and everyone would support him.
After 4 months, Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov will be accused of Bonapartism and self-praise and removed from the post of Minister of Defense of the USSR.
Khrushchev's position was strengthened, in 1958 he combined the post of Chairman of the Council of Ministers with the post of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU and ended the collegial leadership, but, unlike Stalin, did not destroy or deprive his political opponents of freedom.
Removal of Khrushev from power (October 1964)
For the first 9 months of 1964, Khrushchev spent 150 days outside of Moscow. The stay of Khrushchev and his numerous assistants outside Moscow only facilitated the preparation of a conspiracy against him. Brezhnev carried out practical work on organizing the removal of Khrushchev, personally talked on this issue with each member and candidate member of the Presidium of the Central Committee.As Semichastny testifies, Brezhnev in the spring of 1964 began to insist on the physical elimination of Khrushchev. In this case, explanations of the reasons for his removal from power could have been avoided. Brezhnev began to express these proposals during Khrushchev's trip to Egypt. Semichastny and Shelepin realized that Brezhnev and his allies wanted to commit a crime by proxy. Former Komsomol leaders unraveled the perfidy of Brezhnev and his accomplices. After all, the latter could blame the murder of Khrushchev on Shelepin and Semichastny, and then, quickly eliminating them, announce the salvation of the country from the sinister conspirators who killed Khrushchev and were preparing the murder of other members of the Presidium of the Central Committee.
On October 13, 1964, at 4 pm, a meeting of the Presidium of the Central Committee began in the Kremlin office of the First Secretary. The conspirators did not repeat the mistakes of Malenkov, Bulganin and others in 1957 - now the conspirators could rely on the full support of the KGB, the Ministry of Defense and a large part of the members of the Central Committee. Voronov was the first to suggest Khrushchev's resignation. The meeting continued until 8 pm. The head of government was exposed to an impressive list of accusations: from the collapse of agriculture and grain purchases abroad to the publication in the press of more than a thousand of his photographs in two years. The next day the meeting was continued . In his speech, Kosygin proposed to introduce the post of second secretary. Brezhnev, addressing Khrushchev, said: “I have been with you since 1938. In 1957 I fought for you. I can’t make a deal with my conscience… Release Khrushchev from his posts, divide posts.”
Khrushchev spoke at the end of the meeting. In his speech, he said: “I fought with you against the anti-Party group. I appreciate your honesty ... I tried not to have two posts, but you gave me these two posts! ... Leaving the stage, I repeat: I am not going to fight you ... I am now worried and happy, because the period has come when members of the Presidium of the Central Committee began to control the activities of the First Secretary of the Central Committee and speak in full voice ... Am I a "cult"? You smeared me around with g ..., and I say: "That's right." Is this a cult?! Today's meeting of the Presidium of the Central Committee is a victory for the party... I thank you for giving me the opportunity to resign. I ask you to write a statement for me, and I will sign it. I am ready to do everything in the name of the interests of the party .... I thought that perhaps you would consider it possible to establish some kind of honorary post. But I'm not asking you to. Where do I live, decide for yourself. I am ready, if necessary, to go anywhere. Thanks again for the criticism, for working together for a number of years, and for your willingness to give me the opportunity to retire.”
By decision of the Presidium, they prepared a statement on behalf of Khrushchev asking for his resignation. Khrushchev signed it. Then Brezhnev proposed to elect Nikolai Podgorny as the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, but he began to refuse and offered Leonid Brezhnev to this post. This decision has been made. It was also decided to recommend Alexei Kosygin for the post of Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR.
At the Plenum of the Central Committee, held on the evening of October 14 in the Sverdlovsk Hall of the Kremlin, Suslov made a two-hour report summarizing the accusations against Khrushchev made at the meeting of the Presidium of the Central Committee. At the plenum, demands were made: “Expel him from the party!” "Judge him!" Khrushchev sat motionless, clasping his face in his hands. Suslov read Khrushchev's statement asking for his resignation, as well as a draft resolution stating that Khrushchev was being relieved of his posts for health reasons. Khrushchev's resignation was then unanimously adopted.
Unlike Molotov, Kaganovich, Malenkov and others, Khrushchev was not expelled from the party. He remained a member of the Central Committee until the next congress (1966). He was left with many of the material goods that the Soviet leaders had.
Leonid Brezhnev (1964-1982)
At the Plenum of the Central Committee on October 14, 1964, Brezhnev was elected First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. At the XXIII Congress of the CPSU, held in 1966, changes were adopted in the Charter of the CPSU, and the post of "general secretary" was entered into the Charter and this post was taken by L. I. Brezhnev. At the same time, the name "Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU" was replaced by the "Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU" that had existed since 1952.In 1974, there was a sharp deterioration in Brezhnev's health, and in 1976 he suffered a severe stroke. Speech became slurred due to problems with dentures. There were sclerotic phenomena, unsteady gait, fatigue. Without a written text, he could not speak not only in large audiences, but also at meetings of the Politburo. Brezhnev was aware of the degree of weakening of his capabilities, he was tormented by this situation. Twice raised the issue of his resignation, but all the influential members of the Politburo were against it. In April 1979, he again spoke about his desire to retire, but the Politburo, after discussing the issue, spoke in favor of him continuing to work.
Brezhnev in 1976 saw Grigory Romanov as his successor. The elderly Suslov and Kosygin prepared him for the future leadership of the party and the state instead of themselves. To this end, he was introduced, as an equal member, to the Politburo of the Central Committee.
However, with the election of 48-year-old Mikhail Gorbachev, at the suggestion of Andropov, in 1979 as a candidate member of the Politburo, and in 1980 as a member of the Politburo, the age advantage of 57-year-old Romanov faded. Dmitry Ustinov had enormous influence on Brezhnev. However, he never claimed a broader position, in terms of political influence.
According to some reports, Vladimir Shcherbitsky was considered by Brezhnev as his successor as General Secretary. This version was also confirmed by Grishin, who wrote in his memoirs that Brezhnev wanted to recommend Shcherbitsky as General Secretary at the next Plenum of the Central Committee, while he himself was thinking of moving to the post of party chairman.
Yuri Andropov (1982-1984)
As Brezhnev's illness progressed, the USSR's foreign and defense policy was determined by a triumvirate of Ustinov, Andropov, and Gromyko.The position of the secretary of the Central Committee for ideology in Soviet times was traditionally viewed as the position of the second most important secretary and, in fact, the second person in the top leadership. This post for many years under Brezhnev was held by Mikhail Suslov. After his death in January 1982, a struggle broke out in the party leadership for this post. Even then, the rivalry between Andropov and Chernenko was clearly marked. In May 1982, Yuri Andropov was elected to this post. In July 1982, Andropov not only de jure, but also de facto became the second person in the party and began to be seen as a likely successor to Brezhnev. But Brezhnev did not make a final choice regarding his successor, at various times he called either Shcherbitsky or Chernenko.
On November 10, 1982, Brezhnev died, and on the same day, secluded, the triumvirate with the participation of Prime Minister Nikolai Tikhonov resolved the issue of the Secretary General. Ustinov knew that Konstantin Chernenko, Brezhnev's closest associate, had big plans for the vacant post of General Secretary. At an emergency meeting of the Politburo on the evening of November 10, Tikhonov was preparing to propose his candidacy for this post. In order to "neutralize" Tikhonov's possible initiative, Ustinov asked Chernenko himself to propose Andropov's candidacy for the post of General Secretary. Chernenko came to the conclusion that behind Ustinov's initiative there were agreements hidden, which he would hardly be able to resist, and expressed his consent. The issue has been resolved. The Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU approved Andropov in this position.
On September 1, 1983, Andropov chaired the last meeting of the Politburo in his life. Looked extremely bad. At that time he was already living on an artificial kidney. He died in February 1984 from both kidney failure.
Konstantin Chernenko (1984-1985)
The day after Andropov's death on February 10, 1984, an extraordinary meeting of the Politburo began. As in November 1982, after Brezhnev's death, the meeting was preceded by informal meetings between members of the Politburo. Everything was decided at the talks of the four: Ustinov, Chernenko, Gromyko, Tikhonov.At these negotiations, to the surprise of the audience, Andrei Gromyko immediately began to probe the ground in order to get the post of general secretary. Trying to prevent such a development of events, Ustinov proposed Chernenko for this post. This nomination suited everyone.
No one remembered the candidacy of the young Gorbachev then: the party elders reasonably feared that he, having come to the highest power, could quickly say goodbye to them. And Gorbachev himself, after Andropov's death, in a conversation with Ustinov, offered him to become Secretary General, promising to support him, but Ustinov refused: “I'm already old and I have a lot of illnesses. Let Chernenko pull. In two months, Gorbachev will take the de facto position of the second secretary of the Central Committee.
On February 13, 1984, Chernenko was elected General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. In politics, Chernenko tried to return after Andropov to the Brezhnev style. He spoke favorably of Stalin, honored his merits, but there was not enough time for rehabilitation.
Since the end of 1984, due to a serious illness, he rarely came to work, on his days off he spent no more than two or three hours in his office. They were brought to work in a hospital wheelchair. He spoke with difficulty. . The last months of his life, Chernenko lay in the hospital, but, when necessary, they changed his clothes, put him at the table, and he portrayed active social and political activity in front of television cameras.
Chernenko died on March 10, 1985. His funeral on Red Square took place on March 13, that is, only two days after that. It is noteworthy that both Brezhnev and Andropov were buried four days after their death.
Mikhail Gorbachev (1985-1991)
7.1. Gorbachev - general secretary
After Chernenko's death in March 1985, the issue of a new general secretary was resolved quickly. Consultations on this issue were held immediately after receiving the mournful news. It is known that Foreign Minister Gromyko, who persistently advocated for the election of Gorbachev as Secretary General, was most actively engaged in consultations.Gromyko played a key role in Gorbachev's nomination for the post of General Secretary of the Central Committee, entering into secret negotiations with his supporters Yakovlev and Primakov through his son, director of the Institute for African Studies An. A. Gromyko. In exchange for supporting Gorbachev's candidacy, he received a promise to take the post of Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. On March 11, 1985, at a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, which decided on the candidacy of the General Secretary instead of the deceased Chernenko, Gromyko proposed to elect M. S. Gorbachev. On the same day, this proposal, consolidated with the old guard of leaders, was presented at the Plenum of the Central Committee.
Gorbachev's potential rivals were Secretary of the Central Committee Grigory Romanov and First Secretary of the Moscow City Party Committee Viktor Grishin. However, the rivalry on their part practically did not go beyond the preliminary consultations. Shcherbitsky was the only member of the Politburo who was not present on March 11 in connection with his stay in the United States at a meeting of the Politburo that discussed the candidacy of the new Secretary General Gorbachev. Three months after the election of Gorbachev as Secretary General, Romanov was retired "due to health reasons."
7.2. Election of Gorbachev as Chairman of the USSR Supreme Council
For the first three and a half years of his time in power, Gorbachev limited his leadership ambitions to the post of general secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. However, in the fall of 1988, following Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko, he decided to combine the highest party post with the highest state post. To implement this plan, Gromyko, who had been chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR since July 1985, was urgently retired.In March 1990, at the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Gorbachev proposed the exclusion from the Constitution of the USSR of the 6th and 7th articles on the leading role of the party in the life of Soviet society. The post of President of the USSR in March 1990 was introduced under Gorbachev and was, so to speak, a landmark: his establishment marked major transformations in the political system, primarily related to the rejection of the constitutional recognition of the leading role of the CPSU in the country.
7.3. Position of Deputy Secretary General
In 1990-1991 There was a position of Deputy General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. The only person who held this post was V. A. Ivashko, who theoretically replaced the General Secretary. During the events of August 1991, the Deputy General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU was actually deprived of the opportunity to fulfill the duties of Gorbachev, who was under house arrest Forose, without showing himself in any way.7.4. The ban on the CPSU and the abolition of the post of General Secretary
The events of August 19-21, 1991 ended in the failure and defeat of the State Emergency Committee, and these events predetermined the demise of the CPSU.On August 23, 1991, before lunch, Gorbachev spoke at a session of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, where he met with a cold reception. Despite his objections, the President of the RSFSR Boris Yeltsin signed the Decree on the suspension of the activities of the Communist Party of the RSFSR right in the hall. This decree was perceived as a decree on the dissolution of the organizational structures of the CPSU.
On the same day, in accordance with the decision of the President of the USSR, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU Gorbachev and on the basis of the order of the Mayor of Moscow Popov, work in the buildings of the Central Committee of the CPSU was stopped from 15:00 and the entire building complex of the Central Committee of the CPSU was sealed. According to Roy Medvedev, it was this resolution, and not Yeltsin's decree, which dealt only with the Communist Party of the RSFSR, that made it possible to begin the destruction of the central organs of the CPSU.
On the same day, Gorbachev, as President of the USSR, signed a Decree stating: "The Soviets of People's Deputies should protect the property of the CPSU"
On August 25, everything belonging to the CPSU was declared the state property of the RSFSR. The decree begins with the words: “In connection with the dissolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU ...”
On August 29, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR by its decree suspended the activities of the CPSU throughout the USSR, and the President of the RSFSR, by his decree of November 6, 1991, finally stopped the activities of the CPSU on the territory of the republic.
List of General (First) Secretaries of the Central Committee of the Party - officially holding such a position
From March 10, 1934 to September 7, 1953, the position of "General (First) Secretary" was not mentioned at the plenums of the Central Committee during the elections of the Secretariat of the Central Committee, but from March 10, 1934 to March 5, 1953, Stalin continued to perform the functions of Secretary General in the position of Secretary of the Central Committee. An hour before his death, Stalin was relieved of his duties as secretary of the Central Committee. The functions of the General (First) Secretary were not transferred to anyone, but Georgy Malenkov remained the most influential secretary of the Central Committee until March 14, who received the post of head of government on March 5.On March 5, Nikita Khrushchev became the second influential secretary of the Central Committee, who was instructed to "concentrate on work in the Central Committee of the CPSU." On March 14, Malenkov was forced to resign from the post of secretary of the Central Committee, transferring control of the party apparatus to Khrushchev, but Malenkov received the right to chair the meetings of the Presidium of the Central Committee. Since on September 7, 1953, at the initiative of Khrushchev, the post of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU was established, which he himself took, it can be assumed that thereby the functions of the General (First) Secretary were transferred to him.
Bibliography:
- On the day of Stalin's death Ponomarenko as one of his nominees, he was relieved of the post of secretary of the Central Committee, transferred from members of the Presidium of the Central Committee to candidates (until 1956) and appointed Minister of Culture of the USSR. Since 1955, in diplomatic work. On June 27, 1957, during the work of the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, he signed a collective statement sent to the Presidium of the Plenum by a group of members of the Central Committee demanding severe punishment for the members of the "anti-party group" G. M. Malenkov, V. M. Molotov, L. M. Kaganovich and others. But this attempt to return to big politics was not crowned with success. "Ponomarenko, P.K"
- "Master of the Kremlin" died before his own death. Stalin's latest secret. Site www.peoples.ru
- "Malenkov Georgy Maximilianovich" Rulers of Russia. Site know-it-all-1.narod.ru
- Evgeny Mironov. "General Secretary-traitor"
- Komsomolskaya Pravda” dated March 6, 1953
- According to other sources, it began at 20.00 and ended at 20.40 "Secretariat of the Central Committee: 1952-1956". Rulers of Russia and the Soviet Union, biographical and chronological reference book. Website: www.praviteli.org
- "Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich". Handbook of the history of the CPSU 1898 - 1991
- Georgy Maximilianovich Malenkov. Leaders of Soviet Russia, USSR
- "Khrushchev Nikita Sergeevich" Biographical index
- "Secretariat of the Central Committee of the CPSU, elected by the plenum on 10/16/1952". Handbook of the history of the CPSU 1898 - 1991
- "Death of Stalin". N.S. Khrushchev. "Time. People. Power" Memories
- "Evening Moscow" dated March 7, 1953
- "Malenkov Georgy Maximilianovich". Rulers of Russia and the Soviet Union, biographical and chronological reference book. Website: www.praviteli.org
- ."Khrushchev Nikita Sergeevich" Biographical index. Website www.chrono.info
- Just before the opening of the Plenum of the Central Committee, Malenkov was approached by Bulgagnin and persistently invited him to submit a proposal at the plenum to elect Khrushchev as First Secretary of the Central Committee. "Otherwise," said Bulganin, "I will make this proposal myself." Malenkov thought that Bulganin was not acting alone and decided to make this proposal. - Emelyanov Yu. V. Khrushchev. From shepherd to secretary of the Central Committee
- Emelyanov Yu. V. Khrushchev. From shepherd to secretary of the Central Committee. - : Veche, 2005. S. 346-358. - ISBN: 5-9533-0362-9
- Here is how it is recorded in transcript: September 7, 6 p.m. Chairman - Malenkov. " Malenkov: So, this is over, comrades. The agenda has been exhausted, but the Presidium of the Central Committee has one proposal. The Presidium of the Central Committee proposes, comrades, that Comrade Khrushchev be appointed First Secretary of the Central Committee. Do you need clarification on this case? Vote: Not. Malenkov: No. I vote. Whoever is in favor of appointing Comrade Khrushchev as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party, please raise your hands. Please drop it. Are there no objectors? Vote: Not. Malenkov: So, the work of the plenum is over. I declare the meeting closed." Yu.N. Zhukov. "Stalin: secrets of power"
- Yu.N. Zhukov. "Stalin: secrets of power"
- Khrushchev Nikita Sergeevich Rulers of Russia. Site know-it-all-1.narod.ru
- hruschev.php "Khrushchev Nikita Sergeevich". Rulers of Russia and the Soviet Union, biographical and chronological directory
- ON THE. Bulganin, K.E. Voroshilov, L.M. Kaganovich, G.M. Malenkov, V.M. Molotov, M.G. Pervukhin, M.Z. Saburov
- "Molotov Vyacheslav Mikhailovich" Zenkovich N. "The most closed people. Encyclopedia of biographies"
- The process of de-Stalinization of society Khrushchev was charged with economic voluntarism, in the formation of a cult of his personality, in undermining the authority of the CPSU in the international communist movement due to the exposure of Stalin's personality cult.
- "Khrushchev Nikita Sergeevich" Zenkovich N. "The most closed people. Encyclopedia of biographies"
- "After Stalin (1953-1962)". Site www.stalin.su
- Yu. V. Emelyanov. "Khrushchev. Troublemaker in the Kremlin"
- On the eve of the June Plenum (1957) Brezhnev was hospitalized with a microinfarction, but came to the Plenum to save Khrushchev. When he approached the podium, the Minister of Health M. Kovrigina said that he was seriously ill and could not speak. But he still made a speech in defense of Khrushchev. "Brezhnev"
- severely treated Shepilov. In November 1957 he was expelled from Moscow to Kyrgyzstan. Evicted from a large apartment in an academic building on Leninsky Prospekt, where he lived for 21 years, with his family to the street. "Shepilov" Shepilov's library was also thrown into the street. In March 1959, at the insistence of Khrushchev, he was deprived of the academic title of Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences as "Shepilov" who "opposed the interests of the people"
- "Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich" Zenkovich N. "The most closed people. Encyclopedia of biographies"
- A year earlier, in 1963, Khrushev during 170 days was outside Moscow in the USSR or abroad.
- "Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich" Zenkovich N. "The most closed people. Encyclopedia of biographies"
- Brezhnev, according to Semichastny, proposed "arranging a plane crash during the flight from Cairo to Moscow." Semichastny objected: “In addition to Khrushchev, Gromyko, Grechko, the team and, finally, our people, the Chekists, are on the plane. This option is absolutely not feasible."
- Semichastny recalled: “In early October 1964, the KGB was faced with the task of ensuring a calm and smooth course of events ... At this time, our military counterintelligence and counterintelligence units of the Moscow District were ordered to strictly monitor any, even the slightest movement of troops in the district and when moving them to the side Moscow to immediately report to the KGB.
- "Khrushchev's resignation" Site www.bibliotekar.ru
- The next day, October 14, the meeting of the Presidium of the Central Committee resumed and lasted no more than an hour and a half, since by that time Khrushchev had already decided to resign.
- Khrushchev was accused that, having concentrated in his hands the posts of the head of the party and government, he began to violate the Leninist principles of collectivity in the leadership, sought to single-handedly resolve the most important issues.
- Summing up the work of the plenum of the Central Committee, at which Brezhnev was unanimously elected first secretary, the new head of the party, not without pathos, remarked: "Here Nikita Sergeevich debunked the cult of Stalin after his death, we are debunking the cult of Khrushchev during his lifetime."
- Khrushchev reported: “The current dacha and city apartment (a mansion on the Lenin Hills) are preserved for life. Security and maintenance staff will also remain. A pension will be established - 500 rubles a month and a car will be fixed. True, the dacha and the mansion used by the Khrushchevs were replaced with more modest dwellings.
- "Romanov Grigory Vasilyevich" Zenkovich N. "The most closed people. Encyclopedia of biographies"
- "Ustinov Dmitry Fedorovich" Zenkovich N. "The most closed people. Encyclopedia of biographies"
- "Shcherbitsky Vladimir Vasilyevich" Zenkovich N. "The most closed people. Encyclopedia of biographies"
- "Andropov Yuri Vladimirovich" Zenkovich N. "The most closed people. Encyclopedia of biographies"
- "Andropov Yuri Vladimirovich" Rulers of Russia. Site know-it-all-1.narod.ru
- "Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich" Rulers of Russia. Site know-it-all-1.narod.ru
- "Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich" Zenkovich N. "The most closed people. Encyclopedia of biographies"
- "Konstantin Chernenko". Website "Politics and Politics"
- "Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich" Rulers of Russia. Site know-it-all-1.narod.ru
- "Gromyko Andrey Andreevich" Zenkovich N. "The most closed people. Encyclopedia of biographies"
- Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich. Zenkovich N. "The most closed people. Encyclopedia of biographies"
- August 4 Gorbachev went on vacation to the Crimea. On the party line, instead of himself, he left Shenin, since Ivashko was ill and preparing for surgery. The first day of events found Ivashko in a sanatorium near Moscow, thirty kilometers from Moscow, where he had been for more than two weeks after the operation. In the building of the Central Committee on the Old Square, he appeared on August 21. On August 19, a cipher message was sent down from the Secretariat with a demand to assist the State Emergency Committee. Later, Ivashko commented as follows: this document should not have been signed by the Secretariat of the Central Committee. According to the regulations, the documents of the Secretariat of the Central Committee had the right to be published only after the signature of one of two persons: Gorbachev or Ivashko. Neither of them signed it. Ivashko has no doubt that he was deliberately kept in the dark. Zenkovich N. "1991. USSR. End of the project" Part I
- Neither on August 19 nor August 20, none of the members of the State Emergency Committee called Ivashko. He didn't call them either. Zenkovich N. "1991. USSR. End of the project" Part III
- Roy Medvedev: "Three days after the State Emergency Committee"
- Chronicle of the coup. Part V. BBCRussian.com
- Decree of the President of the RSFSR of August 23, 1991 No. 79 "On the suspension of the activities of the Communist Party of the RSFSR"
- A. Sobchak. "Once upon a time there was a communist party"
- In August 91st. Personal website of Evgeny Vadimovich Savostyanov
- Statement by M. S. Gorbachev on the resignation of the duties of the General Secretary of the CPSU
- Decree of the President of the USSR of August 24, 1991 "On the property of the CPSU"
- Decree of the President of the RSFSR of August 25, 1991 "On the property of the CPSU and the Communist Party of the RSFSR"
- Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 29, 1991
- Decree of the President of the RSFSR of November 6, 1991 N 169 "On the activities of the CPSU and the Communist Party of the RSFSR"
- Secretariat of the Central Committee. Handbook of the history of the CPSU and the Soviet Union 1898 - 1991
- "Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich" Soviet Historical Encyclopedia, Volume 13 (1971)
L. I. Brezhnev was elected to this position. At the XXIII Congress of the CPSU, held in 1966, changes were adopted in the Charter of the CPSU, and the post of First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU was abolished. Also, the former - abolished in 1934 - the name of the position of the first person in the Central Committee of the party, the General Secretary, was returned.
Chronological list of actual leaders of the CPSU
| Supervisor | with | on | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenin, Vladimir Ilyich | October 1917 | 1922 | informal leader |
| Stalin, Joseph Vissarionovich | April 1922 | 1934 | General Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks |
| 1934 | March 1953 | Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) | |
| Khrushchev, Nikita Sergeevich | March 1953 | September 1953 | |
| September 1953 | October 1964 | First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU | |
| Brezhnev, Leonid Ilyich | October 1964 | 1966 | |
| 1966 | November 1982 | General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU | |
| Andropov, Yuri Vladimirovich | November 1982 | February 1984 | |
| Chernenko, Konstantin Ustinovich | February 1984 | March 1985 | |
| Gorbachev, Mikhail Sergeevich | March 1985 | August 1991 |
see also
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The first ruler of the young Land of Soviets, which arose as a result of the October Revolution of 1917, was the head of the RCP (b) - the Bolshevik Party - Vladimir Ulyanov (Lenin), who led the "revolution of workers and peasants." All subsequent rulers of the USSR held the post of general secretary of the central committee of this organization, which, starting in 1922, became known as the CPSU - the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
It should be noted that the ideology of the system ruling in the country denied the possibility of holding any nationwide elections or voting. The change of the top leaders of the state was carried out by the ruling elite itself, either after the death of its predecessor, or as a result of coups accompanied by serious inner-party struggle. The article will list the rulers of the USSR in chronological order and mark the main stages in the life path of some of the most prominent historical figures.
Ulyanov (Lenin) Vladimir Ilyich (1870-1924)
One of the most famous figures in the history of Soviet Russia. Vladimir Ulyanov stood at the origins of its creation, was the organizer and one of the leaders of the event that gave rise to the world's first communist state. Leading a coup in October 1917 aimed at overthrowing the provisional government, he assumed the position of chairman of the Council of People's Commissars - the post of leader of a new country formed on the ruins of the Russian Empire.
His merit is the 1918 peace treaty with Germany, which marked the end of the NEP, the new economic policy of the government, which was supposed to lead the country out of the abyss of general poverty and hunger. All the rulers of the USSR considered themselves "faithful Leninists" and praised Vladimir Ulyanov in every possible way as a great statesman.
It should be noted that immediately after “reconciliation with the Germans”, the Bolsheviks, under the leadership of Lenin, unleashed internal terror against dissent and the legacy of tsarism, which claimed millions of lives. The NEP policy also did not last long and was abolished shortly after his death on January 21, 1924.
Dzhugashvili (Stalin) Joseph Vissarionovich (1879-1953)
Joseph Stalin became the first general secretary in 1922. However, until the death of V. I. Lenin, he remained on the sidelines of the leadership of the state, inferior in popularity to his other associates, who also aimed at the rulers of the USSR. Nevertheless, after the death of the leader of the world proletariat, Stalin quickly eliminated his main opponents, accusing them of betraying the ideals of the revolution.
By the beginning of the 1930s, he became the sole leader of the peoples, capable of deciding the fate of millions of citizens with a stroke of the pen. The policy of forced collectivization and dispossession pursued by him, which came to replace the NEP, as well as mass repressions against persons dissatisfied with the current government, claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens of the USSR. However, the period of Stalin's rule is noticeable not only by the bloody trail, it is worth noting the positive aspects of his leadership. In a short time, the Union has gone from being a third-rate economy to a powerful industrial power that has won the battle against fascism.
After the end of the Great Patriotic War, many cities in the western part of the USSR, destroyed almost to the ground, were quickly restored, and their industry began to work even more efficiently. The rulers of the USSR, who held the highest post after Joseph Stalin, denied his leading role in the development of the state and characterized the time of his reign as a period of the leader's personality cult.
Khrushchev Nikita Sergeevich (1894-1971)
Coming from a simple peasant family, N. S. Khrushchev became at the helm of the party shortly after the death of Stalin, which occurred in the first years of his reign, he waged an undercover struggle with G. M. Malenkov, who held the post of chairman of the Council of Ministers and was the de facto leader of the state.
In 1956, Khrushchev read out a report on Stalin's repressions at the Twentieth Party Congress, condemning the actions of his predecessor. The reign of Nikita Sergeevich was marked by the development of the space program - the launch of an artificial satellite and the first manned flight into space. His new one allowed many citizens of the country to move from cramped communal apartments to more comfortable separate housing. Houses that were massively built at that time are still popularly called "Khrushchevs".
Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich (1907-1982)
On October 14, 1964, N. S. Khrushchev was dismissed from his post by a group of members of the Central Committee under the leadership of L. I. Brezhnev. For the first time in the history of the state, the rulers of the USSR were replaced in order not after the death of the leader, but as a result of an internal party conspiracy. The Brezhnev era in Russian history is known as stagnation. The country stopped in development and began to lose to the leading world powers, lagging behind them in all sectors, excluding the military-industrial.
Brezhnev made some attempts to improve relations with the United States, spoiled in 1962, when N. S. Khrushchev ordered the deployment of missiles with a nuclear warhead in Cuba. Treaties were signed with the American leadership that limited the arms race. However, all the efforts of Leonid Brezhnev to defuse the situation were crossed out by the introduction of troops into Afghanistan.
Andropov Yuri Vladimirovich (1914-1984)
After the death of Brezhnev, which occurred on November 10, 1982, Yu. Andropov, who had previously headed the KGB, the USSR State Security Committee, took his place. He set a course for reforms and transformations in the social and economic spheres. The time of his reign was marked by the initiation of criminal cases exposing corruption in power circles. However, Yuri Vladimirovich did not have time to make any changes in the life of the state, as he had serious health problems and died on February 9, 1984.
Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich (1911-1985)
From February 13, 1984, he served as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. He continued his predecessor's policy of exposing corruption in the echelons of power. He was very ill and died in 1985, having spent a little more than a year in the highest state post. All the past rulers of the USSR, according to the order established in the state, were buried at and K. U. Chernenko was the last on this list.
Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich (1931)
MS Gorbachev is the most famous Russian politician of the late twentieth century. He won love and popularity in the West, but his rule causes twofold feelings among the citizens of his country. If Europeans and Americans call him a great reformer, then many Russians consider him a destroyer of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev proclaimed internal economic and political reforms under the slogan "Perestroika, Glasnost, Acceleration!", which led to a massive shortage of food and industrial goods, unemployment and a drop in the standard of living of the population.
It would be wrong to assert that the era of M. S. Gorbachev's rule had only negative consequences for the life of our country. In Russia, the concepts of a multi-party system, freedom of religion and the press appeared. Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his foreign policy. The rulers of the USSR and Russia, neither before nor after Mikhail Sergeevich, were awarded such an honor.
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