Who ruled the country in the USSR when? The best ruler of the USSR

General Secretaries (General Secretaries) of the USSR... Once upon a time, their faces were known to almost every resident of our huge country. Today they are only part of history. Each of these political figures committed actions and deeds that were assessed later, and not always positively. It should be noted that the general secretaries were chosen not by the people, but by the ruling elite. In this article we will present a list of general secretaries of the USSR (with photos) in chronological order.

J.V. Stalin (Dzhugashvili)

This politician was born in the Georgian city of Gori on December 18, 1879 in the family of a shoemaker. In 1922, while V.I. was still alive. Lenin (Ulyanov), he was appointed first general secretary. It is he who heads the list of general secretaries of the USSR in chronological order. However, it should be noted that while Lenin was alive, Joseph Vissarionovich played a secondary role in governing the state. After the death of the “leader of the proletariat,” a serious struggle broke out for the highest government post. Numerous competitors of I.V. Dzhugashvili had every chance of taking this post. But thanks to uncompromising and sometimes even harsh actions and political intrigues, Stalin emerged victorious from the game and managed to establish a regime of personal power. Let us note that most of the applicants were simply physically destroyed, and the rest were forced to leave the country. In a fairly short period of time, Stalin managed to take the country into a tight grip. In the early thirties, Joseph Vissarionovich became the sole leader of the people.

The policy of this USSR Secretary General went down in history:

• mass repressions;
• collectivization;
• total dispossession.

In the 37-38 years of the last century, mass terror was carried out, in which the number of victims reached 1,500,000 people. In addition, historians blame Joseph Vissarionovich for his policy of forced collectivization, mass repressions that occurred in all layers of society, and the forced industrialization of the country. Some of the leader’s character traits affected the country’s internal politics:

• sharpness;
• thirst for unlimited power;
• high self-esteem;
• intolerance of other people's judgment.

Cult of personality

Photos of the Secretary General of the USSR, as well as other leaders who have ever held this post, can be found in the presented article. We can say with confidence that Stalin’s cult of personality had a very tragic impact on the fate of millions of different people: scientific and creative intelligentsia, government and party leaders, and the military.

For all this, during the Thaw, Joseph Stalin was branded by his followers. But not all the leader’s actions are reprehensible. According to historians, there are also moments for which Stalin deserves praise. Of course, the most important thing is victory over fascism. In addition, there was a fairly rapid transformation of the destroyed country into an industrial and even military giant. There is an opinion that if it were not for Stalin’s personality cult, which is now condemned by everyone, many achievements would have been impossible. The death of Joseph Vissarionovich occurred on March 5, 1953. Let's look at all the general secretaries of the USSR in order.

N. S. Khrushchev

Nikita Sergeevich was born in the Kursk province on April 15, 1894, into an ordinary working-class family. He took part in the civil war on the side of the Bolsheviks. He was a member of the CPSU since 1918. At the end of the thirties, he was appointed secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine. Nikita Sergeevich headed the Soviet Union some time after the death of Stalin. It should be said that he had to compete for this post with G. Malenkov, who chaired the Council of Ministers and at that time was actually the leader of the country. But still, the leading role went to Nikita Sergeevich.

During the reign of Khrushchev N.S. as Secretary General of the USSR in the country:

1. The first man was launched into space, and all sorts of developments in this area took place.
2. A huge part of the fields were planted with corn, thanks to which Khrushchev was nicknamed the “corn farmer.”
3. During his reign, active construction of five-story buildings began, which later became known as “Khrushchev buildings.”

Khrushchev became one of the initiators of the “thaw” in foreign and domestic policy, the rehabilitation of victims of repression. This politician made an unsuccessful attempt to modernize the party-state system. He also announced a significant improvement (on a par with capitalist countries) in living conditions for the Soviet people. At the XX and XXII Congresses of the CPSU, in 1956 and 1961. accordingly, he spoke harshly about the activities of Joseph Stalin and his cult of personality. However, the construction of a nomenclature regime in the country, the forceful dispersal of demonstrations (in 1956 - in Tbilisi, in 1962 - in Novocherkassk), the Berlin (1961) and Caribbean (1962) crises, the aggravation of relations with China, the building of communism by 1980 and the well-known political call to “catch up and overtake America!” - all this made Khrushchev’s policy inconsistent. And on October 14, 1964, Nikita Sergeevich was relieved of his position. Khrushchev died on September 11, 1971, after a long illness.

L. I. Brezhnev

The third in order on the list of general secretaries of the USSR is L. I. Brezhnev. Born in the village of Kamenskoye in the Dnepropetrovsk region on December 19, 1906. Member of the CPSU since 1931. He took the position of General Secretary as a result of a conspiracy. Leonid Ilyich was the leader of a group of members of the Central Committee (Central Committee) that removed Nikita Khrushchev. The era of Brezhnev's rule in the history of our country is characterized as stagnation. This happened for the following reasons:

• except for the military-industrial sphere, the country's development was stopped;
• The Soviet Union began to lag significantly behind Western countries;
• Repression and persecution began again, people again felt the grip of the state.

Note that during the reign of this politician there were both negative and favorable sides. At the very beginning of his reign, Leonid Ilyich played a positive role in the life of the state. He curtailed all the unreasonable undertakings created by Khrushchev in the economic sphere. In the first years of Brezhnev's rule, enterprises were given more independence, material incentives, and the number of planned indicators was reduced. Brezhnev tried to establish good relations with the United States, but he never succeeded. But after the introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan, this became impossible.

Period of stagnation

By the end of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s, Brezhnev's entourage was more concerned about their own clan interests and often ignored the interests of the state as a whole. The politician’s inner circle pleased the sick leader in everything and awarded him orders and medals. The reign of Leonid Ilyich lasted for 18 years, he was in power the longest, with the exception of Stalin. The eighties in the Soviet Union are characterized as a “period of stagnation.” Although, after the devastation of the 90s, it is increasingly presented as a period of peace, state power, prosperity and stability. Most likely, these opinions have a right to be, because the entire Brezhnev period of rule is heterogeneous in nature. L.I. Brezhnev held his position until November 10, 1982, until his death.

Yu. V. Andropov

This politician spent less than 2 years as Secretary General of the USSR. Yuri Vladimirovich was born into the family of a railway worker on June 15, 1914. His homeland is the Stavropol Territory, the city of Nagutskoye. Party member since 1939. Thanks to the fact that the politician was active, he quickly climbed the career ladder. At the time of Brezhnev’s death, Yuri Vladimirovich headed the State Security Committee.

He was nominated for the post of General Secretary by his comrades. Andropov set himself the task of reforming the Soviet state, trying to prevent the impending socio-economic crisis. But, unfortunately, I didn’t have time. During the reign of Yuri Vladimirovich, special attention was paid to labor discipline in the workplace. While serving as Secretary General of the USSR, Andropov opposed the numerous privileges that were provided to employees of the state and party apparatus. Andropov showed this by personal example, refusing most of them. After his death on February 9, 1984 (due to a long illness), this politician was least criticized and most of all aroused public support.

K. U. Chernenko

On September 24, 1911, Konstantin Chernenko was born into a peasant family in the Yeisk province. He has been in the ranks of the CPSU since 1931. He was appointed to the position of General Secretary on February 13, 1984, immediately after Yu.V. Andropova. While governing the state, he continued the policies of his predecessor. He served as Secretary General for about a year. The death of the politician occurred on March 10, 1985, the cause was a serious illness.

M.S. Gorbachev

The politician's date of birth was March 2, 1931; his parents were simple peasants. Gorbachev’s homeland is the village of Privolnoye in the North Caucasus. He joined the ranks of the Communist Party in 1952. He acted as an active public figure, so he quickly moved up the party line. Mikhail Sergeevich completes the list of general secretaries of the USSR. He was appointed to this position on March 11, 1985. Later he became the only and last president of the USSR. The era of his reign went down in history with the policy of “perestroika”. It provided for the development of democracy, the introduction of openness, and the provision of economic freedom to the people. These reforms of Mikhail Sergeevich led to mass unemployment, a total shortage of goods and the liquidation of a huge number of state-owned enterprises.

Collapse of the Union

During the reign of this politician, the USSR collapsed. All fraternal republics of the Soviet Union declared their independence. It should be noted that in the West, M. S. Gorbachev is considered perhaps the most respected Russian politician. Mikhail Sergeevich has the Nobel Peace Prize. Gorbachev served as General Secretary until August 24, 1991. He headed the Soviet Union until December 25 of the same year. In 2018, Mikhail Sergeevich turned 87 years old.

Over the 69 years of the existence of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, several people became the head of the country. The first ruler of the new state was Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (real name Ulyanov), who led the Bolshevik Party during the October Revolution. Then the role of head of state actually began to be performed by a person who held the position of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee (Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union).

IN AND. Lenin

The first significant decision of the new Russian government was to refuse to participate in the bloody world war. Lenin managed to achieve it, despite the fact that some party members were against concluding peace on unfavorable terms (Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty). Having saved hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of lives, the Bolsheviks immediately put them at risk in another war - a civil one. The fight against interventionists, anarchists and White Guards, as well as other opponents of Soviet power, brought quite a few casualties.

In 1921, Lenin initiated the transition from the policy of war communism to the New Economic Policy (NEP), which contributed to the rapid restoration of the country's economy and national economy. Lenin also contributed to the establishment of one-party rule in the country and the formation of the Union of Socialist Republics. The USSR in the form in which it was created did not satisfy Lenin’s requirements, however, he did not have time to make significant changes.

In 1922, hard work and the consequences of the assassination attempt on him by Socialist-Revolutionary Fanny Kaplan in 1918 made themselves felt: Lenin became seriously ill. He took less and less part in governing the state and other people took the leading roles. Lenin himself spoke with alarm about his possible successor, Party General Secretary Stalin: “Comrade Stalin, having become General Secretary, concentrated immense power in his hands, and I am not sure whether he will always be able to use this power carefully enough.” On January 21, 1924, Lenin died, and Stalin, as expected, became his successor.

One of the main directions to which V.I. Lenin paid great attention to the development of the Russian economy. At the direction of the first leader of the country of the Soviets, many factories for the production of equipment were organized, and the completion of the AMO automobile plant (later ZIL) in Moscow began. Lenin paid great attention to the development of domestic energy and electronics. Perhaps, if fate had given the “leader of the world proletariat” (as Lenin was often called) more time, he would have raised the country to a high level.

I.V. Stalin

A tougher policy was pursued by Lenin’s successor Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (real name Dzhugashvili), who in 1922 took the post of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. Now the name of Stalin is associated mainly with the so-called “Stalinist repressions” of the 30s, when several million residents of the USSR were deprived of property (the so-called “dekulakization”), were imprisoned or executed for political reasons (for condemning the current government).
Indeed, the years of Stalin's rule left a bloody mark on the history of Russia, but there were also positive features of this period. During this time, from an agricultural country with a secondary economy, the Soviet Union turned into a world power with enormous industrial and military potential. The development of the economy and industry took its toll during the Great Patriotic War, which, although costly to the Soviet people, was still won. Already during the hostilities, it was possible to establish good supplies for the army and create new types of weapons. After the war, many cities that had been destroyed almost to the ground were restored at an accelerated pace.

N.S. Khrushchev

Soon after Stalin's death (March 1953), Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev became the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee (September 13, 1953). This leader of the CPSU became famous, perhaps, most of all for his extraordinary actions, many of which are still remembered. So, in 1960, at the UN General Assembly, Nikita Sergeevich took off his shoe and, threatening to show Kuzka’s mother, began banging on the podium with it in protest against the speech of the Filipino delegate. The period of Khrushchev's reign is associated with the development of the arms race between the USSR and the USA (the so-called “Cold War”). In 1962, the deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba almost led to a military conflict with the United States.

Among the positive changes that occurred during the reign of Khrushchev, one can note the rehabilitation of victims of Stalin’s repressions (having taken the post of General Secretary, Khrushchev initiated the removal of Beria from his posts and his arrest), the development of agriculture through the development of unplowed lands (virgin lands), as well as the development of industry. It was during the reign of Khrushchev that the first launch of an artificial Earth satellite and the first human flight into space occurred. The period of Khrushchev's reign has an unofficial name - the “Khrushchev Thaw”.

L.I. Brezhnev

Khrushchev was replaced as General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee by Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (October 14, 1964). For the first time, a change of party leader was made not after his death, but by removal from office. The era of Brezhnev's rule went down in history as “stagnation”. The fact is that the Secretary General was a staunch conservative and an opponent of any reforms. The Cold War continued, which caused most of the resources to go to the military industry to the detriment of other areas. Therefore, during this period, the country practically stopped in its technical development and began to lose to other leading powers in the world (excluding the military industry). In 1980, the XXII Summer Olympic Games were held in Moscow, which were boycotted by some countries (USA, Germany and others) in protest against the introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan.

During Brezhnev's time, some attempts were made to defuse tensions in relations with the United States: American-Soviet treaties on the limitation of strategic offensive weapons were concluded. But these attempts were dashed by the introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in 1979. At the end of the 80s, Brezhnev was actually no longer capable of ruling the country and was only considered the leader of the party. On November 10, 1982, he died at his dacha.

Yu. V. Andropov

On November 12, Khrushchev’s place was taken by Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov, who previously headed the State Security Committee (KGB). He achieved sufficient support among party leaders, therefore, despite the resistance of Brezhnev's former supporters, he was elected General Secretary and then Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Having taken the helm, Andropov proclaimed a course for socio-economic transformations. But all the reforms boiled down to administrative measures, strengthening discipline and exposing corruption in high circles. In foreign policy, confrontation with the West only intensified. Andropov sought to strengthen personal power: in June 1983 he took the post of chairman of the presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, while remaining general secretary. However, Andropov did not stay in power for long: he died on February 9, 1984 due to kidney disease, without having time to make significant changes in the life of the country.

K.U. Chernenko

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. Chernenko held this important post at the age of 72, being seriously ill, so it was clear that this was only a temporary figure. During Chernenko's reign, a number of reforms were undertaken, which were never brought to their logical conclusion. On September 1, 1984, Knowledge Day was celebrated for the first time in the country. On March 10, 1985, Chernenko died. His place was taken by Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, who later became the first and last president of the USSR.

With the death of Stalin - the “father of nations” and the “architect of communism” - in 1953, a struggle for power began, because the one he established assumed that at the helm of the USSR there would be the same autocratic leader who would take the reins of government into his own hands.

The only difference was that the main contenders for power all unanimously advocated the abolition of this very cult and the liberalization of the country’s political course.

Who ruled after Stalin?

A serious struggle unfolded between the three main contenders, who initially represented a triumvirate - Georgy Malenkov (Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR), Lavrentiy Beria (Minister of the United Ministry of Internal Affairs) and Nikita Khrushchev (Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee). Each of them wanted to take a place in it, but victory could only go to the candidate whose candidacy was supported by the party, whose members enjoyed great authority and had the necessary connections. In addition, they were all united by the desire to achieve stability, end the era of repression and gain more freedom in their actions. That is why the question of who ruled after Stalin’s death does not always have a clear answer - after all, there were three people fighting for power at once.

The triumvirate in power: the beginning of a split

The triumvirate created under Stalin divided power. Most of it was concentrated in the hands of Malenkov and Beria. Khrushchev was assigned the role of secretary, which was not so significant in the eyes of his rivals. However, they underestimated the ambitious and assertive party member, who stood out for his extraordinary thinking and intuition.

For those who ruled the country after Stalin, it was important to understand who first of all needed to be eliminated from the competition. The first target was Lavrenty Beria. Khrushchev and Malenkov were aware of the dossier on each of them that the Minister of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who was in charge of the entire system of repressive bodies, had. In this regard, in July 1953, Beria was arrested, accusing him of espionage and some other crimes, thereby eliminating such a dangerous enemy.

Malenkov and his politics

Khrushchev's authority as the organizer of this conspiracy increased significantly, and his influence over other party members increased. However, while Malenkov was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, key decisions and policy directions depended on him. At the first meeting of the Presidium, a course was set for de-Stalinization and the establishment of collective governance of the country: it was planned to abolish the cult of personality, but to do this in such a way as not to diminish the merits of the “father of nations.” The main task set by Malenkov was to develop the economy taking into account the interests of the population. He proposed a fairly extensive program of changes, which was not adopted at the meeting of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. Then Malenkov put forward these same proposals at a session of the Supreme Council, where they were approved. For the first time after Stalin’s autocratic rule, the decision was made not by the party, but by an official government body. The CPSU Central Committee and the Politburo were forced to agree to this.

Further history will show that among those who ruled after Stalin, Malenkov would be the most “effective” in his decisions. The set of measures he adopted to combat bureaucracy in the state and party apparatus, to develop the food and light industry, to expand the independence of collective farms bore fruit: 1954-1956, for the first time since the end of the war, showed an increase in the rural population and an increase in agricultural production, which for many years decline and stagnation became profitable. The effect of these measures lasted until 1958. It is this five-year plan that is considered the most productive and effective after the death of Stalin.

It was clear to those who ruled after Stalin that such successes would not be achieved in light industry, since Malenkov’s proposals for its development contradicted the tasks of the next five-year plan, which emphasized the promotion

I tried to approach problem solving from a rational point of view, using economic rather than ideological considerations. However, this order did not suit the party nomenklatura (led by Khrushchev), which practically lost its predominant role in the life of the state. This was a weighty argument against Malenkov, who, under pressure from the party, submitted his resignation in February 1955. His place was taken by Khrushchev's comrade-in-arms, Malenkov became one of his deputies, but after the 1957 dispersal of the anti-party group (of which he was a member), together with his supporters, he was expelled from the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. Khrushchev took advantage of this situation and in 1958 removed Malenkov from the post of Chairman of the Council of Ministers, taking his place and becoming the one who ruled after Stalin in the USSR.

Thus, he concentrated almost complete power in his hands. He got rid of the two most powerful competitors and led the country.

Who ruled the country after the death of Stalin and the removal of Malenkov?

Those 11 years that Khrushchev ruled the USSR were rich in various events and reforms. The agenda included many problems that the state faced after industrialization, war and attempts to restore the economy. The main milestones that will remember the era of Khrushchev’s reign are as follows:

1. The policy of virgin land development (not supported by scientific study) increased the number of sown areas, but did not take into account climatic features that hampered the development of agriculture in the developed territories.
2. The “Corn Campaign,” the goal of which was to catch up and overtake the United States, which received good harvests of this crop. The area under corn has doubled, to the detriment of rye and wheat. But the result was sad - climatic conditions did not allow for a high harvest, and the reduction in areas for other crops provoked low harvest rates. The campaign failed miserably in 1962, and its result was an increase in the price of butter and meat, which caused discontent among the population.
3. The beginning of perestroika was the massive construction of houses, which allowed many families to move from dormitories and communal apartments to apartments (the so-called “Khrushchev buildings”).

Results of Khrushchev's reign

Among those who ruled after Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev stood out for his unconventional and not always thoughtful approach to reform within the state. Despite the numerous projects that were implemented, their inconsistency led to Khrushchev's removal from office in 1964.

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 who 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

Authorities in the USSR from 1924 to 1991

Good afternoon dear friends!

In this post we will talk about one of the most difficult topics in Russian history - authorities in the USSR from 1924 to 1991. This topic causes not just difficulties for applicants, but sometimes stupor, since if the structure of the authorities of Tsarist Russia is at least somehow understandable, then some kind of confusion ensues with the USSR.

This is understandable; Soviet history itself is many times more difficult for applicants than the entire previous history of Russia taken together. However, with this article about authorities in the USSR you can understand this topic once and for all!

Let's start with the basics. There are three branches of government: legislative, executive and judicial. Legislative branch - passes laws that regulate life in the state. The executive branch executes these same laws. Judicial branch - judges people and oversees the legal system as a whole. See my article for more details.

So, now we will look at the authorities that were in the USSR - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which was formed, as you remember, in 1922. But first !

Authorities in the USSR according to the Constitution of 1924.

So, the first Constitution of the USSR was adopted in 1924. According to it, these were the authorities in the USSR:

All legislative power belonged to the Congress of Soviets of the USSR; it was this body of power that adopted all the laws binding on all union republics, of which there were initially 4 - the Ukrainian SSR, the Western SSR, the BSSR and the RSFSR. However, the Congress met only once a year! That's why between conventions performed his functions Central Executive Committee (CEC). He also announced the convening of the Congress of Soviets of the USSR.

However, the sessions of the Central Executive Committee were also interrupted (there were only 3 sessions a year!) - you need to rest! Therefore, between sessions of the Central Executive Committee, the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee acted. According to the Constitution of 1924, the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee is the highest legislative, executive and administrative authority of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. However, he was responsible for his actions to the Central Election Commission. The Presidium of the Central Executive Committee sent all bills submitted for its consideration to two chambers of the Central Executive Committee: the Union Council and the Council of Nationalities.

However, not all executive power belonged exclusively to the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee! The Central Executive Committee approved the Council of People's Commissars - the Council of People's Commissars. In a different way, he appears in the Unified State Examination tests as Sovnarkom! The Council of People's Commissars consisted of people's commissariats. They were led by people's commissars, of whom there were initially ten:

People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs; People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs; People's Commissar for Foreign Trade; People's Commissar of Railways; People's Commissar of Posts and Telegraphs; People's Commissar of the Workers' and Peasants' Inspectorate; Chairman of the Supreme Council of the National Economy; People's Commissar of Labor; People's Commissar for Food; People's Commissar of Finance.

Who exactly held all these positions is at the end of the article! In fact, the Council of People's Commissars is the Government of the USSR, which was also supposed to implement the laws adopted by the Central Executive Committee and the Congress of Soviets of the USSR. Under the Council of People's Commissars, the OGPU was formed - the United State Political Directorate, which replaced the Cheka - the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission ("chekists").

Judicial power was exercised by the Supreme Court of the USSR, which also formed the Congress of Soviets of the USSR.

As you can see, nothing complicated. However, it is worth adding that each of these authorities had its own Chairman, who supervised (headed) it, and had its own deputies. Moreover, the Union Council and the Council of Nationalities had their own Presidiums, which functioned between their sessions. Of course, there was also the Chairman of the Presidium of the Union Council and the Chairman of the Presidium of the Council of Nationalities!

Authorities in the USSR according to the Constitution of 1936.

As can be seen from the diagram, the structure of government bodies in the USSR has become much simpler. However, there is one remark: until 1946, the Council of People's Commissars (Sovnarkom) continued to exist together with the People's Commissariats. In addition, the NKVD was formed - the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs, which included the OGPU and the GUGB - the state department of state security.

It is clear that the functions of the authorities were the same. The structure simply changed: the Central Executive Committee no longer existed, and the Council of the Union and the Council of Nationalities became part of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The Supreme Soviet of the USSR is the renamed Congress of Soviets of the USSR; it was now convened 2 times a year. Between congresses of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, its functions were performed by the Presidium.

The Supreme Soviet of the USSR approved the Council of Ministers of the USSR (until 1946 there was the Council of People's Commissars) - the government of the USSR, and the Supreme Court of the USSR.

And you may have a natural question: “Who was the head of state of the USSR?” Formally, the USSR was governed collectively by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and its Presidium. In fact, during this period, the one who held the post of Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars and was the head of the party of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) was the head of the USSR. By the way, there were only three such people: V.I. Lenin, I.V. Stalin and N.S. Khrushchev. At all other times, the post of head of the party and head of government (Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR) were divided. More detailed information about the Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars (and since 1946 - the Council of Ministers) can be found at the end of this article :)

Authorities in the USSR since 1957.

In 1957, the 1936 Constitution was in force. However, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev carried out a public administration reform, during which sectoral Ministries were eliminated and replaced with territorial Economic Councils in order to decentralize industrial management:

By the way, more detailed information about Khrushchev’s activities can be found.

Authorities in the USSR from 1988 to 1991.

I think there is nothing difficult in understanding this scheme. In connection with the reform of public administration under M.S. Gorbachev, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was liquidated, and in its place was created elected by the people Council of People's Deputies !

This is how the structure of government bodies in the USSR changed from 1922 to 1991. I hope you understand that the USSR was a federal state and all the considered authorities were duplicated at the republican level. If so, ask questions in the comments! In order not to miss new materials,!

To people who bought my video course "Russian history. Preparation for the Unified State Exam for 100 points" , on April 28, 2014 I will send 3 additional video lessons on this topic, plus a table of all positions in the USSR and heroes of the Great Patriotic War, front commanders and other useful things.

Well, as promised - table of all heads of the chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars:

Sincerely, Andrey (Dreammanhist) Puchkov