Who was the General Secretary after Brezhnev. General Secretary of the Central Committee and President

On April 3, 1922, a seemingly ordinary event occurred. The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) was elected. But this event changed the course of the history of Soviet Russia. On this day he was appointed to this post. Lenin by that time was already seriously ill, and Joseph Stalin tried by hook or by crook to gain a foothold in his post. There was no consensus in the party about what to do next. The revolution won, power strengthened. And then what? Someone said that it was necessary to stimulate the World Revolution in every possible way, others said that socialism can win in one particular country and therefore it is not at all necessary to fan the world fire. The new Secretary General took advantage of the disagreement in the party and, having gained almost unlimited power into his hands, began to gradually clear the way for himself to dominate the huge power. He mercilessly eliminated political opponents, and soon there was no one left capable of objecting to him.

The period of Joseph Stalin's reign is a huge layer of our history. He stood at the helm of 30 for long years. And what years? What has not happened in our history over the years? And the restoration of the economy after the anarchy of the civil war. And giant construction sites. And the threat of enslavement in World War II, and new buildings in the post-war years. And this all fit into these thirty years of Stalin’s rule. A whole generation of people grew up under him. These years are all exploring and researching. You can have different attitudes towards Stalin’s personality, his cruelty, and the tragedy of the country. But this is our story. And our great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers in old photographs, for the most part, still do not seem unhappy.

WAS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE?

Election of Stalin general secretary occurred after the XI Congress (March - April 1922), in the work of which Lenin, for health reasons, took only a fragmentary part (he was present at four of the twelve meetings of the congress). “When at the 11th Congress... Zinoviev and his closest friends nominated Stalin for General Secretary, with the ulterior motive of using his hostile attitude towards me,” Trotsky recalled, “Lenin, in a close circle objecting to the appointment of Stalin as General Secretary, uttered his famous the phrase: “I don’t recommend it, this cook will only cook spicy dishes”... However, the Petrograd delegation led by Zinoviev won at the congress. The victory was all the easier for her because Lenin did not accept the battle. He did not carry his resistance to Stalin's candidacy to the end only because the post of secretary had a completely subordinate importance in the conditions of that time. He (Lenin) himself did not want to attach exaggerated importance to his warning: as long as the old Politburo remained in power, the General Secretary could only be a subordinate figure.”

Having arrived at the post of General Secretary, Stalin immediately began to widely use methods of selecting and appointing personnel through the Secretariat of the Central Committee and the Accounting and Distribution Department of the Central Committee subordinate to it. Already in the first year of Stalin’s activity as Secretary General, the Uchraspred made about 4,750 appointments to responsible positions.

At the same time, Stalin, together with Zinoviev and Kamenev, began to rapidly expand the material privileges of the party’s leadership. At the XII Party Conference, held during Lenin’s illness (August 1922), for the first time in the history of the party, a document was adopted that legitimized these privileges. We are talking about the conference resolution “On the financial situation of active party workers,” which clearly defined the number of “active party workers” (15,325 people) and introduced a strict hierarchization of their distribution into six categories. Members of the Central Committee and Central Control Commission, heads of departments of the Central Committee, members of regional bureaus of the Central Committee and secretaries of regional and provincial committees were to be paid at the highest level. At the same time, the possibility of a personal increase in their salaries was agreed upon. In addition to high wages, everything specified employees had to be “provided with housing (through local executive committees), in relation to medical care(through Narkomzdrav), in relation to the upbringing and education of children (through Narkompros),” and the corresponding additional natural benefits had to be paid from the party fund.

Trotsky emphasized that already during Lenin’s illness, Stalin increasingly acted “as an organizer and educator of the bureaucracy, and most importantly: as a distributor of earthly goods.” This period coincided with the end of the bivouac situation during the Civil War. “The more sedentary and balanced life of the bureaucracy gives rise to the need for comfort. Stalin, who himself continues to live comparatively modestly, at least from the outside, masters this movement towards comfort, he distributes the most profitable posts, he selects the top people, rewards them, he helps them increase their privileged position.”

These actions of Stalin responded to the desire of the bureaucracy to throw off the harsh control in the field of morality and personal life, the need for which was mentioned by numerous party decisions of the Leninist period. The bureaucracy, increasingly embracing the prospect of personal well-being and comfort, “respected Lenin, but felt too much of his puritanical hand. She was looking for a leader in her own image and likeness, first among equals. They said about Stalin... “We are not afraid of Stalin. If he starts to get arrogant, we’ll remove him.” A turning point in the living conditions of the bureaucracy occurred since Lenin’s last illness and the beginning of the campaign against “Trotskyism.” In every political struggle on a large scale, one can eventually open the question of steak.”

Stalin's most provocative actions to create illegal and secret privileges for the bureaucracy at that time still met resistance from his allies. Thus, after the adoption of a Politburo resolution in July 1923 to make it easier for the children of senior officials to enter universities, Zinoviev and Bukharin, who were on vacation in Kislovodsk, condemned this decision, saying that “such a privilege will close the way for the more talented and introduce elements of caste. No good."

Compliance to privileges, the willingness to take them for granted meant the first round in the everyday and moral degeneration of the partyocracy, which was inevitably to be followed by a political degeneration: the willingness to sacrifice ideas and principles for the sake of preserving one’s posts and privileges. “The ties of revolutionary solidarity that embraced the party as a whole were replaced to a large extent by ties of bureaucratic and material dependence. Previously, it was only possible to win supporters with ideas. Now many have begun to learn how to win supporters with positions and material privileges.”

These processes contributed to the rapid growth of bureaucracy and intrigue in the party and state apparatus, which Lenin, who returned to work in October 1922, was literally shocked by. In addition, as Trotsky recalled, “Lenin sensed that, in connection with his illness, still almost elusive threads of a conspiracy were woven behind him and behind me. The Epigones have not yet burned bridges or blown them up. But in some places they were already sawing down beams, in some places they were quietly placing pyroxylin blocks... Going into work and noting with increasing anxiety the changes that had taken place over ten months, Lenin for the time being did not mention them out loud, so as not to aggravate relations. But he was preparing to give the “troika” a rebuff and began to give it on certain issues.”

One of these issues was the issue of monopoly foreign trade. In November 1922, in the absence of Lenin and Trotsky, the Central Committee unanimously adopted a decision aimed at weakening this monopoly. Having learned that Trotsky was not present at the plenum and that he did not agree with the decision made, Lenin entered into correspondence with him (five letters from Lenin to Trotsky on this issue were first published in the USSR only in 1965). As a result of the concerted actions of Lenin and Trotsky, a few weeks later the Central Committee reversed its decision as unanimously as it had previously adopted it. On this occasion, Lenin, who had already suffered a new blow, after which he was prohibited from correspondence, nevertheless dictated a letter to Trotsky to Krupskaya, which said: “It was as if it was possible to take the position without firing a single shot with a simple maneuverable movement. I propose not to stop and continue the offensive..."

At the end of November 1922, a conversation took place between Lenin and Trotsky, in which the latter raised the issue of the growth of apparatus bureaucracy. “Yes, our bureaucracy is monstrous,” Lenin picked up, “I was horrified after returning to work...” Trotsky added that he means not only state, but also party bureaucracy and that the essence of all difficulties, in his opinion, lies in the combination of state and party bureaucracy and in the mutual concealment of influential groups gathering around the hierarchy of party secretaries.

After listening to this, Lenin posed the question point blank: “So you propose to open a struggle not only against state bureaucracy, but also against the Organizing Bureau of the Central Committee?” The Organizing Bureau represented the very center of the Stalinist apparatus. Trotsky replied: “Perhaps it turns out like this.” “Well,” Lenin continued, clearly pleased that we had named the essence of the issue, “I propose to you a bloc: against bureaucracy in general, against the Organizing Bureau in particular.” "WITH a good man flattering conclusion good block", Trotsky replied. In conclusion, it was agreed to meet some time later to discuss the organizational side of this issue. Previously, Lenin proposed creating a commission under the Central Committee to combat bureaucracy. “Essentially, this commission,” Trotsky recalled, “was supposed to become a lever for the destruction of the Stalinist faction, as the backbone of the bureaucracy...”

Immediately after this conversation, Trotsky conveyed its contents to his like-minded people - Rakovsky, I.N. Smirnov, Sosnovsky, Preobrazhensky and others. At the beginning of 1924, Trotsky told about this conversation to Averbakh (a young oppositionist who soon went over to the side of the ruling faction), who in turn conveyed the contents of this conversation to Yaroslavsky, and the latter apparently reported it to Stalin and the other triumvirs.

IN AND. LENIN. LETTER TO THE CONGRESS

December 24, 22 By the stability of the Central Committee, which I spoke about above, I mean measures against a split, insofar as such measures can be taken at all. For, of course, the White Guard in “Russian Thought” (I think it was S.S. Oldenburg) was right when, firstly, he bet in relation to their game against Soviet Russia on the split of our party and when, secondly , staked this split on the most serious disagreements in the party.

Our party relies on two classes and therefore its instability is possible and its fall is inevitable if an agreement could not take place between these two classes. In this case, it is useless to take certain measures or even talk about the stability of our Central Committee. No measures in this case will be able to prevent a split. But I hope that this is too distant a future and too incredible an event to talk about.

I mean stability as a guarantee against splits in the near future, and I intend to examine here a number of considerations of a purely personal nature.

I think that the main ones on the issue of sustainability from this point of view are such members of the Central Committee as Stalin and Trotsky. The relations between them, in my opinion, constitute more than half the danger of that split, which could have been avoided and the avoidance of which, in my opinion, should be served, among other things, by increasing the number of members of the Central Committee to 50, to 100 people.

Comrade Stalin, having become Secretary General, concentrated immense power in his hands, and I am not sure whether he will always be able to use this power carefully enough. On the other hand, Comrade Trotsky, as his struggle against the Central Committee in connection with the issue of the NKPS has already proven, is distinguished not only by his outstanding abilities. Personally, he is perhaps the most capable person in the present Central Committee, but he is also overly self-confident and overly enthusiastic about the purely administrative side of things. These two qualities of the two outstanding leaders of the modern Central Committee can inadvertently lead to a split, and if our party does not take measures to prevent this, then a split may come unexpectedly. I will not further characterize other members of the Central Committee by their personal qualities. Let me just remind you that the October episode of Zinoviev and Kamenev, of course, was not an accident, but that it can just as little be blamed on them personally as non-Bolshevism was on Trotsky. Among the young members of the Central Committee, I would like to say a few words about Bukharin and Pyatakov. These, in my opinion, are the most outstanding forces (of the youngest forces), and regarding them one should keep in mind the following: Bukharin is not only the most valuable and greatest theoretician of the party, he is also rightfully considered the favorite of the entire party, but his theoretical views are very with doubt, can be classified as completely Marxist, because there is something scholastic in him (he never studied and, I think, never fully understood dialectics).

25.XII. Then Pyatakov is a man of undoubtedly outstanding will and outstanding abilities, but he is too keen on administration and the administrative side of things to be relied upon in a serious political matter. Of course, I make both of these remarks only for the present time, on the assumption that both of them outstanding and dedicated workers will not find an opportunity to replenish their knowledge and change their one-sidedness.

Lenin 25. XII. 22 Recorded by M.V.

Addendum to the letter dated December 24, 1922. Stalin is too rude, and this shortcoming, quite tolerable in the environment and in communications between us communists, becomes intolerable in the position of General Secretary. Therefore, I suggest that the comrades consider a way to move Stalin from this place and appoint another person to this place, who in all other respects differs from Comrade. Stalin has only one advantage, namely, more tolerant, more loyal, more polite and more attentive to his comrades, less capriciousness, etc. This circumstance may seem like an insignificant detail. But I think that from the point of view of protecting against a split and from the point of view of what I wrote above about the relationship between Stalin and Trotsky, this is not a trifle, or it is such a trifle that can become decisive.

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” for the highest government post a serious struggle broke out. 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. On domestic policy Some character traits of the leader affected the country:

• 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 personality cult had a very tragic impact on the fate of millions of the most different people: scientific and creative intelligentsia, government and party leaders, 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 the 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, in the usual working 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 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 nomenklatura 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 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 a good relationship with the USA, 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 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

September 24, 1911 in Yeisk province in peasant family Konstantin Chernenko was born. 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 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.

Due to the stampede that occurred during his coronation, many people died. Thus, the name “Bloody” was attached to the kindest philanthropist Nikolai. In 1898, caring for world peace, he issued a manifesto calling on all countries in the world to completely disarm. After this, a special commission met in The Hague to develop a number of measures that could further prevent bloody clashes between countries and peoples. But the peace-loving emperor had to fight. First in the First World War, then the Bolshevik coup broke out, as a result of which the monarch was overthrown, and then he and his family were shot in Yekaterinburg.

The Orthodox Church canonized Nikolai Romanov and his entire family as saints.

Lvov Georgy Evgenievich (1917)

After February revolution became Chairman of the Provisional Government, which he headed from March 2, 1917 to July 8, 1917. Subsequently he emigrated to France after the October Revolution.

Alexander Fedorovich (1917)

He was the chairman of the Provisional Government after Lvov.

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (Ulyanov) (1917 - 1922)

After the revolution in October 1917, in a short 5 years, a new state was formed - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1922). One of the main ideologists and leader of the Bolshevik revolution. It was V.I. who proclaimed two decrees in 1917: the first on ending the war, and the second on the abolition of private land ownership and the transfer of all territories that previously belonged to landowners for the use of workers. He died before the age of 54 in Gorki. His body rests in Moscow, in the Mausoleum on Red Square.

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (Dzhugashvili) (1922 - 1953)

Secretary General Central Committee of the Communist Party. A totalitarian regime and a bloody dictatorship were established in the country. He forcibly carried out collectivization in the country, driving the peasants into collective farms and depriving them of property and passports, effectively renewing serfdom. At the cost of hunger he arranged industrialization. During his reign, massive arrests and executions of all dissidents, as well as “enemies of the people,” were carried out in the country. Most of the country's intelligentsia perished in Stalin's Gulags. Won Second world war, defeating Hitler's Germany with its allies. Died of a stroke.

Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev (1953 - 1964)

After Stalin's death, having entered into an alliance with Malenkov, he removed Beria from power and took the place of General Secretary of the Communist Party. He debunked Stalin's personality cult. In 1960, at a meeting of the UN Assembly, he called on countries to disarmament and asked to include China in the Security Council. But the foreign policy of the USSR since 1961 became increasingly tougher. Agreement on a three-year moratorium on testing nuclear weapons was violated by the USSR. The Cold War began with Western countries and, first of all, with the United States.

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (1964 - 1982)

He led a conspiracy against N.S., as a result of which he was removed from the position of General Secretary. The time of his reign is called “stagnation”. Total shortage of absolutely all consumer goods. The whole country is standing in kilometer-long queues. Corruption is rampant. Many public figures, persecuted for dissent, leave the country. This wave of emigration was later called the “brain drain.” L.I.'s last public appearance took place in 1982. He hosted the Parade on Red Square. That same year he passed away.

Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov (1983 - 1984)

Former head of the KGB. Having become the General Secretary, he treated his position accordingly. IN work time banned the appearance of adults on the streets without good reason. Died of kidney failure.

Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko (1984 - 1985)

No one in the country took the appointment of the seriously ill 72-year-old Chernenok to the post of General Secretary seriously. He was considered a kind of “intermediate” figure. He spent most of his reign of the USSR in the Central Clinical Hospital. He became the last ruler of the country to be buried near the Kremlin wall.

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev (1985 - 1991)

The first and only president of the USSR. He began a series of democratic reforms in the country, called “Perestroika”. Rid the country of " iron curtain", stopped persecuting dissidents. Freedom of speech appeared in the country. Opened the market for trade with Western countries. Stopped the Cold War. Honored Nobel Prize Mira.

Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin (1991 - 1999)

Twice elected to the presidency Russian Federation. The economic crisis in the country caused by the collapse of the USSR exacerbated contradictions in political system countries. Yeltsin's opponent was Vice President Rutskoi, who stormed the Ostankino television center and the Moscow City Hall and launched a coup d'état, which was suppressed. I was seriously ill. During his illness, the country was temporarily ruled by V.S. Chernomyrdin. B.I. Yeltsin announced his resignation in his New Year's address to the Russians. He died in 2007.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (1999 - 2008)

Appointed by Yeltsin as acting President, after the elections he became the full-fledged president of the country.

Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (2008 - 2012)

Protégé V.V. Putin. He served as president for four years, after which V.V. became president again. Putin.

Head of Russian state. Outstanding rulers that the whole country should know about Lubchenkov Yuri Nikolaevich

General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev 1906–1982

General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev

Born on December 19, 1906 (January 1, 1907 according to the new style) in the village of Kamenskoye (later the city of Dneprodzerzhinsk) in the Yekaterinoslav province in a working-class family. Russian.

In 1923–1927 he studied at the Kursk Land Management and Reclamation College. After graduation, he worked until 1930 as a land surveyor in the Kursk province, then in the Urals.

In 1928 he married Victoria Petrovna Denisova, and next year They had a daughter, Galina, and in 1933, a son, Yuri.

In 1935 he graduated from the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute.

On October 24, 1931, Brezhnev joined the CPSU and made a quick party career, becoming already in 1939 the secretary of the Dnepropetrovsk regional committee of the CP(b) of Ukraine.

In the Great Patriotic War, Colonel (from December 15, 1942) Brezhnev headed the political department of the 18th Army from April 1, 1943. On November 2, 1944, he was awarded the rank of major general, with which Leonid Ilyich ended the war.

Small Earth. Novorossiysk. Artist Dmitry Nalbandyan. 1975

After the Victory, Brezhnev continued his ascent to the heights of power: in 1946-1947 - first secretary of the Zaporozhye regional committee of the Communist Party (b) of Ukraine, in 1947-1950 - first secretary of the Dnepropetrovsk regional committee of the Communist Party (b) of Ukraine, then in 1950-1952 - first secretary Central Committee of the Communist Party (b) of Moldova. In 1952, Leonid Ilyich was elected secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. In 1953, he suddenly went downhill - he was removed from the post of Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and appointed Deputy Chief of the Main political management Soviet army and the Navy.

In 1954–1955, Brezhnev served as second secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, in 1955–1956 – first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan.

At the Plenum of the CPSU Central Committee on February 27, 1956, Leonid Ilyich was elected as a candidate member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee and Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. V.M. Sukhodrev described it appearance at this time: “Above average height, strong, dashing, with combed-back hair, he seemed to radiate health and strength.”

The 5th session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 5th convocation was held in the Grand Kremlin Palace from May 5 to 7, 1960. K.E. Voroshilov was relieved of his post as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR “for health reasons in connection with his request.” L.I. was elected Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Brezhnev. A.N. became the first deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. Kosygin.

At the Plenum of the CPSU Central Committee, which took place from June 18 to 21, 1963, Leonid Ilyich was elected Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.

Being one of the main participants in the conspiracy that led to the removal of Khrushchev on October 13, 1964, Brezhnev headed the CPSU Central Committee and began to play a primary role in implementing the new collegial policy of the USSR. Acting as a guarantor of the stability of the situation within the country, sharing with Kosygin the responsibility for carrying out economic reforms, and with Suslov for following the “correct” ideological line, Brezhnev leaves a noticeable personal imprint on Soviet foreign policy of this period.

During Leonid Ilyich’s 18 years in power, the Soviet government pursued a realistic policy, abandoning Khrushchev’s plans for building communism in favor of the outwardly more modest concept of “developed socialism,” as the stage at which, according to the country’s leadership, the USSR is located. Deeply conservative in its political views, the Brezhnev “team” begins its activities by focusing on issues economic development country and began in 1965 to carry out a series of reforms aimed at providing greater independence to enterprises. The result of these reforms is a slight increase in the standard of living of the population, especially the rural population.

However, after the first period of real growth in the country's economy, by the mid-1970s, signs of stagnation appeared, and the irremovability of the political leadership led to the growth of the nomenklatura, concerned mainly with maintaining their posts and privileges. The party's claim to leadership role in all spheres of social life is expressed, first of all, in an obsession with the idea of ​​complete control over the intelligentsia.

In the international arena, Brezhnev continues to follow the course initiated by Khrushchev towards the development of dialogue with the West. Settlement of the status of Berlin, recognition of the inviolability of borders in Eastern Europe and especially the first bilateral disarmament agreements represent tangible achievements of the policy of détente, which culminates in the signing of the Helsinki Accords. These successes, however, were seriously undermined by the introduction of Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia in 1968, the intrigues of the USSR in Africa, and then the direct invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, after which international affairs tension reigns again.

Since June 1977, Brezhnev has combined the position of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee with the position of Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

The last years of Brezhnev's rule are clearly called the “years of stagnation.” Leonid Ilyich was seriously ill and did not rule the country, but only observed his surroundings so that no one would dare to “sit on” him and deprive him of the position of the first person in the country. He loved receiving more and more awards and bonuses, he began to love flattery more and more. expensive gifts, put it on the highest leadership positions in the country exclusively from their acquaintances from work in Dnepropetrovsk, Moldova and Kazakhstan. Seriously ill, narrow-minded, but cunning personnel politician, surrounded by the same decrepit members of the Politburo, Brezhnev at the end of his life evoked neither respect nor pity among the people - only contempt and ridicule. He became a character not in a heroic epic, but only in an anecdote.

Brezhnev in Crimea with sailors. Photographer Vladimir Musaelyan. 1978

These years are characterized by increased corruption, an economic crisis, and an acute shortage of consumer goods and food products.

From the book Purely Confidential [Ambassador to Washington under six US presidents (1962-1986)] author Dobrynin Anatoly Fedorovich

Death of Brezhnev. Yu. Andropov is the new General Secretary. The administration reacted quickly to the death of Brezhnev (November 10). The very next day I received a call from Clark, the President's assistant for national security, and conveyed Reagan's condolences. He said that

From the book 100 great politicians author Sokolov Boris Vadimovich

Death of Andropov. The new General Secretary Andropov died on February 9. I pinned some hopes on him for a gradual improvement in Soviet-American relations. In terms of his intellectual abilities, he was, of course, significantly higher than Brezhnev and Chernenko. He

From Andropov's book author Medvedev Roy Alexandrovich

From the book Josip Broz Tito author Matonin Evgeniy Vitalievich

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From the book The Most Closed People. From Lenin to Gorbachev: Encyclopedia of Biographies author Zenkovich Nikolay Alexandrovich

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, President of the USSR (born in 1931) Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev is probably one of the most popular Russian citizens in the West today and one of the most controversial figures in public opinion within the country.

From the book Stalin. The life of one leader author Khlevnyuk Oleg Vitalievich

Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Andropov's role in solving problems of international politics increased after the XXII Congress of the CPSU, at which he was elected a member of the Central Committee. Yu. V. Andropov and his department took an active part in the preparation of the main documents of this congress. At the beginning of 1962, Andropov became

From the book Vorovsky author Piyashev Nikolay Fedorovich

Tito - General Secretary While Tito was on his way, two things happened in the world most important events. On August 23, a Non-Aggression Pact between the USSR and Germany, the so-called “Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact,” was signed in Moscow, and on September 1, Germany attacked Poland. Soon

From the book of the Russian Head of State. Outstanding rulers that the whole country should know about author Lubchenkov Yuri Nikolaevich

BREZHNEV Leonid Ilyich (12/19/1906 - 11/10/1982). First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee from 10/14/1964 to 08/08/1966, General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee from 08/08/1966 to 11/10/1982 Member of the Presidium (Politburo) of the CPSU Central Committee from 06/29/1957 to 11/10/1982 g. Candidate member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee from 10/16/1952 to 03/05/1953 and from 02/27/1956 to 06/29/1957.

From the book Shadows in the Alley [collection] author Khrutsky Eduard Anatolievich

General Secretary The Bolsheviks emerged victorious from many years of struggle against internal and external enemies. However, it was not easy to explain to the exhausted country and even to ourselves why this victory was won. Hopes for world revolution didn't come true. Leninskaya

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SECRETARY GENERAL It was warm in Italy. Remembering the Moscow cold, Vaclav Vatslavovich shivered and smiled. He felt the warm rays of the generous sun as he headed from the station to the embassy. The Italian newspapers, which he looked through on the train on the way to Rome, reported

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General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Joseph Vissarionovich

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General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (1878–1953) see page.

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General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov 1914–1984 Born on June 2/15, 1914 in the village of Nagutskaya, Stavropol Territory, into the family of an employee. His nationality is Jewish. Father Vladimir Liberman changed his surname to “Andropov” after 1917, worked as a telegraph operator and

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Leonid Brezhnev (1982) A snowstorm flew past the windows. The wind rocked the old compartment carriage, and it seemed that it was rushing through the darkness and snow towards the distant morning. The potbelly stove glowed with hot sides in the twilight, we drank vodka, which was especially strong on this February

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Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev. From stability to stagnation In assessing each figure, it is important to control emotions, follow the facts, and maintain proportions. If we talk about Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, then his negative assessment as the leader of the party and the country is certainly justified. But hardly

Nikita Khrushchev was born on April 15, 1894 in the village of Kalinovka, Kursk region. His father, Sergei Nikanorovich, was a miner, his mother was Ksenia Ivanovna Khrushcheva, and he also had a sister, Irina. The family was poor and was in constant need in many ways.

In the winter he attended school and learned to read and write, and in the 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 mechanic at the Eduard Arturovich Bosse Machine-Building and Iron Foundry Plant. Since 1912 he began independent work a mechanic at a mine. In 1914, during 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 Civil War. In 1918 he headed the Red Guard detachment in Rutchenkovo, then political commissar of the 2nd battalion of the 74th regiment of the 9th rifle division of the Red Army on the Tsaritsyn front. Later, 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 Rutchenkovsky mine in the Donbass.

In 1922, Khrushchev returned to Yuzovka and studied at the workers' faculty of the Dontechnikum, 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 Petrovo-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, 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, since 1934 he was 1st Secretary of the Moscow City Committee, and since 1935 he simultaneously held the position of 1st Secretary of the Moscow Committee, replacing 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 (b). In these positions he proved himself to be a merciless fighter against “enemies of the people.” In the late 1930s alone, more than 150 thousand party members were arrested in Ukraine under him.

During the Great Patriotic War, Khrushchev was a member of the military councils of the South-Western direction, South-Western, Stalingrad, Southern, Voronezh and 1st Ukrainian fronts. He was one of the perpetrators of the catastrophic encirclement of the Red Army near Kiev and Kharkov, fully supporting the Stalinist point of view. In May 1942, Khrushchev, together with Golikov, made the Headquarters decision on the offensive of the Southwestern Front.

The headquarters said clearly: the offensive will end in failure if there are not sufficient funds. On May 12, 1942, the offensive began - the Southern Front, built in linear defense, retreated, because soon an offensive began from the Kramatorsk-Slavyansky region tank group Kleist. The front was broken through, the retreat to Stalingrad began, and more divisions were lost along the way than during the summer offensive of 1941. On July 28, already on the approaches to Stalingrad, Order No. 227, called “Not a step back!” was signed. The loss near Kharkov turned into a great disaster - 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 personnel to advisers. Khrushchev was in the front command echelon behind Mamayev 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 was again elected First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Ukraine.

Since December 1949 - again first secretary of the Moscow regional and city committees and secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.

On the last day of Stalin’s life, March 5, 1953, at the Joint Meeting of the Plenum of the CPSU Central Committee, the Council of Ministers and the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, chaired by Khrushchev, it was recognized as necessary that he concentrate on work in the Party Central Committee.

Khrushchev was the leading initiator and organizer of the removal from all posts and arrest of Lavrentiy Beria in June 1953.

In 1953, on September 7, at the plenum of the Central Committee, Khrushchev was elected first secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. In 1954, a decision was made by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to transfer the Crimean region and the city of union subordination Sevastopol to the Ukrainian SSR.

In June 1957, during a four-day meeting of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee, a decision was made to relieve N.S. Khrushchev from his duties as First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. However, a group of Khrushchev’s supporters from among the members of the CPSU Central Committee, led by Marshal Zhukov, managed to intervene in the work of the Presidium and achieve the transfer of this issue to the consideration of the plenum of the CPSU Central Committee convened for this purpose. At the June 1957 plenum of the Central Committee, Khrushchev's supporters defeated his opponents from among the members of the Presidium.

Four months later, in October 1957, on Khrushchev’s initiative, 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 N.S. Khrushchev’s reign is called the XXII Congress of the CPSU and the adopted document new program parties.

The October plenum of the CPSU Central Committee of 1964, organized in the absence of N. S. Khrushchev, who was on vacation, relieved him of party and government posts “for health reasons.”

While retired, Nikita Khrushchev recorded multi-volume memoirs on a tape recorder. He condemned their publication abroad. Khrushchev died on September 11, 1971

The period of Khrushchev's reign is often called the "thaw": many political prisoners were released, and the activity of repressions decreased significantly compared to the period of Stalin's reign. The influence of ideological censorship has decreased. The Soviet Union has achieved great success in space exploration. Active housing construction was launched. The period of his reign saw the highest tension of the Cold War with the United States. His de-Stalinization policy 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

Development of virgin lands.

The fight against the personality cult of Stalin: a report at the 20th 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 20th 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 Crimean Tatars, Germans, Koreans), restoration of the Kabardino-Balkarian, Kalmyk, Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics in 1957.

Abolition of sectoral ministries, creation of economic councils (1957).

A gradual transition to the principle of “permanence of personnel”, increasing the independence of the heads of the union republics.

First successes space program- launch of the first artificial Earth satellite and the first human flight into space (1961).

Construction of the Berlin Wall (1961).

Novocherkassk execution (1962).

Accommodation nuclear missiles in Cuba (1962, led to the Cuban Missile Crisis).

Reform of administrative-territorial division (1962), which included

division of regional committees into industrial and agricultural (1962).

Meeting with American Vice President Richard Nixon in Iowa.

Anti-religious campaign 1954-1964.

Lifting bans on abortion.

Hero of the Soviet Union (1964)

Thrice Hero Socialist Labor(1954, 1957, 1961) - awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor for the third time 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 1st degree (1945)

Kutuzov, 1st degree (1943)

Suvorov II degree (1943)

Patriotic War, 1st degree (1945)

Red Banner of Labor (1939)

"In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin"

"Partisan of the Patriotic War" 1st degree

"For the defense of Stalingrad"

"For Victory over Germany"

“Twenty years of victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.”

"For valiant labor in the Great Patriotic War"

“For the restoration of iron and steel enterprises in the south”

"For the development of virgin lands"

"40 years of the USSR Armed Forces"

"50 years of the USSR Armed Forces"

"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 People's Republic of Belarus (Bulgaria, 1964)

Order of Georgi Dimitrov (Bulgaria, 1964)

order White Lion 1st degree (Czechoslovakia) (1964)

Order of the Star of Romania, 1st class

Order of Karl Marx (GDR, 1964)

Order of Sukhbaatar (Mongolia, 1964)

Order of the Necklace of the Nile (Egypt, 1964)

medal "20 years of the Slovak national uprising" (Czechoslovakia, 1964)

Jubilee Medal of the World Peace Council (1960)

International Lenin Prize “For Strengthening Peace Between Nations” (1959)

State Prize of the Ukrainian SSR named after T. G. Shevchenko - for huge contribution in the development of Ukrainian Soviet socialist culture.

Cinema:

“Playhouse 90” “Playhouse 90” (USA, 1958) episode “The Plot to Kill Stalin” - Oscar Homolka

"Zots" Zotz! (USA, 1962) - Albert Glasser

“Missiles of October” The Missiles of October (USA, 1974) - Howard DaSilva

Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident (USA, 1976) - ThayerDavid

"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

“The Law” (1989), Ten years without the right of correspondence (1990), “General” (1992) - Vladimir Romanovsky

"Stalin" (1992) - Murray Evan

“The Politburo Cooperative, 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 Clock” “Timewatch” (England, 2005) - Miroslav Neinert

"Battle for Space" (2005) - Konstantin Gregory

“Star of the Epoch” (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 Maintenance” (2009); “Wolf Messing: Seen 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) - Sergei 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) - Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti

Documentary

"Coup" (1989). Produced by Tsentrnauchfilm studio

Historical Chronicles (a series of documentary programs about the history of Russia, broadcast on the Rossiya TV channel since October 9, 2003):

Episode 57. 1955 - “Nikita Khrushchev, the beginning...”

Episode 61. 1959 - Metropolitan Nikolai

Episode 63. 1961 - Khrushchev. Beginning of the End

“Khrushchev. The first after Stalin" (2014)