Who goes after Stalin. Who ruled after Stalin? Georgy Maximilianovich Malenkov. Who was in power after Stalin's death
Due to the stampede that occurred during his coronation, many people died. So the name "Bloody" was attached to the kindest philanthropist Nikolai. In 1898, caring for world peace, he issued a manifesto in which he called on all countries of the world to completely disarm. After that, 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 shot with his family in Yekaterinburg.
The Orthodox Church canonized Nicholas 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 coup. It was V. I. who proclaimed two decrees in 1917: the first on the cessation of the war, and the second on the abolition of private land ownership and the transfer of all territories that previously belonged to the landowners for the use of workers. He died before reaching the age of 54 in Gorki. His body rests in Moscow, in the Mausoleum on Red Square.
Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin (Dzhugashvili) (1922 - 1953)
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. When the country was established a totalitarian regime and a bloody dictatorship. Forcibly carried out collectivization in the country, driving peasants into collective farms and depriving them of their property and passports, in fact resuming serfdom. At the cost of hunger, he arranged industrialization. During his reign, arrests and executions of all dissidents, as well as "enemies of the people," were massively carried out in the country. Most of the country's entire intelligentsia perished in Stalin's Gulags. Won Second world war, defeating Nazi Germany with the 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 the 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 disarm and asked for China to be included in the Security Council. But the foreign policy of the USSR since 1961 has been getting tougher. The agreement on a three-year moratorium on nuclear weapons testing 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 removed him to the post of general secretary. The time of his reign is called "stagnation". Total shortage of absolutely all consumer goods. The whole country stands in kilometer queues. Corruption flourishes. Many public figures persecuted for dissent leave the country. This wave of emigration was later called the "brain drain". The last public appearance of L. I. took place in 1982. He took the Parade on Red Square. In the same year he died.
Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov (1983 - 1984)
Former head of the KGB. Having become the general secretary, he treated his position accordingly. AT work time prohibited the appearance on the streets of adults without good reason. Died of kidney failure.
Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko (1984 - 1985)
No one in the country took seriously the appointment of the seriously ill 72-year-old Chernenok to the post of general secretary. He was considered a kind of "intermediate" figure. Most he spent his reign of the USSR in the Central Clinical Hospital. He became the last ruler of the country, who was buried at 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 the persecution of dissidents. There is freedom of speech in the country. Opened the market for trade with Western countries. Ended the Cold War. Honored Nobel Prize Peace.
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 the contradictions in the political system of the country. Yeltsin's opponent was vice-president Rutskoi, who, by storming the Ostankino television center and the Moscow mayor's office, launched a coup d'état, which was suppressed. I was seriously ill. During the 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. Passed away in 2007.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (1999 - 2008)
Yeltsin appointed acting. president, after the election became the full president of the country.
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (2008 - 2012)
Protege V.V. Putin. He acted as president for four years, after which V.V. became president again. Putin.
The lessons of the USSR. Historically Unresolved Problems as Factors in the Emergence, Development and Decay of the USSR Nikanorov Spartak Petrovich
9. USSR after Stalin's death
9. USSR after Stalin's death
Stage characteristic
Learning from this historical stage is of particular importance. This stage is the rapid, in just 40 years, the destruction of what was achieved by Stalin. Of course, the course of history at this stage consists not only of destruction, there are also remarkable achievements in many, including key areas. But a careful examination of them shows that they are all only repetitions of the line defined and carried out by Stalin. Many in the country, of course, not all, distinctly aware of their historical mission. For Stalin, the greatness of the country had greater value, how happy life population. Stalin was a sovereign. Individuals or groups that openly or covertly undermined the USSR were exterminated. Not “everyone is busy with their own business”, but “everyone is doing one common thing”. After the death of Stalin, of the five General Secretaries, this idea was continued only by Brezhnev.
A common feature of the entire post-Stalin era of the USSR (March 1953 - December 1991) is in the loss of perspective and focus, clarity and rigidity of the work of the state apparatus, which is incompatible with the principles of Soviet socialism. The centralized planning system was ineffective in the conditions of rapid scientific and technological development due to the fact that the local initiative required numerous approvals. Weakening of goal-setting and goal-achievement, sluggish response to the necessary ongoing changes, the nominal nature of planning and reporting on the implementation of the plan, the postponement of deadlines, the decline in the culture and discipline of leadership, the war in Afghanistan, which only led to great casualties. Growing lag in scientific and technological development. Hence the desire of high management to shift their functions to lower levels, constant delays in the formation of the annual budget, following one after another reorganization of the state apparatus. Control over the activities of organizations has weakened. The distrust of organizations that arose in government agencies led to the desire to “squeeze” the organization in “plans coming down from above”. As a result - a variety of imitation tricks of organizations in the implementation of the decisions of the Center. Under Stalin, all this was impossible. Speaking in the language of management theory, the reason was the negative feedback that had developed in the management of the state.
However, a highly centralized system government controlled continued to maintain its advantages over the market West. In some areas, the return of Soviet science and technology was many times greater than that of the West. The USSR outnumbered the US in arms exports. In mass production of consumer goods and in terms of the quality of services, the USSR lost, in limited production it was equal or ahead. The development of production in the USSR was limited by the fact that the world market did not let its products. But this restriction was partially lifted by the CMEA countries. Therefore, the excess of production capacities available in the USSR and in the CMEA countries under its control (possible only under socialism) could not be used in full. In terms of the share of production, the USSR did not lag behind, and in conditions of severe isolation developed on the principles of self-sufficiency, produced everything necessary for itself. But the share of consumption was small in comparison with the share of mechanical engineering. The independence of the activities of machine-building industries and organizations led to a low unification of parts and types of materials, which is impossible in a market economy. The planned economy was not focused on ensuring its technical and economic efficiency. Nevertheless, the USSR developed the fastest of all, including the United States, and provided significant savings in resources.
Stalin was in power for 31 years. From the moment of his death on March 2, 1953, when he was 74 years old, to the liquidation of the USSR in 1992, 39 years passed. During this time, five General Secretaries of the Central Committee of the CPSU replaced each other. On average, eight years each. Between their lines, in addition to a sharp hidden war for the power of one or another party clan, there was a struggle to change or preserve the political ideology, domestic and foreign policy, social and state form of the USSR.
The first in 1953 to take power N.S. Khrushchev(1894–1971). He was 59 years old. From the age of 32, N.S. Khrushchev at party work in the Central Committee of the Communist Party (b) of Ukraine. In 1944–1947 - Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of Ukraine, then - 1st Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (b) of Ukraine. During the Great Patriotic War - a member of a number of Councils of Fronts. Since 1949 - Secretary of the CPSU (b) and 1st Secretary of the Moscow Committee of the CPSU (b). In 1953 (it is clear why) he became the 1st (and not General) Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. Member of the Central Committee of the CPSU N.S. Khrushchev was from 1934 to 1966, a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee from 1939 to 1964. Some authors claim that Khrushchev could neither read nor write. Probably well thought...
N.S. Khrushchev in the late 30s was one of the most important organizers of repressions in Moscow and Ukraine. It is known that the organizers of the repressions, in order to curry favor with Stalin, increased the number of those repressed beyond what was really necessary. The decision to carry out the punishments provided for in the list of the repressed could only be made personally by Stalin. When such a list was brought to him for approval, Stalin pointed to those who should be excluded. To which he was sometimes told: "You were busy, the sentences have already been carried out." Well, Khrushchev managed to become a support for Stalin in order to kill and curse him?
In the second half of the 1940s, he was one of the organizers of the struggle against cosmopolitanism (admiration for "foreignness"). But this did not prevent him from becoming the initiator of a "thaw" in domestic and foreign policy, which, allegedly, is better than strict discipline. In 1956, at the 20th Congress of the CPSU, he exposed Stalin's "personality cult".
The regime established by Mao Zedong was more severe than that of Stalin. Nevertheless, in China, the cult of worship of Mao as the great founder of the PRC and the leader of the nation persists even after his death, and it never occurs to anyone to "take Mao out of the mausoleum."
The policy pursued by N.S. Khrushchev, was inconsistent and anti-Stalinist. He transferred the management of the national economy from the sectoral principle to the territorial one. This led to the collapse of the centralized form of government and the inefficiency of the branch. As a result - to huge losses in the national economy, a delay in its development. This transformation was canceled under L. I. Brezhnev, the branch principle was restored.
But N.S. Khrushchev limited the privileges of the party and state apparatus (to eliminate the “Stalinists” from it?). He improved the living conditions of the population, organized the mass construction of residential buildings ("Khrushchev"), made society more open. In 1954, two rings were put into operation air defense around Moscow and the world's first nuclear power plant. In 1957 the first satellite was launched, in 1961 Gagarin's space flight. Strived to expand international relations.
At the same time, N. S. Khrushchev carried out the suppression of "dissidents", sent troops to Hungary in 1956, shot a workers' demonstration in Novo-Cherkassk in 1962, aggravated the confrontation with the West (the Berlin crisis, 1961, created the Caribbean crisis , 1962). He set unattainable goals for the country: "to catch up and overtake America", "to build communism by 1980". Threatened with a boot taken off his foot from the podium General Assembly UN. After a visit to the United States, at the invitation of Eisenhower, he becomes a liberal communist. By decision of N. S. Khrushchev, A. N. Kosygin prepared the transfer of part of the public property National economy to private property. Although in 1952 in the book “ Economic problems socialism in the USSR” Stalin argued that the transfer of private property to the state was the best form of nationalization, but already at the end of 1952 he spoke out against the state monopoly in the economy. Stalin outlined these reforms six months before his death for approval at a meeting of the Central Committee of the CPSU.
By 1962, the party and state apparatuses were convinced of the ostentatious activities and the inability of N. S. Khrushchev to lead the socialist state. By decision of the Central Committee of the CPSU in October 1964, N. S. Khrushchev was removed from his duties as 1st Secretary and member of the Politburo of the Central Committee, but remained a member of the Central Committee for another 2 years. N. S. Khrushchev was in power for 11 years. He resigned from his post when he was 70 years old.
The 58-year-old was elected to the post of 1st Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU in October 1964 L.I. Brezhnev (1906–1982) who organized the removal of N.S. Khrushchev. In 1966, this post began to be called "Secretary General" again. L.I. Brezhnev held this post for 18 years, until his death, which occurred when he was 76 years old. AT last years he was seriously ill throughout his life. He was not a destroyer of the line pursued by Stalin, like Khrushchev, but he was not able to deeply understand it and correctly carry it out in completely new conditions. The consequence was his superficial, outward imitation of Stalin.
When the Great Patriotic War began, Leonid Brezhnev was 36 years old. During the war and after it, until the end of his life, he was in party work: 1st secretary of the regional committee of the Communist Party (b) of Ukraine, 1st secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Moldova. In 1953 - Head of the Political Directorate Soviet army and the Navy. Then - the 2nd and 1st secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. From 1952 to 1964 (with interruptions) - Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Chairman of the USSR Defense Council. As under Stalin, under Brezhnev the authoritarian regime was preserved.
Since 1965, measures have been taken to improve the work of the national economy. The next Congress of the CPSU pointed out the need to create associations, use "economic methods" in management, higher rates of growth in labor productivity and profitability of production, strengthen cost accounting, accurately record the deadlines for completing tasks, select options that will give the fastest return, encourage saving time and strict tracking its wastefulness, eliminating unnecessary links in bureaucratic procedures, ensuring prompt decision-making. It provided for the constant development of all sectors of the economy, the creation of conditions for the use of the abilities of all members of society, the convergence of science and technology, the acceleration of the development and implementation of a new efficient technique. The reform of 1965 began the practical use of commodity-money "levers" in the body of socialist production relations. These decisions were of great political economic significance.
It was assumed that these measures would make it possible to create a "mature socialist society", "developed socialism".
In fact, during the reign of L. I. Brezhnev, negative phenomena gradually increased in the economy, in the social and spiritual life of society. The economy became more and more extensive and consumerist. For example, the engineering industry of the USSR began to produce mainly equipment for the production of consumer products. The reason was the extreme conservatism social forms. The country began to live by selling oil and gas. At the beginning of L. I. Brezhnev's rule, a course was pursued to ease international tension, and then he began to conduct an intensified militarization of the country, thereby supporting the arms race provoked by the United States. L. I. Brezhnev, having heard enough of his assistants, in public speeches insisted on the use of system analysis. The defense department of the Central Committee of the CPSU supported the development of the target planning system used by the United States (the then famous PERT). But the conservative system of central planning throughout the country was unable to master either system analysis or target planning. It is possible that the US understood the subversive nature of these attempts.
In 1965 Chief Engineer One of the defense design bureaus, Anatoly Vasilyevich Pivovarov, told me: "Not a single Government Decree is being implemented." Under Stalin, this was absolutely impossible.
At the same time, the 2nd secretary of the Komsomol Central Committee, Yuri Vladimirovich Torsuev, invited two then famous explorers P. G. Kuznetsov and S. P. Nikanorov and invited them to answer one question:
"Komsomol with the party or with the party?"
A month later, he was presented with a voluminous report, which substantiated the need for the Komsomol to be independent youth organization which takes into account the policy pursued by the party. Torsuev, having briefly read the report, said: “Do you want me to be arrested?” Soon the Komsomol Central Committee dismissed him from the post of 2nd Secretary of the Komsomol Central Committee.
In 1966, a group of specialists, of which I was a member, was invited by the head of the Technical Directorate of the USSR Minstankoprom. She asked us one question: “Why has almost the whole world abandoned metal cutting and switched to physical processing methods, while we continue to cut?”. Under " physical methods”was understood, for example, to obtain accurate, completely finished metal products (such as a car body) from a sheet of metal of the required thickness by a single hydraulic impact on the sheet lying above the mold, with pressure on water of thousands of atmospheres. Our answer was unequivocal: because the centralized planning system in the form used by the USSR stifled initiative. It was believed that only the top understand everything correctly, and only they look ahead, all the rest - favorite word in the USSR - performers.
In 1969, the International Conference "The Tasks of the Struggle Against Imperialism in the present stage and the unity of action of the communist and workers' parties and of all anti-imperialist forces."
In 1973, a brigade-economic calculation was introduced in construction, in 1976 - a team contract, 1977 - a through team contract. In 1977 - the transfer of all house-building plants to self-supporting, which improved their economic performance.
During this period, changes were made in the capitalist countries, bringing them closer to the forms used by the USSR. State incentives have been introduced for the production carried out by the monopolies by providing them with an increasing share of the national income. Government funding for industrial development programs and scientific research. Programs are being compiled economic development countries.
In 1974, " Guidelines to the development of state plans for the development of the national economy.
In the middle - late 70s and early 80s, under the impression of the economic difficulties of the USSR, the use of socialism was abandoned throughout the world. Worldwide disappointment in the results of direct state management. In England, the refusal of the state to participate in economic activity: "it is necessary to look for more flexible forms of public control." There has been massive denationalization in Africa. Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Vietnam, Czechoslovakia abandoned socialism. Deng Xiaoping said in introducing socialist capitalism to China: “It doesn't matter if the cat is black or white. It is important that she catch mice.” Gandhi in India stated that "socialism is depleting the people's wealth." There was an anti-state and anti-socialist revolt of the world economy.
From the book History of Russia. XX - beginning of the XXI century. Grade 9 author Volobuev Oleg Vladimirovich§ 34. COUNTRY AFTER STALIN'S DEATH STRUGGLE FOR POWER. On March 5, a few hours before the official conclusion of doctors about Stalin's death, a joint meeting of members of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR took place in the Kremlin. Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR was
From the book of the Assassins of Stalin. Main secret XX century author Mukhin Yury IgnatievichAfter Stalin's death, the Okhrana immediately saw that Stalin had lost consciousness, shifted him to the sofa and immediately called their direct superior, Ignatiev. He immediately arrived with Khrushchev and with Stalin's attending physician Smirnov. The doctor diagnosed intoxication and suggested
From the book of Molotov. semi-dominant ruler author Chuev Felix IvanovichAround the death of Stalin I was visiting Natalya Poskrebysheva on January 7th. Vlasik's daughter Nadia also came to her. Her father, Stalin's head of security, was arrested in December 1952. When they took him away, he said that Stalin would soon be gone, hinting at a conspiracy. - Wasn't he in it
From the book Stalin's Inner Circle. Companions of the leader author Medvedev Roy AlexandrovichThe first year after Stalin's death Stalin's physical decrepitude progressed, and this was obvious to his inner circle, but his death took by surprise not only the whole country, but also the tops of the party. It was hard to believe that the person who was looked upon as
From the book Unknown USSR. Confrontation between the people and the authorities 1953-1985. author Kozlov Vladimir AlexandrovichThe first "new construction" conflicts after Stalin's death
From the book The main secret of the GRU author Maksimov Anatoly BorisovichAfterword. Life after death. Not obvious, but perhaps probable, the life of Oleg Penkovsky after his official execution (the author's reconstruction) ... In an interview with the Vek newspaper in 2000, the author replied that the "Penkovsky case" would be solved in fifty years.
From the book Beyond the Threshold of Victory author Martirosyan Arsen BenikovichMyth No. 38. After Stalin's death, Marshal of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov objectively assessed especially the military talents of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The myth arose and took shape under the influence of Zhukov's memoirs, as well as all sorts of his private statements. So far very often
From book National history: lecture notes author Kulagina Galina Mikhailovna20.1. The struggle for power in the leadership of the country after the death of I.V. Stalin After the death of I.V. Stalin, as a result of behind-the-scenes struggle, the first places in the party-state hierarchy were occupied by: G.M. Malenkov - Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR; L.P. Beria - First Deputy G.M.
From the book Moscow against St. Petersburg. Stalin's Leningrad case author Rybas Svyatoslav YurievichChapter 15 Intra-elite struggle after the death of Stalin Great achievements are associated with the name of Stalin, achieved by colossal effort and sacrifice. This leader appeared in Russia after Witte's modernization, Stolypin's economic reforms and the constitutional
From the book Georgy Zhukov. Transcript of the October (1957) plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU and other documents author History Author unknown --No. 11 AFTER STALIN'S DEATH Recording of T.K. Zhukov "It was the month of March 1953. I had just returned to Sverdlovsk from the tactical exercises of the troops of the district. The head of the secretariat reported to me: Minister of Defense BULGANIN had just called on HF and ordered him
From the book New "History of the CPSU" author Fedenko Panas VasilievichVI. After the Second World War - until the death of Stalin 1. The fundamental change in the international situation Chapter XVI of the History of the CPSU covers the period from the end of the Second World War to the death of Stalin in 1953. The authors state with great satisfaction fundamental change
From the book Domestic History: Cheat Sheet author author unknown96. STRUGGLE FOR POWER AFTER THE DEATH OF I.V. STALIN. XX CONGRESS OF THE CPSU Long-term leader of the USSR, dictator with unlimited powers, head of the Communist Party and the Soviet government I.V. Stalin died on March 5, 1953. Among his former entourage, a
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Joseph Stalin died on March 5 at 21:50. From 6 to 9 March, the country was plunged into mourning. The coffin with the body of the leader was exhibited in Moscow in the Hall of Columns. About one and a half million people took part in the mourning events.
Troops were sent to the capital to maintain public order. However, the authorities did not expect such an incredible influx of people wishing to see Stalin off last way. The victims of the stampede on the day of the funeral, March 9, according to various sources, were from 300 to 3 thousand people.
Stalin went into Russian history as a symbol of greatness. The main achievements of the Stalin era were industrialization, victory in the Great Patriotic War and the creation nuclear bomb. The foundation that the leader left allowed the country to achieve nuclear parity with the United States and launch rockets into space, ”the doctor said in an interview with RT historical sciences, political scientist Dmitry Zhuravlev.
At the same time, according to the expert, the Soviet people paid a huge price for the great achievements in the Stalin era (1924-1953). The most negative phenomena, according to Zhuravlev, were collectivization, political repression, labor camps (the Gulag system) and gross disregard for the elementary needs of man.
The riddle of the death of the leader
Stalin was distinguished by a pathological distrust of doctors and neglected their recommendations. Serious degradation of the health of the leader began in 1948. Last thing public speaking Soviet leader took place on October 14, 1952, at which he summed up XIX Congress CPSU.
- Joseph Stalin speaks at the closing session of the 19th Congress of the CPSU
- RIA News
The last years of his life, Stalin spent a lot of time at the "near dacha" in Kuntsevo. On March 1, 1953, state guards found the leader motionless. They reported this to Lavrenty Beria, Georgy Malenkov and Nikita Khrushchev.
Operational medical care Stalin was not provided. Doctors came to examine him only on March 2. What happened in the first days of March at the "near dacha" is a mystery to historians. The question of whether it was possible to save the leader's life still remains unanswered.
The son of Nikita Khrushchev is sure that Stalin became a "victim of his own system." His associates and doctors were afraid to do anything, although it was obvious that the leader was in a critical condition. According to official information, Stalin was diagnosed with a stroke. The disease was not announced, but on March 4, the party elite, apparently anticipating the imminent death of the leader, decided to break the silence.
- A line of people wishing to say goodbye to Joseph Stalin at the House of the Unions, Moscow
- RIA News
“On the night of March 2, 1953, I.V. Stalin, there was a sudden cerebral hemorrhage that captured vital areas of the brain, resulting in paralysis right leg and right hand with loss of consciousness and speech,” the article in the Pravda newspaper said.
"Similarity of a palace coup"
Retired KGB colonel, counterintelligence officer Igor Prelin believes that the leader's entourage understood the inevitability of his imminent death and was not interested in Stalin's recovery.
“These people were interested in him (Stalin. — RT) rather left, for two reasons. They feared for their position and well-being that he would remove them, remove them and repress them. And secondly, of course, they themselves rushed to power. They understood that Stalin's days were numbered. It was clear that this was the final, ”Prelin said in an interview.
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The main contenders for the role of leader of the Soviet state were the former head of the NKVD Lavrenty Beria, deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers Georgy Malenkov, first secretary of the Moscow regional committee Nikita Khrushchev and member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU Marshal Nikolai Bulganin.
During Stalin's illness, the party elite redistributed the highest government posts. It was decided that Malenkov would take the post of chairman of the Council of Ministers, which belonged to the leader, Khrushchev would become the first secretary of the CPSU Central Committee (the highest position in the party hierarchy), Beria would receive the portfolio of the minister of internal affairs, and Bulganin the minister of defense.
The unwillingness of Beria, Malenkov, Khrushchev and Bulganin to save the life of the leader in every possible way and the redistribution of government posts gave rise to a widespread version of the existence of an anti-Stalinist conspiracy. The conspiracy against the leader was objectively beneficial to the party elite, Zhuravlev believes.
- Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev, Lavrenty Beria, Matvey Shkiryatov (front row from right to left), Georgy Malenkov and Andrey Zhdanov (second row from right to left)
- RIA News
“Hypothetically, it was possible some kind of palace coup, since open opposition to the leader was completely excluded. Nevertheless, the conspiracy theory and the violent death of Stalin did not receive concrete evidence. Any versions on this subject are private opinions that are not based on documentary evidence, ”Zhuravlev stated in an interview with RT.
The collapse of the main contender
The post-Stalin regime in 1953-1954 is often referred to as "collegiate administration". Powers in the state were distributed among several party bosses. However, historians agree that under the beautiful veneer of “collegiate management” there was a fierce struggle for absolute leadership.
Malenkov, being the curator of the most important defense projects of the USSR, had close ties with the country's military elite (Marshal Georgy Zhukov is considered one of Malenkov's supporters). Beria wielded enormous influence over the security agencies, the key institutions of power in the Stalin era. Khrushchev enjoyed the sympathy of the party apparatus and was perceived as a compromise figure. Most weak positions were with Bulganin.
At the funeral, the first to carry the coffin with the leader from the House of Trade Unions was Beria (left) and Malenkov (right). On the podium of the mausoleum in which Stalin was buried (in 1961 the leader was reburied near the Kremlin wall), Beria stood in the center, between Malenkov and Khrushchev. This symbolized his dominant position at that time.
Beria united under his authority the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of State Security. On March 19, he replaced almost all the heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Union republics and regions of the RSFSR.
However, Beria did not abuse power. It is noteworthy that his political program coincided with the democratic initiatives expressed by Malenkov and Khrushchev. Oddly enough, but it was Lavrenty Pavlovich who began reviewing the criminal cases of those citizens who were accused of anti-Soviet conspiracies.
On March 27, 1953, the Minister of the Interior signed the Decree "On Amnesty". The document allowed the release of citizens convicted of malfeasance and economic crimes from places of detention. In total, more than 1.3 million people were released from prisons, and criminal proceedings were terminated against 401,000 citizens.
Despite these moves, Beria was strongly associated with the repressions that were carried out during the Stalin era. On June 26, 1953, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was summoned to a meeting of the Council of Ministers and detained, accused of espionage, falsification of criminal cases and abuse of power.
His closest associates were convicted of wrecking activities. December 24, 1953 Special Judicial Presence Supreme Court The USSR sentenced Beria and his supporters to death. The ex-minister of internal affairs was shot in the bunker of the headquarters of the Moscow military district. After the death of the main contender for power, about ten functionaries who were part of the "Beria gang" were arrested and convicted.
Khrushchev's triumph
The removal of Beria became possible thanks to the alliance between Malenkov and Khrushchev. In 1954, a struggle broke out between the head of the Council of Ministers and the first secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.
- Georgy Malenkov
- RIA News
Malenkov advocated the elimination of the excesses of the Stalinist system both in politics and in the economy. He called for leaving the leader's personality cult in the past, improving the situation of collective farmers and focusing on the production of consumer goods.
The fatal mistake of Malenkov was an indifferent attitude towards the party and state apparatus. The Chairman of the Council of Ministers reduced the salaries of officials and repeatedly accused the bureaucracy of "complete disregard for the needs of the people."
“The main problem of Stalinism for the leaders of the CPSU was that anyone could fall under the rink of repression. The party apparatus is tired of this unpredictability. He needed guarantees of a stable existence. This is exactly what Nikita Khrushchev promised. In my opinion, it was this approach that became the key to his victory, ”said Zhuravlev.
In January 1955, the head of the USSR government was criticized by Khrushchev and his party comrades for failures in economic policy. On February 8, 1955, Malenkov left the post of head of the Council of Ministers and received the portfolio of the Minister of Power Plants, retaining his membership in the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. The post of Malenkov was taken by Nikolai Bulganin, and Georgy Zhukov became the Minister of Defense.
Such an attitude towards a political rival was intended to emphasize the beginning of a new era, where a sparing attitude towards the Soviet nomenklatura reigns. Nikita Khrushchev became her symbol.
"Hostage of the system"
In 1956, at the XX Congress of the CPSU, Khrushchev delivered a famous speech about debunking the cult of personality. The period of his reign is called the thaw. From the mid-1950s to the early 1960s, hundreds of thousands of political prisoners were released, the labor camp system (GULAG) was completely dismantled.
- Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev greet the participants of the May Day demonstration on the podium of the Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin
- RIA News
“Khrushchev was able to become his own for the apparatus. Debunking Stalinism, he said that the leaders of the Bolshevik party should not have been subjected to repression. However, in the end, Khrushchev became a hostage of the control system he created himself, ”Zhuravlev stated.
As the expert explained, Khrushchev, in dealing with his subordinates, was distinguished by excessive harshness. He traveled a lot around the country and in personal meetings with the first secretaries of the regional committees subjected them to the most severe criticism, making, in fact, the same mistakes as Malenkov. In October 1964, the party nomenclature removed Khrushchev from the post of first secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and chairman of the Council of Ministers.
“Khrushchev took competent steps to become the leader of the USSR for some time. However, he was not going to radically change the Stalinist system. Nikita Sergeevich limited himself to correcting the most obvious shortcomings of his predecessor, ”said Zhuravlev.
- First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Nikita Khrushchev
- RIA News
According to the expert, the key problem of the Stalinist system was the requirement of constant labor and combat feat from Soviet man. Most of the projects of Stalin and Khrushchev benefited the USSR, but catastrophically little attention was paid to the personal needs of citizens.
“Yes, under Khrushchev, the elite and society breathed more freely. However, man still remained a means to achieve grandiose goals. People are tired of the endless pursuit of records, they are tired of calls for self-sacrifice and the expectation of the onset of a communist paradise. This problem was one of the key reasons for the subsequent collapse of Soviet statehood, ”summed up Zhuravlev.
General secretaries of the USSR in chronological orderGeneral secretaries of the USSR in chronological order. Today they are already just a part of history, and once their faces were familiar to every single inhabitant of a vast country. The political system in the Soviet Union was such that citizens did not choose their leaders. The decision to appoint the next general secretary was made ruling elite. But, nevertheless, the people respected the state leaders and, for the most part, perceived this state of affairs as a given.
Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Stalin)
Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, better known as Stalin, was born on December 18, 1879 in the Georgian city of Gori. He became the first general secretary of the CPSU. He received this position in 1922, when Lenin was still alive, and until the death of the latter he played a secondary role in government.
When Vladimir Ilyich died, a serious struggle began for the highest post. Many of Stalin's competitors had a much better chance of taking him, but thanks to tough, uncompromising actions, Iosif Vissarionovich managed to emerge victorious from the game. Most of the other applicants were physically destroyed, some left the country.
In just a few years of rule, Stalin took the whole country under his "hedgehogs". By the beginning of the 1930s, he finally established himself as the sole leader of the people. The policy of the dictator went down in history:
mass repressions;
· total dispossession;
collectivization.
For this, Stalin was branded by his own followers during the “thaw”. But there is something for which Joseph Vissarionovich, according to historians, is worthy of praise. This is, first of all, the rapid transformation of a ruined country into an industrial and military giant, as well as a victory over fascism. It is quite possible that if the "cult of personality" was not so condemned by all, these achievements would have been unrealistic. Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin died on March 5, 1953.
Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev was born on April 15, 1894 in the Kursk province (the village of Kalinovka) into a simple working-class family. Participated in civil war where he took the side of the Bolsheviks. In the CPSU since 1918. In the late 1930s he was appointed secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine.
Khrushchev took over the Soviet state shortly after Stalin's death. At first, he had to compete with Georgy Malenkov, who also claimed the highest post and at that time was actually the leader of the country, chairing the Council of Ministers. But in the end, the coveted chair still remained with Nikita Sergeevich.
When Khrushchev was General Secretary, the Soviet country:
launched the first man into space and developed this sphere in every possible way;
· Actively built up five-story buildings, today called "Khrushchev";
planted the lion's share of the fields with corn, for which Nikita Sergeevich was even nicknamed the "maize man".
This ruler went down in history primarily with his legendary speech at the 20th Party Congress in 1956, where he branded Stalin and his bloody policies. From that moment, the so-called “thaw” began in the Soviet Union, when the grip of the state was loosened, cultural figures received some freedom, etc. All this lasted until the removal of Khrushchev from his post on October 14, 1964.
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was born in the Dnepropetrovsk region (village Kamenskoye) on December 19, 1906. His father was a metallurgist. In the CPSU since 1931. Main post countries occupied as a result of a conspiracy. It was Leonid Ilyich who led the group of members of the Central Committee that ousted Khrushchev.
The Brezhnev era in the history of the Soviet state is characterized as stagnation. The latter appeared as follows:
· the development of the country has stopped in almost all areas, except for the military-industrial;
The USSR began to seriously lag behind Western countries;
Citizens again felt the grip of the state, repressions and persecution of dissidents began.
Leonid Ilyich tried to improve relations with the United States, which had aggravated back in the time of Khrushchev, but he did not succeed very well. The arms race continued, and after the introduction Soviet troops to Afghanistan, it was impossible to even think about any kind of reconciliation. Brezhnev held a high post until his death, which occurred on November 10, 1982.
Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov
Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov was born in the station town of Nagutskoye ( Stavropol region) June 15, 1914. His father was a railroad worker. In the CPSU since 1939. He was active, which contributed to his rapid rise up the career ladder.
At the time of Brezhnev's death, Andropov headed the Committee state security. He was elected by his associates to the highest post. The board of this general secretary covers a period of less than two years. Behind given time Yuri Vladimirovich managed to fight a little with corruption in power. But he did nothing drastic. On February 9, 1984, Andropov died. The reason for this was a serious illness.
Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko
Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko was born in 1911 on September 24 in the Yenisei province (the village of Bolshaya Tes). His parents were peasants. In the CPSU since 1931. Since 1966 - Deputy of the Supreme Council. Appointed General Secretary of the CPSU on February 13, 1984.
Chernenko became the successor of Andropov's policy of identifying corrupt officials. He was in power for less than a year. The cause of his death on March 10, 1985 was also a serious illness.
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev was born on March 2, 1931 in the North Caucasus (the village of Privolnoe). His parents were peasants. In the CPSU since 1952. He proved to be an active public figure. Moved quickly along the party line.
He was appointed Secretary General on March 11, 1985. He went down in history with the policy of "perestroika", which provided for the introduction of glasnost, the development of democracy, the provision of certain economic freedoms and other liberties to the population. Gorbachev's reforms led to mass unemployment, the liquidation of state-owned enterprises, and a total shortage of goods. This causes an ambiguous attitude towards the ruler from the side of citizens. former USSR, which just during the reign of Mikhail Sergeevich broke up.
But in the West, Gorbachev is one of the most respected Russian politicians. He was even awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Gorbachev was Secretary General until August 23, 1991, and the USSR headed until December 25 of the same year.
All deceased general secretaries Union of Soviet Socialist Republics are buried near the Kremlin wall. Their list was closed by Chernenko. Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev is still alive. In 2017, he turned 86 years old.
Photos of the General Secretaries of the USSR in chronological order
StalinKhrushchev
Brezhnev
Andropov
Chernenko
The first ruler of the young Land of Soviets, which arose as a result of the October Revolution of 1917, was the head of the RCP (b) - the Bolshevik Party - Vladimir Ulyanov (Lenin), who led the "revolution of workers and peasants." All subsequent rulers of the USSR held the post of general secretary of the central committee of this organization, which, starting in 1922, became known as the CPSU - the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
It should be noted that the ideology of the system ruling in the country denied the possibility of holding any nationwide elections or voting. The change of the top leaders of the state was carried out by the ruling elite itself, either after the death of its predecessor, or as a result of coups accompanied by serious inner-party struggle. The article will list the rulers of the USSR in chronological order and mark the main stages life path some of the most prominent historical figures.
Ulyanov (Lenin) Vladimir Ilyich (1870-1924)
One of the most famous figures in history Soviet Russia. Vladimir Ulyanov stood at the origins of its creation, was the organizer and one of the leaders of the event that gave rise to the world's first communist state. Leading a coup in October 1917 aimed at overthrowing the provisional government, he assumed the position of chairman of the Council of People's Commissars - the post of leader of a new country formed on the ruins of the Russian Empire.
His merit is the 1918 peace treaty with Germany, which marked the end of the NEP - a new economic policy government, which was supposed to lead the country out of the abyss of widespread poverty and hunger. All the rulers of the USSR considered themselves "faithful Leninists" and praised Vladimir Ulyanov in every possible way as a great statesman.
It should be noted that immediately after “reconciliation with the Germans”, the Bolsheviks, under the leadership of Lenin, unleashed internal terror against dissent and the legacy of tsarism, which claimed millions of lives. The NEP policy also did not last long and was abolished shortly after his death on January 21, 1924.
Dzhugashvili (Stalin) Joseph Vissarionovich (1879-1953)
Joseph Stalin became the first general secretary in 1922. However, until the death of V. I. Lenin, he remained on the sidelines of the leadership of the state, inferior in popularity to his other associates, who also aimed at the rulers of the USSR. Nevertheless, after the death of the leader of the world proletariat, Stalin a short time eliminated his main opponents, accusing them of betraying the ideals of the revolution.
By the beginning of the 1930s, he became the sole leader of the peoples, capable of deciding the fate of millions of citizens with a stroke of the pen. The policy of forced collectivization and dispossession pursued by him, which came to replace the NEP, as well as mass repressions against persons dissatisfied with the current government, claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens of the USSR. However, the period of Stalin's rule is noticeable not only by the bloody trail, it is worth noting the positive aspects of his leadership. In a short time, the Union has gone from being a third-rate economy to a powerful industrial power that has won the battle against fascism.
After the end of the Great Patriotic War many cities in the western part of the USSR, destroyed almost to the ground, were quickly restored, and their industry began to work even more efficiently. The rulers of the USSR, who held the highest post after Joseph Stalin, denied him leadership in the development of the state and characterized the time of his reign as a period of the personality cult of the leader.
Khrushchev Nikita Sergeevich (1894-1971)
Coming from a simple peasant family, N. S. Khrushchev became at the helm of the party shortly after the death of Stalin, which occurred in the first years of his reign, he waged an undercover struggle with G. M. Malenkov, who held the post of chairman of the Council of Ministers and was the de facto leader of the state.
In 1956, Khrushchev read out a report at the 20th Party Congress on Stalinist repressions condemning the actions of his predecessor. The reign of Nikita Sergeevich was marked by the development space program- launch artificial satellite and the first manned space flight. His new one allowed many citizens of the country to move from cramped communal apartments to more comfortable separate housing. Houses that were massively built at that time are still popularly called "Khrushchevs".
Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich (1907-1982)
On October 14, 1964, N. S. Khrushchev was dismissed from his post by a group of members of the Central Committee under the leadership of L. I. Brezhnev. For the first time in the history of the state, the rulers of the USSR were replaced in order not after the death of the leader, but as a result of an internal party conspiracy. The Brezhnev era in Russian history is known as stagnation. The country stopped in development and began to lose to the leading world powers, lagging behind them in all sectors, excluding the military-industrial.
Brezhnev made some attempts to improve relations with the United States, spoiled in 1962, when N. S. Khrushchev ordered the deployment of missiles with a nuclear warhead in Cuba. Treaties were signed with the American leadership that limited the arms race. However, all the efforts of Leonid Brezhnev to defuse the situation were crossed out by the introduction of troops into Afghanistan.
Andropov Yuri Vladimirovich (1914-1984)
After the death of Brezhnev, which occurred on November 10, 1982, Yu. Andropov, who previously led the KGB, the USSR state security committee, took his place. He set a course for reforms and transformations in the social and economic spheres. The time of his reign was marked by the initiation of criminal cases exposing corruption in power circles. However, Yuri Vladimirovich did not have time to make any changes in the life of the state, as he had serious problems in good health and died on February 9, 1984.
Chernenko Konstantin Ustinovich (1911-1985)
From February 13, 1984, he served as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU. He continued his predecessor's policy of exposing corruption in the echelons of power. He was very ill and died in 1985, having spent a little more than a year in the highest state post. All the past rulers of the USSR, according to the order established in the state, were buried at and K. U. Chernenko was the last on this list.
Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich (1931)
M. S. Gorbachev is the most famous Russian politician end of the twentieth century. He won love and popularity in the West, but his rule causes twofold feelings among the citizens of his country. If Europeans and Americans call him a great reformer, then many Russians consider him a destroyer of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev proclaimed internal economic and political reforms, held under the slogan "Perestroika, Glasnost, Acceleration!", Which led to a massive shortage of food and manufactured goods, unemployment and a drop in the standard of living of the population.
It would be wrong to assert that the era of M. S. Gorbachev's rule had only negative consequences for the life of our country. In Russia, the concepts of a multi-party system, freedom of religion and the press appeared. Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his foreign policy. The rulers of the USSR and Russia, neither before nor after Mikhail Sergeevich, were awarded such an honor.
