Who led the USSR after Stalin's death. How many general secretaries of the CPSU Central Committee were there in the USSR?

Image caption The royal family hid the illness of the heir to the throne

Disputes about the state of health of President Vladimir Putin bring to mind the Russian tradition: the first person was considered as an earthly deity, which was disrespectful and should not be remembered in vain.

Possessing virtually unlimited lifelong power, the rulers of Russia fell ill and died like mere mortals. They say that in the 1950s, one of the liberal-minded young “stadium poets” once said: “They only have no control over heart attacks!”

Discussion of the personal lives of leaders, including their physical condition, was prohibited. Russia is not America, where analysis data of presidents and presidential candidates and their blood pressure figures are published.

Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, as is known, suffered from congenital hemophilia - hereditary disease, in which the blood does not clot normally, and any injury can lead to death from internal hemorrhage.

The only person capable of improving his condition in some way still incomprehensible to science was Grigory Rasputin, who was, in modern terms, a strong psychic.

Nicholas II and his wife categorically did not want to make public the fact that their only son was actually disabled. Even the ministers only knew in general terms that the Tsarevich had health problems. Simple people, seeing the heir during rare public appearances in the arms of a hefty sailor, they considered him a victim of an assassination attempt by terrorists.

Whether Alexey Nikolaevich would subsequently be able to lead the country or not is unknown. His life was cut short by a KGB bullet when he was less than 14 years old.

Vladimir Lenin

The founder of the Soviet state died unusually early, at 54, from progressive atherosclerosis. An autopsy showed cerebral vascular damage incompatible with life. There were rumors that the development of the disease was provoked by untreated syphilis, but there is no evidence of this.

Lenin suffered his first stroke, which resulted in partial paralysis and loss of speech, on May 26, 1922. After this, he spent more than a year and a half at his dacha in Gorki in a helpless state, interrupted by short remissions.

Lenin is the only Soviet leader about whose physical condition no secret was made. Medical bulletins were published regularly. At the same time, comrades before last days They assured that the leader would recover. Joseph Stalin, who visited Lenin in Gorki more often than other members of the leadership, published optimistic reports in Pravda about how he and Ilyich cheerfully joked about reinsurance doctors.

Joseph Stalin

The “Leader of Nations” has suffered in recent years severe damage of cardio-vascular system, probably aggravated by an unhealthy lifestyle: he worked a lot, turning night into day, ate fatty and spicy foods, smoked and drank, and did not like to be examined and treated.

According to some reports, the “doctors’ affair” began when professor-cardiologist Kogan advised a high-ranking patient to get more rest. The suspicious dictator saw this as someone’s attempt to remove him from business.

Having started the “doctors’ case,” Stalin was left without any qualified medical care. Even those closest to him could not talk to him about this topic, and he intimidated the staff so much that after a stroke that happened on March 1, 1953 at the Nizhny Dacha, he lay on the floor for several hours, since he had previously forbidden the guards to disturb him without calling him.

Even after Stalin turned 70, public discussion of his health and forecasts of what would happen to the country after his departure were absolutely impossible in the USSR. The idea that we would ever be left “without him” was considered blasphemous.

The people were first informed about Stalin's illness the day before his death, when he had long been unconscious.

Leonid Brezhnev

In recent years, Leonid Brezhnev, as people joked, “ruled without regaining consciousness.” The very possibility of such jokes confirmed that after Stalin the country had changed a lot.

The 75-year-old Secretary General had plenty of aging diseases. Mention was made, in particular, of sluggish leukemia. However, it is difficult to say what exactly he died from.

Doctors spoke of a general weakening of the body caused by the abuse of sedatives and sleeping pills and caused memory loss, loss of coordination and speech disorder.

In 1979, Brezhnev lost consciousness during a Politburo meeting.

“You know, Mikhail,” Yuri Andropov said to Mikhail Gorbachev, who had just been transferred to Moscow and was not accustomed to such scenes, “we must do everything to support Leonid Ilyich in this situation. This is a question of stability.”

Brezhnev was politically killed by television. In earlier times, his condition could have been hidden, but in the 1970s, regular appearances on screen were avoided, including in live, it was impossible.

The obvious inadequacy of the leader, combined with the complete absence official information caused an extremely negative reaction from society. Instead of pitying the sick person, the people responded with jokes and anecdotes.

Yuri Andropov

Yuri Andropov suffered from severe kidney damage for most of his life, from which he eventually died.

The disease caused increased blood pressure. In the mid-1960s, Andropov was intensively treated for hypertension, but this did not produce results, and there was a question about his retirement due to disability.

Kremlin doctor Yevgeny Chazov made a stunning career thanks to his assignment to the head of the KGB correct diagnosis and gave him about 15 years of active life.

In June 1982, at the plenum of the Central Committee, when the speaker called from the podium to “give a party assessment” to the spreaders of rumors, Andropov unexpectedly intervened and said in a harsh tone that he was “for the last time warning” those who talk too much in conversations with foreigners. According to researchers, he meant, first of all, leaks of information about his health.

In September, Andropov went on vacation to Crimea, caught a cold there and never got out of bed. In the Kremlin hospital, he regularly underwent hemodialysis - a blood purification procedure using equipment that replaces the normal functioning of the kidneys.

Unlike Brezhnev, who once fell asleep and did not wake up, Andropov died long and painfully.

Konstantin Chernenko

After Andropov's death, the need to give the country a young, dynamic leader was obvious to everyone. But the old members of the Politburo nominated 72-year-old Konstantin Chernenko, who was formally the No. 2 man, as general secretary.

As the former Minister of Health of the USSR Boris Petrovsky later recalled, they all thought exclusively about how to die at their posts; they had no time for the country, and even more so, no time for reforms.

Chernenko had been suffering from pulmonary emphysema for a long time, while heading the state, he hardly worked, rarely appeared in public, spoke, choking and swallowing his words.

In August 1983 he underwent severe poisoning, having eaten fish on vacation in Crimea, personally caught and smoked by his neighbor in the country, USSR Minister of Internal Affairs Vitaly Fedorchuk. Many were treated to the gift, but nothing bad happened to anyone else.

Konstantin Chernenko died on March 10, 1985. Three days earlier, elections to the Supreme Soviet were held in the USSR. The television showed the Secretary General walking up to the ballot box with an unsteady gait, dropping a ballot into it, languidly waving his hand and muttering: “Okay.”

Boris Yeltsin

Boris Yeltsin suffered from severe heart disease and reportedly suffered five heart attacks.

The first president of Russia was always proud of the fact that nothing bothered him, he went in for sports, swam in ice water and largely built his image on this, and was accustomed to endure ailments on his feet.

Yeltsin's health deteriorated sharply in the summer of 1995, but with elections ahead, he refused extensive treatment, although doctors warned of "irreparable harm to his health." According to journalist Alexander Khinshtein, he said: “After the elections, at least cut them, but now leave me alone.”

On June 26, 1996, a week before the second round of elections, Yeltsin suffered a heart attack in Kaliningrad, which was hidden with great difficulty.

On August 15, immediately after taking office, the president went to the clinic where he underwent surgery coronary artery bypass surgery. This time he conscientiously followed all the doctors’ instructions.

In conditions of freedom of speech, it was difficult to hide the truth about the state of health of the head of state, but those around him tried their best. It was admitted that as a last resort, the presence of ischemia and temporary colds. Press secretary Sergei Yastrzhembsky said that the president rarely appears in public because he is extremely busy working with documents, but his handshake is ironclad.

Separately, we should mention the issue of Boris Yeltsin’s relationship with alcohol. Political opponents constantly discussed this topic. One of the main slogans of the communists during the 1996 campaign was: “Instead of the drunken Elya, we will choose Zyuganov!”

Meanwhile, Yeltsin appeared in public “under the influence” the only time - during the famous conducting of the orchestra in Berlin.

The former head of the presidential security, Alexander Korzhakov, who had no reason to defend his former boss, wrote in his memoirs that in September 1994 in Shannon, Yeltsin did not get off the plane to meet with the Prime Minister of Ireland not because of intoxication, but because heart attack. After a quick consultation, the advisers decided that they should let people believe the “alcoholic” version rather than admit that the leader was seriously ill.

Resignation, regime and peace had a beneficial effect on Boris Yeltsin’s health. He lived in retirement for almost eight years, although in 1999, according to doctors, he was in serious condition.

Is it worth hiding the truth?

According to experts, the disease is statesman, of course, is not a plus, but in the era of the Internet there is no point in hiding the truth, and with skillful PR you can even extract political dividends from it.

As an example, analysts point to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who made his fight against cancer good advertising. Supporters got a reason to be proud that their idol does not burn in the fire and even in the face of illness thinks about the country, and they rallied around him even more.

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was elected President of the USSR on March 15, 1990 at the III Extraordinary Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR.
On December 25, 1991, in connection with the cessation of the existence of the USSR as a state entity, M.S. Gorbachev announced his resignation from the post of President and signed a Decree transferring control of strategic nuclear weapons to Russian President Yeltsin.

On December 25, after Gorbachev’s announcement of resignation, the red state flag of the USSR was lowered in the Kremlin and the flag of the RSFSR was raised. The first and last President of the USSR left the Kremlin forever.

The first president of Russia, then still the RSFSR, Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin was elected on June 12, 1991 by popular vote. B.N. Yeltsin won in the first round (57.3% of the votes).

In connection with the expiration of the term of office of the President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin and in accordance with the transitional provisions of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, elections for the President of Russia were scheduled for June 16, 1996. This was the only presidential election in Russia where two rounds were required to determine the winner. The elections took place from June 16 to July 3 and were distinguished by intense competition between candidates. The main competitors were considered the current President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin and the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation G. A. Zyuganov. According to the election results, B.N. Yeltsin received 40.2 million votes (53.82 percent), significantly ahead of G.A. Zyuganov, who received 30.1 million votes (40.31 percent). 3.6 million Russians (4.82%) voted against both candidates .

December 31, 1999 at 12:00 pm Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin voluntarily ceased to exercise the powers of the President of the Russian Federation and transferred the powers of the President to the Chairman of the Government Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. On April 5, 2000, the first President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, was awarded pensioner and labor veteran certificates.

December 31, 1999 Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin became acting president of the Russian Federation.

In accordance with the Constitution, the Federation Council of the Russian Federation set March 26, 2000 as the date for holding early presidential elections.

On March 26, 2000, 68.74 percent of voters included in the voting lists, or 75,181,071 people, took part in the elections. Vladimir Putin received 39,740,434 votes, which amounted to 52.94 percent, that is, more than half of the votes. On April 5, 2000, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation decided to recognize the presidential elections of the Russian Federation as valid and valid, and to consider Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin elected to the post of President of Russia.

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The path of the Soviet Union finally ended in 1991, although in some ways its agony lasted until 1993. Final privatization began only in 1992-1993, simultaneously with the transition to a new monetary system.

The brightest period of the Soviet Union, or rather its dying, was the so-called “perestroika”. But what brought the USSR first to perestroika, and then to the final dismantling of socialism and the Soviet system?

The year 1953 was marked by the death of the long-term de facto leader of the USSR, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin. After his death, a struggle for power began between the most influential members of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. On March 5, 1953, the most influential members of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee were Malenkov, Beria, Molotov, Voroshilov, Khrushchev, Bulganin, Kaganovich, Mikoyan. On September 7, 1953, at the plenum of the CPSU Central Committee, N. S. Khrushchev was elected first secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.

At the 20th Congress of the CPSU in February 1956, Stalin's personality cult was condemned. But the most important mine was planted under the very structure of the Leninist principle of the Soviet state at the XXII Congress in October 1961. This congress removed main principle building a communist society - the dictatorship of the proletariat, replacing it with the anti-scientific concept of a “state of the whole people”. What was also scary here was that this congress became a virtual mass of voiceless delegates. They accepted all the principles of the actual coup in Soviet system. The first shoots of decentralization of the economic mechanism followed. But since pioneers often do not stay in power for long, already in 1964 the plenum of the CPSU Central Committee removed N. S. Khrushchev from the post of First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee.

This time is often called the “restoration of Stalinist orders”, the freezing of reforms. But this is just philistine thinking and a simplified worldview, in which there is no scientific approach. Because already in 1965, the tactics of market reforms won in the socialist economy. The “state of the whole people” came into its own. In fact, the result was summed up under the strict planning of the national economic complex. The unified national economic complex began to unravel and subsequently disintegrate. One of the authors of the reform was Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR A. N. Kosygin. Reformers constantly boast that as a result of their reform, enterprises gained “independence.” In fact, this gave power to the directors of enterprises and the right to conduct speculative transactions. As a result, these actions led to the gradual emergence of shortages necessary products for the population.

We all remember the “golden times” of Soviet cinema in the 1970s. For example, in the film “Ivan Vasilyevich Changes Profession,” the viewer is clearly shown how actor Demyanenko, who plays the role of Shurik, buys the semiconductors he needs not in stores that are for some reason closed for repairs or for lunch, but from a speculator. A speculator who was sort of “reproached and condemned” by Soviet society of that period.

The political economic literature of that time acquired a unique anti-scientific terminology of “developed socialism.” But what is " developed socialism"? Strictly following Marxist-Leninist philosophy, we all know that socialism is a transitional period between capitalism and communism, a period of the withering away of the old order. Acute class struggle under the leadership of the working class. What do we get as a result? That some incomprehensible stage of something appears there.

The same thing happened in the party apparatus. Seasoned careerists and opportunists, rather than ideologically seasoned people, began to willingly join the CPSU. The party apparatus becomes virtually uncontrollable by society. There is no longer any trace left of the dictatorship of the proletariat.

In politics at the same time, there is a tendency towards the irreplaceability of leading personnel, their physical aging and decrepitude. Careerist ambitions appear. Soviet cinema also did not ignore this moment. In some places this was ridiculed, but there were also brilliant films of that time that gave critical analysis ongoing processes. For example, the 1982 film - the social drama "Magistral", which raised with all directness the problem of decomposition and degradation in a particular industry - on railway. But in the films of that time, mainly in comedies, we already find direct glorification of individualism and ridicule of the working man. The film “Office Romance” especially distinguished itself in this field.

Trade is already experiencing systematic disruptions. Of course, now the directors of enterprises are actually the masters of their inheritance, they have “independence”.

Anti-communists often mention in their “scientific” and anti-scientific works that in the 1980s the country was already seriously ill. Only an enemy can be closer than a friend. Even if we do not take into account the outright slop that the anti-communists poured on the USSR, the situation in the country was actually quite difficult.

For example, I myself remember well how in the early 1980s we traveled from the “underdeveloped” Pskov region of the RSFSR to the “developed” and “advanced” Estonian SSR for groceries.

This is how the country approached the mid-1980s. Even from the films of that period, it is already clear that the country no longer believes in building communism. The 1977 film “Racers” clearly shows what ideas were in the minds of ordinary people, although they also tried to show the character in this film in a negative light.

In 1985, after a series of deaths of “irremovable” leaders, a relatively young politician, M. S. Gorbachev, came to power. His long speeches, the very meaning of which disappeared into emptiness, could last for many hours. But the time was such that the people, as in the old days, believed the deceiving reformers, since the main thing on their minds was changes in life. But how does it happen to the average person? What do I want - I don’t know?

Perestroika became a catalyst for the acceleration of all destructive processes in the USSR, which for a long time accumulated and smoldered. Already by 1986, openly anti-Soviet elements appeared, whose goal was to dismantle the workers' state and restore the bourgeois order. By 1988, this was already an irreversible process.

In the culture of that time, anti-Soviet groups of that period appeared - “Nautilus Pompilius” and “Civil Defense”. Following an old habit, the authorities are trying to “drive away” everything that does not fit into the framework of official culture. However, even here dialectics threw up strange things. Subsequently, it was “Civil Defense” that became a bright revolutionary beacon of anti-capitalist protest, thereby forever securing all the contradictory phenomena of that era in the Soviet era, as Soviet rather than anti-Soviet phenomena. But even the criticism of that time was not enough professional level, which was clearly reflected in the song of the group “Aria” - “What have you done with your dream?”, where the entire path traveled is actually overturned as erroneous.

In its wake, the era of perestroika brought out the most disgusting characters, the vast majority of whom were precisely members of the CPSU. In Russia, such a person was B. N. Yeltsin, who plunged the country into a bloody mess. This is the shooting of the bourgeois parliament, which, out of habit, still had a Soviet shell, this and Chechen War. In Latvia he became such a character former member CPSU A.V. Gorbunov, who continued to rule bourgeois Latvia until the mid-1990s. Soviet encyclopedias of the 1980s also praised these characters, calling them “outstanding leaders of the party and government.”

“Sausage ordinary people” usually judge the Soviet era by perestroika horror stories about Stalin’s “terror”, through the prism of their narrow-minded perception of empty shelves and shortages. But their mind refuses to accept the fact that it was the large-scale decentralization and capitalization of the country that led the USSR to such results.

But how much effort and intelligence the ideological Bolsheviks put into raising their country to a cosmic level of development by the mid-1950s and going through a terrible war with the most terrible enemy on Earth - fascism. The dismantling of communist development, which began in the 1950s, lasted for more than 30 years, preserving the main features of socialist development and a just society. After all, at the beginning of your journey, Communist Party was truly an ideological party - the vanguard of the working class, a beacon of social development.

In this entire story, it is clearly evident that the lack of mastery of their ideological weapon - Marxism-Leninism, leads the party leaders to betrayal of the entire people.

We did not set out to analyze in detail all the stages of the decomposition of Soviet society. The purpose of this article is only to describe the chronology of some significant events Soviet life and its individual significant aspects of the post-Stalin period.

However, it would be fair to mention that the relative modernization of the country continued throughout the entire period of the country’s existence. Until the late 1980s we observed positive development many social institutions and technical development. In some places the pace of development slowed down significantly, in others it continued to remain at a very high level. Medicine and education developed, cities were built, and infrastructure improved. The country moved forward by inertia.

Our path into the dark ages has accelerated and become irreversible only since 1991.

Andrey Krasny

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2017-Jun-Sun “We have always said - and revolutions confirm this - that when it comes to the foundations of economic power, the power of the exploiters, to their property, which puts at their disposal the labor of tens of millions of workers https://site/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/horizontal_6.jpg , website - Socialist information resource [email protected]

General secretaries of the USSR chronological order

General secretaries of the USSR in chronological order. Today they are simply part of history, but once upon a time their faces were familiar to every single inhabitant of the vast country. Politic system in the Soviet Union was such that citizens did not elect their leaders. The decision to appoint the next secretary general was made by the ruling elite. But, nevertheless, the people respected government leaders and, for the most part, took this state of affairs as a given.

Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Stalin)

Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, better known as Stalin, was born on December 18, 1879 in the Georgian city of Gori. Became the first general secretary CPSU. He received this position in 1922, when Lenin was still alive, and until the latter’s death he played a minor role in government.

When Vladimir Ilyich died, the race for the highest post began serious fight. Many of Stalin's competitors had a much better chance of taking over, but thanks to tough, uncompromising actions, Joseph Vissarionovich managed to emerge victorious. Most of the other applicants were physically destroyed, and some left the country.

In just a few years of rule, Stalin took the entire country into a tight grip. By the beginning of the 30s, he finally established himself as the sole leader of the people. The dictator's policies went down in history:

· mass repressions;

· total dispossession;

· collectivization.

For this, Stalin was branded by his own followers during the “thaw”. But there is also something for which Joseph Vissarionovich, according to historians, is worthy of praise. This is, first of all, the rapid transformation of a collapsed country into an industrial and military giant, as well as the victory over fascism. It is quite possible that if it were not for the “cult of personality” so condemned by everyone, these achievements would have been unrealistic. Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin died on the fifth of March 1953.

Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev

Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev was born on April 15, 1894 in the Kursk province (Kalinovka village) into a simple working-class family. He took part in the Civil War, where he took the side of the Bolsheviks. Member of the CPSU since 1918. At the end of the 30s he was appointed secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine.

Khrushchev headed the Soviet state shortly after Stalin's death. At first, he had to compete with Georgy Malenkov, who also aspired to the highest position and at that time was actually the leader of the country, presiding over the Council of Ministers. But in the end, the coveted chair still remained with Nikita Sergeevich.

When Khrushchev was secretary general, the Soviet country:

· launched the first man into space and developed this area in every possible way;

· was actively built up with five-story buildings, today called “Khrushchev”;

· planted the lion's share of the fields with corn, for which Nikita Sergeevich was even nicknamed “the corn farmer.”

This ruler went down in history primarily with his legendary speech at the 20th Party Congress in 1956, where he condemned Stalin and his bloody policies. From that moment on, the so-called “thaw” began in the Soviet Union, when the grip of the state was loosened, cultural figures received some freedom, etc. All this lasted until Khrushchev was removed from his post on October 14, 1964.

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was born in the Dnepropetrovsk region (village of Kamenskoye) on December 19, 1906. His father was a metallurgist. Member of the CPSU since 1931. He took the main post of the country as a result of a conspiracy. It was Leonid Ilyich who led the group of members of the Central Committee that removed Khrushchev.

The Brezhnev era in the history of the Soviet state is characterized as stagnation. The latter manifested itself as follows:

· the country's development has stopped in almost all areas except military-industrial;

The USSR began to seriously lag behind Western countries;

· citizens again felt the grip of the state, repression and persecution of dissidents began.

Leonid Ilyich tried to improve relations with the United States, which had worsened during the time of Khrushchev, but he was not very successful. The arms race continued, and after the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan, it was impossible to even think about any reconciliation. Brezhnev held a high post until his death, which occurred on November 10, 1982.

Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov

Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov was born in the station town of Nagutskoye (Stavropol Territory) on June 15, 1914. His father was a railway worker. Member of the CPSU since 1939. He was active, which contributed to his rapid rise up the career ladder.

At the time of Brezhnev's death, Andropov headed the State Security Committee. He was elected by his comrades to the highest post. The reign of this Secretary General covers a period of less than two years. During this time, Yuri Vladimirovich managed to fight a little against corruption in power. But he didn’t accomplish anything drastic. On February 9, 1984, Andropov died. The reason for this was a serious illness.

Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko

Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko was born in 1911 on September 24 in the Yenisei province (village of Bolshaya Tes). His parents were peasants. Member of the CPSU since 1931. Since 1966 - deputy of the Supreme Council. Appointed General Secretary of the CPSU on February 13, 1984.

Chernenko continued Andropov’s policy of identifying corrupt officials. He was in power for less than a year. The cause of his death on March 10, 1985 was also a serious illness.

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev was born on March 2, 1931 in the North Caucasus (the village of Privolnoye). His parents were peasants. Member of the CPSU since 1952. He proved himself to be an active public figure. He quickly moved up the party line.

He was appointed Secretary General on March 11, 1985. He entered history with the policy of “perestroika,” which included the introduction of glasnost, the development of democracy, and the provision of certain economic freedoms and other liberties to the population. Gorbachev's reforms led to mass unemployment, the liquidation of state-owned enterprises, and a total shortage of goods. This calls to the ruler ambivalence from citizens former USSR, which collapsed precisely during the reign of Mikhail Sergeevich.

But in the West, Gorbachev is one of the most respected Russian politicians. He was even awarded Nobel Prize peace. Gorbachev was Secretary General until August 23, 1991, and headed the USSR until December 25 of the same year.

All deceased general secretaries of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics are buried near the Kremlin wall. Their list was completed by Chernenko. Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev is still alive. In 2017, he turned 86 years old.

Photos of the secretaries general of the USSR in chronological order

Stalin

Khrushchev

Brezhnev

Andropov

Chernenko

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 general secretaries was not chosen by the people, but ruling elite. In this article we will present a list of general secretaries of the USSR (with photos) in chronological order.

J.V. Stalin (Dzhugashvili)

This politician was born in the Georgian city of Gori on December 18, 1879 in the family of a shoemaker. In 1922, while V.I. was still alive. Lenin (Ulyanov), he was appointed first general secretary. It is he who heads the list of general secretaries of the USSR in chronological order. However, it should be noted that while Lenin was alive, Joseph Vissarionovich played a secondary role in governing the state. After the death of the “leader of the proletariat,” a serious struggle broke out for the highest government post. Numerous competitors of I.V. Dzhugashvili had every chance of taking this post. But thanks to uncompromising and sometimes even harsh actions and political intrigues, Stalin emerged victorious from the game and managed to establish a regime of personal power. Note that most of 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, into an ordinary working-class family. Participated in civil war on the side of the Bolsheviks. He was a member of the CPSU since 1918. At the end of the thirties he was appointed secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine. Nikita Sergeevich headed the Soviet Union some time after the death of Stalin. It should be said that he had to compete for this post with G. Malenkov, who chaired the Council of Ministers and at that time was actually the leader of the country. But still, the leading role went to Nikita Sergeevich.

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

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

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

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

Note that during the reign of this politician there were both negative and favorable sides. At the very beginning of his reign, Leonid Ilyich played a positive role in the life of the state. He curtailed all the unreasonable undertakings created by Khrushchev in the economic sphere. In the first years of Brezhnev's rule, enterprises were given more independence, material incentives, and the number of planned indicators was reduced. Brezhnev tried to establish 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 late 70s - early 80s, Brezhnev's circle was more concerned about their own clan interests and often ignored the interests of the state as a whole. The politician’s inner circle pleased the sick leader in everything and awarded him orders and medals. The reign of Leonid Ilyich lasted for 18 years, he was in power the longest, with the exception of Stalin. The eighties in the Soviet Union are characterized as a “period of stagnation.” Although, after the devastation of the 90s, it is increasingly presented as a period of peace, state power, prosperity and stability. Most likely, these opinions have a right to be, because the entire Brezhnev period of rule is heterogeneous in nature. L.I. Brezhnev held his position until November 10, 1982, until his death.

Yu. V. Andropov

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

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

K. U. Chernenko

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

M.S. Gorbachev

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

Collapse of the Union

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