Union of Soviet Socialist

Republics (USSR) 1922-1991

Look for the Detailed CPSU See also the leadership of current
Leadership 1917-1991, special courtesy of independent States of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,
Randy Ragsdale, and the Leadership of the Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,
Soviet Socialist Republics, special courtesy Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan,
of Juan Jorge Schffer Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan
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General/First Secretaries of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

(CPSU, 1918-1991)
(From 1898 to 1918 known as Russian Social Democratic Workers's Party (bolshevik); from 1918 to 1925 as
Russian Communist Party; from 1925 to 1952 as All-Union Communist Party)
Vladimir Ilyich Ulianov Lenin 8 Nov 1917- 3 Apr 1922 (+1924)
Iosif Vissaryonovich Stalin 3 Apr 1922- 5 Mar 1953 (+)
Georgiy Maksimilianovich Malenkov Mar 1953-13 Sep 1953 (+1988)(de
facto)
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchov 13 Sep 1953-14 Oct 1964 (+1971)
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev 14 Oct 1964-10 Nov 1982 (+)
Yuriy Vladimirovich Andropov 12 Nov 1982- 9 Feb 1984 (+)
Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko 13 Feb 1984-10 Mar 1985 (+)
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachov 11 Mar 1985-24 Aug 1991

Heads of State
C.CECARCS: Chairman of the Central Executive Committe of the All-Russian Congress
of Soviets; C.CECUSSR: Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics; C.PSS: Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet;
1stDC.PSS: First Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet; C.SS:
Chairman of the Supreme Soviet; P.USSR: President of the USSR; C.SCSE: Chairman of
the State Council for the State of Emergency;

Lev Borisovich Kamenev 9 Nov 1917 - 21 Nov 1917 (+1936)Ex

C.CECARCS
Yakov Mikhaylovich Sverdlov 21 Nov 1917 - 16 Mar 1919 (+)
C.CECARCS
Mikhail Fyodorovich Vladimirsky 16 Mar 1919 - 30 Mar 1919 (+1951)
C.CECARCS (acting)
Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin 30 Mar 1919 - 19 Jul 1938 (+1946)
C.CECARCS
Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin 30 Dec 1922 - 17 Jan 1938 (+1946)
C.CECUSSR (1)
Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin 17 Jan 1938 - 19 Mar 1946 (+1946)
C.PSS
Nikolay Mikhaylovich Shvernik 19 Mar 1946 - 6 Mar 1953 (+1970)
C.PSS
Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov 15 Mar 1953 - 7 May 1960 (+1969)
C.PSS
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev 7 May 1960 - 15 Jul 1964 (+1982)
C.PSS
Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan 15 Jul 1964 - 9 Dec 1965 (+1978)
C.PSS
Nikolay Viktorovich Podgorniy 9 Dec 1965 - 16 Jun 1977 (+1983)
C.PSS
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev 16 Jun 1977 - 10 Nov 1982 (+)
C.PSS
Vasiliy Vasilyevich Kuznetsov 10 Nov 1982 - 16 Jun 1983 (+1990)
1stDC.PSS (acting)
Yuriy Vladimirovich Andropov 16 Jun 1983 - 9 Feb 1984 (+)
C.PSS
Vasiliy Vasilyevich Kuznetsov 9 Feb 1984 - 11 Apr 1984 (+1990)
1stDC.PSS (acting)
Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko 11 Apr 1984 - 10 Mar 1985 (+)
C.PSS
Vasiliy Vasilyevich Kuznetsov 10 Mar 1985 - 27 Jul 1985 (+1990)
1stDC.PSS (acting)
Andrey Andreyevich Gromyko 27 Jul 1985 - 1 Oct 1988 (+1989)
C.PSS
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev 1 Oct 1988 - 25 May 1989
C.PSS
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev 25 May 1989 - 15 Mar 1990
C.SS
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev 15 Mar 1990 - 25 Dec 1991
P.USSR
(Gennadiy Ivanovich Yanayev 19 Aug 1991 - 21 Aug 1991)
C.SCSE (acting) (2)
(1) CECUSSR was a collective body comprised by several chairmen, in principle one of
each constituent SSR, although Kalinin (from Russian SFSR) was ofted viewed as the
single chairman. The other chairmen were: Grigoriy Petrovskiy (Ukrainian SSR, +1958)
from 30 Dec 1922 to 17 Jan 1938; Aleksandr Chervyakov (Bielorussian SSR, +1937E)
from 30 Dec 1922 to 16 Jun 1937; Nariman Narimanov (Transcaucasian SFSR, +1925)
from 30 Dec 1922 to 19 Mar 1925; Gazanfar Musabekov (Transcaucasian SFSR, +1938E)
from 21 May 1925 to 1937; Nedirbay Aytakov (Turkmen SSR +1938E) from 21 May 1925
to 1937; Fayzulla Khodzhayev (Uzbek SSR, +1938E) from 21 May 1925 to 1937;
Nusratulla Lutfullayev (Tadjik SSR, +1938E) from 18 Mar 1931 to 4 Jan 1934 and Abdullo
Rakhimbayev (Tadjik SSR, +1938E) from 4 Jan 1934 to 1937.
(2) The State Council for the State of Emergency (SCSE) assumed power ilegally on 19
Aug 1991 and was disbanded two days after. SCSE was comprised by the then paramount
Soviet leaders: Vice-President Gennadiy Yanayev ("acting" for president Gorbachev);
Prime Minister Valentin Pavlov; KGB director Vladimir Kryuchkov; Defence Minister
Dmitri Yazov; Home Minister Boris Pugo (+1991); General Secretary of the CPSU Central
Committee and deputy chairman of the Defence Council Oleg Baklanov; chairman of the
Peasants' Union Vasiliy Starodubtsev and chairman of the Association of State Enterprises
Aleksandr Tiziakov.

Heads of Government
C.CPC: Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars; C.CM: Chairman of the
Council of Ministers; PM: Prime Minister
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin 8 Nov 1917 - 21 Jan 1924 (+)
C.CPC
Aleksey Ivanovich Rykov 23 Jan 1924 - 19 Dec 1930 (+1938)Ex
C.CPC
Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov 19 Dec 1930 - 6 May 1941 (+1986)
C.CPC
Iosif Vissaryonovich Stalin 6 May 1941 - 5 Mar 1953 (+)
C.CPC (3)
Georgiy Maksimilianovich Malenkov Mar 1953 - 8 Feb 1955 (+1988)
C.CM
Nikolay Aleksandrovich Bulganin 8 Feb 1955 - 27 Mar 1958 (+1975)
C.CM
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchov 27 Mar 1958 - 15 Oct 1964 (+1971)
C.CM
Aleksey Nikolayevich Kosygin 15 Oct 1964 - 23 Oct 1980 (+1980)
C.CM
Nikolay Aleksandrovich Tikhonov 23 Oct 1980 - 27 Sep 1985 (+1997)
C.CM
Nikolay Ivanovich Ryzhkov 27 Sep 1985 - 14 Jan 1991
C.CM
Valentin Sergeyevich Pavlov 14 Jan 1991 - 24 Aug 1991 PM
Ivan Stepanovich Silayev 24 Aug 1991 - 25 Dec 1991 PM
(acting)
(3) Chairman of the Council of Ministers since 15 Mar 1946

Ministers of Foreign Affaires

PCFA: People's Commissar of Foreign Affaires; MFA: Minister of Foreign Affaires
Lev Davydovich Trotskiy 1917-1918 (+1940)As PCFA
Georgiy Vasilyevich Chicherin 1918-1930 (+1936) PCFA
Maksim Maksimovich Litvinov 1930-1939 (+1951) PCFA
Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov 1939-1949 (+1986) PCFA (4)
Andrey Yanuaryevich Vyshinskiy 1949-1953 (+1954) MFA
Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov 1953-1956 (+1986) MFA
Dmitriy Trofimovich Shepilov 1956-1957 (+1995) MFA
Andrey Andreyevich Gromyko 1957-1985 (+1989) MFA
Eduard Amvrosiyevich Shevardnadze 1985-1990 MFA
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Bessmertnykh 1991 MFA
Boris Dmitriyevich Pankin 1991 MFA
Eduard Amvrosiyevich Shevardnadze 1991 MFA
(4) Minister of Foreign Affaires since 1946

Chairmen of the KGB and predecessors

Feliks Edmundovich Dzerzhinksiy 1917-1926 (+) Cheka/GPU/OGPU
Vyacheslav Rudolfovich Menzhinskiy 1926-1934 (+) OGPU
Genrikh Grigoryevich Yagoda 1934-1936 (+1938)Ex NKVD
Nikolay Ivanovich Yezhov 1936-1938 (+1940)Ex NKVD (5)
Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beriya 1938-1941 (+1953)Ex NKVD
Vsevolod Nikolayevich Merkulov 1941 (+1953)Ex NKGB
Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beriya 1941-1943 (+1953)Ex NKVD
Vsevolod Nikolayevich Merkulov 1943-1946 (+1953)Ex NKVD/MGB
Viktor Semyonovich Abakumov 1946-1951 (+1954)Ex MGB
Sergey Ogoltsov 1951 ? MGB (acting)
Semyon Denisovich Ignatiyev 1951-1953 (+1983) MGB
Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beriya 1953 (+1953)Ex MVD
Sergey Nikiforovich Kruglov 1953-1954 (+1957) MVD
Ivan Aleksandrovich Serov 1954-1958 (+1963)S KGB
Aleksandr Nikolayevich Shelepin 1958-1961 (+1994) KGB
Vladimir Yefimovich Semichastniy 1961-1967 KGB
Yuriy Vladimirovich Andropov 1967-1982 (+1984) KGB
Vitaliy Vasilyevich Fedorchuk 1982 KGB
Viktor Mikhaylovich Chebrikov 1982-1988 (+1999) KGB
Vladimir Aleksandrovich Kryuchkov 1988-1991 KGB
Leonid Nikolayevich Shebarshin 1991 KGB (acting)
Vadim Viktorovich Bakatin 1991 KGB
(5) Concerning the whereabouts of Nikolai Yezhov the authorities declared him missing; he
was supposedly executed in 1939 during the Stalinist purges

Ministers of Defence
PCW: People's Commissar of War; PCD: People's Commissar of Defence; MD: Minister
of Defence
Lev Davydovich Trotskiy Trotsky 1918-1925 (+1940)A PCW
Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze 1925 (+) PCW
Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov 1925-1940 (+1969) PCD
Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko 1940-1941 (+1970) PCD
Iosif Vissaryonovich Stalin 1941-1947 (+1953) PCD (6)
Nikolay Aleksandrovich Bulganin 1947-1949 (+1975) MD
Aleksandr Mikhaylovich Vasilyevskiy 1949-1953 (+1977) MD
Nikolay Aleksandrovich Bulganin 1953-1955 (+1975) MD
Georgiy Konstantinovich Zhukov 1955-1957 (+1974) MD
Rodion Yakovlevich Malinovski 1957-1967 (+) MD
Andrey Antonovich Grechko 1967-1976 (+) MD
Dmitriy Fyodorovich Ustinov 1976-1984 (+) MD
Sergey Leonidovich Sokolov 1984-1987 MD
Dmitriy Timofeyevich Yazov 1987-1991 MD
Mikhail Akekseyevich Moiseyev 1991 MD (acting)
Yevgeniy Ivanovich Shaposhnikov 1991 MD
(6) Minister of Defence since 1946