Stalin's son-in-law who criticized Lysenko, recanted, then built Rostov University over 31 years as rector
Stalin at the Politburo, turning on Yuri Zhdanov: "What, don't you know that our entire agriculture rests on Lysenko?"
Son of Andrei Zhdanov and briefly Stalin's son-in-law, Yuri Zhdanov was appointed head of the CC Science Department at age 28 in 1947, becoming a key science-policy official in late Stalinism. In April 1948 he publicly criticized Lysenko's theories (Stalin summoned him to the Politburo with the rebuke "Don't you know our entire agriculture rests on Lysenko?") and Zhdanov was forced to publish a humiliating recantation in Pravda. He took part in the 1950 antisemitic campaign against Jewish scientists, yet after Stalin's death he rebuilt his career as rector of Rostov State University (1957–1988), transforming it over 31 years into one of the USSR's top universities. An organic chemist with over 800 publications, he discovered acylotropy and chaired the North Caucasus Scientific Center.
Career Timeline
- 1941–1945Instructor and literary propagandist, Main Political Directorate, Red Army
- 1947–1948Head of the Science Department, Agitprop Directorate, CC VKP(b)
- 1948–1950Head of the Science Sector, Agitprop Department, CC VKP(b)
- 1950–1952Head of Science and Higher Education Department, CC VKP(b)/CPSU
- 1952–1953Head of Natural and Technical Sciences and Higher Education Dept, CC CPSU
- 1952–1956Member of the CPSU Central Committee
- 1953–1957Assistant, docent, professor, Rostov State University; Head of Science and Culture, Rostov obkom
- 1957–1988Rector of Rostov State University