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People of the Revolution and the USSR
Activity
Affiliation
Position(set)
Citizenship
Background
Era
People of the Soviet Union
People of the Chinese revolution and the People’s Republic
People of the wider world
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Maria Ilyinichna Ulyanova Мария Ильинична Ульянова
Lenin's youngest sister who edited the revolution with a pencil: press organizer in her own right
Ideology and propaganda · Soviet Union
1878–1937
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Alexander Andreyevich Svechin Александр Андреевич Свечин
“The Russian Clausewitz”. Theorist of strategy and operational art
Scholarship and theory · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1878–1938
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Moissei Ilyich Frumkin Моисей Ильич Фрумкин
'The countryside is against us': the deputy finance commissar who said it to the Politburo
Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union
1878–1938
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Nikolai Pavlovich Bryukhanov Николай Павлович Брюханов
The commissar who steered from famine's shadow to NEP finance, then fell under industrialization's demands
Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union
1878–1938
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Yakov Mikhailovich Yurovsky Яков Михайлович Юровский
The Cheka executioner who personally shot the last Tsar
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union
1878–1938
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Mikhail Sergeyevich Kedrov Михаил Сергеевич Кедров
Old Bolshevik who led the Cheka Special Department, building the Red Terror in the North and the earliest Soviet camp system
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union
1878–1941
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Emelyan Mikhailovich Yaroslavsky Емельян Михайлович Ярославский
The Party's Chief Atheist, Called 'the Soviet Priest'
Scholarship and theory · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1878–1943
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Vladimir Viktorovich Adoratsky Владимир Викторович Адоратский
IMEL director and the first Marxist philosopher to publicly anoint Stalin as a theorist
Scholarship and theory · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1878–1945
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Solomon Abramovich Lozovsky Соломон Абрамович Лозовский
The Bolshevik who led the Profintern and was shot with the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee
Diplomacy and international organization · Comintern
1878–1952
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Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin Иосиф Виссарионович Сталин
The leader born to a poor Georgian family who came to dominate party and state
Political and party leadership · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1878–1953
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Grigory Ivanovich Petrovsky Григорий Иванович Петровский
Worker-Bolshevik who gave his name to Dnipropetrovsk and led Soviet Ukraine for two decades
Political and party leadership · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1878–1958
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Angelica Isaakovna Balabanova Анжелика Исааковна Балабанова
The Comintern's first secretary, who taught Mussolini and branded him traitor
Political and party leadership · Comintern
1878–1965
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Gleb Ivanovich Bokii Глеб Иванович Бокий
Father of Soviet signals intelligence and founder of the Cheka Special Department
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union
1879–1937
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Yakov Stanislavovich Ganetsky Яков Станиславович Ганецкий
The Polish revolutionary who ran Lenin's financial pipeline from Kraków to Stockholm
Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union
1879–1937
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Iosif Stanislavovich Unshlikht Иосиф Станиславович Уншлихт
From Cheka deputy to civil aviation: the revolution's all-weather organizer
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union
1879–1938
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Chen Duxiu 陈独秀
The New Culture revolutionary who founded the CCP and led it for six years
Political and party leadership · Communist Party of China
1879–1942
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Zinovy Yakovlevich Litvin-Sedoy Зиновий Яковлевич Литвин-Седой
Organizer of Presnya’s workers’ fighting squads
Social movements and organizing · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1879–1947
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Evgeny Samuilovich Varga Varga Jenő
The Marxist economist who predicted the Great Depression, and was punished for arguing capitalism could adapt
Scholarship and theory · Soviet Union
1879–1964
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Vincas Kapsukas Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas
Founder of the Lithuanian Communist Party who headed Soviet Lithuania and Litbel
Political and party leadership · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1880–1935
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Mikhail Pavlovich Tomsky Михаил Павлович Томский
Chief of the Soviet trade unions, third man of the Right Opposition
Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union
1880–1936
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Alexander Mikhailovich Krasnoshchyokov Александр Михайлович Краснощёков
The pragmatic Bolshevik who designed and led the Far Eastern Republic
Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union
1880–1937
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Eero Haapalainen Eero Haapalainen
Trade union leader who commanded the Finnish Red Guards from January to March 1918
Military command · Communist Party of Finland (SKP)
1880–1937
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Kullervo Achilles Manner Kullervo Achilles Manner
Head of Finland's 1918 Red revolutionary government, who later led the exiled Communist Party and served the Comintern
Political and party leadership · Social Democratic Party of Finland
1880–1939
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Richard Müller Richard Müller
Lathe operator who led Berlin’s Revolutionary Stewards, chaired the council Executive in 1918 and later wrote the revolution’s history
Social movements and organizing
1880–1943
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Dmitry Mikhailovich Karbyshev Дмитрий Михайлович Карбышев
The Soviet Union's greatest fortification scientist, who chose martyrdom at Mauthausen over collaboration with the Nazis
Military command · Soviet Union
1880–1945
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Nikolai Ilyich Podvoisky Николай Ильич Подвойский
The operational commander of October, sidelined by the revolution he led
Military command · Soviet Union
1880–1948
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Vasily Alekseyevich Degtyaryov Василий Алексеевич Дегтярёв
Founder of Soviet firearms design, creator of the DP-27, DShK, and PTRD
Industry and production · Soviet Union
1880–1949
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Abram Fyodorovich Ioffe Абрам Фёдорович Иоффе
The 'Papa Ioffe' who reared all of Soviet physics
Science and technology · Soviet Union
1880–1960
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Vyacheslav Alekseyevich Karpinsky Вячеслав Алексеевич Карпинский
Lenin's trusted Bolshevik publicist and a 68-year party veteran
Social movements and organizing · Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP)
1880–1965
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Serafima Ilyinichna Gopner Серафима Ильинична Гопнер
First woman to lead the Ukrainian Bolshevik party; delegate to all seven Comintern congresses
Diplomacy and international organization · Comintern
1880–1966
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Semyon Ivanovich Aralov Семён Иванович Аралов
Institutional founder of Soviet military intelligence
Military command · Soviet Union
1880–1969
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Grigory Ivanovich Kotovsky Григорий Иванович Котовский
The Bessarabian 'Red Robin Hood' who rose from Tsarist outlaw to legendary Soviet Civil War commander
Military command · Soviet Union
1881–1925
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Lu Xun 鲁迅
Author of The True Story of Ah Q, father of modern Chinese literature who carried May Fourth’s critical spirit into the left-wing league
Literature and arts
1881–1936
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Sergey Sergeyevich Kamenev Сергей Сергеевич Каменев
Commander-in-Chief who led the Red Army to victory in the Civil War
Military command · Soviet Union
1881–1936
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Alexei Ivanovich Rykov Алексей Иванович Рыков
Lenin’s successor as premier, destroyed as the Right Opposition
Government and administration · Soviet Union
1881–1938
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Edvard Gylling Edvard Gylling
Finnish socialist who was Red Finland’s commissar of finance and later headed the government of Soviet Karelia
Government and administration · Soviet Union
1881–1938
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Platon Mikhailovich Kerzhentsev Платон Михайлович Керженцев
Proletkult theorist who became architect of Stalin-era arts censorship
Scholarship and theory · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1881–1940
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Pavel Ivanovich Lebedev-Poliansky Павел Иванович Лебедев-Полянский
Architect and first head of the Soviet censorship apparatus
Ideology and propaganda · Soviet Union
1881–1948
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William Z. Zebulon Foster William Zebulon Foster
From leading the Great Steel Strike of 1919 to longest-serving leader of American communism
Political and party leadership · Communist Party USA (CPUSA)
1881–1961
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Abram Moiseyevich Deborin Абрам Моисеевич Деборин
Founder of Soviet Marxist philosophy, condemned as 'Menshevizing idealism'
Ideology and propaganda · Soviet Union
1881–1963
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Otto Wille Kuusinen Otto Wille Kuusinen
From Finnish labour leader to Comintern veteran and Khrushchev's theoretician
Diplomacy and international organization · Comintern
1881–1964
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Heinrich Brandler Heinrich Brandler
KPD chairman who called off a revolution; co-founder of the International Right Opposition
Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany (KPD)
1881–1967
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Ivan Ribar Ivan Ribar
A parliamentarian who carried constitutional politics into the Liberation Movement
Legislature and state representation · Yugoslavia
1881–1968
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Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov Климент Ефремович Ворошилов
Stalin’s marshal, sustained by loyalty more than command
Military command · Soviet Union
1881–1969
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Lidia Aleksandrovna Fotieva Лидия Александровна Фотиева
Lenin's personal secretary and conduit of his final political struggle
Social movements and organizing · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1881–1975
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Fedor Ivanovich Kalinin Фёдор Иванович Калинин
Proletkult's worker-intellectual: a weaver by origin and theorist of proletarian culture
Ideology and propaganda · Soviet Union
1882–1920
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Kamo Симон Тер-Петросян
The Bolsheviks' legendary expropriator, the revolutionary who feigned madness and survived four death sentences
Social movements and organizing · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1882–1922
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Yuri Mikhailovich Larin Юрий Михайлович Ларин
An imaginative economic theorist who bridged NEP and central planning, co-founded Gosplan, and championed Jewish agricultural settlement
Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union
1882–1932
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Stanislav Stanislavovich Pestkovsky Станислав Станиславович Пестковский
The Polish nobleman turned internationalist who became the first Soviet leader of Kazakhstan
Diplomacy and international organization · Soviet Union
1882–1937
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Nikolai Mikhailovich Yanson Николай Михайлович Янсон
Estonian Bolshevik and Soviet People's Commissar of Justice who helped design the Gulag camp system
Law and justice · Soviet Union
1882–1938