State Defense Committee (GKO)
국가방위위원회(GKO)
An extraordinary supreme state organ of the USSR created on June 30, 1941, one week after the Nazi invasion, wielding full military, political, and economic authority for the duration of the war. It unified the coordination of industrial evacuation, defense production, and military command, and its decisions had the force of law binding all party, state, military bodies and citizens. Chaired by Joseph Stalin, it issued 9,971 resolutions before being dissolved on September 4, 1945.
Sources
- Wikipedia (RU) Russian Wikipedia: creation June 30, 1941 by joint resolution of Presidium of Supreme Soviet, Sovnarkom, and Central Committee; full military/political/economic authority; initial composition (Stalin chairman, Molotov deputy, Beria, Voroshilov, Malenkov); 9,971 resolutions; dissolution September 4, 1945
- Wikipedia (EN) English Wikipedia: extraordinary organ of state power, complete state power, Geoffrey Roberts characterization as 'a sort of war cabinet'
- globalsecurity.org GlobalSecurity: highest emergency body in wartime; broad legislative/executive/regulatory powers; 9,971 resolutions; Operational Bureau created December 8, 1942; each member supervised specific sectors
- encyclopedia.com Encyclopedia.com: Stalin's announcement that 'all the power and authority of the state are vested in it'; membership additions (Voznesensky, Mikoyan, Kaganovich 1942; Bulganin 1944); no administrative apparatus of its own; dissolved September 4, 1945