A party cadre who moved from army organization to the late Soviet Politburo
In April 1991, while responsible secretary of the All-Army Party Committee, he joined the late Soviet Politburo.
Mikhail Semyonovich Surkov was a Soviet party organizer and politician whose career developed within the armed forces' political apparatus. After working in party-control posts in the army, he entered the Politburo shortly before the Soviet Union's dissolution, embodying the late system's reliance on institutional cadres amid crisis. He later carried that experience into the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the State Duma, and the Accounts Chamber.
Career Timeline
- 1960Began working as an apprentice fitter
- 1965–1977Served in the Soviet armed forces and graduated from the Lenin Military-Political Academy
- 1988–1990Head of the political department of a combined-arms army
- 1990–1991Secretary of the All-Army Party Committee and responsible secretary of the party commission under the Main Political Directorate
- 1991Member of the CPSU Central Committee and Politburo member
- 1995–1999State Duma deputy and deputy chair of the Defence Committee for the Communist faction
- 2000–2007Auditor of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation
The Soviet Politburo
- Full member 1991.04–1991.08
served until the party ban of 1991.11