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People of the Revolution and the USSR
Activity(set)
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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Dimitar Nikolov Blagoev Димитр Николов Благоев
Founder of Bulgarian socialism who organized Russia's first Marxist circle
Political and party leadership · Bulgarian Communist Party (BKP)
1856–1924
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Clara Zetkin Clara Zetkin
Creator of International Women's Day, she set women's liberation at the heart of class struggle
Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany (KPD)
1857–1933
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Sen Katayama 片山潜
Japanese communist founder who shook Plekhanov's hand and shaped Comintern East Asia strategy
Political and party leadership · Comintern
1859–1933
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Feliks Yakovlevich Kon Феликс Яковлевич Кон
From Warsaw boy patriot to Comintern old revolutionary: the Pole who returned in the sealed train
Political and party leadership · Soviet Union state institutions
1864–1941
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Ernst Friedrich Däumig Ernst Friedrich Däumig
German socialist and a leading figure in the workers’ council movement.
Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany (KPD)
1866–1922
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Julian Józefowicz Marchlewski Julian Marchlewski
A Pole who passed through the German and Russian revolutions and tried to bring revolution home
Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany (KPD)
1866–1925
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Leo Jogiches Leo Jogiches
The revolution's underground organizer, always behind the scenes, until he had to lead
Political and party leadership · Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (SDKPiL)
1867–1919
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Tserendorj Цэрэндорж
First prime minister of the Mongolian People's Republic, diplomat of the old regime
Government and administration · Mongolia state institutions
1868–1928
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Filipp Yeseyevich Makharadze ფილიპე იესეს ძე მახარაძე
The Bolshevik elder removed by Stalin for trying to Sovietize Georgia gently
Political and party leadership · Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP)
1868–1941
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Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya Надежда Константиновна Крупская
She built the Soviet school and library system from the shadow of her husband
Education · Soviet Union state institutions
1869–1939
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Marcel Cachin Marcel Cachin
Leader who took the SFIO majority into the Comintern at Tours in 1920, founding the French Communist Party, and ran L’Humanité
Political and party leadership · French Communist Party (PCF)
1869–1958
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Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Владимир Ильич Ленин
The helmsman who changed course at every fork
Political and party leadership · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1870–1924
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Leonid Borisovich Krasin Леонид Борисович Красин
From revolutionary engineer to Soviet diplomatic architect, the only Bolshevik who could do business with Western capital
Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union state institutions
1870–1926
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Fernand Loriot Fernand Loriot
French socialist and teachers’ union activist who led the Committee for the Third International
Social movements and organizing · Comintern
1870–1932
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Karl Liebknecht Karl Liebknecht
The lone vote against the war; the revolution's first martyr
Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany (KPD)
1871–1919
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Rosa Luxemburg Rosa Luxemburg
“Freedom is always the freedom of the one who thinks differently”
Social movements and organizing · Communist Party of Germany (KPD)
1871–1919
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Alexandra Mikhailovna Kollontai Александра Михайловна Коллонтай
The first woman cabinet minister, who made women's liberation the revolution's business
Diplomacy and international organization · Soviet Union state institutions
1872–1952
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Moisei Solomonovich Uritsky Моисей Соломонович Урицкий
The Petrograd Cheka chairman who resisted the terror, and became its trigger
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1873–1918
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Inessa Fyodorovna Armand Инесса Фёдоровна Арманд
The woman Bolshevik closest to Lenin: death saved her from the Purge
Political and party leadership · Soviet Union state institutions
1874–1920
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Mikhail Ivanovich Kalinin Михаил Иванович Калинин
The long-serving formal head of state
Legislature and state representation · Soviet Union state institutions
1875–1946
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Konkordia Nikolayevna Samoilova Конкордия Николаевна Самойлова
Founder of Rabotnitsa and organizer of Russia's first International Women's Day
Social movements and organizing · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1876–1921
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Luis Emilio Recabarren Luis Emilio Recabarren
Father of the Chilean labour movement and pioneer of Latin American communism
Social movements and organizing · Communist Party of Chile
1876–1924
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Filipp Isayevich Goloshchyokin Филипп Исаевич Голощёкин
The revolutionary who led Kazakhstan's 'Little October'
Political and party leadership · Soviet Union state institutions
1876–1941
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Rozaliya Samoilovna Zemlyachka Розалия Самойловна Землячка
The 'Demon' Underground and the Only Woman Vice-Chair of Sovnarkom
Social movements and organizing · Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP)
1876–1947
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Wilhelm Pieck Wilhelm Pieck
From the Spartacus League to GDR head of state, the sole founding member who lived the full arc of German communism
Political and party leadership · East Germany state institutions
1876–1960
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Vasil Petrov Kolarov Васил Петров Коларов
Co-founder of Bulgarian communism, from the Comintern to head of state
Diplomacy and international organization · Comintern
1877–1950
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Viktor Pavlovich Nogin Виктор Павлович Ногин
First commissar to resign demanding a coalition, buried on Red Square
Political and party leadership · Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP)
1878–1924
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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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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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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 state institutions
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 state institutions
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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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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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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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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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 state institutions
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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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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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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Zigmas Angarietis Zigmas Angarietis
Interior commissar of Soviet Lithuania, a Lithuanian communist leader killed in the Great Terror
Security, intelligence and policing · Lithuania state institutions
1882–1940
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Georgi Mihaylov Dimitrov Георги Михайлов Димитров
From Leipzig defendant to Comintern General Secretary
Diplomacy and international organization · Comintern
1882–1949
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Eugen Leviné Eugen Leviné
Communist who led the Bavarian Soviet Republic in 1919 and was shot after its fall
Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany (KPD)
1883–1919
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Vladimir Mikhailovich Zagorsky Владимир Михайлович Загорский
Revolutionary organizer who led the Moscow party and pioneered early Soviet diplomacy
Political and party leadership · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1883–1919
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Paul Levi Paul Levi
From Rosa Luxemburg's lawyer to KPD leader, his 'anti-putschism' took on Comintern adventurism
Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Germany (KPD)
1883–1930
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Grigory Yevseyevich Zinoviev Григорий Евсеевич Зиновьев
He opposed October, vouched for Stalin, and was shot by him
Diplomacy and international organization · Comintern
1883–1936