People of the Revolution and the USSR

INDEX

People Categories and Soviet Institution Timelines

Imperial establishment and White movement

76 people

Writers and artists

93 people

Theorist

104 people

Revolutionaries beyond the Soviet Union

229 people

Socialist-bloc reform leader

70 people

Counter-revolutionary forces

61 people

Left Opposition

40 people

Socialist-bloc leader

107 people

Foreign statesman

147 people

Scholar

133 people
1922–1991

Party leadership

The Communist Party leadership that usually mattered more than formal government office.
  1. 1922–1953 Joseph Stalin General Secretary and supreme party-state authority
  2. 1953–1964 Nikita Khrushchev First Secretary, later also premier
  3. 1964–1982 Leonid Brezhnev First Secretary, then General Secretary
  4. 1982–1984 Yuri Andropov General Secretary
  5. 1984–1985 Konstantin Chernenko General Secretary
  6. 1985–1991 Mikhail Gorbachev General Secretary, later President
Office page →
1917–1991

Party Secretariat and cadres

The line that moved appointments and party machinery through the Central Committee Secretariat, Organization Department and cadres apparatus.
  1. 1917–1918 Elena Stasova Central Committee technical secretary and party-organization work
  2. 1918–1919 Yakov Sverdlov Chairman of the Secretariat and post-revolution party organization
  3. 1919 Elena Stasova Chairwoman of the Secretariat
  4. 1919–1921 Nikolay Krestinsky Responsible Secretary
  5. 1921–1922 Vyacheslav Molotov Responsible Secretary
  6. 1922–1953 Joseph Stalin General Secretary and control of the nomenklatura
  7. 1922–1924, 1928–1939 Lazar Kaganovich Organization Department, Secretariat and party personnel control
  8. 1939–1946 Georgy Malenkov CC secretary and head of the Cadres Directorate
  9. 1946–1948 Andrei Zhdanov CC secretary and postwar second figure in the Secretariat
  10. 1948–1953 Georgy Malenkov CC secretary and late-Stalin succession figure
  11. 1953–1964 Nikita Khrushchev First Secretary and control of the party apparatus
  12. 1957–1960 Aleksey Kirichenko CC secretary for party appointments
  13. 1966–1976 Andrei Kirilenko Senior CC secretary for cadres
  14. 1983–1990 Yegor Ligachev Organizational-party work chief and Second Secretary
  15. 1990–1991 Vladimir Ivashko Deputy General Secretary and late party apparatus
Office page →
1923–1991

Heads of government

The premiers who chaired Sovnarkom and later the Council of Ministers.
  1. 1923–1924 Vladimir Lenin Chairman of Sovnarkom
  2. 1924–1930 Alexei Rykov Chairman of Sovnarkom
  3. 1930–1941 Vyacheslav Molotov Chairman of Sovnarkom
  4. 1941–1953 Joseph Stalin Chairman of Sovnarkom, then Council of Ministers
  5. 1953–1955 Georgy Malenkov Chairman of the Council of Ministers
  6. 1955–1958 Nikolai Bulganin Chairman of the Council of Ministers
  7. 1958–1964 Nikita Khrushchev Chairman of the Council of Ministers
  8. 1964–1980 Alexei Kosygin Chairman of the Council of Ministers
  9. 1980–1985 Nikolai Tikhonov Chairman of the Council of Ministers
  10. 1985–1991.1 Nikolai Ryzhkov Chairman of the Council of Ministers
  11. 1991.1–8 Valentin Pavlov Prime Minister
Office page →
1918–1991

Military and defence

From the War Commissariat that built the Red Army to the late Soviet defence ministry.
  1. 1918–1925 Leon Trotsky People’s Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs
  2. 1925 Mikhail Frunze People’s Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs
  3. 1925–1940 Kliment Voroshilov People’s Commissar for Military Affairs, then Defence
  4. 1940–1941 Semyon Timoshenko People’s Commissar for Defence
  5. 1941–1947 Joseph Stalin People’s Commissar for Defence, then Minister of Armed Forces
  6. 1953–1955 Nikolai Bulganin Minister of Defence
  7. 1955–1957 Georgy Zhukov Minister of Defence
  8. 1957–1967 Rodion Malinovsky Minister of Defence
  9. 1967–1976 Andrei Grechko Minister of Defence
  10. 1976–1984 Dmitry Ustinov Minister of Defence
  11. 1984–1987 Sergei Sokolov Minister of Defence
  12. 1987–1991 Dmitry Yazov Minister of Defence
Office page →
1917–1991

State security agencies

The command line from Cheka to GPU/OGPU, NKVD, MGB and KGB.
  1. 1917–1926 Felix Dzerzhinsky Chairman of Cheka, GPU and OGPU
  2. 1926–1934 Vyacheslav Menzhinsky Chairman of OGPU
  3. 1934–1936 Genrikh Yagoda People’s Commissar for Internal Affairs, NKVD
  4. 1936–1938 Nikolai Yezhov People’s Commissar for Internal Affairs, NKVD
  5. 1938–1941 Lavrentiy Beria People’s Commissar for Internal Affairs, NKVD
  6. 1941, 1943–1946 Vsevolod Merkulov People’s Commissar for State Security, NKGB
  7. 1946–1951 Viktor Abakumov Minister of State Security, MGB
  8. 1951–1953 Semyon Ignatiev Minister of State Security, MGB
  9. 1953 Lavrentiy Beria Minister of Internal Affairs, MVD
  10. 1954–1958 Ivan Serov Chairman of the KGB
  11. 1958–1961 Alexander Shelepin Chairman of the KGB
  12. 1961–1967 Vladimir Semichastny Chairman of the KGB
  13. 1967–1982 Yuri Andropov Chairman of the KGB
  14. 1982 Vitaly Fedorchuk Chairman of the KGB
  15. 1982–1988 Viktor Chebrikov Chairman of the KGB
  16. 1988–1991 Vladimir Kryuchkov Chairman of the KGB
Office page →
1917–1991

Ideology and propaganda

The party apparatus that managed culture, censorship, propaganda and orthodoxy.
  1. 1917–1929 Anatoly Lunacharsky People’s Commissar for Enlightenment
  2. 1934–1948 Andrei Zhdanov CC secretary for culture and ideology
  3. 1949–1952 Dmitri Shepilov CC Propaganda Department chief in late Stalinism
  4. 1957 Dmitri Shepilov CC secretary for ideology
  5. 1947–1982 Mikhail Suslov CC secretary for ideology
  6. 1961–1974 Pyotr Demichev CC secretary for ideology and culture
  7. 1955–1986 Boris Ponomarev International Department chief and guardian of the communist line
  8. 1985–1990 Alexander Yakovlev Politburo ideology chief and architect of glasnost
Office page →
1917–1991

Culture and literary control

The leadership that set the boundaries of permissible education, literature, art and culture.
  1. 1917–1929 Anatoly Lunacharsky People’s Commissar for Enlightenment
  2. 1934–1948 Andrei Zhdanov CC culture and ideology overseer
  3. 1946–1954 Alexander Fadeyev Writers’ Union secretary and chairman
  4. 1960–1974 Yekaterina Furtseva Minister of Culture
  5. 1974–1986 Pyotr Demichev Minister of Culture
  6. 1989–1991 Nikolai Gubenko Minister of Culture
Office page →
1922–1991

Formal heads of state

The formal state offices from the Soviet presidium to the presidency.
  1. 1922–1946 Mikhail Kalinin CEC chairman, then Presidium chairman
  2. 1946–1953 Nikolai Shvernik Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
  3. 1953–1960 Kliment Voroshilov Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
  4. 1960–1964 Leonid Brezhnev Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
  5. 1964–1965 Anastas Mikoyan Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
  6. 1965–1977 Nikolai Podgorny Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
  7. 1977–1982 Leonid Brezhnev Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
  8. 1983–1984 Yuri Andropov Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
  9. 1984–1985 Konstantin Chernenko Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
  10. 1985–1988 Andrei Gromyko Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet
  11. 1988–1991 Mikhail Gorbachev Chairman of the Supreme Soviet, then President
Office page →
1923–1991

Foreign affairs

From the People’s Commissariat to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: the public face of Soviet diplomacy.
  1. 1923–1930 Georgy Chicherin People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs
  2. 1930–1939 Maxim Litvinov People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs
  3. 1939–1949 Vyacheslav Molotov People’s Commissar, then Minister of Foreign Affairs Nazi–Soviet pact and wartime alliance diplomacy
  4. 1949–1953 Andrey Vyshinsky Minister of Foreign Affairs
  5. 1953–1956 Vyacheslav Molotov Minister of Foreign Affairs
  6. 1956–1957 Dmitri Shepilov Minister of Foreign Affairs
  7. 1957–1985 Andrei Gromyko Minister of Foreign Affairs The long-serving Cold War foreign minister
  8. 1985–1991.1 Eduard Shevardnadze Minister of Foreign Affairs
  9. 1991.1–8 Alexander Bessmertnykh Minister of Foreign Affairs
  10. 1991.8–11 Boris Pankin Minister of Foreign Affairs
  11. 1991.11–12 Eduard Shevardnadze Minister of External Relations
Office page →
1917–1991

Nationalities and federal management

The institutional line that managed non-Russian nationalities, republic representation and the federal structure.
  1. 1917–1923 Joseph Stalin People’s Commissar for Nationalities
  2. 1938–1946 Nikolai Shvernik Chairman of the Soviet of Nationalities
  3. 1950–1954 Zhumabay Shayakhmetov Chairman of the Soviet of Nationalities
  4. 1966–1970 Justas Paleckis Chairman of the Soviet of Nationalities
  5. 1970–1974 Yadgar Nasriddinova Chairman of the Soviet of Nationalities
  6. 1984–1989 Augusts Voss Chairman of the Soviet of Nationalities
  7. 1989–1991 Rafiq Nishonov Chairman of the Soviet of Nationalities
Office page →
1921–1991

Central planning agencies

The Gosplan chairmen who organized the numbers of the planned economy.
  1. 1921–1923, 1925–1930 Gleb Krzhizhanovsky Chairman of Gosplan
  2. 1930–1934 Valerian Kuibyshev Chairman of Gosplan
  3. 1934–1937 Valery Mezhlauk Chairman of Gosplan
  4. 1938–1941, 1942–1949 Nikolai Voznesensky Chairman of Gosplan, then State Planning Committee
  5. 1941–1942, 1949–1953, 1953–1955 Maksim Saburov State planning leadership
  6. 1959–1960 Alexei Kosygin Chairman of the State Planning Committee
  7. 1965–1985 Nikolai Baibakov Chairman of the State Planning Committee
  8. 1988–1991 Yuri Maslyukov Chairman of the State Planning Committee
Office page →
1922–1991

Economic management

The finance, banking and foreign-economic leadership that managed cash flow and exchange conditions inside the planned economy.
  1. 1922–1926 Grigory Sokolnikov Finance commissar and NEP monetary stabilization
  2. 1938–1960 Arseny Zverev Finance commissar, then Minister of Finance
  3. 1960–1985 Vasily Garbuzov Minister of Finance
  4. 1963–1986 Vladimir Alkhimov Chairman of Gosbank
  5. 1988–1991 Viktor Gerashchenko Chairman of Gosbank
  6. 1988–1991 Konstantin Katushev Minister of Foreign Economic Relations
Office page →
1932–1991

Heavy industry and military industry

The production administrators and military-industrial complex behind industrialization, armaments, atomic energy and missiles.
  1. 1932–1937 Sergo Ordzhonikidze People’s Commissar for Heavy Industry
  2. 1940–1953 Ivan Tevosian Metallurgy, shipbuilding and transport-machine industry leadership
  3. 1941–1953 Vyacheslav Malyshev Tank, transport-machine and medium-machine industry leadership
  4. 1941–1953 Boris Vannikov Ammunition and atomic-administration leadership
  5. 1957–1986 Yefim Slavsky Minister of Medium Machine-Building and nuclear industry
  6. 1965–1983 Sergey Afanasyev Minister of General Machine-Building and missile/space industry
  7. 1976–1984 Dmitry Ustinov Defence minister and military-industrial elder
Office page →
1929–1991

Agriculture

The agricultural administration line behind collectivization, virgin lands, procurement and the agro-industrial complex.
  1. 1929–1934 Yakov Yakovlev Agriculture commissar and collectivization administrator
  2. 1938–1955 Ivan Benediktov Agriculture commissar, then Minister of Agriculture
  3. 1955–1960, 1965–1973 Vladimir Matskevich Minister of Agriculture after the virgin-lands drive
  4. 1973–1976 Dmitry Polyansky Minister of Agriculture
  5. 1976–1985 Valentin Mesyats Minister of Agriculture
  6. 1985–1989 Vsevolod Murakhovsky Chairman of Gosagroprom
Office page →
1943–1991

Science, nuclear and space development

The scientists, chief designers and secret administrators behind the atomic bomb, missiles and space program.
  1. 1943–1960 Igor Kurchatov Scientific leader of the atomic project
  2. 1945–1953 Boris Vannikov First Main Directorate and atomic administration
  3. 1957–1966 Sergei Korolev Chief Designer of the space program
  4. 1961–1975 Mstislav Keldysh Academy president and space-science coordinator
  5. 1965–1983 Sergey Afanasyev Minister of General Machine-Building
  6. 1957–1986 Yefim Slavsky Minister of Medium Machine-Building and nuclear industry
  7. 1966–1991 Kerim Kerimov State Commission chair for crewed spaceflight
Office page →
1919–1943

Comintern

The Third International as it moved from world-revolution organ to instrument of Soviet policy.
  1. 1919–1926 Grigory Zinoviev ECCI chairman
  2. 1926–1928 Nikolai Bukharin De facto leader
  3. 1929–1934 Dmitry Manuilsky De facto leader
  4. 1934–1943 Georgi Dimitrov General Secretary
Office page →

People of the Soviet Union

1905–1917

The old regime and its challengers 141

Those who upheld imperial Russia and the revolutionaries and thinkers who fought it — the world before Bolshevik power.
1917–1940

The revolutionary generation 266

The generation that made October and built the early Soviet state — many later fell in the name of that revolution.
1929–1953

People of the Stalin era 439

They enforced, endured and survived the age of war and terror.
1953–1985

People of the thaw and the stagnation 443

Between the thaw that opened Stalin’s coffin and the stagnation that closed it again — the people of an age of space, reform, and dissent.
1985–1991

The last generation 208

Those who tried to reform the Soviet Union and those who hastened its end — the last Soviet generation.
1892–현재

Scholars of this history 123

The historians and social scientists who read the archives and interpreted this history.

People beyond the Soviet Union

1871–2016

Non-Soviet revolutionaries 246

Revolutionaries and thinkers around the world who shaped and were shaped by the Russian Revolution without belonging to Soviet state institutions.
1870–2021

Statesmen across the table 157

The politicians and diplomats who negotiated with the Soviet Union and stood against it.
1867–1975

The Counter-Revolution Abroad 52

Rulers and soldiers outside the Soviet world who fought the revolution and the socialist camp.