Skip to content
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
-
Pavel Osipovich Sukhoi Павел Осипович Сухой
Founder of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, the man behind the Su-7, Su-24, and Su-27
Industry and production · Soviet Union state institutions
1895–1975
-
Aleksandr Mikhailovich Vasilevsky Александр Михайлович Василевский
The seminarian-turned-staff-officer who designed Uranus
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1895–1977
-
Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan Анастас Иванович Микоян
The man who built the Soviet table, and the negotiator “from Ilyich to Ilyich”
Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union state institutions
1895–1978
-
Ludvík Svoboda Ludvík Svoboda
A national hero of two world wars who became an unlikely last bastion of the Prague Spring
Military command · Czechoslovakia state institutions
1895–1979
-
Dolores Ibárruri Dolores Ibárruri
“¡No pasarán!”: the voice of anti-fascism that refused to let Franco's armies pass
Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Spain (PCE)
1895–1989
-
Semyon Grigoryevich Roshal Семён Григорьевич Рошаль
The 21-year-old commissar who brought Kronstadt sailors to the revolution
Social movements and organizing · Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP)
1896–1917
-
Ieronim Petrovich Uborevich Иероним Петрович Уборевич
A prodigy who commanded an army at twenty-three, architect of the Red Army's mechanization
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1937
-
Iona Emmanuilovich Yakir Иона Эммануилович Якир
Civil War hero who turned the Kiev Military District into a laboratory for reform
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1937
-
Aleksei Ivanovich Stetsky Алексей Иванович Стецкий
Propaganda chief who moved from Bukharin's 'red professor' circle to Stalin's side
Ideology and propaganda · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1938
-
Faizulla Gubaidullayevich Khodzhayev Файзулла Губайдуллаевич Ходжаев
Son of a Bukharan merchant who rose from the Jadid reform movement to become the first head of government of Soviet Uzbekistan
Government and administration · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1938
-
Georgy Ivanovich Blagonravov Георгий Иванович Благонравов
Bolshevik commissar of the Peter and Paul Fortress
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1938
-
Israel Moiseyevich Leplevsky Израиль Моисеевич Леплевский
The man who drove the Ukrainian mass operations to their peak
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1938
-
Yakov Arkadyevich Yakovlev Яков Аркадьевич Яковлев
Agriculture commissar of collectivization
Agriculture and land policy · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1938
-
Semyon Borisovich Zhukovsky Семён Борисович Жуковский
The trade official who became a deputy commissar
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1940
-
Vasily Fyodorovich Dementiev Василий Фёдорович Дементьев
A 'North Caucasian' Chekist moved from Chechnya to Primorye
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1940
-
Andrei Ivanovich Zelentsov Андрей Иванович Зеленцов
A division commander caught between encirclement and higher command
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1941
-
Voldemar Avgustovich Ulmer Вольдемар Августович Ульмер
Operational secretary of the GUGB whose 'certified' signature closes the Great Terror's operational orders
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1945
-
Yakov Nikolayevich Fedorenko Яков Николаевич Федоренко
First Marshal of Armored Troops who led the Red Army's tank forces through the entire war
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1947
-
Andrei Alexandrovich Zhdanov Андрей Александрович Жданов
The ideology manager whose name marked Stalinist culture
Ideology and propaganda · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1948
-
Vasily Vasilyevich Chernyshev Василий Васильевич Чернышёв
The only Yezhov deputy to survive, who ran the GULAG as Deputy People's Commissar of Internal Affairs
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1952
-
Klement Gottwald Klement Gottwald
The communist leader who turned Czechoslovakia into a people's democracy through the February 1948 coup
Political and party leadership · Czechoslovakia state institutions
1896–1953
-
Ivan Alekseyevich Likhachev Иван Алексеевич Лихачёв
Father of the Soviet auto industry, the 'red director' who told Henry Ford he was a servant of the people
Industry and production · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1956
-
Ivan Yefimovich Petrov Иван Ефимович Петров
The army general who held Odessa and Sevastopol, and returned to command every time Stalin sacked him
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1958
-
Aleksei Innokentievich Antonov Алексей Иннокентьевич Антонов
The architect of every major Soviet operation from 1943 onward: the only Order of Victory holder who was not a marshal
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1962
-
Sofia Aleksandrovna Yanovskaya Софья Александровна Яновская
Bolshevik mathematician who resurrected mathematical logic in the Soviet Union
Scholarship and theory · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1896–1966
-
Nikolai Sidorovich Vlasik Николай Сидорович Власик
Stalin's shadow for 25 years as head of personal security
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1967
-
Konstantin Ksaveryevich (birth) / Konstantinovich (later) Rokossovsky Константин Константинович Рокоссовский
Marshal of two nations, the USSR and Poland, who commanded the 1945 Victory Parade
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1968
-
He Long 贺龙
The Hunanese who rose “with two kitchen knives”, commander of the Nanchang Uprising and the Second Front Army
Military command · People’s Republic of China state institutions
1896–1969
-
Joaquín Juliá Maurín Joaquín Maurín
A revolutionary who pursued workers' unity across communist divisions
Political and party leadership · Workers' Party of Marxist Unification (POUM)
1896–1973
-
Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov Георгий Константинович Жуков
Stalin's Marshal of Victory, twice demoted for his own fame
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1974
-
Rajani Palme Dutt Rajani Palme Dutt
CPGB founding member, chief theoretician for half a century, and pioneer of Marxist historiography on India
Political and party leadership · Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB)
1896–1974
-
Jacques Duclos Jacques Duclos
The PCF's number two for 37 years: a Stalinist who moved between parliament and the underground
Political and party leadership · French Communist Party (PCF)
1896–1975
-
Mikhail Semyonovich Khozin Михаил Семёнович Хозин
Soviet Colonel General who led Leningrad through the first blockade winter, then lost the 2nd Shock Army and his command
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1979
-
Nikolay Nikolayevich Semyonov Николай Николаевич Семёнов
The only Soviet Nobel laureate in Chemistry, founder of chain reaction theory
Science and technology · Soviet Union state institutions
1896–1986
-
Imre Sallai Sallai Imre
Hungarian Communist leader hanged in 1932 under the summary jurisdiction proclaimed after the Biatorbágy bombing
Social movements and organizing · Party of Communists in Hungary (KMP)
1897–1932
-
Georgy Andreyevich Molchanov Георгий Андреевич Молчанов
Yagoda's chief of the Secret Political Department
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1897–1937
-
Ignaty Ignatyevich Sosnovsky Игнатий Игнатьевич Сосновский
A Polish intelligence agent turned Cheka counter-intelligence officer
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1897–1937
-
Ivan Adamovich Kraval Иван Адамович Краваль
The statistician who counted a population that displeased Stalin
Economy, finance and planning · Soviet Union state institutions
1897–1937
-
Vitaly Markovich Primakov Виталий Маркович Примаков
Commander of the Red Cossacks and the Soviet 'Red Lawrence' who led the covert 1929 intervention in Afghanistan
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1897–1937
-
Vladimir Mikhailovich Kursky Владимир Михайлович Курский
The 'North Caucasian' deputy commissar who shot himself at the peak of his career
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1897–1937
-
Ivan Semyonovich Kutyakov Иван Семёнович Кутяков
Chapayev's successor and Civil War hero who outlived his usefulness to Stalin
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1897–1938
-
Nikolai Fyodorovich Gikalo Николай Фёдорович Гикало
Civil War hero who commanded the Grozny defence, then drove industrialization and collectivization as First Secretary of three republics
Political and party leadership · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1897–1938
-
Nikolai Kuzmich Kruchinkin Николай Кузьмич Кручинкин
Divisional commander who headed the NKVD border and internal troops and was shot
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1897–1938
-
Yakov Ivanovich Alksnis Яков Иванович Алкснис
Built the world's largest bomber force, then died the death he had sentenced others to
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1897–1938
-
Ivan Fyodorovich Fedko Иван Фёдорович Федько
Four-time Red Banner hero of the Civil War, rose to First Deputy Defence Commissar: purged by the machine he served
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1897–1939
-
Pyotr Ivanovich Smorodin Пётр Иванович Смородин
The worker-Bolshevik who built the Komsomol's mass base and made 'study' its watchword
Social movements and organizing · Soviet Communist Party and Bolsheviks
1897–1939
-
Aleksey Alekseyevich Nasedkin Алексей Алексеевич Наседкин
Smolensk NKVD chief who fabricated the 'Latvian National Centre' case and launched the Latvian operation
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1897–1940
-
Nikolai Galaktionovich Nikolayev-Zhurid Николай Галактионович Николаев-Журид
Yezhov's counterintelligence chief who ran the army purge and the national operations
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1897–1940
-
Sergei Mikhailovich Shpigelglas Сергей Михайлович Шпигельглас
Architect of NKVD foreign operations during the Great Terror
Security, intelligence and policing · Soviet Union state institutions
1897–1940
-
Dmitry Grigoryevich Pavlov Дмитрий Григорьевич Павлов
The general who built Soviet tank forces and became their first scapegoat
Military command · Soviet Union state institutions
1897–1941