The Soviet Union was a world superpower that helped to shape and define almost the whole 20th century. The Soviet Union
formed out of the ashes of World War One, was a victor of World War Two
and went on to challenge the United States as a world superpower during
the Cold War. This article will analyze the lives, achievements, and
criticisms of the nine men who led the Soviet Union....
The leaders of the Soviet Union
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin was born in Ulyanovsk,
Russia, in 1870. He founded the Communist Party in 1912, but he spent
years leading up to the Russian Revolution in exile abroad before
Germany arranged for him to go back to Russia to get them out of World
War One. From there Lenin led the October Revolution to overthrow the
provisional government that had overthrown the monarchy during the
February Revolution. Lenin and the Communists then quickly consolidated
power and eventually won the Russian Civil War (1917-22). Lenin then
spent the last few years of his life trying to shape the future of the
Soviet Union.
Josef Stalin
Lenin's warning in his final
years about the unchecked power of party members went unheeded, however,
and this led to a power struggle for control following his death,
Joseph Stalin was born in Gori, Georgia in 1878, which was then a part
of the Russian Empire. Like Lenin, Stalin was in exile leading up to the
Russian Revolution. Stalin then helped shape the young Soviet Union
through the resulting Russian Civil War, Polish-Soviet War and the
invasion of Georgia. During this period Stalin clashed with Lenin and
other Soviet Leaders over ideology, strategy, and his violent
tendencies. After Lenin's death Stalin accumulated power, eventually
become the unquestioned leader by 1929. Stalin then spent years leading
up to World War Two pushing his economic policy of Collectivization and
trying to industrialize the country. Stalin also spent this time
purging, executing and deporting his enemies to Siberia. The Soviets and
the Germans signed a non-aggression pact and agreed to split up Eastern
Europe but then Hitler violated it and invaded the Soviet Union. Stalin
led the Soviet Union to victory in World War Two over Germany. Stalin
took control of Eastern Europe after World War Two and established the
Soviet Bloc. Relations with the West deteriorated and the Cold War
started in 1947. Stalin died a few years later in 1953.
Georgy Malenkov
Georgy
Malenkov was born in Orenburg, Russia in 1902. His advancement through
the party was advance by his family connections with Lenin and later
under the watchful eye of Stalin. He was heavily involved in Stalin's
purging of his enemies in the 1930's, gaining Stalin's favor and
avoiding his wrath. Upon Stalin's death, Malenkov became the leader of
the Soviet Union. However, Malenkov had a reformist streak as he called
for cuts in military spending and easing up on political repression.
This fact led to his undoing as a few weeks later Nikita Khrushchev
organized a coalition as him and undercut all of his authority as
leader. By 1955 Malenkov was no longer the leader of the Soviet Union.
In 1957, he joined a failed coup attempt against Khrushchev and was
expelled from the Communist Party. Malenkov was then sent to Kazakhstan
to serve as manager of a hydroelectric plant to spend the rest of his
life in disgrace. He died in 1988.
Nikita Khrushchev
In
1894, Nikita Khrushchev was born in Kalinovka, Russia. In 1918,
Khrushchev joined the Communist Party and fought in the Red Army.
Khrushchev rose quickly through the ranks of the Communist Party during
the 1930's and 40's. Shortly after taking over the leadership of the
Soviet Union from Malenkov, Khrushchev gave a speech where he denounced
the excesses under Stalin. This speech was the start of his policy of
de-Stalinization, which resulted in protests in Poland and Hungary that
were put down. Khrushchev relaxed restrictions on free expression,
released political prisoners and launched bold but ultimately
unattainable agricultural goals. He largely tried to pursue a policy of
peaceful coexistence with the West but at the same time started the
Cuban Missile Crisis and started construction on the Berlin Wall. Poor
economic growth, deteriorating relations with China and other issues
eventually led to Khrushchev being ousted from power by "retiring" due
to his health. Khrushchev spent his remaining years at his estate, dying
in 1971.
Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Brezhnev was born in
Kamianske, Ukraine in 1906, which was then part of the Russian Empire.
He joined the Komsomol (political youth organization) in 1923 and in
1929 became a full member of the Communist party. Brezhnev fought in
World War Two, reaching the rank of major general and in 1952 became a
member of the Central Committee. Brezhnev took over as the leader for
Khrushchev and ended his cultural reforms by clamping down on the
cultural freedom and he gave the KGB back some of their former powers
they had under Stalin. The Soviet economy grew under Khrushchev at a
rate that was on pace to catch up with America but by the mid-1970's
entered an era of stagnation and never recovered. Brezhnev also built up
the Soviet Union's military at the cost of their economy. During the
1970's Brezhnev pursued a policy of detente with the West trying to
normalize relations but the Soviet's costly decision to invade
Afghanistan in 1979 ended the detente policy. In his last few years,
Brezhnev's health deteriorated, and he was mostly a figured head. He
died in 1982.
Yuri Andropov
Yuri Andropov was born in the
Stavropol Governorate in 1914, which was then a part of the Russian
Empire. Andropov joined the Communist Party in 1939, and his superiors
quickly noticed his abilities making him head of the Komsomol. After
being transferred to Moscow in 1951, he was assigned to the Secretariat
staff and then became ambassador to Hungary from 1954-57. After
returning to Moscow from his ambassadorship he rose quickly through the
party ranks and became head of the KGB in 1967. Andropov started
positioning himself for succession as leader of the Soviet Union with
Brezhnev in poor health. Andropov was declared his successor and quickly
consolidated power. Andropov led an anti-corruption campaign and
dismissed many party ministers and secretaries. Andropov also did
reluctantly continue the Soviet war in Afghanistan. His rule was short
however because by August of 1983 his ill health overtook him and he
spent his last days in the hospital, dying in 1984.
Konstantin Chernenko
Konstantin
Chernenko was born in the Yeniseysk Governorate in 1911, which was then
part of the Russian Empire. Chernenko joined the Komsomol in 1929 and
became a full member of the Communist Party in 1931. Chernenko started
working for the propaganda department in 1933 and rose through the
ranks. The turning point in his career was a meeting with future Soviet
leader Leonid Brezhnev in 1948. Brezhnev continued to help him rise
through the ranks, with Chernenko gaining full membership to the Central
Committee in 1971. Chernenko replaced Andropov as leader despite his
own ailing health. Chernenko supported a greater role for labor unions
and reforming education and propaganda. Chernenko negotiated a trade
pact with China but did little to de-escalate the Cold War, boycotted
the 1984 Summer Olympics and did not end the war in Afghanistan. By the
middle of 1984 Chernenko's health start deteriorating and he died in
March of 1985.
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
was born in Stavropol Krai, Russia in 1931. He joined and became very
active in the Communist party while at Moscow State University and also
graduated with a law degree. By 1979 he had become a candidate member of
the Politburo and in 1985 he became the leader of the Soviet Union
after Chernenko's death. Gorbachev engaged in a race to amass nuclear
weapons in space with the United States, which proved costly for the
suffering Soviet economy. Gorbachev managed to end the costly Soviet war
in Afghanistan in 1987. He worked to provide more freedoms and reforms
to the Soviet people with his policies of glasnost and perestroika
(openness and restructure). In 1989 Gorbachev organized elections to
require Communist Party members to run against non-members to make a
more democratic electoral system. He also removed the Communist Party's
constitutional role in governing the state, which inadvertently led to
the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This fact was in spite of Gorbachev
wanting to keep the Soviet Union together. By 1990 Gorbachev was
grappling with different groups waging war and demanding independence,
along with a sputtering Soviet economy. In 1991 Gorbachev's rival Boris
Yeltsin was elected President of the Russian Republic and was pushing
radical changes to the economy. By the end of December of 1991, the
Soviet Union had completely crumbled, and Gorbachev stepped down and
gave Yeltsin complete power over Russia.
Gennady Yanayev
Gennady
Yanayev was born in Perevoz, Russia in 1937. He spent years in local
politics before he rose to prominence as Chairman of the All-Union
Central Council of Trade Unions. This fact helped him to gain a seat in
the Politburo in 1990 and later that year with Gorbachev's help he
became the first vice president of the Soviet Union. Yanayev quickly had
growing doubts about Gorbachev's reform policies and started working
with the Gang of Eight against Gorbachev. He took formal leadership of
the Gang of Eight and deposed Gorbachev during the August coup of 1991.
The coup collapsed after three days due to the growing popularity of
Boris Yeltsin, and Yanayev was arrested. He was pardoned in 1994 and
spent the rest of his life working for the Russian tourism
administration until his death in 2010.
A reflection on the Soviet Union and its leaders
The Soviet Union grew out of the revolution lead by men like Lenin
and Stalin to eventually become a world superpower to challenge the
United States for world dominance for the second half of the 20th
century. You know how the various Soviet leaders rose to power and what
they did in their time as leader. From their greatest achievements to
their biggest failures, I hope that you now know more about the leaders
of the Soviet Union.
Past Leaders Of The Soviet Union
| Historical Leaders Of The Soviet Union | Era In Power |
|---|
| Vladimir Lenin | Formation-1924 |
| Josef Stalin | 1924-1953 |
| Georgy Malenkov | 1953-1955 |
| Nikita Krushchev | 1955-1964 |
| Leonid Brezhnev | 1964-1982 |
| Yuri Andropov | 1982-1984 |
| Konstantin Chernenko | 1984-1985 |
| Mikhail Gorbachev | 1985-1991 |
| Gennady Yanayev | 1991 |
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