After Brezhnev's death, he exercised the highest leadership of the USSR. Who ruled after Stalin? Georgy Maximilianovich Malenkov

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Historians call the dates of Stalin's reign from 1929 to 1953. Joseph Stalin (Dzhugashvili) was born on December 21, 1879. Many contemporaries of the Soviet era associate the years of Stalin’s reign not only with victory over Nazi Germany and an increase in the level of industrialization of the USSR, but also with numerous repressions of the civilian population.

During Stalin's reign, about 3 million people were imprisoned and sentenced to death. And if we add to them those sent into exile, dispossessed and deported, then the victims among the civilian population in the Stalin era can be counted at about 20 million people. Now many historians and psychologists are inclined to believe that Stalin’s character was greatly influenced by the situation within the family and his upbringing in childhood.

The emergence of Stalin's tough character

It is known from reliable sources that Stalin’s childhood was not the happiest and most cloudless. The leader's parents often argued in front of their son. The father drank a lot and allowed himself to beat his mother in front of little Joseph. The mother, in turn, took out her anger on her son, beat and humiliated him. The unfavorable atmosphere in the family greatly affected Stalin's psyche. Even as a child, Stalin understood a simple truth: whoever is stronger is right. This principle became the future leader’s motto in life. He was also guided by him in governing the country.

In 1902, Joseph Vissarionovich organized a demonstration in Batumi, this step was his first in political career. A little later, Stalin became the Bolshevik leader, and his circle of best friends includes Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (Ulyanov). Stalin fully shares Lenin's revolutionary ideas.

In 1913, Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili first used his pseudonym - Stalin. From that time on, he became known by this last name. Few people know that before the surname Stalin, Joseph Vissarionovich tried on about 30 pseudonyms that never caught on.

Stalin's reign

The period of Stalin's reign begins in 1929. Almost the entire reign of Joseph Stalin was accompanied by collectivization, mass death of civilians and famine. In 1932, Stalin adopted the “three ears of corn” law. According to this law, a starving peasant who stole ears of wheat from the state was immediately subject to capital punishment - execution. All saved bread in the state was sent abroad. This was the first stage of industrialization of the Soviet state: the purchase modern technology foreign production.

During the reign of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, massive repressions of the peaceful population of the USSR were carried out. The repressions began in 1936, when the post of People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR was taken by N.I. Yezhov. In 1938, on Stalin's orders, he was shot close friend- Bukharin. During this period, many residents of the USSR were exiled to the Gulag or shot. Despite all the cruelty of the measures taken, Stalin's policy was aimed at raising the state and its development.

Pros and cons of Stalin's rule

Minuses:

• strict board policy:
• almost complete destruction of higher army officials, intelligentsia and scientists (who thought differently from the USSR government);
• repression of wealthy peasants and the religious population;
• the widening “gap” between the elite and the working class;
• oppression of civilians: payment of labor in food instead of monetary reward, working day up to 14 hours;
• propaganda of anti-Semitism;
• about 7 million starvation deaths during the period of collectivization;
• the flourishing of slavery;
• selective development of sectors of the economy of the Soviet state.

Pros:

• creation of protective nuclear shield in the post-war period;
• increasing the number of schools;
• creation of children's clubs, sections and circles;
• space exploration;
• reduction in prices for consumer goods;
• low prices for utilities;
• development of industry of the Soviet state on the world stage.

During the Stalin era, the social system of the USSR was formed, social, political and economic institutions appeared. Joseph Vissarionovich completely abandoned the NEP policy and, at the expense of the village, carried out the modernization of the Soviet state. Thanks to the strategic qualities of the Soviet leader, the USSR won the Second World War. The Soviet state began to be called a superpower. The USSR joined the UN Security Council. The era of Stalin's rule ended in 1953. He was replaced as Chairman of the USSR Government by N. Khrushchev.

My labor activity began after graduating from 4 classes of the zemstvo school in the house of the nobleman Morduchai-Bolotovsky. Here he served as a footman.

Then there were difficult ordeals in search of work, later a position as an apprentice under a turner at the Old Arsenal gun factory.

And then there was the Putilov plant. Here he first encountered underground revolutionary organizations of workers, whose activities he had long heard about. He immediately joined them, joined the Social Democratic Party and even organized his own educational circle at the plant.

After his first arrest and release, he left for the Caucasus (he was prohibited from living in St. Petersburg and the surrounding area), where he continued his revolutionary activities.

After a brief second imprisonment, he moved to Revel, where he also actively established connections with revolutionary figures and activists. He begins to write articles for Iskra, collaborates with the newspaper as a correspondent, distributor, liaison, etc.

Over the course of several years, he was arrested 14 times! But he continued his activities. By 1917, he played an important role in the Petrograd Bolshevik organization and was elected a member of the executive commission of the St. Petersburg party committee. Actively participated in the development of the revolutionary program.

At the end of March 1919, Lenin personally proposed his candidacy for the post of chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. At the same time, F. Dzerzhinsky, A. Beloborodov, N. Krestinsky and others applied for this post.

The first document that Kalinin presented during the meeting was a declaration containing the immediate tasks of the All-Union Central Executive Committee.

During civil war He often visited the fronts, conducted active propaganda work among the soldiers, and traveled to villages and villages, where he held conversations with peasants. Despite his high position, he was easy to communicate and knew how to find an approach to anyone. In addition, he himself was from a peasant family and worked at a factory for many years. All this inspired confidence in him and forced people to listen to his words.

For many years, people faced with a problem or injustice wrote to Kalinin, and in most cases received real help.

In 1932, thanks to him, the operation to deport several tens of thousands of dispossessed families and expelled from collective farms was stopped.

After the end of the war, issues of economic and social development countries. Together with Lenin, he developed plans and documents for electrification, restoration of heavy industry, the transport system and Agriculture.

It would not have been possible without him when choosing the statute of the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, drawing up the Declaration on the Formation of the USSR, union treaty, Constitution and other significant documents.

During the 1st Congress of Soviets of the USSR, he was elected one of the chairmen of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR.

The main activity in foreign policy there was work to recognize the country of Soviets by other states.

In all his affairs, even after Lenin's death, he clearly adhered to the line of development outlined by Ilyich.

On the first day of winter 1934, he signed a decree, which subsequently gave the green light for mass repressions.

In January 1938 he became chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. He worked in this position for more than 8 years. He resigned from his post a few months before his death.

In Soviet Union private life leaders of the country was strictly classified and protected as state secrets of the highest degree of protection. Only analysis of published Lately materials allows us to lift the veil on the secrecy of their payroll records.

Having seized power in the country, Vladimir Lenin in December 1917 set himself a monthly salary of 500 rubles, which approximately corresponded to the wages of an unskilled worker in Moscow or St. Petersburg. Any other income, including fees, to high-ranking party members, at Lenin’s proposal, was strictly prohibited.

The modest salary of the “leader of the world revolution” was quickly eaten up by inflation, but Lenin somehow did not think about where the money for a completely comfortable life, treatment with the involvement of world luminaries and domestic service, although he did not forget to strictly tell his subordinates every time: “Deduct these expenses from my salary!”

At the beginning of the NEP, the General Secretary of the Bolshevik Party Joseph Stalin was given a salary less than half of Lenin’s salary (225 rubles) and only in 1935 it was increased to 500 rubles, but the next year a new increase to 1200 rubles followed. The average salary in the USSR at that time was 1,100 rubles, and although Stalin did not live on his salary, he could well have lived modestly on it. During the war years, the leader's salary became almost zero as a result of inflation, but at the end of 1947, after the monetary reform, the “leader of all nations” set himself a new salary of 10,000 rubles, which was 10 times higher than the then average salary in the USSR. At the same time, a system of “Stalinist envelopes” was introduced - monthly tax-free payments to the top of the party-Soviet apparatus. Be that as it may, Stalin did not seriously consider his salary and of great importance didn’t give it to her.

The first among the leaders of the Soviet Union who became seriously interested in his salary was Nikita Khrushchev, who received 800 rubles a month, which was 9 times the average salary in the country.

Sybarite Leonid Brezhnev was the first to violate Lenin’s ban on additional income, in addition to salaries, for the top of the party. In 1973, he awarded himself the International Lenin Prize (25,000 rubles), and starting in 1979, when the name of Brezhnev adorned the galaxy of classics of Soviet literature, huge fees began to pour into the Brezhnev family budget. Brezhnev’s personal account at the publishing house of the CPSU Central Committee “Politizdat” is replete with thousands of sums for huge print runs and multiple reprints of his masterpieces “Renaissance”, “ Malaya Zemlya” and “Virgin lands”. It is curious that the Secretary General had the habit of often forgetting about his literary income when paying party contributions to his favorite party.

Leonid Brezhnev was generally very generous at the expense of “national” state property - both to himself, and to his children, and to those close to him. He appointed his son first deputy minister of foreign trade. In this post, he became famous for his constant trips for lavish parties abroad, as well as for huge senseless expenses there. Brezhnev's daughter led a wild life in Moscow, spending money coming from nowhere on jewelry. Those close to Brezhnev, in turn, were generously allocated dachas, apartments and huge bonuses.

Yuri Andropov, as a member of the Brezhnev Politburo, received 1,200 rubles a month, but after becoming secretary general, he returned the salary of the general secretary from the time of Khrushchev - 800 rubles a month. At the same time, the purchasing power of the “Andropov ruble” was approximately half that of the “Khrushchev ruble”. Nevertheless, Andropov completely preserved the system of “Brezhnev’s fees” of the Secretary General and successfully used it. For example, with a basic salary rate of 800 rubles, his income for January 1984 was 8,800 rubles.

Andropov’s successor, Konstantin Chernenko, while maintaining the Secretary General’s salary at 800 rubles, intensified his efforts to extort fees by publishing various ideological materials in his own name. According to his party card, his income ranged from 1,200 to 1,700 rubles. At the same time, Chernenko, a fighter for the moral purity of communists, had the habit of constantly hiding from his own party large amounts. Thus, researchers could not find in the party card of Secretary General Chernenko in the column for 1984 4,550 rubles of royalties received through the payroll of Politizdat.

Mikhail Gorbachev “reconciled” with a salary of 800 rubles until 1990, which was only four times the average salary in the country. Only after combining the posts of president of the country and secretary general in 1990 did Gorbachev begin to receive 3,000 rubles, with the average salary in the USSR being 500 rubles.

The successor to the general secretaries, Boris Yeltsin, fumbled almost to the end with the “Soviet salary”, not daring to radically reform the salaries of the state apparatus. Only by decree of 1997 was the salary of the President of Russia set at 10,000 rubles, and in August 1999 its size increased to 15,000 rubles, which was 9 times higher than the average salary in the country, that is, it was approximately at the level of the salaries of his predecessors in running the country, who had the title of General Secretary. True, the Yeltsin family had a lot of income from “the outside”.

For the first 10 months of his reign, Vladimir Putin received the “Yeltsin rate.” However, as of June 30, 2002, the president's annual salary was set at 630,000 rubles (approximately $25,000) plus security and language allowances. He also receives a military pension for his rank of colonel.

From this moment on, for the first time since Lenin’s times, the basic salary rate of the leader of Russia ceased to be just a fiction, although compared to the salary rates of the leaders of the leading countries of the world, Putin’s rate looks rather modest. For example, the President of the United States receives 400 thousand dollars, and the Prime Minister of Japan has almost the same amount. The salaries of other leaders are more modest: the Prime Minister of Great Britain has 348,500 dollars, the Chancellor of Germany has about 220 thousand, and the President of France has 83 thousand.

It’s interesting to see how the “regional secretaries general” look against this background - current presidents CIS countries. Former member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, and now the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, essentially lives according to the “Stalinist norms” for the ruler of the country, that is, he and his family are fully provided for by the state, but he also set a relatively small salary for himself - 4 thousand dollars per month. month. Other regional general secretaries - former first secretaries of the Central Committee of the Communist Parties of their republics - formally established more modest salaries for themselves. Thus, the President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, receives only $1,900 a month, and the President of Turkmenistan, Sapurmurad Niyazov, receives only $900. At the same time, Aliyev, having placed his son Ilham Aliyev at the head of the state oil company, actually privatized all the country's income from oil - the main currency resource of Azerbaijan, and Niyazov generally turned Turkmenistan into a kind of medieval khanate, where everything belongs to the ruler. Turkmenbashi, and only he, can resolve any issue. All foreign currency funds are managed only by Turkmenbashi (Father of the Turkmens) Niyazov personally, and the sale of Turkmen gas and oil is managed by his son Murad Niyazov.

The situation is worse than others former first Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Georgia and member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee Eduard Shevardnadze. With a modest monthly salary of $750, he was unable to establish complete control over the country’s wealth due to strong opposition to him in the country. In addition, the opposition closely monitors all personal expenses of President Shevardnadze and his family.

Lifestyle and real capabilities of current leaders former country The Soviets are well characterized by the behavior of the Russian President's wife, Lyudmila Putina, during her husband's recent state visit to the UK. The wife of the British Prime Minister, Cherie Blair, took Lyudmila to view 2004 clothing models from the Burberry design firm, famous among the rich. For more than two hours, Lyudmila Putina was shown the latest fashion items, and in conclusion, Putina was asked if she would like to purchase anything. Blueberry's prices are very high. For example, even a gas scarf from this company costs 200 pounds sterling.

The Russian president's eyes were so wide-eyed that she announced the purchase... of the entire collection. Even super-millionaires did not dare to do this. By the way, because if you buy the entire collection, people will not understand that you are wearing next year’s fashion clothes! After all, no one else has anything comparable. Putina's behavior in this case was not so much the behavior of the wife of a large statesman beginning of the XXI centuries, how much the behavior resembled main wife Arab sheikh mid-20th century, distraught by the amount of petrodollars that had fallen on her husband.

This episode with Mrs. Putina needs a little explanation. Naturally, neither she nor the “art critics in plainclothes” accompanying her during the collection display had as much money with them as the collection was worth. This was not required, because in such cases, respected people only need their signature on the check and nothing else. No money or credit cards. Even if Mr. President of Russia himself, who is trying to appear before the world as a civilized European, was outraged by this act, then, of course, he had to pay.

Other rulers of countries - former Soviet republics - also know how to “live well.” So, a couple of years ago, the six-day wedding of the son of the President of Kyrgyzstan Akaev and the daughter of the President of Kazakhstan Nazarbayev thundered throughout Asia. The scale of the wedding was truly Khan-like. By the way, both newlyweds graduated from the University of College Park (Maryland) only a year ago.

The son of Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev, Ilham Aliyev, also looks quite decent against this background, having set a kind of world record: in just one evening he managed to lose as much as 4 (four!) million dollars in a casino. By the way, this worthy representative of one of the “General Secretary’s” clans is now registered as a candidate for the post of President of Azerbaijan. Residents of this one of the poorest countries in terms of living standards are invited to elect either an amateur in the new elections.” beautiful life” Aliyev’s son or father Aliyev himself, who has already “served” two presidential terms, has crossed the 80-year mark and is so sick that he is no longer able to move independently.

Over the 69 years of the existence of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, several people became the head of the country. The first ruler of the new state was Vladimir Ilyich Lenin ( real name Ulyanov), who led the Bolshevik Party during October revolution. Then the role of head of state actually began to be performed by the person who held the position Secretary General Central Committee of the CPSU (Central Committee Communist Party Soviet Union).

IN AND. Lenin

The first significant decision of the new Russian government was to refuse to participate in the bloody world war. Lenin managed to achieve it, despite the fact that some party members were against concluding peace on unfavorable terms (Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty). Having saved hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of lives, the Bolsheviks immediately put them at risk in another war - a civil one. The fight against interventionists, anarchists and White Guards, as well as other opponents Soviet power brought quite a few human casualties.

In 1921, Lenin initiated the transition from the policy of war communism to the New Economic Policy (NEP), which contributed to the rapid recovery of the economy and National economy countries. Lenin also contributed to the establishment of one-party rule in the country and the formation of the Union of Socialist Republics. The USSR in the form in which it was created did not satisfy Lenin’s requirements, however, he did not have time to make significant changes.

In 1922, hard work and the consequences of the assassination attempt on him by Socialist-Revolutionary Fanny Kaplan in 1918 made themselves felt: Lenin became seriously ill. He took less and less part in governing the state and other people took the leading roles. Lenin himself spoke with alarm about his possible successor, Party General Secretary Stalin: “Comrade Stalin, having become General Secretary, concentrated immense power in his hands, and I am not sure whether he will always be able to use this power carefully enough.” On January 21, 1924, Lenin died, and Stalin, as expected, became his successor.

One of the main directions to which V.I. Lenin paid great attention to the development Russian economy. At the direction of the first leader of the country of the Soviets, many factories for the production of equipment were organized, and the completion of the AMO automobile plant (later ZIL) in Moscow began. Lenin paid great attention to the development of domestic energy and electronics. Perhaps, if fate had given the “leader of the world proletariat” (as Lenin was often called) more time, he would have raised the country to a high level.

I.V. Stalin

A tougher policy was pursued by Lenin’s successor Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (real name Dzhugashvili), who in 1922 took the post of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee. Now the name of Stalin is associated mainly with the so-called “Stalinist repressions” of the 30s, when several million residents of the USSR were deprived of property (the so-called “dekulakization”), were imprisoned or executed for political reasons (for condemning the current government).
Indeed, the years of Stalin's rule left a bloody mark on the history of Russia, but there were also positive features this period. During this time, from an agricultural country with a secondary economy, Soviet Union turned into world power with huge industrial and military potential. The development of the economy and industry took its toll during the Great Patriotic War, which, although costly to the Soviet people, but were still won. Already during the hostilities, it was possible to establish good supplies for the army and create new types of weapons. After the war, many cities that had been destroyed almost to the ground were restored at an accelerated pace.

N.S. Khrushchev

Soon after Stalin's death (March 1953), Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev became the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee (September 13, 1953). This leader of the CPSU became famous, perhaps, most of all for his extraordinary actions, many of which are still remembered. So, in 1960 at General Assembly UN Nikita Sergeevich took off his shoe and, threatening to show Kuzka’s mother, began banging it on the podium in protest against the speech of the Filipino delegate. The period of Khrushchev's reign is associated with the development of the arms race between the USSR and the USA (the so-called “Cold War”). In 1962, the deployment of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba almost led to a military conflict with the United States.

Among the positive changes that occurred during the reign of Khrushchev, one can note the rehabilitation of victims Stalin's repressions(having taken the post of General Secretary, Khrushchev initiated the removal of Beria from his posts and his arrest), the development of agriculture through the development of unplowed lands (virgin lands), as well as the development of industry. It was during the reign of Khrushchev that the first launch of an artificial Earth satellite and the first human flight into space occurred. The period of Khrushchev's reign has an unofficial name - the “Khrushchev Thaw”.

L.I. Brezhnev

Khrushchev was replaced as General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee by Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (October 14, 1964). For the first time, a change of party leader was made not after his death, but by removal from office. The era of Brezhnev's rule went down in history as “stagnation”. The fact is that the Secretary General was a staunch conservative and an opponent of any reforms. Continued " cold war", which was the reason that most of the resources went to military industry to the detriment of other areas. Therefore, during this period, the country practically stopped in its technical development and began to lose to other leading powers in the world (excluding the military industry). In 1980, the XXII Summer Olympic Games, which were boycotted by some countries (USA, Germany and others), in protest against the introduction Soviet troops to Afghanistan.

During Brezhnev's time, some attempts were made to defuse tensions in relations with the United States: American-Soviet treaties on the limitation of strategic offensive weapons were concluded. But these attempts were dashed by the introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in 1979. At the end of the 80s, Brezhnev was actually no longer capable of ruling the country and was only considered the leader of the party. On November 10, 1982, he died at his dacha.

Yu. V. Andropov

On November 12, Khrushchev’s place was taken by Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov, who previously headed the Committee state security(KGB). He achieved sufficient support among party leaders, therefore, despite the resistance of Brezhnev's former supporters, he was elected General Secretary and then Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Having taken the helm, Andropov proclaimed a course for socio-economic transformations. But all the reforms boiled down to administrative measures, strengthening discipline and exposing corruption in high circles. In foreign policy, confrontation with the West only intensified. Andropov sought to strengthen personal power: in June 1983 he took the post of chairman of the presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, while remaining general secretary. However, Andropov did not stay in power for long: he died on February 9, 1984 due to kidney disease, without having time to make significant changes in the life of the country.

K.U. Chernenko

On February 13, 1984, the post of head of the Soviet state was taken by Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko, who was considered a contender for the post of General Secretary even after Brezhnev’s death. Chernenko held this important post at the age of 72, being seriously ill, so it was clear that this was only a temporary figure. During Chernenko's reign, a number of reforms were undertaken, which were never brought to their logical conclusion. On September 1, 1984, Knowledge Day was celebrated for the first time in the country. On March 10, 1985, Chernenko died. His place was taken by Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, who later became the first and last president THE USSR.