Who was the general secretary after Brezhnev. General secretaries of the ussr in chronological order

Soviet party and statesman.
First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU since 1964 (since 1966 General Secretary) and Chairman of the Presidium Supreme Council USSR in 1960-1964 and since 1977
Marshal of the Soviet Union, 1976

Biography of Brezhnev

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was born on December 19, 1906 in the village of Kamenskoye, Yekaterinoslav province (now it is the city of Dneprodzerzhinsk).

L. Brezhnev's father, Ilya Yakovlevich, was a metallurgical worker. Brezhnev's mother, Natalya Denisovna, had the surname Mazelova before her marriage.

In 1915, Brezhnev entered the zero class of a classical gymnasium.

In 1921, Leonid Brezhnev graduated from a labor school, went to his first job at the Kursk oil mill.

1923 was marked by joining the Komsomol.

In 1927, Brezhnev graduated from the Kursk land management and reclamation college. After studying, Leonid Ilyich worked for some time in Kursk and in Belarus.

In 1927 - 1930. Brezhnev holds the post of land surveyor in the Urals. Later he became the head of the district land department, was deputy chairman of the District Executive Committee, deputy head of the Ural Regional Land Administration. He took an active part in the collectivization in the Urals.

In 1928 Leonid Brezhnev married.

In 1931, Brezhnev joined the VKP(b) (All-Russian Communist Party of Bolsheviks).

In 1935, he received a diploma from the Dneprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute, being a party organizer.

In 1937 he entered the metallurgical plant. F.E. Dzerzhinsky as an engineer and immediately received the post of deputy chairman of the Dneprodzerzhinsky city executive committee.

In 1938, Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was appointed head of the department of the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, and a year later he received a secretary position in the same organization.

During the Great Patriotic War, Brezhnev occupied a number of senior positions: Deputy Head of the Political Directorate of the 4th Ukrainian Front, Head of the Political Department of the 18th Army, Head of the Political Directorate of the Carpathian Military District. He finished the war with the rank of major general, although he had "very weak military knowledge."

In 1946, L.I. Brezhnev was appointed 1st Secretary of the Zaporozhye Regional Committee of the Communist Party (b) of Ukraine, a year later he was transferred to the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Committee in the same position.

In 1950, he became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, in July of the same year - the 1st secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (b) of Moldova.

In October 1952, Brezhnev received from Stalin the post of secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU and became a member of the Central Committee and a candidate member of the Presidium of the Central Committee.

After the death of I.V. Stalin in 1953, the rapid career of Leonid Ilyich was interrupted for a while. He was demoted and was appointed 1st Deputy Chief of the Chief political management Soviet army and fleet.

1954 - 1956 the famous uplift of virgin lands in Kazakhstan. L.I. Brezhnev consistently holds the positions of 2nd and 1st secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Republic.

In February 1956, he regained his position as secretary of the Central Committee.

In 1956, Brezhnev became a candidate, and a year later a member Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU (in 1966 the organization was renamed the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU). In this position, Leonid Ilyich led science-intensive industries, including space exploration.

In Soviet Union private life leaders of the country was strictly classified and protected as a state secret of the highest degree of protection. Only analysis of published recent times materials allows you to lift the veil on the secret of their payroll.

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

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 comes from for a completely comfortable life, treatment with the involvement of world luminaries and domestic servants, although he did not forget to strictly say to his subordinates every time: “Subtract these expenses from my salary!”

The general secretary of the Bolshevik Party, Joseph Stalin, at the beginning of the NEP was set a salary less than half of Lenin's salary (225 rubles), and only in 1935 was it raised 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 own salary, he could very well live modestly on it. During the war years, the leader's salary turned almost to zero as a result of inflation, but at the end of 1947, after monetary reform, the “leader of all peoples,” sets himself a new salary of 10,000 rubles, which is 10 times higher than the then average wage in the USSR. At the same time, a system of "Stalin envelopes" was introduced - monthly tax-free payments to the top of the party and 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 their 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 who violated the Leninist ban on additional, except for wages, income for the top of the party. In 1973, he awarded himself the International Lenin Prize (25,000 rubles), and starting in 1979, when Brezhnev’s name adorned the galaxy of classics of Soviet literature, huge fees began to pour into family budget Brezhnev. Brezhnev's personal account in the publishing house of the Central Committee of the CPSU "Politizdat" is replete with thousands of sums for huge circulations and multiple reprints of his masterpieces "Renaissance", "Small Land" and "Virgin Land". It is curious that the general secretary had a habit of often forgetting about his literary income when paying party dues to his favorite party.

Leonid Brezhnev was generally very generous at the expense of "nationwide" state property - both to himself, and to his children, and to those close to him. He appointed his son as First Deputy Minister foreign trade. In this post, he became famous for his constant trips for magnificent parties abroad, as well as huge senseless spending there. Brezhnev's daughter led a wild life in Moscow, spending money coming from nowhere on jewelry. Brezhnev's associates, in turn, were generously endowed with dachas, apartments and huge bonuses.

Yuri Andropov, being a member of the Brezhnev Politburo, received 1,200 rubles a month, but when he became General Secretary, he returned the salary of the General Secretary of the Khrushchev era - 800 rubles a month. At the same time, the purchasing power of the “Andropov ruble” was about half that of the “Khrushchev” ruble. Nevertheless, Andropov completely retained the system of "Brezhnev's fees" of the Secretary General and successfully used it. For example, with a basic salary of 800 rubles, his income in January 1984 amounted to 8,800 rubles.

Andropov's successor, Konstantin Chernenko, keeping the general secretary's salary at the level of 800 rubles, intensified his activity in extorting fees, publishing various ideological materials on his own behalf. According to his party card, his income ranged from 1200 to 1700 rubles. At the same time, Chernenko, a fighter for the moral purity of the communists, had a habit of constantly hiding from his native party large sums. So, the researchers could not find in the party card of General Secretary Chernenko in the column for 1984 4550 rubles of the fee received from 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 by combining the posts of president and general secretary in 1990, Gorbachev began to receive 3,000 rubles, while the average salary in the USSR was 500 rubles.

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

Vladimir Putin for the first 10 months of his reign received "Yeltsin's rate". However, effective June 30, 2002, the President's annual salary was set at 630,000 rubles (approximately $25,000) plus secrecy and language bonuses. He also receives a military pension for the rank of colonel.

From that moment on, the main salary rate of the leader of Russia for the first time since Lenin's time has ceased to be just a fiction, although against the background of wage rates for 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, almost the same amount has the Prime Minister of Japan. The salaries of other leaders are more modest: the British Prime Minister has $348,500, the German Chancellor has about $220,000, and the French President has $83,000.

It is interesting to see how the "regional general secretaries" - the current presidents of the CIS countries - look against this background. The former member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, 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 completely and completely provided by the state, but he also set a relatively small salary for himself - 4 thousand dollars a day. month. Other regional general secretaries - the former first secretaries of the Central Committee of the Communist Parties of their republics - formally set themselves more modest salaries. Thus, Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev receives only $1,900 a month, while Turkmen President Sapurmurat Niyazov receives only $900. At the same time, Aliyev, having put 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 solve any issue. by all foreign exchange only Turkmenbashi (Father of the Turkmens) Niyazov personally manages, 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 Central Committee of the CPSU Eduard Shevardnadze. With a modest monthly salary of $ 750, he could not establish full control over the country's wealth because of the strong opposition to him in the country. In addition, the opposition keeps a close eye on all personal expenses of President Shevardnadze and his family.

Lifestyle and real opportunities of current leaders former country Sovetov well characterizes the behavior of the wife of Russian President Lyudmila Putina during her husband's recent state visit to the UK. The British prime minister's wife, Sheri Blair, took Ludmila to a 2004 fashion show at Burberry, a well-known design firm among the wealthy. For more than two hours, Lyudmila Putina was shown the latest fashion, and in conclusion, Putin was asked if she would like to buy something. Blueberry prices are very high. For example, even a gas scarf of this company pulls on 200 pounds sterling.

The Russian president's eyes widened so much 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, then people will not understand that you are wearing next year's fashion clothes! After all, no one else has anything comparable. Putin's behavior in this case was not so much the behavior of the wife of a major statesman the beginning of the XXI century, how much did the behavior of the main wife Arab sheikh middle of the XX century, distraught from the amount of petrodollars that fell on her husband.

This episode with Mrs. Putina needs some explanation. Naturally, neither she nor the “art historians in civilian clothes” accompanying her during the display of the collection had as much money with them as the collection cost. This was not required, because in such cases, respected people need only their signature on the check and nothing else. No money or credit cards. Even if the very Mr. President of Russia, who is trying to present himself to 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 all over Asia. The scale of the wedding was truly khan's. By the way, both newlyweds only a year ago graduated from the University in College Park (Maryland).

Against this background, the son of Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev, Ilham Aliyev, who set a kind of world record, looks quite worthy against this background: in just one evening he managed to lose as much as 4 (four!) Million dollars in a casino. By the way, this worthy representative one of the “general secretary” families is now registered as a candidate for the presidency 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” Aliev’s son or dad Aliev 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.

Image caption royal family concealed the illness of the heir to the throne

Disputes about the state of health of President Vladimir Putin make us recall the Russian tradition: the first person was regarded as an earthly deity, which was not supposed to be remembered irreverently and in vain.

Possessing practically unlimited power for life, the rulers of Russia fell ill and died like mere mortals. It is said that in the 1950s, one of the liberal-minded young "stadium poets" once said: "Only they have no control over heart attacks!"

Discussing the personal lives of leaders, including their physical condition, was banned. Russia is not America, where the analysis data of presidents and presidential candidates and their blood pressure figures are published.

Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolayevich, as you know, suffered from congenital hemophilia - a hereditary disease in which blood does not coagulate normally, and any injury can lead to death from internal hemorrhage.

The only person capable of improving his condition in some way still incomprehensible to science was Grigory Rasputin, who, in modern terms, was a strong psychic.

Nicholas II and his wife categorically did not want to make public the fact that their The only son is actually disabled. Even ministers only in general terms knew that the Tsarevich had health problems. Simple people, seeing the heir during rare public appearances in the arms of a hefty sailor, they considered him a victim of an assassination attempt by terrorists.

Whether Alexei Nikolayevich could subsequently lead the country, or not, is unknown. His life at less than 14 years was cut short by a KGB bullet.

Vladimir Lenin

The founder of the Soviet state died unusually early, at the age of 54, from progressive atherosclerosis. An autopsy showed damage to the cerebral vessels incompatible with life. There were rumors that the development of the disease was provoked by untreated syphilis, but there is no evidence for this.

The first stroke, which resulted in partial paralysis and loss of speech, happened to Lenin on May 26, 1922. After that, for more than a year and a half he was at the dacha in Gorki in helpless state interrupted by short remissions.

Lenin is the only soviet leader, from whose physical condition no secret was made. Medical bulletins were published regularly. However, associates last days assured that the leader would recover. Joseph Stalin, who visited Lenin in Gorki more often than other members of the leadership, posted optimistic reports in Pravda about how he and Ilyich joked merrily about reinsurer doctors.

Joseph Stalin

"Leader of the Nations" last years suffered from severe damage to the cardiovascular system, probably aggravated by an unhealthy lifestyle: he worked hard, while turning night into day, ate fatty and spicy foods, smoked and drank, and did not like to be examined and treated.

According to some reports, the "doctors' case" began with the fact that professor-cardiologist Kogan advised a high-ranking patient to rest more. The suspicious dictator saw this as someone's attempt to remove him from business.

Having started the "doctors' case", Stalin was left without qualified medical care at all. Even the closest people could not talk to him on this topic, and he intimidated the servants so much that after a stroke that happened on March 1, 1953 at the Near Dacha, he lay on the floor for several hours, as he had previously forbidden the guards to disturb him without calling.

Even after Stalin turned 70, public discussion of his health and forecasts of what would happen to the country after his departure were absolutely impossible in the USSR. The idea that we would ever be "without him" was considered blasphemous.

For the first time, the people were informed about Stalin's illness the day before his death, when he had long been unconscious.

Leonid Brezhnev

Leonid Brezhnev in recent years, as the people joked, "ruled without regaining consciousness." The very possibility of such jokes confirmed that after Stalin the country had changed a lot.

The 75-year-old general secretary had enough senile illnesses. In particular, sluggish leukemia was mentioned. However, it is difficult to say from what, in fact, he died.

Doctors spoke of a general weakening of the body, caused by the abuse of sedatives and sleeping pills, which caused memory lapses, loss of coordination and speech disorder.

In 1979, Brezhnev lost consciousness during a meeting of the Politburo.

"You know, Mikhail," Yuri Andropov said to Mikhail Gorbachev, who had just been transferred to Moscow and was not accustomed to such scenes, "everything must be done to support Leonid Ilyich in this position as well. This is a matter of stability."

Brezhnev was politically killed by television. In the old days, his condition could have been hidden, but in the 1970s to avoid regular appearances on the screen, including in live, was impossible.

The apparent inadequacy of the leader, combined with the complete absence official information provoked a very negative public reaction. Instead of pity for the sick person, the people responded with jokes and anecdotes.

Yuri Andropov

Yuri Andropov most of his life suffered from severe kidney damage, from which, in the end, he died.

The disease caused an increase in blood pressure. In the mid-1960s, Andropov was intensively treated for hypertension, but this did not give results, and there was a question about his retirement due to disability.

Kremlin doctor Yevgeny Chazov made a dizzying career thanks to the fact that he appointed the head of the KGB correct diagnosis and gave him about 15 years of active life.

In June 1982, at the plenum of the Central Committee, when the speaker called from the rostrum to "give a party assessment" to the spreaders of rumors, Andropov unexpectedly intervened and said in a harsh tone that " last time warns" those who talk too much in conversations with foreigners. According to the researchers, he meant, first of all, leaks of information about his health.

In September, Andropov went on vacation to the Crimea, where he caught a cold and never got out of bed again. In the Kremlin hospital, he regularly underwent hemodialysis, a blood purification procedure using equipment that replaces the normal functioning of the kidneys.

Unlike Brezhnev, who once fell asleep and did not wake up, Andropov died a long and painful death.

Konstantin Chernenko

After Andropov's death, the need to give the country a young dynamic leader was obvious to everyone. But the old members of the Politburo nominated 72-year-old Konstantin Chernenko, formally the No. 2 man, as general secretary.

As he later recalled former minister health care of the USSR Boris Petrovsky, they all thought exclusively about how to die in office, they had no time for the country, and even more so, no time for reforms.

Chernenko had suffered from emphysema for a long time, heading the state, almost did not work, rarely appeared in public, spoke, choking and swallowing words.

In August 1983, he suffered a severe poisoning after eating on vacation in the Crimea fish caught and smoked by his neighbor in the country, Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR Vitaly Fedorchuk. Many were treated to the gift, but nothing bad happened to anyone else.

Konstantin Chernenko died on March 10, 1985. Three days earlier, elections to the Supreme Soviet were held in the USSR. Television showed the General Secretary, who unsteadily walked up to the ballot box, dropped the ballot into it, languidly waved his hand and slurred: "Good."

Boris Yeltsin

Boris Yeltsin suffered from severe heart disease and reportedly suffered five heart attacks.

The first president of Russia was always proud of the fact that nothing takes him, went in for sports, swam in ice water and built his image on this in many respects, and was used to enduring ailments on his feet.

Yeltsin's health deteriorated sharply in the summer of 1995, but elections were ahead, and he refused extensive treatment, although doctors warned of "irreparable harm to health." According to journalist Alexander Khinshtein, he said: "After the elections, at least cut, but now leave me alone."

On June 26, 1996, a week before the second round of elections, Yeltsin had a heart attack in Kaliningrad, which was concealed with great difficulty.

On August 15, immediately after taking office, the president went to the clinic, where he underwent coronary bypass surgery. This time he conscientiously followed all the instructions of the doctors.

In the conditions of freedom of speech, it was difficult to hide the truth about the state of health of the head of state, but the entourage tried as best they could. It was admitted, in extreme cases, that he had ischemia and temporary colds. Press Secretary Sergei Yastrzhembsky said that the president rarely appears in public, because he is extremely busy working with documents, but his handshake is ironclad.

Separately, the question of Boris Yeltsin's relationship with alcohol should be mentioned. Political opponents constantly exaggerated this topic. One of the main slogans of the Communists during the 1996 campaign was: "Instead of the drunken El, let's choose Zyuganov!"

Meanwhile, Yeltsin appeared in public "under the fly" the only time - during the famous conducting of the orchestra in Berlin.

The former head of the presidential guard, Alexander Korzhakov, who had no reason to shield the former chief, wrote in his memoirs that in September 1994 in Shannon, Yeltsin did not get off the plane to meet with the Prime Minister of Ireland, not because of intoxication, but because of a heart attack. After a quick consultation, the advisers decided that people should believe the "alcoholic" version rather than admit that the leader was seriously ill.

Retirement, regime and peace had a beneficial effect on the health of Boris Yeltsin. He lived in retirement for almost eight years, although in 1999, according to doctors, he was in serious condition.

Is it worth hiding the truth?

According to experts, illness is certainly not a plus for a statesman, but in the era of the Internet it is pointless to hide the truth, and with skillful PR, one can even extract political dividends from it.

As an example, analysts point to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who made his fight against cancer good advertising. Supporters got a reason to be proud that their idol does not burn in the fire and even in the face of illness thinks about the country, and rallied around him even stronger.

Historians call the dates of Stalin's reign the period from 1929 to 1953. Joseph Stalin (Dzhugashvili) was born on December 21, 1879. Many contemporaries Soviet era associate the years of Stalin's rule 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 the reign of Stalin, about 3 million people were imprisoned and sentenced to death penalty. 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 as about 20 million people. Now many historians and psychologists are inclined to believe that the situation within the family and upbringing in childhood had a huge impact on Stalin's character.

The formation of Stalin's tough character

From reliable sources it is known that Stalin's childhood was not the happiest and most cloudless. The leader's parents often cursed 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. Unfavorable atmosphere in the family had a strong impact on the psyche of Stalin. Even as a child, Stalin understood a simple truth: whoever is stronger is right. This principle became the motto of the future leader 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 Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (Ulyanov) is among his best friends. Stalin fully shares the revolutionary ideas of Lenin.

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

Stalin's reign

The period of Stalin's rule begins in 1929. Almost all the time of the reign of Joseph Stalin is accompanied by collectivization, mass death of the civilian population and famine. In 1932, Stalin adopted the law "on three spikelets". According to this law, a starving peasant who stole ears of wheat from the state was immediately subject to the highest penalty - execution. All the saved bread in the state was sent abroad. This was the first stage in the industrialization of the Soviet state: the purchase modern technology foreign production.

During the reign of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, mass repressions of the peaceful population of the USSR were carried out. The beginning of the repressions was laid in 1936, when the post of People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR was taken by Yezhov N.I. In 1938, on the orders of Stalin, 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:

• tough government policy:
• the almost complete destruction of the highest army officials, intellectuals and scientists (who thought differently from the government of the USSR);
• repression of wealthy peasants and the believing population;
• widening "chasm" between the elite and the working class;
• oppression of the civilian population: wages in products instead of monetary reward, working day up to 14 hours;
• propaganda of anti-Semitism;
• about 7 million starvation deaths during the period of collectivization;
• prosperity of slavery;
• selective development of branches of the economy of the Soviet state.

Pros:

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

During the Stalin era, it was formed social system USSR, social, political and economic institutions. Iosif Vissarionovich completely abandoned the NEP policy, carried out the modernization of the Soviet state at the expense of the village. 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 became a member of the UN Security Council. The era of Stalin's rule ended in 1953. N. Khrushchev replaced him as chairman of the government of the USSR.

Over the 69 years of the existence of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, several people have become the head of the country. The first ruler of the new state was Vladimir Ilyich Lenin ( real name Ulyanov), who headed the Bolshevik Party during October revolution. Then the role of the 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

First significant decision The new government of Russia was refusing to participate in the bloody world war. Lenin managed to achieve it, despite the fact that some members of the party were against the conclusion of peace on unfavorable terms (the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk). Having saved hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of lives, the Bolsheviks immediately put them at risk in another war - the civil one. The fight against the interventionists, anarchists and White Guards, as well as other opponents of the Soviet regime, 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 a one-party system in the country and the formation of the Union of Socialist Republics. The USSR in the form in which it was created did not meet the requirements of Lenin, however, he did not manage to make significant changes.

In 1922, the hard work and the consequences of the assassination attempt made on him by the Socialist-Revolutionary Fanny Kaplan in 1918 made themselves felt: Lenin fell seriously ill. He took less and less part in government and other people came to the fore. Lenin himself spoke with anxiety about his possible successor, the general secretary of the party, Stalin: “Comrade Stalin, having become general secretary, has concentrated immense power in his hands, and I am not sure whether he will always be able to use this power with sufficient caution.” 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 of the Russian economy. At the direction of the first leader of the country of the Soviets, many factories for the production of equipment were organized, the completion of car factory"AMO" (later "ZiL") in Moscow. 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 Central Committee of the CPSU. Now the name of Stalin is mainly associated with the so-called "Stalinist repressions" of the 30s, when several million inhabitants of the USSR were deprived of their property (the so-called "dispossession"), went to prison or were executed for political reasons (for condemning the current government).
Indeed, the years of Stalin's rule left a bloody trail in the history of Russia, but there were also positive features this period. During this time, from an agrarian country that had a secondary economy, Soviet Union turned into a world power with a huge industrial and military potential. The development of the economy and industry affected the years of the Great Patriotic War, which, although it cost the Soviet people dearly, was nevertheless won. Already during the hostilities, it was possible to establish a good supply of the army, to create new types of weapons. After the war, many were restored at an accelerated pace, destroyed almost to the foundation of the city.

N.S. Khrushchev

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

From positive changes that occurred during the reign of Khrushchev, one can note the rehabilitation of the victims of Stalinist repressions (having taken the post of general secretary, Khrushchev initiated the dismissal of Beria and his arrest), the development 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 artificial satellite Earth and the first manned flight into space. The period of Khrushchev's rule has an unofficial name - "Khrushchev's 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 party leader was replaced 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 caused the most of resources went to the 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 of 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 of Soviet troops into Afghanistan.

During the Brezhnev era, some attempts were made to defuse tensions with the United States: US-Soviet treaties on the limitation of strategic offensive arms were concluded. But these attempts were crossed out by the introduction of Soviet troops into Afghanistan in 1979. In the late 80s, Brezhnev was no longer actually able to govern 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 State Security Committee (KGB). He achieved sufficient support among party leaders, therefore, despite the resistance of former supporters of Brezhnev, 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 transformation. But all the reforms were reduced to administrative measures, strengthening discipline and exposing corruption in the highest circles. In foreign policy confrontation with the West only intensified. Andropov strove to strengthen his personal power: in June 1983 he held the post of chairman of the presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, while remaining secretary general. However, Andropov did not stay in power for long: he died on February 9, 1984 due to kidney disease, before he could 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 the death of Brezhnev. 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 the reign of Chernenko, a number of reforms were undertaken, which were never brought to their logical conclusion. On September 1, 1984, the Day of Knowledge was celebrated for the first time in the country. March 10, 1985 Chernenko died. His place was taken by Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev, who later became the first and last president of the USSR.