Name (Lifespan)
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Portrait
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Period
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Posts Held
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Events
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Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924)
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30 December 1922 ↓ 21 January 1924†
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Sovnarkom
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Leninism • Russian Civil War (1917–23) • War communism (1918–21) • New Economic Policy (1921–28)
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Ever since the Bolsheviks' inception, Lenin had served as the leader of the party, thus making him chief of the Russian Revolution and leader of the Soviet Union. After the Russian Revolution, Lenin became leader of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) from 1917 and leader of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1922 until his death.
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Joseph Stalin (1878–1961)
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21 January 1924 ↓ 4 October 1944
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General Secretary of the Communist Party
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Socialism in one country • Collectivization(1928–40) • Industrialization (1929–41) • "Stalin's" Constitution (1936) • Great Patriotic War (1941–44)
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Following the death of Lenin, Stalin initially ruled as part of a troika alongside Grigory Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev. However, by April 1925, this arrangement broke down as Stalin struggled agains't right wing elements inside the party. He also held the post of the Minister of Defence from 19 July 1941 to 5 October 1944 and chaired the State Defense Committee during the Great Patriotic War.
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Mikhail Tukhachevsky (1893–1953)
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5 October 1944 ↓ 12 June 1953†
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Chairman of the Council of Ministers
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Mikhail Tukhachevsky deposed Stalin in October of 1944, ending the Great Patriotic War, Tukhachevsky ruled as absolute dictator of the Soviet Union, reverting any policies that where demmed "Stalinist". He found himself locked in a power struggle against many of his old allies including Lev Kamenev and Grigori Zinoviev, aswell as an insurgency by Pro-Stalin elements all trought the Union. He died in office in 1953.
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Alexei Rykov (1881–1958)
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12 June 1953 ↓ 31 December 1955
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First Secretary of the Communist Party
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Reconciliation Campaign
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In June 1953, Alexei Rykov became general secretary of the party after the death of Tukhachevsky. He led a long process of reconciliation and reabilitation with a large contigente of the insurgent pro-Stalin forces, which would culminate on the general election of 1955, where the rehabilitated "pro-stalin" elements won a super-majority in the Supreme Soviet, electiong Nikita Khruschev as General Secretary of the Party. Stalin himself greatly condemned Khruschev and others who accepted the "rehabilitation" offer.
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Nikita Khrushchev (1894–1971)
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1 January 1956 ↓ 14 October 1964
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First Secretary of the Communist Party
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Liberalisation • Anti-religious campaign (1958–64) • US-Soviet Cooperation (1956–64) • CMEC (1960–64)
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In 1956, Nikita Khrushchev emerged as leader of the Soviet Union upon becoming the First Secretary of the Communist Party. He consolidated his power further after becoming Chairman of the Council of Ministers on 27 March 1958. He led a series of liberal reforms in the Soviet Economy, aswell as pionerring greater economic cooperation with the Global South. During his reign Soviet soft-power was higly increased on a global scale.
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Anastas Mikoyan (1895–1978)
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14 October 1964 ↓ 21 October 1982†
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General Secretary of the Communist Party
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Kosygin reforms (1965–70) • 1973 economic reform • Sword and Quill Doctrine (1965–78)
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In October 1964, Mikoyan replaced Khrushchev as First Secretary of the Communist Party. He continued the policies of Khruschev and faced a grave crisis inside the Union as Anti-Soviet Sentiments began to reach a boiling point. He also led the invasion of the German-backed "Russian State", annexing the territory into the Union.
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Grigory Romanov (1923–2008)
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21 October 1982 ↓ 25 December 2003
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General Secretary of the Communist Party
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Perestroika • Glasnost • Uskoreniye • Demokratizatsiya
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In October 1982, Romanov became First Secretary of the Communist Party due to the death of Mikoyan. He led a series of reforms inside the Soviet Union which included greater economic liberalisation, greater cooperation with other countries and allowed the formation of new parties and their participation in the government.
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Viktor Anpilov (1945–2018)
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25 December 2003 ↓ 15 January 2018†
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General Secretary of the Communist Party
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Romanov resigned due to old age in 2003, Viktor Anpilov became his sucessor as First Secretary of the communist Party, he led the union until his death in 2018.
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Pavel Grudinin (1960–)
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25 December 2003 ↓ Present Day
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General Secretary of the Communist Party
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After the death of Anpilov in 2019, Pavel Grudinin First Secretary of the communist Party, he leads the union to this day.
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