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Vladimir Ilich Lenin
Speech Vladimir Leninfounded the Russian Communist Party, was the first leader of the Soviet Union, and lead the Bolshevik Revolution. Some of his ideas formed the base for communism in Russia. Russia signed off the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918 after invasion of Germany during Lenin’s time in government. In his later years, he tried to stop Stalin from gaining power, but failed. -
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Joesph Stalin
SpeechJoseph Stalin
was the dictator of the USSR from 1929-1953. He ruled with fear and transformed the Soviet Union into a military superpower, though he did do some good, such as giving women education and jobs. During his rule, millions of Russians were sent to labor camps and died. Stalin allied with the U.S. and Britain during WWII, but their relationships with them were tense. -
Sergey Mironovich Kirov was shot.
Sergey Kirovwas part of the Bolshevik Party and wanted to extend their power. In 1921, he formed the Transcaucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic. Ordered by Stalin, Kirov transferred to the Leningrad Party in 1926. He supported Stalin publicly, but later started to favor independence. He was assassinated at the Communist Party Headquarters; some claimed that Stalin had orchestrated the assassination himself. His death began the Great Purge in the USSR. -
Alexei Rykov Executed
Though, Alexei Rykov
had differences with Lenin during his reign, Rykov was appointed Commissar of the Interior, Chairman of the Supreme Council of National Economy and Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars. He was removed from all these positions when he turned against Stalin. In 1938 he was executed along with a few others for being involved with Leon Trotsky in a plot against Stalin. -
Vyacheslav Molotov
Vyacheslav Molotov
was foreign minister for the Soviet Union during WWII and after. He was a member of the Bolshevik Party and supported Stalin. Stalin chose Molotov to be the Soviet commissar of foreign affairs. He gave up the position in 1949, but held it again after Stalin died. He lost all his positions in 1957 when Molotov joined the anti-party group. -
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Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Krushchev rose to power after the fall of Stalin. Khrushchev’s main goal as the leader of the USSR was repairing the damage Stalin did during his reign. He also started “reform communism”, which focused on consumer goods. In June 1957, he was almost overthrown by the public for increased persecution of religion. In 1962, he tried to put USSR missiles in Cuba, causing a tense disagreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. -
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Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Brezhnev took control of the USSR in 1964. Brezhnev’s main focuses were on military, space, and foreign affairs, spending so much money on building their army and space program, that it left other sections of the economy in debt. He attempted to normalize tensions with the U.S. and West Germany. Brezhnev developed the concept known as the Brezhnev Doctrine. -
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Yuri Andropov
Yury Andropovwas a Soviet communist leader from 19821984. During his rule, he tried fixing all the political and economic corruption: initiating campaigns that were against alcohol, and increased work production. In 1967 he was named head of KGB. One thing he focused on was a policy against political dissents. He resigned from head of KGB in 1982 and died two years later. Andropov was known for being a peaceful leader. -
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Nikolay Ryzhkov
Nikolay Ivanovich Ryzhkov was a Russian politician. He joined the Communist party of the Soviet Union in 1956, where it all started for him. He served as Prime Minister from 1985 to 1990 under Gorbachev. He was not very well known, but was responsible for the economic and cultural administration. In 1995 he was elected to the state Duma. He then resigned the seat in 2003 and became a member of the federation council. -
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Andrei Gromyko
Andrei Gromyko was in power from 1985 to 1988. He became the Soviet Ambassador during WWII, traveling to Washington around 1943. He also served as ambassador for Britain from 1952-1953. He later became Foreign Minister in 1957, serving for about 28 years, as the main negotiator between the United States. -
Gorbachev signs the INF treaty
Speech INF Video
On this day, the INF treaty was signed by Gorbachev and Reagan. The INF eliminated all nuclear ground launched missles with ranges from 300 to 3400 miles. The treaty also established the first continuous monitoring operations of the other countries missle production factories, so they wouldn't build any more missiles. -
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Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
became the head of the Soviet Union on October 1, 1988. He tried to make it a more democratic country, making him unpopular. Gorbachev signed the Intermediate Nuclear Forces abolition treaty with Ronald Reagan in 1987. He was awarded the Nobel peace prize for helping end the Cold War and communism in the USSR, and the Soviet Union itself.
