Alexander Nikolaevich Poskrebyshev
(Personal chancellor of Stalin)
A member of the Communist Party since March 1917, Poskrebyshev
was chief of the special department of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party, also served as the personal chancellor of Stalin from
1928 onwards.
Poskrebyshev joined the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party in
March 1917 and was elected secretary of the local division of the
Bolshevik party. He began his work with Stalin in 1924 when he was
assigned to Kremlin. He became an administrator in the Secret Section
of the Central Committee shortly thereafter, which would later become
the Special Section. Between 1924 and 1929 he was a Manager of the
office of General Secretary of Central Committee of Communist Party
of the Soviet Union. On July 22, 1930 Poskrebyshev was promoted to
Chief of the Secret Section. In 1934 the Secret Section was reorganized
as the Special Section of the Central Committee, and on March 10, 1934 Poskrebyshev became the Chief
of the Special Section. Highly involved in all functions of the Soviet Union, Poskrebyshev wrote texts
called "the Constitution of Soviet Union" in 1936 and "Short course of CPSU history" in 1938. In the
same year, he was elected as a delegate to the first, and later of the second (1946) and third (1952)
Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
Poskrebyshev's duties in the Politburo will be a reflection of his services within the USSR. While he
stayed in Moscow, throughout the course of the second world with Stalin, he was part of the planning of
all military operations executed by the USSR. He will be obliged due to his military expertise in the
committee to make sound military decisions and advice the committee on the best course of action in
crisis situations. As the chief of the Secret/Special Section of Central Committee of Communist Party,
the scope of his work included ensuring coordination between the works of Political Bureau (Presidium,
Politburo) of Central Committee, Secretariat of Central Committee, Organizational Bureau of Central
Committee and Encryption Bureau. His was renounce for his knowledge and understanding and had been
called the human encyclopedia. As part of his job as private secretary, Poskrebyshev took down Stalin's
dictation and organized his diary. He was also the first port of call for anyone wishing to see the Soviet
leader. He will hence be expected to be able to exercise the same influence and command over the
members of the Politburo, as well as to be able to hold and encourage negotiations in times when
coordination is unlikely otherwise. He will also be obliged to be Stalin’s right arm in his orders and use
his own influence and contacts to reach solutions and agreements faster.
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Georgy Malenkov
(Personal chancellor of Stalin)
In 1925, having gotten a chance to be an agent in one of the bureaus
of the Communist Party, Georgy Malenkov quit his studies and
concentrated on his political vocation. His steady work was seen by
higher powers and in 1930 Malenkov was designated the leader of
the hierarchical branch of the Moscow Committee of the
Communist Party and partook in the cleansing of the relating council
of the restriction. In 1934 Georgy Malenkov was promoted by Stalin
and under his charge he participated in a mass battle of inspection
and repression of numerous communist authorities. Amid the Great
Patriotic War (the time of the USSR's investment in World War II),
Georgy Malenkov was a member of the State Defense Committee.
He went by many key divisions of the Soviet-German front
(Leningrad, Moscow, Stalingrad). He additionally held the post of
the Commissar of Aircraft Production and assumed an essential part
in giving the Soviet Army battle air ship. In 1943 Malenkov got the
military rank of Lieutenant General. Stalin also gave Malenkov the most critical task rebuilding atomic
rockets in a joint effort with Beria. Malenkov was delegated Chief of the Soviet Missile program. Amid
World War II, Malenkov, Ustinov and Mikhail Khrunichev began the Soviet rocket and rocket program
that soon assimilated the German rocket industry.
In 1946 Josef Stalin began another round of purges of political and military staff. Georgy Malenkov was
blamed for wasteful work amid the Great Patriotic War and the generation of low quality air ship. He
was in then expelled from his high posts. As indicated by a few sources, Stalin didn't lose his trust in
Malenkov, however just needed to show "who was the master." Though not long after this Lavrenty Beria
began a crusade to restore Georgy Malenkov to his post and the latter got his posts back. He for all intents
and purposes turned into the second most highly ranked individual in the Communist Party, accountable
for a large number of party functionaries. By the late-1940s it was widely assumed that he would succeed
Stalin.
Hence, as a member of the Politburo, Georgy Malenkov would be called upon to exercise utmost control
and present ideas which are in agreement with his high post and power during the late 1940s. He will be
expected to use his expertise over military resources as well as his knowledge and experience of handling
inter party relations to come up with suitable solutions to each crisis presented. All his decisions will
naturally be expected to be in line with the best military interest of the Soviet Union. He will also be
expected to use his advance command over not just the military aspect but to a certain extend the
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scientific aspect or the potential in the usage of missiles for the Soviet Union in his decision
making, as well as to base his decisions also on his command on the subject of usage and stocks of
ammunitions. Lastly, the Politburo will also view him and rely on his loyalty to Stalin when trusting his
decision marking abilities.
Anastas Mikoyan
(Minister of Defense)
Joseph Stalin, whose political aspirations were running high and who
was searching for supporters noticed Mikoyan. He sent Mikoyan to
work in the south of Russia as Head of the Northern Caucasian
Bureau of the Communist Party with its central station in the city of
Rostov-on-Don. Mikoyan substantiated himself a decent director in
the region populated with many little countries. Mikoyan was less
severe in bringing individuals under Bolshevik lead than his
antecedents. Aware of century-long conventions, he spoke to the
sound judgment of the general population, utilizing influence as
opposed to constrain to bring them under subjection. He additionally
asked Communists not to demolish houses of worship and mosques
and not to conflict with the populace on religious matters. He
likewise requested that his friends regard the honest to goodness
rights, which had been conceded to dealers and rich workers. Mikoyan
bolstered Stalin in the power battle that followed after the passing of Lenin in 1924. He executed every
one of Stalin's requests went for defaming the resistance. Stalin extraordinarily refreshing Mikoyan's
endeavors and in 1926 Anastas Mikoyan was chosen Candidate Member of the Party's Politburo. He was
then selected People's Commissar for External and Internal Trade.
He remained loyal to Stalin even in the obscure 1930s - during the times of inflation and hunger in many
areas of the country. However, Mikoyan worked hard to keep an equilibrium between his loyalty to Stalin
and his duty to the people exhausted by mass collectivization, arrests and famine.
As the Minister of Defense, Mikoyan will be called upon to make strategic and diplomatic decisions
through the course of the Politburo. He will be obliged to use his expertise and experience in the area of
military expansion of the Soviet military as well as maintaining armed forces when he comes up with
frameworks of solutions and dictate actions. He will also be expected to keep his actions and ideologies
in line with his duty to protect the military and economic interests of the Soviet Union; Mikoyan will be
4
called upon to come up with policies and suggestions that advocate his idea of favoring influence
over constraint when possible even in situations that demand the latter. The way he influences the
committee and goes around negotiation with the other members of the Politburo will also be expected to
be in line with his stance and the principle that he stood for which never damaged the people
unnecessarily. Lastly, it would naturally also be expected for Mikoyan to not clash his ideologies with
Stalin’s but come up with a balance between the two.
Alexei Kosygin
(Minister of Finance)
Aleksei Kosygin was the most youthful Mayor of Leningrad and the
longest serving Prime Minister of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1980.
He was a standout amongst the most enduring high positioning Russian
authorities whose administration vocation spread over more than 40
years from the administer of the Soviet despot Joseph Stalin, to Nikita
Khrushchev, and Leonid Brezhnev. Not at all like numerous Soviet
government officials, Kosygin was an intellectual truly caring for the
wellbeing of working people.
After WWII, Stalin resumed executions of potential political
competitors: he first ordered extermination of the entire leadership of
Leningrad (St. Petersburg). For his impressive contribution in
evacuating the civilians of Leningrad, he was made the Premier of the
Russian Federation. From 1943 to 1946, he served as the Prime Minister of
Russia. The turning point of his career came while working as Joseph Stalin’s minister of finance in
1948.
In 1949, he was blamed for misappropriation of funds and stealing gold and jewels. Later, he was
absolved from this accusation due to his loyalty and hard work. Was one of three leading members of the
collective leadership with Leonid Brezhnev and Nikolai Podgorny. He ruled through the era known as
the Era of Stagnation. Kosygin initiated three large scale economic reforms under his leadership.
5
In the Politburo, Kosygin will be expected to exercise his command and position of authority over
his fellow members and to use his expertise over the field of economics of the state and the Russian
politics to come up with effective solutions. He will be looked upon to propagate and never compromise
on his ideology to propagate the rights and ensure the protection of the interests of the working middle
and lower class of the Soviet Union. In this regard, it would be in line with his ideology to prevent any
practices from being passed which actively undermine or ignore the general wellbeing of the people.
Seeing the high ranking positions he has held in the Soviet Union, it would be fitting for him to employ
his resources, authority and contacts to execute his agendas and of those who stand in favor of the Soviet
Union. Attention should also be paid to the fact that during the time of the placement of the Politburo,
the Ministry of Finance combines the Treasury of the Soviet republics, in particular the Ministry of
Finance of the RSFSR, hence a certain amount of diplomatic care will be expected on his part when
dealing with inter ministries interests.
Andrey Vyshinsky
(Minister of Foreign Trade)
The government of the Soviet Union has always held a monopoly on
all foreign trade activity while active Soviet trade operations began
only in 1921, when the government established the People's
Commissariat of Foreign Trade. The Soviet Union’s economy
flourished through the course of the five year economic plan of the
1930s. This was followed by the foreign trade monopoly appearing in
article 14h of the 1936 Soviet Constitution. The Soviet Union however
soon saw restrictions and more hindrances in trade as Stalin's policy
called for an attempt to build socialism in one country, who feared that
the unpredictable changes of an external markets may be able to
influence the Soviet Union’s market for the worse and hence curbed
these. Under this ideology, all imports for the country were limited to
equipment and machinery needed for the functions of the industries
that came about as a result of the five year plan. In turn the only export
allowed became collectivized grain and that too to balance the cost of the imports. World War II made
matters worse for Soviet trade and the activity of most foreign trade corporations. After the war, Britain
and other West European countries and the United States imposed drastic restrictions on trade with the
Soviet Union. Thus, Soviet foreign trade corporations limited their efforts to Eastern Europe and China,
6
establishing Soviet-owned companies in these countries and setting up joint-stock companies on
very favorable terms.
As the Minister of foreign trade in this particular time, Vyshinsky will be looked upon to make full use
of all diplomatic relations the ministry of foreign trade has managed to accumulate after and during World
War II. He will also be expected to understand the impacts of embargos and sanctions on trade from the
Soviet Union and look at crisis from the point of view that takes into account the impact of decisions
taken on trade partners of the Soviet Union and what steps should be taken to maintain diplomatic ties
with them, as well as the consequence of any sanctions or embargos that may be used as diplomatic
pressure towards the Soviet Union. On the other hand, serving as the Minister of foreign trade, the
Politburo will also look upon Vyshinsky to analyze and strategize even military decisions from an
economic and foreign policy perspective. This all however needs to be done while staying in line with
the behavior of the Soviet Union towards the foreign trade ministry at the time.
Vyachelsav Molotov:
(Minister of Foreign Affairs)
Vyachelsav Molotov was born on the 9th of March, 1890. An early
member of the Bolshevik party, from the 1920s onwards he became
increasingly influential in the Soviet government, and was mentored
by Joseph Stalin himself. He had the honor of serving as the chairman
of the Council of Peoples Commissars and is currently the Minister of
Foreign affairs, a post he has held since 1939.
As Minister of Foreign affairs, he currently leads the Foreign
Ministry, and thus is responsible for all negotiated treaties, trade
agreements, pacts, alliances and diplomatic appointments and is thus
responsible for directing Soviet foreign policy. Under his
responsibilities also falls the taking care of and advancement of Soviet
and Communist interests abroad. The Foreign Ministry also works
closely with intelligence agencies in coordinating Soviet intelligence and
espionage operations. In such capacities Molotov was responsible for signing the Molotov Ribbentrop
Pact with Germany, a pact of supposed neutrality which the Germans violated in 1941 by invading the
USSR by surprise, a surprise which cost the Soviet Union dearly in the early years of the Great
Patriotic War.
7
Molotov has shown his bravery when he made dangerous flights over Nazi occupied territory to
be able to meet the Western powers in London. His shrewd nature and diplomatic talents were visible
during his negotiations with the Allies during and after the Second World War. He was most recently
also responsible for rejecting the Marshall plan and instead implementing the Molotov plan on the
occupied eastern European countries, integrating them closely with the Soviet economy. It should be
noted that in all these capacities he was guided in a large part by Stalin and loyally carried out the
directives issued to him.
Viktor Abakumov
(Head of MGB)
Abakumov was born in 1908, he joined the red army at a young
age in 1922 to fight in the Russian Civil War. In 1934 he joined the
NKVD, the predecessor of the KGB. He participated almost
enthusiastically in the Great Purge, executing orders loyally and
without any questions against enemies of the state. He continued to
purge Red Army commanders for cowardice and betrayal during
the Great Patriotic War. He is currently the Head of the MGB, the
direct predecessor of the KGB.
As Head of the MGB, he is responsible for Soviet espionage and
counter espionage. His Ministry is responsible for enforcing
loyalty through surveillance and fear, not just in the Soviet Union
but also in other Eastern Bloc countries, destroying anticommunist
or independence groups in these lands. The Ministry is responsible
for censorship, enforcing security regulations and also for a vast network of secret agents designated to
catch dissenters and enforce and monitor public opinion. In this role Abakumov has shown great
enthusiasm and determination, often torturing prisoners himself in service of the Union.
His influence in the Soviet Union cannot be taken lightly, as secret agents are operating at virtually
every branch and arm of the soviet state. Operating with near impunity the MGB has the power to
arrest but the highest of state officials on charges of disloyalty and suspicion of espionage. These
powers come with a great responsibility however, as the Ministry is directly responsible for the very
protection and policing of the Soviet Union, against enemies both internal and external.
8
Andrei Zhdanov
(Minister of Culture Policy)
Andrei Zhdanov was born in 1896 and joined the Bolshevik party at
an early age in 1915. He rose through party ranks, survived and took
part in the Great terror and other purges, and is currently the Minister
of Culture of the Soviet Union, a position to which he was appointed
by Joseph Stalin himself in 1946. It has even been rumored that
Stalin wants Zhdanov to be his eventual successor.
As Minister of Culture Policy his responsibilities include the
promotion of Soviet culture as well as, and perhaps more
importantly, ensuring that this culture conforms to Communist
ideology and Soviet state motives. The various means of doing so
include radio, cinema, art and music. Furthermore it is his
responsibility to ensure that these mediums of art are cleansed of and
remains pure of foreign influences. As such it is his responsibility to
act against magazines, artwork or poetry influenced by foreign culture or
perceived to criticize or in any way work against the state.
As minister of culture it is his duty to reign in Russian formalism and the critical voices it has given
birth to. Zhdanov has thus developed an ideological code, known as the Zhdanov doctrine, which
divides the world in the imperialist American and democratic Soviet camp. Anything thus not in line
with soviet ideology is thus to be suppressed. Under his jurisdiction is included the essential
propaganda tool that is the Soviet film industry, it is ultimately his responsibility to ensure that Soviet
movies are of the highest quality, promote Communist society and achievements, and portray the
Union in a most favorable light.
9
Kliment Voroshilov
(Marshal of the Soviet Unions Red Army)
Kliment Voroshilov was born on the fourth of February 1881 in
lysychansk in the Russian Empire. He joined the Bolsheviks at a
young age in 1905 and became closely associated with Joseph Stalin
as far back as in 1918. He is currently a member of the Central
Committee, and has been since 1921. He was the one responsible for
moving Soviet industries east into the Urals to keep Russian
manufacturing intact in case of a war. A staunch Stalin loyalist, he
denounced and betrayed several of his colleagues and subordinates
in the Great Purge, a purge which he was a central part of. In 1935
he was appointed as one of the Marshals of the Soviet Union.
As a Marshal of the Soviet Union, the highest military rank in the
country, he is responsible for an entire army group composed of one or
several armies. During the great Patriotic war these army groups often numbered more than a million
men and contained several thousand tanks and artillery pieces. The Marshal is responsible for their
organization, line of battle, order, discipline and morale as well as the battle tactics and strategies used
and thus any failings or successes on part of the army group are also attributed to the Marshal himself.
In the event of a war the Marshal and his staff would be in charge of an entire theater of war. He is to
coordinate with the Chief of General Staff and the defense Ministry and is ultimately responsible for
executing the general plans delivered to him by the Chief of General Staff in line with the overall plan
for the war. Despite showing great bravery in battle, his failings in both the winter war and the Great
Patriotic war led him to being replaced by General Zhukov. However, due to his popularity, he was
retained as a figurehead.
10
Alexander Ilyich Yegorov
(Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army)
Alexander Yegorov was born in February 1883 in central Russia.
He joined the Russian Imperial army and became a commander
in the Red army after the Bolsheviks took power. He became a
close colleague of Stalin during their time together in the Polish
Soviet war. He rose through the ranks eventually becoming one
of the Marshals of the Soviet Union in 1935. He served with great
distinction during the Great Patriotic War and is now serving as
the Chief of General Staff of the Red army.
The Chief of General Staff outranks all other officers in the
Soviet Military. Though without direct command of any army
group, he is responsible for the training and coordination of the
vast Soviet armies, as well as coordinating closely with the various
Marshalls in case of a war to ensure that all military operations are executed effectively. He is also
responsible for the financial and logistical aspects of the military, as well as other material and support
functions.
Thus all responsibility for the capabilities and readiness of the Red Army and their relative strength
compared to other military forces as well as the sort of equipment and training they possess falls on his
shoulders. In effect his responsibility is to develop the army that the Generals and Marshals lead into
combat. He has shown his outstanding capabilities in combat and military organization, while being
soft spoken and modest. He also enjoys an exceptional degree of trust from Stalin, all these factors
having played into his appointment to such an important position.
11
Konstantin Vershinin
(Chief Marshal of Aviation of the Soviet Union)
The Soviet Air Forces formed a precarious institution of the armed
services during the Cold War; Given the aerial espionage situation,
alongside the possibility of air-to-air combats – as seen in the Vietnam
and Korean affairs – there was a distinct need for the aerial defense and
protection of air spaces and an airstrike offensive capability.
Awarded the merit of Hero of the Soviet Union, the highest honorary
title in the Soviet Armed Services, Konstantin Vershinin was renowned
for his success as the commander of the fourth Air Army during the
Second World War. His successful command – during the highly
critical incursions of the Battle of Berlin and Operation Bagration in the
final decisive stages of the European Theatre of War – demonstrate his prowess in strategic aerial
offensives.
Chief Marshal of the branch – cavalry, naval or aviation – was a senior military rank within the armed
forces, only second to the title Marshal of the Soviet Union. As the Chief Marshal of Aviation,
Vershinin was involved in designing interceptor aircraft strategies for preventing successful missions
by enemy aircrafts; preventative and short term air interdiction support against enemy targets which
were not an immediate threat; coordinating with the Military Transport Aviation Command; and most
importantly the strategic development of long-range aviation and aerial surveillance capabilities.
12
Admiral Ivan Stepanovich Yumashev (Admiral of the Red Fleet)
Military Maritime Fleet of the USSR, a key organ of the Soviet
Armed Forces, was of critical significance to Soviet Union in case
of strategic defense and offensive mechanisms in an event of war
with the United States or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO).
Strategically, the importance of the Red Fleet was closely tied to the
Soviet scheme of controlling the supply lines of Europe; sea lines of
communication (SLOC) are primary maritime routes used for trade
and naval operations and USSR’s naval base was crucial for
controlling the SLOC in case the Cold War turned hot in Europe as
it would call for halting material and military reinforcement by the
US through Eurasian waters.
Countering seaborne nuclear delivery systems was a major defense objective of the navy and with the
development of the Cold War, Soviet Union’s Red Fleet aimed for building a sophisticated submarine
base, well-fortified with a second strike capability. The significance of a strong naval command can be
identified in context of Cuban Missile Crisis – whereby the Soviet naval fleet played a central role in
the development of what is perhaps the most volatile and tense of crisis in the Cold War history.
Admiral Yumashev was a Soviet Navy admiral and Commander-in-chief of the Soviet Naval Forces. If
not within the administrative and executive capacities, admiral Yumashev’s political significance rests
within the realm of national security and defense, a crucial institution of the state apparatus during the
Cold War. He was equipped with the knowledge of USSR’s naval security and the task of its naval
capacity building.
As a recipient of the highest honorary title in the Soviet Union, i.e. Hero of the Soviet Union, admiral
Yumashev’s name has an association with great respect and honor.
13
Andrey Andreyev
(Minister of Agriculture)
Following 1939, Andreyev headed the powerful control commission
of the Communist Party and was therefore responsible for intra-party
disciplinary proceedings, investigating indiscretions and interpreting
statutes. He thus performed in the official policing and disciplinaryregulatory capacity within the Communist Party.
A member of the Politburo from 1932 until 1952, Andrey
Andreyev’s leadership roles within the Control Commission and
Supreme Soviet meant that he attended in the top ranks of The
Communist Party in the early Cold War years and was thus a
member of supreme importance, especially with regards to intra-party
order and state policy discussions.
Concurrently, as the Commissar of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Andreyev was responsible for
what is perhaps one of the most inefficient sectors of the Soviet Economy. Andreyev was faced with
two major challenges; class wars against forced collectivization leading to depleting agricultural
productivity and famines such as the Ukrainian Holodomor; and maintaining an effectual agricultural
system in the absence of substantial market mechanisms. Another major hindrance was a lack of
mechanized and modernized physical capital along with a highly inefficient and demotivated physical
labor.
Given the complexity and severity of challenges, and Soviet Union’s distinctively agrarian status,
Andreyev was expected to develop the agricultural capability of the economy while counteracting the
social disillusionment following famines and collectivization; and maintaining and reinforcing a
communist character of the agricultural policies – which was highly significant on a domestic
ideological front.
His priorities and debate in the politburo had to do with Soviet Union’s agricultural aid to the Eastern
Bloc, grants within the budget for agronomic modernization as well as the sociopolitical dilemmas
surrounding the ideological dimension of agricultural policy.
14
Lazar Kaganovich
(Chairman of Gossnab)
An active Communist Functionary, Kaganovich was a popular and
experienced administrator and was an integral part of the state
apparatus under Stalin. He was known for his fierce loyalty and
personal support for Stalin alongside the religious and ruthless
execution of the Premier’s orders. This explains his position as the
head of the Orgburo (Organisational Bureau) in the 1920s, where
he vigorously and successfully established a pro-Stalin
bureaucracy.
One can attribute the success of USSR’s rapid industrialization
initiative to Kaganovich. In contrast, his role in the committee in
charge for the implementation of the economic collectivization
proved to be disastrously fatal, leading to severe famines and financial crisis in Ukraine. He was
acutely responsible for the Ukrainian Holodomor, one of the gravest national catastrophes that led to
the mass Ukrainian genocide.
Kaganovich, otherwise known as The Iron Lazar for his brutality, had a reputation for a viciously
dictatorial operation of the Soviet order – he was found guilty of the Ukrainian genocide and more than
sixty percent executions during The Great Terror.
Vary of most administrators and politicians as saboteurs, Kaganovich was relentless in his efforts for
organizing arrests within the party, leading to countless executions, in order to maintain order and
eliminate destructive sabotage. In fact, he overtly called for searching and persecuting foreign spies
within the Communist political ecosystem.
In the absence of markets, Gossnab (the state committee for material technical supply in the Soviet
Union) performed the key task of allocating resources to enterprises. In post war USSR, Kaganovich
was equipped with the responsibility of leading Gossnab, one of the most important administrative
committees of the Communist Order.
15
Nikita Khrushchev
(Leader of Ukraine)
Born on April 15, 1894, in Kalinovka, Russia, Nikita Khrushchev
served as the leader of the Ukrainian republic of Soviet union.
During the affair of The Great Purge, Kruschev made no
exemption to Ukraine, a site of extensive purges; with the
exception of one, all members of the Ukrainian Politburo and
secretariat were arrested.
Following the German takeover of Ukraine, the country was
viciously obliterated by the German administration. The German
policy was to “suck from Ukraine all the goods that they can get
hold of,” as stated by Erich Koch, the Ukrainian Commissariat. “I
am expecting from you the utmost severity towards the native population," He further added.
Khrushchev, therefore was reappointed as the Head of the Ukrainian Communist Wing in a post-war,
war-torn Ukraine, where one of every six people was killed during The Great Patriotic War. In the
capacity of the Communist Party’s Ukrainian spearhead, Khrushchev was met with the following
challenges:



Economic and social reconstruction of Ukraine while concurrently enforcing and administering
the Soviet Communist order on the republic.
Eliminating the increasingly influential partisan forces that were calling for an independent
Ukraine.
Resolving a major food crisis situation following poor harvests during the war. With a quota of
52% grain return to the government, Ukraine was expected to support Soviet grain aids to its
Eastern bloc. This lead to rising tensions between Khrushchev and the center at Moscow, given
that the Ukrainian population was starving.
Khrushchev took charge of the office in a crisis situation. As of post-World War II, one can claim that
he believed in dictatorial political measures for the consolidation of the Communist Party’s power and
implementation of the Soviet system – as demonstrated in his active role during the Great Purge.
Within the Politburo, he was one of the men of notable abilities of administration and governance, thus
assigned a leading charge within the political system. He also had the ability to persistently argue his
case against Stalin and convince the Premier to act upon his suggested scheme – as seen in the case of
Federal aid to Ukraine, whereby a tenacious Khrushchev determinedly appealed for financial assistance
from Moscow.
16
Gregory Safonov
(Prosecutor General)
Gregory Safonov was born on 28th February 1893 in Moscow. During the years 1948 and 1949, he
served as the Prosecutor General or Procurator General of the Soviet Union in the Politburo of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Safonov was a committed worker and utterly loyal to the party.
That meant that when Stalin came became the head of party he became completely devoted to him. He
never showed dissent and through his tireless work in the legal system helped ensure that Stalin's policy
of industrialization of the USSR was a success. Though he was great admirer of Trotsky and all his
work for the USSR, his revolt against Stalin meant that Trotsky lost Safonov's approval as did other
"traitors".
As Stalin's Prosecutor General, he ensured that all such people were executed. He had far reaching
powers as Prosecutor General and was supervising departments of the government, ministers,
bureaucrats, organizations and citizens over adherence to the law. He was basically in charge of all
other prosecutors working for the government. He was responsible for overseeing them and they were
appointed at his discretion. He could also issue orders to them about what course of action the office of
the public prosecutor was to follow.
He had considerable influence over military matters as well as the Procurator General of the military
was appointed by the Soviet legislative bodies at his counsel. Yet, Safonov had a much stronger sway
over civilian courts as he could review any case being discussed and debar any decision given by the
courts, even the Supreme Court until the matter would be resolved. He could present any challenges he
faced to the legislature too if it required a policy-making solution. Thus although Safonov was a
counterpart to the U.S Office of the Attorney General, his office was in a much stronger position in the
USSR.
17
Nikolai Voznesensky
(Commission of Planning and Construction)
Nikolai Voznesensky was born on 1st December 1903 in the Tula
Governorate of the Russian Empire. During the years 1948 and
1949, he served as the Commissioner of Planning and Construction
in the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Voznesensky joined the Bolshevik revolution from the beginning
and after the revolution found work in consumer cooperatives. After
that he applied for the Communist Party and slowly rose through the
ranks. By 1940, he was Deputy Premier. When the Germans
attacked, he had been appointed in Leningrad where he played a
major role in revolutionizing the city. Thus during the war, he was
put in charge of economic management.
As Stalin's Commissioner of the Planning and Construction,
Voznesensky oversaw the administration of the state planning committee, Gosplan. The main purpose
of the Gosplan was the design and implementation of five year plan to oversee the working of the
economy. As the USSR, had a command economy all investments and market decisions had to be taken
by the government and the Gosplan served this purpose. It was the Gosplan which directed the
industrialization of the USSR. Voznesensky ensured that the supply in the economy matched the
demand to make sure there were no shortages or wastage.
For this he followed the method devised by the Gosplan called the method of material balances. This
meant that he was in charge of gathering data about all the spending and material required by the
economy and then cross referencing it with the production in the economy If any material was in
shortage, he had to make sure it got imported. In addition to overseeing economic planning, he was
responsible for the dealing with problems like inflation and devising economic policy in general. Yet,
despite Voznesensky's important role, he would, unlike other members of the Politburo, often disagree
with Stalin especially on matters of economic planning.
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Pyotr Pospelov
Minister of Propaganda
Pyotr Nikolayevich Pospelov was born on 20th June 1898 in
Konakovo and died in Moscow in 1979. During the years 1948
and 1949, he served as the Minister of Propaganda in the
Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Pospelov
was one of the leading scholars in the USSR. He got a degree in
economics from the Institute of Red Professors and was one of
the main writers of the only text on the history of the Communist
Party during Stalin's reign. This was undoubtedly helped by the
fact that he was a Stalin loyalist, though he would support many
soviet leaders in his time. As Stalin's Minister of Propaganda,
Pospelov was Editor-in-Chief of the Pravada.
The Pravada was the official newspaper of the Soviet Union and
Pospelov had a lot of power as its chief editor. Through the Pravada, he narrated the official line of the
government to the masses. It was very effective as well considering that it was the major newspaper
available to the masses. Pospelov was aware of all major policy decision too because they were all
published in the Pravada.
He had considerable influence as all important parts of the government received all their information
from the newspaper. He had considerable political influence through the newspaper too. As part of his
portfolio Pospelov headed the Marx-Engels-Lenin Institute in which books, pamphlets and various
publications on Socialism, Marxism and labor movements. Thus Pospelov had access to the largest
collection of written material in the entire USSR. As the popular saying goes, "Information is Power".
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