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Draft:Second Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

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The Second Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the second highest position in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the post was the equivalent to Deputy Secretary-general. The post was established in 1922 and the first person to held the post was Vyacheslav Molotov, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 1990, during the 28th Congress, the post was renamed as Deputy General Secretary.

Second Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Emblem of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Longest serving
Mikhail Suslov
6 December 1965 – 25 January 1982,
de facto from 14 September 1953 – 17 December 1957
Central Committee of the Communist Party
Secretariat of the Communist Party
StyleComrade
Member of
Reports toGeneral Secretary
SeatKremlin, Moscow
AppointerCentral Committee
FormationApril 1922; 102 years ago (1922-04)
First holderVyacheslav Molotov
Final holderVladimir Ivashko (as Deputy General Secretary)
Abolished29 August 1991; 33 years ago (1991-08-29)

The role of Second Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union emerged as a pivotal position in the hierarchy of the Soviet political system. Following the leadership of General Secretaries such as Joseph Stalin, Leonid Brezhnev, the designation of Second Secretary represented a transitional phase in Soviet leadership dynamics.

Key functions and responsibilities

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Succession Planning

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The Second Secretary played a crucial role in grooming future leaders and maintaining stability during transitions of power.

Political Influence

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While not holding the top position, the Second Secretary wielded significant influence within the party apparatus and decision-making processes.

Party Unity

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Ensuring cohesion and unity within the CPSU ranks, especially during periods of political and ideological challenges, was a primary responsibility.

List of officeholders

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16 individuals are appointed as the Party's Second Secretary, Mikhail Suslov spent the longest time in office and Vladimir Ivashko spent the shortest time in office. 8 individuals held the position in a temporary role.

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Term Notes
Took office Left office
Second Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
(1922–1990)
1 Vyacheslav Molotov
(1890–1986)[1] 		April 1922 December 1930 He was appointed as the Party's first Second Secretary. In 1930, he was replaced by Lazar Kaganovich
2 Lazar Kaganovich
(1893–1991)[2][a][3] 		December 1930 21 March 1939 Appointed by Stalin in December 1930, as the de facto Second Secretary. He held the position in a temporary role until 1935, he was officially became the Second Secretary.
3 Andrei Zhdanov
(1896–1948) 		21 March 1939 31 August 1948† Appointed by the Central Committee on 21 March 1939, he died in office in 1948.
4 Georgy Malenkov
(1902–1988) 		31 August 1948 16 October 1952 Succeeded Zhadanov in 1948 until 1952, replaced by Nikita Khrushchev.
5 Nikita Khrushchev
(1894–1971)[b] 		16 October 1952 14 September 1953 De facto Second Secretary from 1952–1953
6 Mikhail Suslov 1964.jpg Mikhail Suslov
(1902–1982)[c] 		14 September 1953 17 December 1957 De facto Second Secretary until 1955, officially became Second Secretary after Malenkov was removed from power as Premier of USSR
7 Aleksey Kirichenko
(1908–1975)[d][4] 		17 December 1957 5 April 1960 De facto Second Secretary until 1960
8 Frol Kozlov
(1908–1965)[e] 		5 April 1960 21 June 1963 De facto Second Secretary until 1963
9 Leonid Brezhnev
(1906–1982) 		21 June 1963 14 October 1964 Appointed by Nikita Khrushchev as his "likely successor" until 1964, Brezhnev forced Khrushchev to resign as First Secretary.
10 Nikolai Podgorny
(1903–1983)[f][5] 		14 October 1964 6 December 1965 De facto Second Secretary until 1965
11 Mikhail Suslov
(1902–1982) 		6 December 1965 25 January 1982 Appointed by Leonid Brezhnev in 1965. He was considered as Brezhnev "likely successor" by foreign countries until 1982, he died in office and Chernenko, Senior Secretary of Cadres, became acting Second Secretary. He was the longest serving Second Secretary.
– Konstantin Chernenko
(1911–1985)
(acting) 		25 January 1982 24 May 1982 Acting in 5 months and replaced by Yuri Andropov.
12 Yuri Andropov
(1914–1984) 		24 May 1982 10 November 1982 General Secretary of the CPSU from 10 November 1982 and appointed Chernenko as his "likely successor".
13 Konstantin Chernenko
(1911–1984) 		10 November 1982 9 February 1984 General Secretary of the CPSU from 9 February 1984, Appointed Gorbachev as Second Secretary.
13 Mikhail Gorbachev
(1931–2022)[g] 		9 February 1984 10 March 1985 De facto Second Secretary until 1985, officially became General Secretary.
14 Yegor Ligachev
(1920–2021) 		10 March 1985 14 July 1990 Appointed by Gorbachev until 1990, he was removed from power and succeeded by Vladimir Ivashko, the position was renamed as Deputy General Secretary in the 28th Party Congress.
Deputy General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
(1990–1991)
15 Vladimir Ivashko
(1932–1994) 		14 July 1990 29 August 1991 Appointed in the 28th Party Congress.[6] Acting General Secretary from 24–29 August 1991, resigned as acting General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary on 29 August, after Boris Yeltsin suspended the Party throughout the country.

Notes

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  1. ^ de facto (until 1935)
  2. ^ de facto
  3. ^ de facto
  4. ^ de facto
  5. ^ de facto
  6. ^ de facto
  7. ^ de facto
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  1. ^ Montefiore 2005, pp. 40–41.
  2. ^ R.W.Davies, Oleg V. Khlevniuk, and E.A.Rees (editors) (2003). The Stalin-Kaganovich Correspondence, 1931–36. New Haven: Yale U.P. pp. ix–xi. ISBN 0-300-09367-5. {{cite book}}: |first1= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Политбюро. Механизмы политической власти в 30-е годы & 2013-06-03.
  4. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20130603153628 & 2015-01-28.
  5. ^ Zemtsov 1989, p. 87.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Garthoff431 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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