First Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union: Difference between revisions

Deputy head of government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

The first deputy premier of the Soviet Union was the deputy head of government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Despite the title, the office was not always held by a single individual. The office bore three different titles throughout its existence: First Deputy Chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars (1923–1946), First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers (1946–1991), and First Deputy Prime Minister of the Soviet Union (1991). The term “first deputy premier” was used by outside commentators to describe the office of first deputy head of government.

A first deputy premier was responsible for a specific policy area. For example, Kirill Mazurov was responsible for industry, while Dmitry Polyansky was responsible for agriculture in the Soviet Union.^[1]: 34 In addition, an officeholder would be responsible for coordinating the activities of ministries, state committees, and other bodies subordinated to the government. It was expected that a First Deputy gave these organs guidance in an expeditious manner to ensure the implementation of plans for economic and social development and to check if the orders and decisions of the government were being followed. If the premier could not perform his duties one of the first deputies would take on the role of acting premier until the premier’s return.^[2] During the late 1970s, when the health of Premier Alexei Kosygin deteriorated, First Deputy Premier Nikolai Tikhonov acted on his behalf as during his absence.^[3] At last, a first deputy was by right a member of the government Presidium, its highest decision-making organ.^[1]: 30

Twenty-six individuals held the office of first deputy premier. The first officeholder was Valerian Kuibyshev, who was inaugurated in 1934. Lavrentiy Beria spent the shortest time in office, serving for 113 days. At more than seventeen years, Vyacheslav Molotov spent the longest time in office, and held his position for most of Joseph Stalin‘s chairmanship, as well as through the chairmanships of Georgy Malenkov and Nikolai Bulganin.

Officeholders[edit]

No.[a]	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Premier	Other offices held while First Deputy Premier	Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Valerian Kuybyshev (1888–1935)	14 May 1934	25 January 1935 †	256 days	Vyacheslav Molotov	Chairman of the Soviet People’s Control Commission	[4][5]
2		Nikolai Voznesensky (1895–1950)	10 March 1941	15 March 1946	5 years, 5 days	Vyacheslav Molotov Joseph Stalin	Chairman of the State Planning Commission	[6]
3		Vyacheslav Molotov (1890–1986)	16 August 1942	29 June 1957	11 years, 106 days	Joseph Stalin Georgy Malenkov Nikolai Bulganin	Minister of Foreign Affairs	[7][8]
4		Nikolai Bulganin (1895–1975)	7 April 1950	8 February 1955	4 years, 307 days	Joseph Stalin Georgy Malenkov	Minister of Defence	[9][10]
5		Lavrentiy Beria (1899–1953)	5 March 1953	26 June 1953	113 days	Georgy Malenkov	Minister of Internal Affairs	[11]
6		Lazar Kaganovich (1893–1991)	5 March 1953	29 June 1957	4 years, 141 days	Georgy Malenkov Nikolai Bulganin Nikita Khrushchev	Minister of Building Materials Industry Chairman of the State Committee of the Council of Ministers for Labour and Wages	[12][13] [14]
7		Anastas Mikoyan (1895–1978)	28 February 1955	15 July 1964	9 years, 138 days	Nikolai Bulganin Nikita Khrushchev	Main diplomat to Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis	[15]
8		Mikhail Pervukhin (1904–1974)	28 February 1955	5 July 1957	2 years, 127 days	Nikolai Bulganin	Chairman of the State Economic Commission on Current Economic Planning	[16]
9		Maksim Saburov (1900–1977)	28 February 1955	5 July 1957	2 years, 127 days	Nikolai Bulganin	Chairman of the State Planning Committee	[17]
10		Joseph Kuzmin (1910–1996)	28 February 1955	5…