21 Aug 98

After their victorious coup in Nov 1917, the Bolsheviks, formerly a small conspiratorial organization, found the need for a more established structure to run the country. Among other changes, the Eighth Party Congress created in March 1919 a "Politburo" of senior members, to be selected from the larger Central Committee, to act on matters too urgent for the full Central Committee. Lars T. Lih et al. analogize it to a parliamentary system: The Party Congresses, meeting every two years until well into the 1920s, were the "electorate." They chose the Central Committee (a "parliament"), which in turn chose the Politburo (the Prime Minister and his cabinet).

Sources

Leonard Shapiro, "The Communist Party of the Soviet Union," Random House, New York, 1960; especially Appendix 3, pp. 606-609.

also:
Richard Pipes, "Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime," Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1993; p. 439.
Lars T. Lih, Oleg V. Naumov, and Oleg V. Khlevniuk, editors, "Stalin's Letters to Molotov, 1925-1936," Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1995; p.65.
Jean Bronskaya and Vladimir Chuguev, "Kto Est' Kto v Rossii i Byvshem SSSR," Terra, Moskva, 1994.
Robert Conquest, "The Great Terror: A Reassessment," Oxford University Press, 1990.

name	Factional loyalty: (a)- ally, (p)- protege, (i)- somewhat independent. Distinctive power base, background	occasion of accession to Politburo date of accession (c)- candidate member (f)- full member	Reason for departure from Politburo Date of departure	dates of birth and death	reason for death, if before Stalin's (1953)
Vladimir Ilich Lenin (Ulyanov)	founder and leader of party	8th Congress (f) Mar 1919	death(1924)	22 Apr 1870- 21 Jan 1924	natural
Lev Davydovich Trotsky [Trockij] (Bronshtejn)	Leader in 1917 coup, founder of Red Army	8th Congress (f) Mar 1919	Defeat of "United Opposition" CC Plenary Session expelled 23 Oct 1926	7 Nov 1879- 20 Aug 1940	assassinated in Mexico by NKVD
Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin (Dzhugashvili)		8th Congress (f) Mar 1919	death (1953)	20 Dec 1879- 5 Mar 1953	natural
Lev Borisovich Kamenev (Rozenfel'd)	Zinov'ev (a). Moscow party organization	8th Congress (f) Mar 1919	Defeat of "United Opposition" 14th Congress demoted to candidate, 1 Jan 1926; CC Plenary Session expelled 23 Oct 1926< /td>	6 Jul 1883- 25 Aug 1936	tried (1936) and shot
Nikolaj N. Krestinskij	Trotsky. Party Secretariat	8th Congress (f) Mar 1919.	Opposed Lenin's moderate N.E.P. 10th Congress 22 Mar 1921	? - 1938	tried (1938) and shot
Grigorij Evseevich Zinov'ev (Apfel'baum)	Orator, Chairman of Comintern, party boss of Peterburg	8th Congress (c) Mar 1919; 10th Congress (f) 22 Mar 1921.	Defeat of "United Opposition" CC Plenary Session expelled Jul 1926	8 Sep 1883- 25 Aug 1936	tried (1936) and shot
Nikolaj Ivanovich Bukharin		8th Congress (c) Mar 1919; 13th Congress (f) 2 Jun 1924.	Opposed Collectivization CC Plenary Session expelled Nov 1929	9 Oct 1888- 13 Mar 1938	tried (1938) and shot
Vyacheslav Mixajlovich Molotov (Skryabin)	Stalin (p).	10th Congress (c) 22 Mar 1921; 14th Congress (f) 1 Jan 1926.	Failed ouster of Khrushchov CC Plenary Session expelled Jun 1957	9 Mar 1890- 8 Nov 1986
Mixail Ivanovich Kalinin	Stalin (p). innocuous figurehead, of peasant origin	10th Congress (c) 22 Mar 1921; 13th Congress (c) 2 Jun 1924; 14th Congress (f) 1 Jan 1926.	dropped in 1923, but restored in 1924; death (1946)	19 Nov 1875- 3 Jun 1946	natural
Aleksej Ivanovich Rykov	Bukharin (a).	11th Congress (f) 3 Apr 1922;	Opposed Collectivization CC and CCC Plenary session expelled Dec 1930.	25 Feb 1881- 14 Mar 1938	tried (1938) and shot
Mixail Pavlovich Tomskij (Efremov)	Bukharin (a). Trade unions	11th Congress (f) 3 April 1922.	Opposed Collectivization Jul 1930	31 Oct 1880- 22 Aug 1936	forced suicide
Valerian Vladimirovich Kuibyshev [Kujbyshev]	Stalin (p)(i).	11th Congress (c) 3 Apr 1922 15th Congress (f) 19 Dec 1927	dropped in 1926, but restored in 1927. death (1935)	6 Jun 1888- 25 Jan 1935	Natural? Accusations of Trotskyism withdrawn after death; canonized.
Feliks E^dmundovich Dzerzhinskij	Ch.K. -- G.P.U.	13th Congress (c) 2 Jun 1924	death (1926)	11 Sep 1877- 20 Jul 1926	natural
Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov	Stalin (p). Red Army	14th Congress (f) 1 Jan 1926.	Failed ouster of Khrushchov CC Plenary Session expelled Jun 1957	4 Feb 1881- 2 Dec 1969
Yan E^rnestovich Rudzutak	Stalin (p)(i). Trade unions	14th Congress (c) 1 Jan 1926; Zinov'ev expelled (f) Jul 1926 17th Congress (c) 10 Feb 1934	Seconded to CCC, 1932-1934; Purged in 1938.	15 Aug 1887- 19 Jul 1938	Tried (1938) and shot
Grigorij Ivanovich Petrovskij	? Head of Ukrainian SSR "government," subordinate to Uk SSR "party" (Kossior)	14th Congress (c) 1 Jan 1926	Removed early 1939.	4 Feb 1878 - 9 Jan 1958	Life may have been spared as one of 12 Bolshevik deputies to Tsarist duma.
Nikolaj Aleksandrovich Uglanov	Stalin (p); Bukharin	14th Congress (c) 1 Jan 1926.	Opposed Collectivization CC Plenary Session 29 Apr 1929	1886-1937	shot
Georgij Konstantinovich ("Sergo") Ordzhonikidze	Stalin (p)(i). Popular; effective manager.	CC Plenary Session (c) Jul 1926; Rykov expelled (f) Dec 1930.	Seconded to C.C.C, 1926-1930; death (1937)	24 Oct 1886- 18 Feb 1937	forced suicide; ambivalently canonized.
Sergej Mironovich Kirov (Kostrikov)	Stalin (p)(i). Orator, popular and charismatic	CC Plenary Session (c) Jan 1926; 16th Congress (f) 13 Jul 1930.	death (1934)	27 Mar 1886- 1 Dec 1934	assassinated on Stalin's secret order; canonized.
Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan	Stalin (p).	CC Plenary Session (c) Jul 1926; CC Plenary Session (f) 1 Feb 1935	1960s?	25 Nov 1895- 21 Oct 1978
Lazar' Moiseevich Kaganovich	Stalin (p). Brutal but effective manager	CC Plenary Session (c) Jul 1926 16th Congress (f) 13 Jul 1930	Failed ouster of Khrushchov. CC Plenary Session expelled Jun 1957	22 Nov 1893- 25 Jul 1991
Vlas Yakovlevich Chubar'	Stalin (p).	Ordzhonikidze seconded to C.C.C. (c) 3 Nov 1926; CC Plenary Session (f) 1 Feb 1935	1938	? - 1938	Presumed executed
Andrej Andreevich Andreev	Stalin (p).	15th Congress (c) 19 Dec 1927; 17th Congress (f) 10 Feb 1934	Seconded to C.C.C. 1930-1934. Agricultural policy out of favor 1950?	?
Stanislav Vikent'evich Kosior	Stalin (p)(i). Party boss of Ukrainian SSR	15th Congress (c) 19 Dec 1927; (f)16th Congress (f) 13 Jul 1930.	1938	1889-1939	Shot
Karl Yanovich Bauman	Stalin? Supported Collectivization	replaced Uglanov (c) 29 Apr 1929;	Scapegoat in temporary retreat from Collectivization ("Dizzy with Success") Mar(?) 1930	1892- Oct 1937	Tried and shot
Sergej I. Syrtsov [Syrcov]	Stalin	16th Congress (c) 12 Jul 1930;	Agitated against dictatorship, economic policies C.C. and C.C.C. decision expelled 1 Dec 1930	? - ca 1938?	Secretly repressed, 1937-38?
Pavel Petrovich Postyshev	Stalin (p).	17th Congress (c) 20 Feb 1934	CC Plenary Session expelled Jan 1938	1887- 22 Feb 1939	Executed
Andrej Aleksandrovich Zhdanov	Stalin (p).	CC Plenary Session (c) 1 Feb 1935 18th Congress (f) 22 Mar 1939	death (1948)	26 Feb 1896- 31 Aug 1948	natural
Robert Ivanovich Eikhe [E^ixe]	Stalin (p).	CC Plenary Session (c) 1 Feb 1935	1938	1897-1940	Died in prison
Nikolaj Ivanovich Ezhov	Stalin (p). NKVD	Oct 1937 (c)	1939	1895-1940	Executed
Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev [Xrushchev]	Stalin (p).	CC plenary session (c) Jan 1938 18th Congress (f)22 Mar 1939	Successful coup 1964	5 Apr 1894- 11 Sep 1971
Lavrentij Pavlovich Beriya	Stalin (p). NKVD	18th Congress (c) 22 Mar 1939 CC plenary session (f)Mar 1946	Coup orchestrated by N.S. Khrushchov CC plenary session expelled Jul 1953	29 Mar 1899- Dec 1953	shot
Nikolaj Mixajlovich Shvernik	Stalin (p).	18th Congress (c) 22 Mar 1939 19th Congress (f)16 Oct 1952 CC plenary session (f)Jun 1957	dropped to candidate 1953-1957. 1966	7 May 1888- 24 Dec 1970

Some later Stalinist Politburo full members include:

Georgij Maksimilianovich Malenkov (candidate 1941, full 1946 - 1957)
Nikolaj Alekseevich Voznesenskij (candidate 1941, full 1947 - 1949)
Nikolaj Aleksandrovich Bulganin (candidate 1946, full 1948-1958)
Aleksej Nikolaevich Kosygin (candidate 1946, full 1948 - 1980)
Maksim Zaxarovich Saburov (full 1952 - 1957)

In addition, there was this candidate member:

Aleksandr Sergeevich Shcherbakov, (candidate, 1941-1945)

Below are listed additional Presidium members from 1953-58.

[Nominations to the expanded Presidium of Oct 1952 are ignored, unless they were confirmed in March 1953. Nominations in 1952 marked as "candidate" with an asterisk * actually were "full" nominations to the expanded 1952 Presidium, but confirmed in March 1953 only as "candidate."

M.G. Pervukhin (full 1952 - 1957)
Pantelejmon Kondrat'evich Ponamarenko (candidate 1952* - 1956)
L.G. Mel'nikov (candidate 1952* - 1953)
M.D. Bagirov (candidate 1953 - 1953)
Aleksej Illarionovich Kirichenko (candidate 1953, full 1955 - early 1960s)
Mikhail Andreevich Suslov (full 1955 - 1982)
Georgij Konstantinovich Zhukov (candidate 1956, full 1957 - 1957)
Leonid Ilich Brezhnev (candidate 1956, full 1957 - 1982)
N.A. Mukhitdinov (candidate 1956, full 1957 - ?)
Dimitrij Timofeevich Shepilov (candidate 1956 - 1957)
Ekaterina Alekseevna Furtseva (candidate 1956 - 1956)
Frol Romanovich Kozlov (candidate 1957, full 1957 - 1964)
Averkij Borisovich Aristov (full 1957 - 1961)
N. I. Belyaev (full 1957 - ?)
Nikolaj Grigor'evich Ignatov (full 1957 - 1961)
Otto Vil'gel'movich Kuusinen (full 1957 - 1964)
Petr Nikolaevich Pospelov (candidate 1957 - ?)
Dem'yan Sergeevich Korotchenko (candidate 1957 - 1961)
Ya. E. Kalnberzin(?) (candidate 1957 - ?)
Andrej Pavlovich Kirilenko (candidate 1957, full 1962 - 1982[?])
K. T. Mazurov (candidate 1957 - ?)
Vasilij Pavlovich Mzhavanadze (candidate 1957, full 1966 - 1972)
Nikolaj Viktorovich Podgornyj (candidate 1958, full 1960s? - 1977?)
D. S. Polyanskij (candidate 1958 - ?)

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