Anastas Mikoyan

Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan was a prominent Soviet statesman, diplomat, and Bolshevik revolutionary. He held many high-ranking positions, including Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. This role made him the nominal head of state for the Soviet Union. Mikoyan was a rare figure in Soviet history due to his incredible political longevity. He was the only politician to remain in power from the era of Vladimir Lenin through the leadership of Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev. He finally retired during the era of Leonid Brezhnev. His career lasted over fifty years, which inspired a popular Russian saying. People joked that he went from "Ilyich to Ilyich" without suffering a heart attack or paralysis.

Mikoyan was born in 1895 in the village of Sanahin. At that time, Sanahin was part of the Tiflis Governorate in the Russian Empire. Today, this area is part of Armenia's Lori Province. His father, Hovhannes, worked as a carpenter, and his mother was a rug weaver.

Mikoyan received his early education from a monk at the Sanahin Monastery. He later attended the Nersisian School in Tiflis and the Gevorgian Seminary in Vagharshapat. Although he studied theology, he became an atheist. He later remarked that studying religious subjects actually made him believe less in God. By age twenty, he had already become a convinced Marxist and formed a workers' soviet in Echmiadzin.

In 1915, Mikoyan joined the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. He became a leader in the revolutionary movement in the Caucasus. Following the October Revolution of 1917, he served as a commissar in the newly formed Red Army. He participated in the Baku Commune, a political group in Baku. During this time, he worked as an editor for Armenian-language newspapers. He also supervised an armed Armenian militia.

In 1918, Mikoyan led a commando unit to organize the escape of Bolshevik leaders from prison. While many of his colleagues were executed in the Turkmen desert, Mikoyan escaped by accident. He returned to Baku in 1919 to resume his political work.

Mikoyan's influence grew as he moved into high-level administration. He was elected to the Central Committee in 1923 and remained a member for over fifty years. He served as the minister for foreign and internal trade during two different periods. In 1935, he was elected to the Politburo, which was the main policy-making committee of the Communist Party. Mikoyan was known for his interest in modernizing the Soviet economy. In 1936, he traveled to the United States to study the American food industry. During this trip, he met influential figures like Henry Ford.

Upon returning from America, Mikoyan introduced many new consumer products to the Soviet Union. He helped bring items like hamburgers, ice cream, corn flakes, and popcorn to Soviet citizens. He also helped start the production of tomato juice and grapefruit. To encourage cooking at home, he helped publish a famous cookbook in 1939 called *The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food*. He was deeply involved in the meat and dairy industries. He even personally controlled the quality of Soviet ice cream for many years. Stalin once joked that Mikoyan cared more about ice cream than about communism.

During the late 1930s, the Soviet Union underwent the Great Purge. This was a period of intense political repression orchestrated by Joseph Stalin. Mikoyan's role during this time was complex. He sometimes supported the state's actions, such as signing death lists or supporting the execution of certain leaders. However, he was also known to try and save close friends and colleagues from persecution. In 1937, Stalin sent Mikoyan to Armenia to test his loyalty during the purges there. While he failed to save everyone, he was noted as being more decent than some other leaders.

World War II brought new challenges for Mikoyan. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, he was tasked with organizing food and supply transport. He played a major role in moving Soviet industry from western cities to safer zones in the east. These safer areas included the Urals and Western Siberia. He worked to ensure the Red Army had the necessary materiel to fight. For his efforts, he was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor in 1943. During the war, he also stood alone in dissenting against the deportation of certain ethnic groups.

In the later years of his career, Mikoyan became a key figure in Soviet foreign policy. During the era of Nikita Khrushchev, he used "soft power" to further Soviet interests. This meant using diplomacy and cultural influence rather than military force. He made several important trips to the United States and communist Cuba.

He helped Khrushchev navigate political challenges, including a failed coup in 1957. He also played a role in the policy of de-Stalinization. After Khrushchev was removed from power in 1964, Mikoyan briefly served as the head of state. He retired in 1965, leaving behind a legacy of extreme political endurance.