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Georgy Malenkov

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Georgy Malenkov was a very powerful leader in the Soviet Union.

Георгий Маленков (1932)
Георгий Маленков (1932)

He was born in 1902 in a place called Orenburg. His father was a wealthy farmer. His mother came from a family of blacksmiths and priests. Malenkov joined the Red Army as a volunteer in 1918. Later, he joined the Communist Party in 1920. He worked on a propaganda train during the Russian Civil War. These early years helped him start his long career in politics.

19420121-kalinin malenkov stalin moscov subway-station mayakovskaya
19420121-kalinin malenkov stalin moscov subway-station mayakovskaya

In the 1920s and 1930s, Malenkov rose through the party ranks. He worked in the Orgburo, which was an office that kept member records. He was in charge of two million files during ten years of work. This role brought him very close to the leader, Joseph Stalin. During the Great Purge, Malenkov was involved in the trials of people accused of being enemies. He traveled to many places like Armenia and Tatarstan to help with this work. He also helped bring down other leaders like Nikolai Yezhov in 1938. By 1939, he was a member of the Central Committee Secretariat.

Georgy Malenkov-TIME-1953
Georgy Malenkov-TIME-1953

World War II gave Malenkov even bigger jobs to do. He joined the State Defense Committee in 1941. This small group had total control over the country. Malenkov was one of the five most powerful men during the war. He was in charge of making military aircraft and missiles. He also helped start the Soviet nuclear weapons program. Malenkov liked to hire smart engineers and scientists. He believed that technical skills were more important than political ideas. He wanted to make sure the nation could build things quickly and well.

Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1989-101-01A, Moskau, Besuch Konrad Adenauer
Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1989-101-01A, Moskau, Besuch Konrad Adenauer

After the war ended, Malenkov became a full member of the Politburo in 1946. He had many rivals in the government. One rival was Andrei Zhdanov. Zhdanov believed that political ideas were more important than science. Malenkov disagreed and fought for the experts. He also spoke out against famous war heroes like Georgy Zhukov. Malenkov wanted to focus on rebuilding the country after the war. In 1948, he became the Second Secretary of the Communist Party. This made him one of the top leaders in the land.

Nikita Khrushchev official portrait
Nikita Khrushchev official portrait

When Joseph Stalin died in March 1953, Malenkov became the new leader. He was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers. However, he soon entered a power struggle with Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev was the First Secretary of the party. Malenkov lost many of his high positions in 1955 and 1957. He tried to work with others to remove Khrushchev, but the plan failed. This group was called the "Anti-Party Group." Malenkov was eventually removed from the party in 1961. He lived a quiet life until he died in 1988.

Tomb of Malenkov 20201025 160728
Tomb of Malenkov 20201025 160728
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🖼️ Images & Media (6)
File:Георгий Маленков (1932).png
Георгий Маленков (1932).png
File:19420121-kalinin malenkov stalin moscov subway-station mayakovskaya.jpg
19420121-kalinin malenkov stalin moscov...
File:Georgy Malenkov-TIME-1953.jpg
Georgy Malenkov-TIME-1953.jpg
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1989-101-01A, Moskau, Besuch Konrad Adenauer.jpg
Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1989-101-01A,...
File:Nikita Khrushchev official portrait.jpg
Nikita Khrushchev official portrait.jpg
File:Tomb of Malenkov 20201025 160728.jpg
Tomb of Malenkov 20201025 160728.jpg
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