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Kliment Voroshilov

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Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov was a central figure in the Soviet Union.

Portrait of Kliment Voroshilov (4)
Portrait of Kliment Voroshilov (4)

He was a prominent military officer and a high-ranking politician. During the era of Joseph Stalin, Voroshilov held several powerful positions. He was one of the original five Marshals of the Soviet Union. This was the second-highest military rank in the country. He also served as the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. This role made him the nominal head of state from 1953 to 1960.

Voroshilov's early life was defined by extreme hardship in Ukraine. He was born in the settlement of Verkhnyeye to a worker's family. His father worked as a railway worker and a miner. Voroshilov began working when he was only six or seven years old. He grew up illiterate and could not read or write. He eventually enrolled in a village school at age 12. He only received two years of formal schooling there.

Kliment Voroshilov with Semen Ryzhkov (cropped)
Kliment Voroshilov with Semen Ryzhkov (cropped)

His political journey began with the Russian Revolution of 1917. He joined the Bolsheviks, which was a revolutionary political group. In 1918, he commanded the Fifth Ukrainian Army. He later moved to Tsaritsyn to lead the Tenth Army. It was in Tsaritsyn that he became a close friend of Stalin.

Ленин и Ворошилов среди делегатов X съезда (1921)
Ленин и Ворошилов среди делегатов X съезда (1921)

Together, they helped create the first Red Cavalry unit. This unit was led by Semyon Budyonny and used peasant soldiers. Voroshilov's influence grew as he joined the Central Committee in 1921. In 1925, Stalin appointed him People's Commissar for Military and Navy Affairs.

Иосиф Сталин, Вячеслав Молотов и Клим Ворошилов
Иосиф Сталин, Вячеслав Молотов и Клим Ворошилов

During the interwar period, Voroshilov managed critical military shifts. He helped move Soviet war industries east of the Ural Mountains. This move allowed the country to retreat strategically while keeping manufacturing active. In 1926, he became a full member of the Politburo. This was the highest policy-making committee in the Soviet Union. He later became the People's Commissar for Defence in 1934. By 1935, he achieved the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union.

5marshals 01
5marshals 01

Voroshilov played a controversial role during the Great Purge of the 1930s. This was a period when many people were arrested and executed. Voroshilov was one of four Politburo members who denied clemency to defendants. He also denounced former colleagues like Nikolai Bukharin and Alexei Rykov. He personally signed 185 documented execution lists. This made him the fourth most frequent signer after Stalin, Molotov, and Kaganovich.

Иосиф Сталин, Вячеслав Молотов и Клим Ворошилов
Иосиф Сталин, Вячеслав Молотов и Клим Ворошилов

While he sometimes tried to save certain officers, he often followed Stalin's orders. He even wrote letters to exiled officers, falsely promising they would be safe.

World War II brought both responsibility and failure for Voroshilov. He commanded Soviet troops during the Winter War against Finland. However, poor planning led to his replacement as Defense Commissar. When Germany invaded in June 1941, he joined the State Defense Committee. He was unable to prevent the German encirclement of Leningrad. Because of these failures, he was relieved of command in September 1941.

Later, he helped establish a socialist regime in Hungary after the war.

His final years involved a transition in Soviet leadership. Following the death of Stalin in 1953, Voroshilov became the head of state. His political influence declined during the rise of Nikita Khrushchev. The Supreme Soviet eventually turned against him, leading to his resignation in 1960. He briefly returned to the party in 1966 after retirement. Voroshilov died in 1969 at the age of 88.

RIAN archive 24692 Kliment Voroshilov at a meeting with young Communist League members
RIAN archive 24692 Kliment Voroshilov at a meeting with young Communist League members
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