Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
📖

Nikolai Podgorny

society Maturity 11-13 death dying Next article →

This article covers sensitive topics: death_dying. Parents can manage visibility in Parental Controls.

Nikolai Viktorovich Podgorny was an important leader in the Soviet Union.

Nikolai-Podgornyi-1969-in-Tampere
Nikolai-Podgornyi-1969-in-Tampere

He was born on February 18, 1903, in Karlovka. His family belonged to the Ukrainian working class. Podgorny spent many years working to improve the economy. He studied at the Kiev Technological Institute of Food Industry. After he graduated in 1931, he worked in the sugar industry. He worked hard to help people by growing more food. This work helped him rise through the ranks of the government.

Podgorny rose to power by managing large parts of the country. In 1937, he became a deputy chief engineer in Vinnytsia. By 1939, he was a chief engineer for sugar trusts. He later became a leader for the food industry in Ukraine. From 1957 to 1963, he was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Ukraine. In this role, he worked to rebuild the economy after the war. He helped increase production in farming and industry. He also worked to educate new workers for the country.

Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B0114-0010-038, Berlin, VI. SED-Parteitag, Ulbricht, Chruschtschow
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B0114-0010-038, Berlin, VI. SED-Parteitag, Ulbricht, Chruschtschow

In 1964, Podgorny helped change the top leadership of the Soviet Union. He and Leonid Brezhnev worked to remove Nikita Khrushchev from office. After this, a group of three leaders called a troika was formed. This group included Brezhnev, Alexei Kosygin, and Podgorny. On December 6, 1965, Podgorny became the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. This role made him the head of state. It was also the second most powerful position in the land. He was a very important part of the government for many years.

Podgorny was known for having more liberal ideas than many other leaders. This means he often had more open ways of thinking about rules. He traveled to many different places as a leader. He visited countries like China, North Vietnam, and Yugoslavia.

Nikolai-Podgornyi-1969-in-Tampere
Nikolai-Podgornyi-1969-in-Tampere

He even met with French President Charles de Gaulle in Moscow.

Correio da Manhã AN 410
Correio da Manhã AN 410

In 1971, he led important groups to North Vietnam and China. He used these trips to talk about how different countries worked together. His presence in these places showed how much influence he had.

However, the power in the Soviet Union began to change. Leonid Brezhnev wanted to have more control over the government. Brezhnev worked to make himself the strongest leader. As Brezhnev gained more power, Podgorny's influence started to go down. By June 1977, Podgorny was removed from his high positions. He was forced to leave politics and stayed away from government affairs. He lived until he died on January 12, 1983. His life showed how much the leadership of the Soviet Union could change.

426 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (3)
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B0114-0010-038, Berlin, VI. SED-Parteitag, Ulbricht, Chruschtschow.jpg
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B0114-0010-038,...
File:Nikolai-Podgornyi-1969-in-Tampere.jpg
Nikolai-Podgornyi-1969-in-Tampere.jpg
File:Correio da Manhã AN 410.jpg
Correio da Manhã AN 410.jpg
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.