USSR: Communist Party: Secretariat Secretariat of the Central Committee 25 Mar 1919 Stasova elected secretary by the Central Committee 29 Nov 1919 Krestinskij and Stasova elected secretaries by the Central Committee 5 Apr 1920 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Krestinskij, Preobrazhensky, Serebryakov 16 Mar 1921 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: V. Mikhaylov, Molotov, Yaroslavsky 3 Apr 1922 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Stalin (secretary general), Kujbyšev, Molotov 26 Apr 1923 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Stalin (secretary general), Molotov, Rudzutak 2 Feb 1924 Rudzutak relieved of duties by resolution of the Politburo 3 Feb 1924 Andreev elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 2 Jun 1924 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Stalin (secretary general), Andreev, Zelensky, Kaganovic, Molotov 20 Aug 1924 Zelensky relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Uglanov elected secretary 30 Apr 1925 Kaganovic relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Bubnov elected secretary 1 Jan 1926 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Stalin (secretary general), Yevdokimov, Kosior, Molotov, Uglanov; candidate members - Artukhina, Bubnov 9 Apr 1926 Yevdokimov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Švernik elected secretary 16 Apr 1927 Švernik relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Kubyak elected secretary 19 Dec 1927 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Stalin (secretary general), Kosior, Kubyak, Molotov, Uglanov; candidate members - Artukhina, Bubnov, Moskvin 11 Apr 1928 Kubyak relieved of duties at the joint plenum of the Central Committee and the Central Control Commission; Smirnov elected secretary; Bauman elected candidate member 12 Jul 1928 Kosior relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Kaganovic elected secretary 29 Apr 1929 Uglanov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Bauman promoted to secretary 13 Jul 1930 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Stalin (secretary general), Bauman, Kaganovic, Molotov, Postyšev; candidate members - Moskvin, Švernik 21 Dec 1930 Molotov relieved of duties at the joint plenum of the Central Committee and the Central Control Commission 2 Oct 1932 Bauman and Moskvin relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 10 Feb 1934 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Ždanov, Kaganovic, Kirov, Stalin 1 Dec 1934 Kirov assassinated 1 Feb 1935 Ežov elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 28 Feb 1935 Andreev elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 22 Mar 1939 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Andreev, Ždanov, Malenkov, Stalin 4 May 1941 Ščerbakov elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 10 May 1945 Ščerbakov died 18 Mar 1946 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Ždanov, Kuznecov, Malenkov, Popov, Stalin 6 May 1946 Malenkov relieved of duties by questionnaire [1]; Patolichev approved secretary by questionnaire 24 May 1947 Patolichev relieved of duties by questionnaire; Suslov approved secretary by questionnaire 1 Jul 1948 Malenkov and Ponomarenko approved secretaries by questionnaire 31 Aug 1948 Ždanov died 28 Jan 1949 Kuznecov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 16 Dec 1949 Popov relieved of duties by questionnaire; Hruščëv approved secretary by questionnaire 16 Oct 1952 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Aristov, Brežnev, Ignatov, Malenkov, N. Mikhaylov, Pegov, Ponomarenko, Stalin, Suslov, Hruščëv 5 Mar 1953 Brežnev, Ignatov, Pegov, Ponomarenko relieved of duties at the joint session of the Central Committee, the Council of Ministers and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet; Ignatyev, Pospelov, Shatalin elected secretaries 5 Mar 1953 Stalin died 14 Mar 1953 Malenkov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Ignatyev, Pospelov, Suslov, Hruščëv, Shatalin 5 Apr 1953 Ignatyev relieved of duties by questionnaire 7 Sep 1953 Hruščëv elected First secretary at the Central Committee plenum 8 Mar 1955 Shatalin relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 12 Jul 1955 Aristov, Belyaev, Shepilov elected secretaries at the Central Committee plenum 27 Feb 1956 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Hruščëv (first secretary), Aristov, Belyaev, Brežnev, Pospelov, Suslov, Furtseva, Hruščëv, Shepilov 24 Dec 1956 Shepilov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 14 Feb 1957 Shepilov elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 29 June 1957 Shepilov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Kuusinen elected secretary 17 Dec 1957 Ignatov, Kirichenko, Mukhitdinov elected secretaries at the Central Committee plenum 12 Nov 1958 Belyaev relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 4 May 1960 Aristov, Ignatov, Kirichenko, Pospelov and Furtseva relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Kozlov elected secretary 16 Jul 1960 Brežnev relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 31 Oct 1961 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Hruščëv (first secretary), Demichev, Ilyichev, Kozlov, Kuusinen, Ponomarev, Spiridonov, Suslov, Hruščëv, Shelepin 23 Apr 1962 Spiridonov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 23 Nov 1962 Andropov, Polyakov, Rudakov and Titov elected secretaries at the Central Committee plenum 21 June 1963 Brežnev and Podgornyj elected secretaries at the Central Committee plenum 17 May 1964 Kuusinen died 14 Oct 1964 Hruščëv relieved of duties; Brežnev elected first secretary at the Central Committee plenum 16 Nov 1964 Kozlov and Polyakov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 26 Mar 1965 Ilyichev relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Ustinov elected secretary 29 Sep 1965 Titov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Kulakov elected secretary 6 Dec 1965 Podgornyj relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Kapitonov elected secretary 8 Apr 1966 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Brežnev (general secretary), Andropov, Brežnev, Demichev, Kapitonov, Kirilenko, Kulakov, Ponomarev, Rudakov, Suslov, Ustinov, Shelepin 10 Jul 1966 Rudakov died 13 Dec 1966 Solomentsev elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 21 June 1967 Andropov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 26 Sep 1967 Shelepin relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 10 Apr 1968 Katushev elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 9 Apr 1971 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Brežnev (general secretary), Demichev, Kapitonov, Katushev, Kirilenko, Kulakov, Ponomarev, Solomentsev, Suslov, Ustinov 23 Nov 1971 Solomentsev relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 18 Dec 1972 Dolgikh elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 16 Dec 1974 Demichev relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 5 Mar 1976 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Brežnev (general secretary), Dolgikh, Zimyanin, Kapitonov, Katushev, Kirilenko, Kulakov, Ponomarev, Suslov, Ustinov, Černenko 25 Oct 1976 Ryabov elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 26 Oct 1976 Ustinov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 24 May 1977 Katushev relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Rusakov elected secretary 17 Jul 1978 Kulakov died 27 Nov 1978 Gorbačëv elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 17 Apr 1979 Ryabov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 3 Mar 1981 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Brežnev (general secretary), Gorbačëv, Dolgikh, Zimyanin, Kapitonov, Kirilenko, Ponomarev, Rusakov, Suslov, Černenko 25 Jan 1982 Suslov died 24 May 1982 Andropov elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 10 Nov 1982 Brežnev died 12 Nov 1982 Andropov elected secretary general at the Central Committee extraordinary plenum 22 Nov 1982 Kirilenko relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Ryzhkov elected secretary 15 June 1983 Romanov elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 26 Dec 1983 Ligachev elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 9 Feb 1984 Andropov died 13 Feb 1984 Černenko elected secretary general at the Central Committee extraordinary plenum 10 Mar 1985 Černenko died 11 Mar 1985 Gorbačëv elected secretary general at the Central Committee extraordinary plenum 23 Apr 1985 Nikonov elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 1 Jul 1985 Romanov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Yeltsin and Zaikov elected secretaries 15 Oct 1985 Ryzhkov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 18 Feb 1986 Yeltsin and Rusakov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum 6 Mar 1986 Secretariat elected by the Central Committee: Gorbačëv (general secretary), Biryukova, Dobrynin, Dolgikh, Zaikov, Zimyanin, Ligachev, Medvedev, Nikonov, Razumovsky, Yakovlev 28 Jan 1987 Zimyanin relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Lukyanov and Slyunkov elected secretaries 18 Feb 1988 Baklanov elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 30 Sep 1988 Biryukova, Dobrynin, Dolgikh and Lukyanov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Chebrikov elected secretary 20 Sep 1989 Nikonov and Chebrikov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Girenko, Manayenkov, Stroyev and Usmanov elected secretaries 9 Dec 1989 Frolov elected secretary at the Central Committee plenum 10 Jul 1990 Gorbačëv elected secretary general by secret ballot at the 28th party Congress 11 Jul 1990 Ivashko elected deputy secretary general by secret ballot at the 28th party Congress 14 Jul 1990 Secretaries elected by the Central Committee: Baklanov, Gidaspov, Girenko, Dzasokhov, Kuptsov, Manayenkov, Semyonova, Stroyev, Falin, Shenin, Yanayev; members of the Secretariat: Aniskin, Gayvoronsky, Melnikov, Teplenichev, Turgunova 31 Jan 1991 Yanayev relieved of duties at the joint plenum of the Central Committee and Central Control Commission; Luchinsky elected secretary 25 Apr 1991 Gorbačëv tendered his resignation to the joint plenum of the Central Committee and the Central Control Commission, but it was declined; Baklanov relieved of duties 26 Jul 1991 Kalashnikov and Melnikov elected secretaries at the Central Committee plenum; Maltsev elected member of the Secretariat 24 Aug 1991 Gorbačëv resigned the office of secretary general Information source: [2] [1] In a number of cases, an agenda of the Central Committee Plenum was circulated with a draft resolution requiring individual assent or comment by the participants. This was called approval by questionnaire (oprosom). [2] Чернев А.Д. 229 кремлевских вождей. Политбюро, Оргбюро, Секретариат ЦК Коммунистической партии в лицах и цифрах. Справочник. М.: Редакция журнала "Родина", Научный центр "Руссика". 1996. Last updated on: 25 Jun 2009 20:00:00