Minister of Defence (Soviet Union) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union |
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Standard of the Minister of Defence (1964–1991)
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| Ministry of Defense | |
| Reports to | Premier |
| Nominator | Defense Council |
| Appointer | Politburo |
| Precursor | Minister of War (Russian Empire) |
| Formation | 8 November 1917 |
| First holder | Council on War and Navy Affairs |
| Final holder | Yevgeny Shaposhnikov |
| Abolished | 14 February 1992 |
| Succession | Commander-in-Chief of the CIS Armed Forces (1992–1993) Minister of Defence (Russian Federation) |
The Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union (Russian: Министр обороны СССР) was the person in charge of the Ministry of Defence. This role was very important for protecting the Soviet Union and its people. The Minister of Defence was responsible for the country's military forces. This position existed from 1917 until 1992.
Contents
- Early Leaders: Military and Naval Affairs (1917–1934)
- People's Commissars for Defence (1934–1946)
- People's Commissars for the Navy (1937–1946)
- People's Commissar for the Armed Forces (1946)
- Ministers of the Armed Forces (1946–1950)
- Minister of War (1950–1953)
- Ministers of the Navy (1950–1953)
- Ministers of Defence (1953–1992)
- See also
This section lists the first leaders who were in charge of both the military and navy. They were called "People's Commissars for Military and Naval Affairs." This role was created in 1917.
| No. | Portrait | People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
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| 1 | Council | 8 November 1917 | 15 November 1917 | 7 days | |
| 2 | Nikolai Podvoisky (1880–1948) |
15 November 1917 | 13 March 1918 | 118 days | |
| 3 | Leon Trotsky (1879–1940) |
14 March 1918 | 25 January 1925 | 6 years, 317 days | |
| 4 | Mikhail Frunze (1885–1925) |
25 January 1925 | 31 October 1925 † | 279 days | |
| 5 | Kliment Voroshilov (1881–1969) |
6 November 1925 | 20 June 1934 | 8 years, 232 days |
People's Commissars for Defence (1934–1946)After 1934, the role changed to focus specifically on defence. These leaders were known as "People's Commissars for Defence."
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At the same time, there was a separate leader for the navy. These individuals were called "People's Commissars for the Navy."
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People's Commissar for the Armed Forces (1946)
For a short time in 1946, the roles of defence and navy were combined. The leader was called the "People's Commissar for the Armed Forces."
| No. | Portrait | People's Commissar for the Armed Forces | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
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| 1 | Marshal of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin (1878–1953) |
25 February 1946 | 15 March 1946 | 18 days |
Ministers of the Armed Forces (1946–1950)
After 1946, the title changed from "People's Commissar" to "Minister." The leaders of the combined armed forces were then known as "Ministers of the Armed Forces."
| No. | Portrait | Ministers of the Armed Forces | Took office | Left office | Time in office |
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| 1 | Marshal of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin (1878–1953) |
15 March 1946 | 3 March 1947 | 353 days | |
| 2 | Marshal of the Soviet Union Nikolai Bulganin (1895–1975) |
3 March 1947 | 24 March 1949 | 2 years, 21 days | |
| 3 | Marshal of the Soviet Union Aleksandr Vasilevsky (1895–1977) |
24 March 1949 | 25 February 1950 | 338 days |
Minister of War (1950–1953)From 1950 to 1953, the military leadership was split again. One role was the "Minister of War," focusing on land forces.
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During the same period, there was a separate "Minister of the Navy" to lead the naval forces.
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Ministers of Defence (1953–1992)
From 1953 until the end of the Soviet Union, the role was once again combined into a single "Minister of Defence." These individuals were responsible for all military branches.
| No. | Portrait | Minister of Defence | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Leader | Premier |
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| 1 | Marshal of the Soviet Union Nikolai Bulganin (1895–1975) |
15 March 1953 | 9 February 1955 | 1 year, 331 days | Georgy Malenkov Nikita Khrushchev |
Georgy Malenkov | |
| 2 | Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Zhukov (1896–1974) |
9 February 1955 | 26 October 1957 | 2 years, 259 days | Nikita Khrushchev | Nikolai Bulganin | |
| 3 | Marshal of the Soviet Union Rodion Malinovsky (1898–1967) |
26 October 1957 | 31 March 1967 † | 9 years, 156 days | Nikita Khrushchev Leonid Brezhnev |
Nikolai Bulganin Nikita Khrushchev Alexsei Kosygin |
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| 4 | Marshal of the Soviet Union Andrei Grechko (1903–1976) |
12 April 1967 | 26 April 1976 † | 9 years, 14 days | Leonid Brezhnev | Alexsei Kosygin | |
| 5 | Marshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Ustinov (1908–1984) |
30 July 1976 | 20 December 1984 † | 8 years, 143 days | Leonid Brezhnev Yuri Andropov Konstantin Chernenko |
Alexsei Kosygin Nikolai Tikhonov |
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| 6 | Marshal of the Soviet Union Sergey Sokolov (1911–2012) |
22 December 1984 | 29 May 1987 | 2 years, 158 days | Konstantin Chernenko Mikhail Gorbachev |
Nikolai Tikhonov Nikolai Ryzhkov |
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| 7 | Marshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Yazov (1924–2020) |
30 May 1987 | 28 August 1991 | 4 years, 90 days | Mikhail Gorbachev | Nikolai Ryzhkov Valentin Pavlov |
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| 8 | Marshal of Aviation Yevgeny Shaposhnikov (1942–2020) |
29 August 1991 | 14 February 1992 | 169 days | Mikhail Gorbachev (until Dec. 1991) |
Ivan Silayev |
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See also
- College of War
- Ministry of War of the Russian Empire
- List of heads of the military of Imperial Russia
- Ministry of Defense (Soviet Union)
- Ministry of Defense Industry (Soviet Union)
- Ministry of Defence (Russia)
- General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
- Chief of the General Staff (Russia)
- Cheget
