Nikolai Tikhonov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nikolai Tikhonov Николай Тихонов
Tikhonov in 1980
9th Premier of the Soviet Union
In office 23 October 1980 – 27 September 1985
First Deputies	Ivan Arkhipov Heydar Aliyev Andrei Gromyko
Preceded by	Alexei Kosygin
Succeeded by	Nikolai Ryzhkov
First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union
In office 2 September 1976 – 23 October 1980
Premier	Alexei Kosygin
Preceded by	Dmitry Polyansky
Succeeded by	Ivan Arkhipov
Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union
In office 2 October 1965 – 2 September 1976
Premier	Alexei Kosygin
Deputy Chairman of the State Economic Commission on Current Planning
In office 1963–1965
Leader	Pyotr Lomako
Full member of the 25th, 26th, 27th Politburo
In office 27 November 1979 – 15 October 1985
Candidate member of the 25th Politburo
In office 27 November 1978 – 27 November 1979
Full member of the 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th Central Committee
In office 1966–1989
Candidate member of the 22nd Central Committee
In office 1961–1966
Personal details
Born	(1905-05-14)14 May 1905 Kharkiv, Kharkov Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	1 June 1997(1997-06-01) (aged 92) Moscow, Russia
Resting place	Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow
Citizenship	Soviet and Russian
Nationality	Russian
Political party	Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1940–1989)
Alma mater	Dnipropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute
Profession	Metallurgist

Nikolai Aleksandrovich Tikhonov (Russian: Николай Александрович Тихонов; Ukrainian: Микола Олександрович Тихонов; born May 14, 1905 – died June 1, 1997) was an important political figure in the Soviet Union during the Cold War. He served as the Premier of the Soviet Union from 1980 to 1985. Before that, he was the First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1976 to 1980.

Tikhonov was in charge of managing the Soviet Union's culture and economy during a period known as the "Era of Stagnation." In 1985, Nikolai Ryzhkov took over his role as Premier. Tikhonov also lost his position in the powerful Politburo that same year. However, he remained a member of the Central Committee until 1989.

He was born in Kharkiv in 1905 into a working-class family. After finishing his studies in the 1920s, he started working in the 1930s. Tikhonov began his political journey in local industry and slowly moved up through different Soviet industrial ministries. He became the deputy chairman of the Gosplan (State Planning Committee) in 1963. After Alexei Kosygin stepped down, Tikhonov was chosen to be the Premier. He retired from politics in 1989 and passed away on June 1, 1997.

Early Life and Career

Tikhonov was born in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on May 14, 1905. He came from a working-class family with Russian and Ukrainian roots. He finished his studies at the St. Catherine Institute of Communications in 1924. From 1924 to 1926, Tikhonov worked as an assistant engineer.

In 1930, he earned an engineering degree from the Dnipropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute. From 1930 to 1941, Tikhonov worked as an engineer at the Lenin Metallurgical Plant in Dnipropetrovsk. He became the plant's Chief Engineer in January 1941.

Meeting Brezhnev and Rising Through the Ranks

While working in Dnipropetrovsk, Tikhonov met Leonid Brezhnev, who would later become a powerful leader of the Soviet Union. Tikhonov joined the Communist Party in 1940. By the end of the 1940s, he became a plant director. As a director, Tikhonov showed great organizing skills. Under his leadership, his plant was the first in the area to reopen a hospital, set up dining halls, and restore social clubs for workers after World War II.

Tikhonov was quickly promoted and began working for the Ministry of Ferrous Metallurgy in the 1950s. Between 1955 and 1960, he became a Deputy Minister in this ministry. He also became a member, and later chairman, of the Scientific Council of the Council of Ministers. Finally, he became a deputy chairman of the State Planning Committee.

At the 22nd Party Congress in 1961, Tikhonov was elected as a non-voting member of the Central Committee. At the 23rd Party Congress in 1966, he became a full member of the Central Committee. Tikhonov received the prestigious Hero of Socialist Labour award for his achievements.

Deputy Premier and Politburo Membership

As Deputy Premier, Tikhonov was responsible for the metallurgy and chemical industries. His duties remained similar when he became First Deputy Premier. He also helped coordinate the entire heavy industry sector.

In 1976, when Premier Alexei Kosygin was ill, Brezhnev appointed Tikhonov as First Deputy Premier. This move reduced Kosygin's power. Tikhonov was known for getting along well with both Brezhnev and Kosygin because they liked his honesty. In 1978, Tikhonov became a candidate member of the Politburo, and in 1979, he became a full voting member. Interestingly, Tikhonov was not told about the decision to send Soviet troops into Afghanistan. This was likely because he had a difficult relationship with Dmitry Ustinov, who was the Minister of Defense at the time.

Premier of the Soviet Union (1980–1985)

Becoming Premier and the 26th Congress

When Alexei Kosygin resigned in 1980, Tikhonov, at 75 years old, was chosen as the new Premier of the Council of Ministers. During his five years as Premier, Tikhonov did not make major changes to the Soviet economy. This was despite signs that the economy was slowing down, a period known as the "Era of Stagnation."

At the 26th Party Congress, Tikhonov presented the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (1981–85). He announced that the government would give nine million roubles to mothers taking parental leave. Tikhonov admitted that Soviet agriculture was not producing enough grain. He also called for better relations between the Soviet Union and the United States. While he denied that the Soviet economy was in a crisis, he did admit to some "shortcomings" and a "food problem." He also talked about the need to save energy, increase worker productivity, and improve the quality of Soviet goods.

Under Andropov and Chernenko

Leonid Brezhnev awarded Tikhonov the Hero of Socialist Labour award, following advice from Konstantin Chernenko. After Brezhnev's death in 1982, Tikhonov supported Chernenko to become the new General Secretary. However, Chernenko lost the vote, and Yuri Andropov became General Secretary.

Some people believed that Andropov planned to replace Tikhonov with Heydar Aliyev. Aliyev was appointed as First Deputy Premier without Tikhonov's agreement. However, Andropov's death in 1984 allowed Tikhonov to keep his position. When Andrei Gromyko was also appointed First Deputy Premier, again without Tikhonov's agreement, some thought it showed Tikhonov's power was weakening.

Andropov, whose health was failing, wrote speeches for the Central Committee. In one speech, he suggested that Mikhail Gorbachev, not Chernenko, should take over after him. However, a group of leaders, including Chernenko, Dmitry Ustinov, and Tikhonov, prevented this speech from being read. During Andropov's final days, Tikhonov led the Politburo meetings. He also led the Soviet delegation to a conference in East Berlin and met with leaders from other countries. For a short time, Tikhonov was a very influential figure in the Soviet Union. However, he supported Chernenko's rise to power. When Chernenko died in 1985, Tikhonov tried to find someone to challenge Gorbachev for the General Secretary position, but he was unsuccessful.

Gorbachev and Retirement

When Mikhail Gorbachev became the new leader, Tikhonov was made chairman of a new group called the Commission on Improvements of the Management System. This was mostly an honorary title, and the real leader was its deputy chairman, Nikolai Ryzhkov. On May 23, 1985, Tikhonov presented his economic plan for 1985 to 1990, and up to the year 2000. His plan was criticized by his colleagues, and Gorbachev felt that Tikhonov was not well-suited for the Premier role.

As part of Gorbachev's plan to remove older, more traditional members of the Politburo, Tikhonov was encouraged to retire. Nikolai Ryzhkov took over as Premier on September 27, 1985. Tikhonov's retirement was officially announced at a meeting in September 1985. At the time of his retirement, Tikhonov was the oldest member of the Soviet leadership. He remained involved in Soviet politics, though in a smaller role, until 1989 when he lost his seat in the Central Committee.

Later Life and Legacy

After he retired from politics in 1989, Tikhonov wrote a letter to Mikhail Gorbachev. In it, he expressed regret for supporting Gorbachev's election as General Secretary. This feeling grew stronger when the Communist Party was banned in the Soviet Union.

After his retirement, Tikhonov lived a quiet life at his country house, called a dacha. A friend noted that he lived like "a hermit" and rarely appeared in public. His later life was difficult because he had no children and his wife had passed away. Before the Soviet Union broke apart, Tikhonov worked as a State Advisor to the Supreme Soviet.

Nikolai Tikhonov died on June 1, 1997, and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. Shortly before his death, he wrote a letter to Boris Yeltsin, asking to be buried at public expense because he had no savings.

According to Time magazine, Tikhonov was seen as someone who usually agreed with the leaders. He had little experience in foreign policy or defense when he became Premier. A statue dedicated to Tikhonov can be found in Kharkiv, his birthplace. Compared to other Soviet premiers, Tikhonov is not widely remembered today.

During his life, Tikhonov received many awards. He was given the Order of Lenin nine times, the Order of the Red Banner of Labour twice, one Red Star, and two Stalin Prizes. He also received several other medals and foreign awards.

Decorations and Awards

• Hero of Socialist Labour (1975, 1982)
• Nine Orders of Lenin
• Order of the October Revolution
• Two Orders of the Red Banner
• Order of the Red Star
• Stalin Prize;
  • 1st class (1943) – for greatly improving the production of pipes and mortar ammunition
  • 3rd class (1951) – for developing and producing large seamless pipes
• Doctor of Technical Sciences (1961)

Sources

• Zemtsov, Ilya (1989). Chernenko: The Last Bolshevik: The Soviet Union on the Eve of Perestroika. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 978-0-88738-260-4. https://archive.org/details/chernenkolastbol00zemt.
• Tikhonov's Selected Speeches and Writings

See also

In Spanish: Nikolái Aleksándrovich Tíjonov para niños