Georgy Malenkov

Georgy Malenkov
Георгий Маленков
Official portrait, 1954
5th Premier of the Soviet Union
In office 6 March 1953 – 8 February 1955
President	Nikolay Shvernik Kliment Voroshilov
First Deputies	Vyacheslav Molotov Nikolai Bulganin Lavrentiy Beria Lazar Kaganovich
Preceded by	Joseph Stalin
Succeeded by	Nikolai Bulganin
Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union
In office 9 February 1955 – 29 June 1957
Premier	Nikolai Bulganin
In office 2 August 1946 – 5 March 1953
Premier	Joseph Stalin
In office 15 May 1944 – 15 March 1946
Premier	Joseph Stalin
Additional positions Second Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union In office 31 August 1948 – 16 October 1952 Preceded by Andrei Zhdanov Succeeded by Nikita Khrushchev (de facto) Senior Secretary of Cadres of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union In office 18 March 1946 – 6 May 1946 Preceded by Andrey Andreyev Succeeded by Alexey Kuznetsov (de facto)
Personal details
Born	Georgy Maximilianovich Malenkov (1902-01-08)8 January 1902 Orenburg, Russian Empire
Died	14 January 1988(1988-01-14) (aged 86) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Resting place	Kuntsevo Cemetery, Moscow
Citizenship	Soviet
Political party	Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Stalinists, 1956–1957) (1920–1961)
Domestic partner	Valeriya Golubtsova (1920–1987)
Children	3
Alma mater	Moscow Highest Technical School
Profession	Engineer politician
Religion	Atheist convert to Russian Orthodox
Central institution membership 1946–1957: Full member, 18th, 19th, 20th Presidium July 1948 – March 1953: Member, 18th, 19th Secretariat 1941–1946: Candidate member, 18th Politburo March 1939 – May 1946: Member, 18th Secretariat 1939–1952: Member, 18th Orgburo Leader of the Soviet Union[a] ← Stalin Khrushchev →

Georgy Maximilianovich Malenkov^[b] (8 January 1902 [O.S. 26 December 1901]^[1] – 14 January 1988)^[2] was a Soviet politician who briefly succeeded Joseph Stalin as the leader of the Soviet Union. However, at the insistence of the rest of the Presidium, he relinquished control over the party apparatus in exchange for remaining Premier and first among equals within the Soviet collective leadership. He then became embroiled in a power struggle with Nikita Khrushchev that culminated in his removal from the premiership in 1955 as well as the Presidium in 1957.

Throughout his political career, Malenkov's personal connections with Vladimir Lenin significantly facilitated his ascent within the ruling Communist Party of the Soviet Union. By 1925, he was entrusted with overseeing the party's records. This brought him into contact with Stalin who had by then successfully consolidated power as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to become the de facto leader of the Soviet Union. As a result of this association, Malenkov became heavily involved in Stalin's purges before later being given sole responsibility over the Soviet missile program during World War II. From 1946 to 1947, he chaired the Council of Ministers Special Committee on Rocket Technology. In order to secure his position as Stalin's favorite, he successfully discredited Andrey Zhdanov's protegés (Alexey Kuznetsov and Nikolai Voznesensky) and Marshal Georgy Zhukov and suppressed all glory associated with Leningrad during World War II so that Moscow maintained its image as the Soviet Union's sole cultural and political capital.^[3]

Following Stalin's death on 5 March 1953, Malenkov temporarily emerged as the Soviet leader's undisputed successor by replacing him as both Chairman of the Council of Ministers (or Premier) and head of the party apparatus. However, only nine days later, the Politburo (then known as the Presidium) forced him to give up the latter position while letting him retain the premiership. Subsequently, Malenkov contented himself serving as the Presidium’s highest-ranking member and acting chairman until being eclipsed in early 1954 by the party's First Secretary, Nikita Khrushchev.^[4]

By 1955, he was also forced to resign as Premier. After later organizing a failed palace coup against Khrushchev in 1957, Malenkov was expelled from the Presidium and exiled to the Kazakh SSR in 1957, before ultimately being expelled from the Party altogether in November 1961. He officially retired from politics shortly afterwards. After a short sojourn in Kazakhstan, he returned to Moscow and kept a low profile for the remainder of his life.

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