| Premier of the Soviet Union | |
|---|---|
| Глава Правительства СССР (Russian) | |
.svg) | |
| Style | Mr. Premier (informal) His Excellency (diplomatic) |
| Type | Head of government |
| Reports to | Supreme Soviet |
| Residence | Kremlin Senate, Moscow |
| Appointer | Supreme Soviet |
| Formation | 6 July 1923; 102 years ago (1923-07-06) |
| First holder | Vladimir Lenin |
| Final holder | Ivan Silayev |
| Abolished | 26 December 1991; 33 years ago (1991-12-26) |
| Succession | Prime Minister of Russia |
| Deputy | First Deputy Premier Deputy Premier |
ThePremier of the Soviet Union (Russian:Глава Правительства СССР) was thehead of government of theUnion of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). From 1923 to 1946, the name of the office wasChairman of the Council of People's Commissars, and from 1946 to 1991 its name wasChairman of the Council of Ministers. During thedissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, its name was brieflyPrime Minister and laterChairman of the Committee on the Operational Management of the Soviet Economy. The first Soviet premier was the country's founder andfirst leader,Vladimir Lenin. AfterGeneral Secretary of the Communist PartyJoseph Stalin rose to power in 1924, thede facto leader of the Soviet Union typically was the party's General Secretary, with Stalin and his successorNikita Khrushchev also serving as premier. Twelve individuals held the post.
Lenin's First Government was created on 6 July 1923 by theCentral Executive Committee withLenin as its first chairman. The government was empowered to initiate decrees and legislation that were binding throughout the USSR.[1] The longest serving premier in the history of the USSR wasAlexei Kosygin, who was appointed head of government after the ousting ofNikita Khrushchev in 1964. However, Kosygin's prestige was weakened when he proposed theeconomic reform of 1965.[2] In 1991, uponValentin Pavlov's ascension to the premiership, theCouncil of Ministers was abolished and replaced with theCabinet of Ministers. After theAugust coup of 1991, the majority of the cabinet members endorsed the coup, leading to the Cabinet of Ministers dissolving and being replaced by theCommittee on the Operational Management of the Soviet Economy. The government of theRussian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic began seizing Soviet ministries in the aftermath of the coup, and by December 1991 the Soviet government had completely lost control of itself and shut down entirely.[3]
Under the1977 Soviet Constitution, the head of government was the leader of the highest executive and administrative organ of state. The head of government was appointed by and accountable to theSupreme Soviet (and itsPresidium).[4] The head of government was tasked with resolving all state administrative duties within thejurisdiction of the USSR to the degree which were not the responsibility of the Supreme Soviet or its Presidium. The head of government managed thenational economy, formulated thefive-year plans and ensured socio-cultural development.[5] It functioned as the most influential office of government and nominally the most influential office until the establishment of the Office of thePresident of the Soviet Union in 1990.
Vladimir Lenin died in officeof natural causes,as well as Joseph Stalin, and three premiers resigned—Alexei Kosygin,Nikolai Tikhonov andIvan Silayev. Another three were concurrentlyparty leader and head of government (Lenin, Stalin andNikita Khrushchev). The one who spent the shortest time in office wasIvan Silayev, at 119 days. Kosygin spent the longest time in office—16 years.
| No.[a] | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term | Electorate | Cabinets | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Duration | ||||||
| 1 |  | Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) | 6 July 1923 | 21 January 1924† | 199 days | — | Lenin I–II | [6] |
| 2 | (2).jpg) | Alexei Rykov (1881–1938) | 2 February 1924 | 19 December 1930 | 6 years, 320 days | 1924 1925 1927 1929 | Rykov I–II–III–IV–V | [7] |
| 3 |  | Vyacheslav Molotov (1890–1986) | 19 December 1930 | 6 May 1941 | 10 years, 138 days | 1931 1935 1936 1937 | Molotov I–II–III–IV | [8] |
| 4 | .jpg) | Joseph Stalin (1878–1953) | 6 May 1941 | 5 March 1953† | 11 years, 303 days | 1946 1950 | Stalin I–II–III | [9] |
| 5 | .jpg) | Georgy Malenkov (1902–1988) | 6 March 1953 | 8 February 1955 | 1 year, 339 days | 1954 | Malenkov I–II | [10] |
| 6 | .jpg) | Nikolai Bulganin (1895–1975) | 8 February 1955 | 27 March 1958 | 3 years, 47 days | 1958 | Bulganin | [11] |
| 7 |  | Nikita Khrushchev (1894–1971) | 27 March 1958 | 15 October 1964 | 6 years, 202 days | 1962 | Khrushchev I–II | [10] |
| 8 | _(2).jpg) | Alexei Kosygin (1904–1980) | 15 October 1964 | 23 October 1980 | 16 years, 8 days | 1966 1970 1974 1979 | Kosygin I–II–III–IV–V | [12] |
| 9 |  | Nikolai Tikhonov (1905–1997) | 23 October 1980 | 27 September 1985 | 4 years, 339 days | 1984 | Tikhonov I–II | [13] |
| 10 |  | Nikolai Ryzhkov (1929–2024) | 27 September 1985 | 14 January 1991 | 5 years, 109 days | 1989 | Ryzhkov I–II | [13] |
| 11 |  | Valentin Pavlov (1937–2003) | 14 January 1991 | 28 August 1991[b] | 226 days | — | Pavlov | [14] |
| 12 | _(3x4_cropped).jpg) | Ivan Silayev (1930–2023) | 28 August 1991 | 25 December 1991 | 119 days | — | Silayev | [15] |
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