Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko (1911-1985) - Soviet party and statesman. General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee from February 13, 1984 to March 10, 1985, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, member of the CPSU (b) and the Central Committee of the CPSU, member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. The leader of the USSR in the period 1984-1985.
There are many interesting facts in the biography of Chernenko, which we will tell about in this article.
So, before you is a short biography of Konstantin Chernenko.
Biography of Chernenko
Konstantin Chernenko was born on September 11 (24), 1911 in the village of Bolshaya Tes (Yenisei province). He grew up and was brought up in a peasant family. His father, Ustin Demidovich, worked in copper and then in gold mines. Mother, Haritina Fedorovna, was engaged in agriculture.
The future head of the USSR had a sister, Valentina, and 2 brothers, Nikolai and Sidor. The first tragedy in the biography of Chernenko occurred at the age of 8, when his mother died of typhus. In this regard, the head of the family remarried.
All four children had a bad relationship with their stepmother, so conflicts often arose in the family. As a child, Konstantin graduated from a 3-year school for rural youth. Initially, he was a pioneer, and at the age of 14 he became a Komsomol member.
In 1931, Chernenko was called up for service, which he served in the border region between Kazakhstan and China. The soldier took part in the destruction of Batyr Bekmuratov's gang, and also joined the ranks of the CPSU (b). Then he was entrusted with the post of secretary of the party organization of the border outpost.
Politics
After demobilization, Konstantin was appointed head of the regional house of party education in Krasnoyarsk. At the same time, he headed the campaign department in the Novoselovsky and Uyarsky regions.
At the age of 30, Chernenko headed the Communist Party of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. At the height of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), he studied for 2 years at the Higher School of Party Organizers.
At this time, biographies Konstantin Chernenko was offered a job in the regional committee of the Penza region. In 1948 he became the head of the propaganda department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Moldova. A few years later, the man met Leonid Brezhnev. Soon, a strong friendship was struck between the politicians, which lasted until the end of their lives.
In 1953 Konstantin Ustinovich graduated from the Kishinev Pedagogical Institute, becoming a history teacher. After 3 years he was sent to Moscow, where he headed the propaganda department of the Central Committee of the CPSU.
Chernenko perfectly coped with the tasks entrusted to him, as a result of which he became an indispensable worker for Brezhnev. Leonid Ilyich generously rewarded his assistant and promoted him up the party ladder. From 1960 to 1965, Konstantin was the head of the Secretariat of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
Then the man was appointed head of the General Department of the Communist Party (1965-1982). When in 1966 Brezhnev was elected General Secretary of the Soviet Union, Chernenko became his right hand. In 1978 Konstantin Ustinovich became a member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee.
Chernenko accompanied Leonid Brezhnev on trips abroad, enjoying great confidence in the Soviet leader. The General Secretary resolved all serious issues with Constantine and only then made final decisions.
For this reason, Chernenko's colleagues began to call him a "gray eminence", since he had a serious impact on Brezhnev. In many photographs, politicians can be seen next to each other.
In the late 70s, Leonid Ilyich's health deteriorated sharply and many believed that Konstantin Chernenko would become his successor. However, the latter advised Yuri Andropov for the role of head of state. As a result, when Brezhnev died in 1982, Andropov became the new head of the country.
However, the health of the newly elected ruler left much to be desired. Andropov ruled the USSR for only a couple of years, after which all power passed into the hands of Konstantin Chernenko, who at that time was already 72 years old.
It is fair to say that at the time of his election as General Secretary, Chernenko was seriously ill and looked more like an intermediate figure in the race for the chair of the head of the USSR. An interesting fact is that due to frequent ailments, some meetings of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee were held in hospitals.
Konstantin Ustinovich ruled the state for a little over 1 year, but still managed to carry out several notable reforms. Under him, the Day of Knowledge was officially introduced, which is celebrated today on September 1. With his submission, the development of a comprehensive program of economic reforms began.
Under Chernenko, there was a rapprochement with China and Spain, while relations with the United States remained very tense. An interesting fact is that the Secretary General introduced a restriction on amateur music activities within the country, since he saw how foreign rock music negatively affects young people.
Personal life
The first wife of the politician was Faina Vasilievna, with whom he lived for several years. In this marriage, the couple had a boy Albert and a girl Lydia.
After that, Chernenko married Anna Lyubimova. Later, the couple had a son, Vladimir, and 2 daughters, Vera and Elena. Anna often gave valuable advice to her husband. According to some sources, it was she who contributed to his friendship with Brezhnev.
It is curious that in 2015 documents were made public according to which Chernenko had not 2 wives, but much more. At the same time, he left some of them with children.
Death
Konstantin Chernenko died on March 10, 1985 at the age of 73. The cause of his death was cardiac arrest, against the background of renal and pulmonary failure. Mikhail Gorbachev was elected his successor in this position the very next day.
Chernenko Photos
