Historians call the dates of Stalin's rule the period from 1929 to 1953. Joseph Stalin (Dzhugashvili) was born on December 21, 1879. Many contemporaries of the Soviet era associate the years of Stalin's rule not only with a victory over Nazi Germany and an increase in the level of industrialization of the USSR, but also with numerous repressions of the civilian population.

During Stalin's rule, about 3 million people were imprisoned and sentenced to death. And if we add to them those who were sent into exile, dispossessed and deported, then there are about 20 million victims among the civilian population in the Stalin era. Now many historians and psychologists are inclined to believe that the atmosphere within the family and upbringing in childhood had a huge influence on Stalin's character.

The rise of Stalin's tough character

It is known from reliable sources that Stalin's childhood was not the happiest and most cloudless. The leader's parents often cursed in front of their son. The father drank a lot and allowed himself to beat his mother in front of little Joseph. The mother, in turn, took her anger out on her son, beat and humiliated him. The unfavorable atmosphere in the family strongly affected the psyche of Stalin. Even as a child, Stalin understood a simple truth: whoever is stronger is right. This principle became the motto of the future leader in life. He was also guided by him in governing the country.

In 1902, Iosif Vissarionovich organized a demonstration in Batumi; this step was the first in his political career. A little later, Stalin became the Bolshevik leader, and Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (Ulyanov) is among his best friends. Stalin fully shares Lenin's revolutionary ideas.

In 1913, Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili first uses his pseudonym - Stalin. From that time on, he became known precisely by this name. Few people know that before the name of Stalin, Joseph Vissarionovich tried on about 30 pseudonyms that never caught on.

Stalin's reign

The period of Stalin's rule begins in 1929. Almost all the time of Joseph Stalin's rule was accompanied by collectivization, mass death of civilians and hunger. In 1932, Stalin passed the Three Spikelets Law. According to this law, a starving peasant who stole ears of wheat from the state was immediately subject to the capital punishment - execution. All the grain saved in the state was sent abroad. This was the first stage of the industrialization of the Soviet state: the purchase of modern technology of foreign production.

During the reign of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, massive repressions of the peaceful population of the USSR were carried out. The repressions began in 1936, when the post of People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR was taken by N.I. Yezhov. In 1938, by order of Stalin, his close friend Bukharin was shot. During this period, many residents of the USSR were exiled to the Gulag or shot. Despite all the cruelty of the measures taken, Stalin's policy was aimed at raising the state and its development.

Pros and cons of Stalin's rule

Minuses:

• tough government policy:
• the almost complete destruction of the highest army ranks, intellectuals and scientists (who thought differently from the government of the USSR);
• repression of wealthy peasants and believers;
• widening of the “gap” between the elite and the working class;
• oppression of the civilian population: payment for labor in products instead of monetary remuneration, working day up to 14 hours;
• propaganda of anti-Semitism;
• about 7 million starvation deaths during the collectivization period;
• the prosperity of slavery;
• selective development of sectors of the economy of the Soviet state.

Pros:

• the creation of a protective nuclear shield in the post-war period;
• increasing the number of schools;
• creation of children's clubs, sections and circles;
• space exploration;
• lower prices for consumer goods;
• low prices for utilities;
• development of the industry of the Soviet state in the world arena.

In the Stalin era, the social system of the USSR was formed, social, political and economic institutions appeared. Joseph Vissarionovich completely abandoned the NEP policy, at the expense of the village he modernized the Soviet state. Thanks to the strategic qualities of the Soviet leader, the USSR won the Second World War. The Soviet state began to be called a superpower. The USSR became a member of the UN Security Council. The era of Stalin's rule ended in 1953. N. Khrushchev replaced him as chairman of the USSR government.

History Soviet Union Is the hardest topic in history. It covers only 70 years of history, but the material in it needs to be studied many times more than in all the previous time! In this article we will analyze what were the general secretaries of the USSR in chronological order, we will characterize each and give links to the relevant materials on the site for them!

Secretary General's position

The post of general secretary is the highest position in the party apparatus of the CPSU (b), and then in the CPSU. The person who occupied her was not only the leader of the party, but de facto - the whole country. How is this possible, now we'll figure it out! The title of the position was constantly changing: from 1922 to 1925 - General Secretary of the Central Committee of the RCP (b); from 1925 to 1953 she was called the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b); from 1953 to 1966 - First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee; from 1966 to 1989 - General Secretary of the CPSU.

The post itself arose in April 1922. Prior to this, the position was called the chairman of the party and it was headed by V.I. Lenin.

Why was the head of the party de facto the head of the country? In 1922, this post was headed by Stalin. The influence of the position was such that he could shape the congress at will, thus securing himself full support in the party. By the way, this support was extremely important. Therefore, the struggle for power in the 20s of the last century took the form of discussions in which victory meant life, and if you lose, death, if not now, then in the future for sure.

I.V. Stalin understood this perfectly. Therefore, he insisted on creating such a position, which, in fact, he headed. But the main thing was different: in the 1920s and 1930s, the historical process of the merger of the party apparatus with the state apparatus took place. This meant, for example, that the district party committee (the head of the district party committee) is in fact the head of the district, the city party committee is the head of the city, the regional party committee is the head of the region. And the councils played a subordinate role.

It is important to remember that the power in the country was Soviet - that is, real government bodies the authorities were supposed to be tips. And they did exist, but only de jure (legally), formally, on paper, if you like. It was the party that determined all aspects of the development of the state.

So let's take a look at the main secretaries general.

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (Dzhugashvili)

He was the first General Secretary of the party, permanent until 1953 - until his death. The fact of the merger of the party and state apparatus was expressed in the fact that from 1941 to 1953 he was also the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, and then the Council of Ministers of the USSR. If you are not in the know, then the Council of People's Commissars and then the Council of Ministers is the Government of the USSR. If at all you are not in the subject, then.

Stalin stood at the origins of both the great victories of the Soviet Union and the great troubles in the history of our country. He was the author of the articles “The Year of the Great Turning Point”. He stood at the origins of super-industrialization and collectivization. It is with him that such a concept as the "cult of personality" is associated (for more details see and), the Holodomor of the 30s, the repression of the 30s. In principle, under Khrushchev, Stalin was "blamed" for the failures in the first months of the Great Patriotic War.

However, Stalin's name is also associated with the unsurpassed growth of industrial construction in the 30s. The USSR received its own heavy industry, which we still use this way.

Stalin himself said about the future of his name: "I know that after my death they will put a heap of garbage on my grave, but the wind of history will mercilessly scatter it!" Well, let's see how it will be!

Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev

NS. Khrushchev served as General (or First) Party Secretary from 1953 to 1964. Many events from both world history and the history of Russia are associated with his name: Events in Poland, the Suez Crisis, the Caribbean Crisis, the slogan “Catch up and surpass America in the production of meat and milk per capita!”, The shooting in Novocherkassk, and much other.

Khrushchev, in general, was not a very smart politician, but very intuitive. He perfectly understood how he would rise, because after the death of Stalin, the struggle for power again intensified. Many saw the future of the USSR not in Khrushchev, but in Malenkov, who then served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers. But Khrushchev took up a strategically correct position.

Details about the USSR under him.

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev

L.I. Brezhnev held the main position in the party from 1964 to 1982. Its time is called in another way the period of "stagnation". The USSR began to turn into a "banana republic", the shadow economy grew, the deficit of consumer goods grew, the Soviet nomenclature expanded. All these processes then led to a systemic crisis during the years of Perestroika, and in the end.

Leonid Ilyich himself was very fond of cars. The authorities blocked one of the rings around the Kremlin so that the secretary general could test the new model presented to him. Also connected with the name of his daughter is such a curious historical anecdote. They say one day my daughter went to museums to find herself some kind of necklace. Yes, yes, in museums, not shopping. As a result, in one of the museums, she pointed to a necklace and asked for it. The director of the museum called Leonid Ilyich and explained the situation. To which he received a clear answer: "Do not give!". Something like this.

And more about the USSR pr Brezhnev.

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev

M.S. Gorbachev held the party position in question from March 11, 1984 to August 24, 1991. His name is associated with such things as: Perestroika, the end of the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the attempt to create the SSG, the Putsch in August 1991. He was the first and the last President THE USSR.

Learn more about all this.

We have not named two more general secretaries. See them in this table with a photo:

Post Scriptum: many rely on texts - textbooks, manuals, even monographs. But you can bypass all your competitors on the exam if you use video tutorials. They are all there. Studying video tutorials is at least five times more effective than just reading a tutorial!

Best regards, Andrey Puchkov

Authorities in the USSR from 1924 to 1991

Good afternoon dear friends!

In this post we will talk about one of the most difficult topics in the history of Russia - authorities in the USSR from 1924 to 1991. This topic causes not just difficulties for applicants, but sometimes a stupor, since if the structure of the authorities of tsarist Russia is somehow understandable, then some kind of confusion ensues with the USSR.

It is understandable Soviet history in itself is many times more difficult for applicants than the entire previous history of Russia taken together. However, with this article about authorities in the USSR you will be able to understand this topic once and for all!

Let's start with the basics. There are three branches of government in total: legislative, executive and judicial. Legislature - Adopts laws that regulate life in the state. The executive branch fulfills these very laws. The judiciary - judges people and monitors the legal system as a whole. See my article for more details.

So, now with you we will examine the authorities that were in the USSR - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which was formed, as you remember, in 1922. But first !

The authorities in the USSR according to the Constitution of 1924.

So, the first Constitution of the USSR was adopted in 1924. According to her, these were the authorities in the USSR:

All legislative power belonged to the Congress of Soviets of the USSR, it was this authority that adopted all the laws binding on all union republics, of which there were originally 4 - the Ukrainian SSR, ZSSR, the BSSR and the RSFSR. However, the Congress met only once a year! That's why between congresses its functions were performed Central Executive Committee (CEC)... He also announced the convocation of the Congress of Soviets of the USSR.

However, the sessions of the Central Executive Committee were interrupted (there were only 3 sessions a year!) - it’s necessary to have a rest! Therefore, the Presidium of the CEC acted between sessions of the CEC. According to the 1924 Constitution, the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee is the highest legislative executive and administrative authority of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. However, he was responsible to the CEC for his actions. The Presidium of the CEC sent all the bills submitted for its consideration to two chambers of the CEC: the Union Council and the Council of Nationalities.

However, not all executive power belonged exclusively to the CEC Presidium! Central Executive Committee approved by SNK - Council of People's Commissars. In another way, he appears in the exam tests as the Council of People's Commissars! SNK consisted of people's commissariats. They were led by people's commissars, of whom there were originally ten:

People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs; People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs; People's Commissar for Foreign Trade; People's Commissar of Railways; People's Commissar of Posts and Telegraphs; People's Commissar of the Workers 'and Peasants' Inspection; Chairman of the Supreme Council of National Economy; People's Commissar of Labor; People's Commissar for Food; People's Commissar of Finance.

Who exactly occupied all these positions - at the end of the article! In fact, the Council of People's Commissars is the Government of the USSR, which was also supposed to execute the laws adopted by the Central Executive Committee and the Congress of Soviets of the USSR. Under the Council of People's Commissars, the OGPU was formed - the United State Political Administration, which replaced the Cheka - the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission ("chekists").

Judicial power was exercised by the Supreme Court of the USSR, which also formed the Congress of Soviets of the USSR.

As you can see, nothing complicated. However, it should be added that each of these authorities had their own Chairman, who supervised (headed) it, he had his deputies. Moreover, the Union Council and the Council of Nationalities had their own Presidiums, which functioned between their sessions. Of course, there was also the Chairman of the Presidium of the Union Council, Chairman of the Presidium of the Council of Nationalities!

The bodies of power in the USSR according to the Constitution of 1936.

As can be seen from the diagram, the structure of government bodies in the USSR has become much simpler. However, there is one remark: until 1946, the SNK (Council of People's Commissars) continued to exist together with the People's Commissariats. In addition, the NKVD was formed - the people's commissariat of internal affairs, which included the OGPU and the GUGB - the state administration of state security.

It is clear that the functions of the authorities were the same. The structure simply changed: the Central Executive Committee was no longer there, and the Council of the Union and the Council of Nationalities became part of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. The Supreme Soviet of the USSR is the renamed Congress of Soviets of the USSR, it has now been convened 2 times a year. Between the congresses of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, its functions were performed by the Presidium.

The Supreme Soviet of the USSR approved the Council of Ministers of the USSR (until 1946 there was SNK) - the government of the USSR, and the Supreme Court of the USSR.

And you may have a natural question: "And who was the head of state of the USSR?" Formally, the USSR was governed collectively by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and its Presidium. In fact, during this period, the one who held the post of Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars and was the head of the VKP (b) party and was the head of the USSR. By the way, there were only three such people: V.I. Lenin, I.V. Stalin and N.S. Khrushchev. At all other times, the post of head of the party and head of government (Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR) were separated. For more information about the Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars (and since 1946 - the Council of Ministers), you can find at the end of this article 🙂

Authorities in the USSR since 1957.

In 1957, the 1936 Constitution was in force. However, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev carried out a public administration reform, during which the sectoral ministries were liquidated and replaced by territorial Sovnarkhozes in order to decentralize industrial management:

By the way, more detailed information about the activities of Khrushchev can be viewed.

Authorities in the USSR from 1988 to 1991.

I think there is nothing difficult in order to understand this scheme. In connection with the reform of public administration under M.S., Gorbachev, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was liquidated, and in its place was created popularly elected Council of People's Deputies !

This is how the structure of government bodies in the USSR changed from 1922 to 1991. I hope you understand that the USSR was a federal state and all the authorities considered were duplicated at the republican level. If anything, ask questions in the comments! Not to be missed new materials, !

People who bought my video course "Russian history. Preparation for the exam for 100 points " , On April 28, 2014 I will send 3 additional video tutorials on this topic, plus a table of all positions in the USSR and heroes of the Great Patriotic War, front commanders and other useful things.

Well, as promised - table of all chapters of the chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars:

Best regards, Andrey (Dreammanhist) Puchkov

Due to the stampede that occurred during his coronation, many people died. So the name "Bloody" was attached to the kindest philanthropist Nicholas. In 1898, caring for world peace, he issued a manifesto, where he called on all countries for the world to completely disarm. After that, a special commission met in The Hague to work out a number of measures that could further prevent bloody clashes between countries and peoples. But the peace-loving emperor had to fight. First, in the First World War, then a Bolshevik coup broke out, as a result of which the monarch was overthrown, and then, together with his family, were shot in Yekaterinburg.

The Orthodox Church canonized Nikolai Romanov and his entire family.

Lvov Georgy Evgenievich (1917)

After the February Revolution, he became the Chairman of the Provisional Government, which he headed from March 2, 1917 to July 8, 1917. Subsequently he emigrated to France as a donkey of the October Revolution.

Alexander Fedorovich (1917)

He was the chairman of the Provisional Government after Lvov.

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (Ulyanov) (1917 - 1922)

After the revolution in October 1917, in a short 5 years a new state was formed - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1922). One of the main ideologists and leader of the Bolshevik coup. It was V.I. who proclaimed in 1917 two decrees: the first on the end of the war, and the second on the abolition of private land ownership and the transfer of all territories that had previously belonged to the landowners for the use of the working people. He died before he was 54 years old in Gorki. His body rests in Moscow, in the Mausoleum on Red Square.

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (Dzhugashvili) (1922 - 1953)

General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. When the country was established a totalitarian regime and a bloody dictatorship. Forcibly carried out collectivization in the country, driving the peasants into collective farms and depriving them of their property and passports, actually renewing serfdom... At the cost of hunger, he arranged industrialization. During his reign in the country, arrests and executions of all dissidents, as well as "enemies of the people" were carried out en masse. Most of the country's entire intelligentsia perished in the Stalinist gulags. Won the Second world war after defeating Hitler's Germany with the allies. He died of a stroke.

Nikita Khrushchev (1953 - 1964)

After Stalin's death, having entered into an alliance with Malenkov, he removed Beria from power, and took the place of the General Secretary of the Communist Party. Debunked the personality cult of Stalin. In 1960, at a meeting of the UN Assembly, he called on countries to disarmament and asked to include China in the Security Council. But since 1961, the foreign policy of the USSR has become increasingly harsh. The agreement on a three-year moratorium on nuclear weapons testing was violated by the USSR. The Cold War began with Western countries and, first of all, with the United States.

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev (1964 - 1982)

He headed a conspiracy against NS, as a result of which he removed him to the post of general secretary. The time of his reign is called "stagnation". A total deficit of absolutely all consumer goods. The whole country is in kilometer-long queues. Corruption is rampant. Many public figures persecuted for dissent leave the country. This wave of emigration was later called the "brain drain". L.I.'s last public appearance took place in 1982. He hosted the Parade on Red Square. In the same year he was gone.

Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov (1983 - 1984)

Former head of the KGB. Having become the general secretary, he took up his post accordingly. During working hours, he banned the appearance of adults on the streets without a good reason. Died of kidney failure.

Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko (1984 - 1985)

Nobody in the country took the appointment of a seriously ill 72 - year - old Chernenko to the post of general secretary seriously. He was considered a kind of "intermediate" figure. He spent most of his reign in the USSR at the Central Clinical Hospital. He became the last ruler of the country who was buried at the Kremlin wall.

Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev (1985 - 1991)

The first and only president of the USSR. He began a series of democratic reforms in the country, called "Perestroika". He freed the country from the "Iron Curtain" and stopped the persecution of dissidents. Freedom of speech appeared in the country. Opened the market for trade with Western countries. He ended the Cold War. Honored Nobel Prize Peace.

Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin (1991 - 1999)

He was twice elected to the post of President of the Russian Federation. The economic crisis in the country caused by the collapse of the USSR exacerbated the contradictions in political system country. Yeltsin's opponent was Vice-President Rutskoi, who, by storming the Ostankino television center and the Moscow mayor's office, staged a coup d'état, which was suppressed. Was seriously ill. During his illness, the country was temporarily ruled by V.S.Chernomyrdin. Boris Yeltsin announced his resignation in the New Year's address to the Russians. He passed away in 2007.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (1999 - 2008)

Acting appointed by Yeltsin president, after the elections became the full president of the country.

Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (2008 - 2012)

The protege of V.V. Putin. He served as president for four years, after which V.V. Putin.

In the Soviet Union, the private life of the country's leaders was strictly classified and guarded as state secrets of the highest degree of protection. Only an analysis of the materials published recently can lift the veil over the secrecy of their payroll.

Having seized power in the country, Vladimir Lenin in December 1917 set himself a monthly salary of 500 rubles, which roughly corresponded to the wages of an unskilled worker in Moscow or St. Petersburg. Any other income, including royalties, was strictly prohibited to high-ranking party members at the suggestion of Lenin.

The modest salary of the “leader of the world revolution” was quickly eaten away by inflation, but Lenin somehow did not think about where the money for a completely comfortable life, treatment with the involvement of world luminaries and domestic servants came from, although he did not forget to strictly say to his subordinates every time: “Subtract these costs from my salary! "

At the beginning of the NEP, the general secretary of the Bolshevik Party, Joseph Stalin, was paid less than half of Lenin's salary (225 rubles), and only in 1935 it was raised to 500 rubles, but already in next year followed by a new increase to 1200 rubles. The average salary in the USSR at that time was 1,100 rubles, and although Stalin did not live on his own salary, he could well have lived on it modestly. During the war years, as a result of inflation, the leader's salary turned almost to zero, but at the end of 1947, after the monetary reform, the “leader of all nations” set himself a new salary of 10,000 rubles, which was 10 times higher than the then average wages in the USSR. At the same time, a system of "Stalinist envelopes" was introduced - monthly tax-free payments to the top of the party-Soviet apparatus. Be that as it may, Stalin did not seriously consider his salary and of great importance did not give it to her.

The first among the leaders of the Soviet Union who became seriously interested in their salary was Nikita Khrushchev, who received 800 rubles a month, which was 9 times the average salary in the country.

Sybarite Leonid Brezhnev was the first to violate Lenin's ban on additional income, in addition to salaries, for the leaders of the party. In 1973, he awarded himself the International Lenin Prize (25,000 rubles), and since 1979, when the name of Brezhnev adorned a galaxy of classics of Soviet literature, huge royalties began pouring into the Brezhnev family budget. The personal account of Brezhnev in the publishing house of the Central Committee of the CPSU "Politizdat" is replete with thousands of sums for huge circulations and multiple reprints of his masterpieces "Renaissance", "Malaya Zemlya" and "Celina". It is curious that the secretary general had a habit of often forgetting about his literary income when paying the party dues of his favorite party.

Leonid Brezhnev was generally very generous at the expense of the "national" state property - to himself, and to his children, and to those close to him. He appointed his son first deputy minister of foreign trade. In this post, he became famous for his constant trips for pompous parties abroad, as well as for huge senseless spending there. Brezhnev's daughter led a riotous life in Moscow, spending money that came from nowhere on jewelry. Those close to Brezhnev, in turn, were generously endowed with dachas, apartments and huge bonuses.

Yuri Andropov, being a member of the Brezhnev Politburo, received 1,200 rubles a month, but when he became general secretary, he returned the salary of the general secretary of the Khrushchev era - 800 rubles a month. At the same time, the purchasing power of the Andropov ruble was about half that of the Khrushchev ruble. Nevertheless, Andropov fully preserved the system of “Brezhnev's fees” for the secretary general and used it successfully. For example, with a basic wage rate of 800 rubles, his income in January 1984 was 8800 rubles.

Andropov's successor, Konstantin Chernenko, keeping the secretary general's rate at 800 rubles, stepped up his efforts to squeeze out fees, publishing various ideological materials on his own behalf. According to his party membership card, his income ranged from 1200 to 1700 rubles. At the same time, the fighter for the moral purity of the communists, Chernenko, had the habit of constantly concealing large sums from his own party. So, the researchers could not find in the party card of General Secretary Chernenko in the 1984 column of 4550 rubles of the fee received on the payroll of Politizdat.

Mikhail Gorbachev “reconciled” with the salary of 800 rubles until 1990, which was only four times the average salary in the country. Only after combining the posts of the country's president and secretary general in 1990, Gorbachev began to receive 3,000 rubles at an average salary in the USSR of 500 rubles.

The successor of the general secretaries, Boris Yeltsin, was almost to the end with the "Soviet salary", not daring to a radical reform of the salaries of the state apparatus. Only by decree of 1997, the salary of the President of Russia was set at 10,000 rubles, and in August 1999 its size increased to 15,000 rubles, which was 9 times higher than the average wage in the country, that is, it was approximately at the level of the salaries of his predecessors in running the country. who had a general secretary title. True, the Yeltsin family had a lot of income from the “outside”.

Vladimir Putin received the “Yeltsin rate” for the first 10 months of his rule. However, as of June 30, 2002, the president's annual salary was set at 630,000 rubles (roughly $ 25,000), plus secrecy and language allowances. He also gets military pension for the rank of colonel.

From that moment on, the main wage rate for the leader of Russia for the first time since Lenin's times ceased to be just a fiction, although against the background of the wage rates of the leaders of the world's leading countries, Putin's rate looks rather modest. For example, the President of the United States receives 400 thousand dollars, the Prime Minister of Japan has almost the same. The salaries of other leaders are more modest: the Prime Minister of Great Britain has 348,500 dollars, the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany has about 220 thousand, and the President of France has 83 thousand.

It is interesting to see how the “regional general secretaries” - the current presidents of the CIS countries - look against this background. Former member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, and now the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev lives on the merits of the case according to the “Stalinist norms” for the ruler of the country, that is, he and his family are fully provided with everything by the state, but he also set himself a relatively small salary - 4 thousand dollars in month. Other regional general secretaries, former first secretaries of the Central Committee of the Communist Parties of their republics, formally set themselves more modest salaries. Thus, the President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev receives only $ 1,900 a month, while the President of Turkmenistan Sapurmurad Niyazov generally only receives $ 900. At the same time, Aliyev, having put his son Ilham Aliyev at the head of the state oil company, actually privatized all the country's revenues from oil - the main currency resource of Azerbaijan, and Niyazov generally turned Turkmenistan into a kind of medieval khanate, where everything belongs to the ruler. Turkmenbashi, and only he, can solve any issue. All foreign currency is controlled only by Turkmenbashi (Father of the Turkmen) Niyazov personally, and his son Murad Niyazov is in charge of the sale of Turkmen gas and oil.

Eduard Shevardnadze, the former first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Georgia and member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, is in a worse position. With a modest monthly salary of $ 750, he could not establish complete control over the country's wealth due to strong opposition to him in the country. In addition, the opposition closely monitors all personal expenses of President Shevardnadze and his family.

The lifestyle and real possibilities of the current leaders of the former country of the Soviets are well characterized by the behavior of the wife of Russian President Lyudmila Putina during her husband's recent state visit to the UK. The wife of the British Prime Minister, Cherie Blair, took Lyudmila to a look at the 2004 clothing models at the famous among the wealthy design firm Burberry. For more than two hours, Lyudmila Putina was shown new fashion items, and in conclusion, Putin was asked if she would like to buy something. Blueberry's prices are very high. For example, even a gauze scarf from this company costs £ 200.

The Russian president's eyes were so scattered that she announced the purchase of ... the entire collection. Even super-millionaires did not dare to do this. By the way, and because if you buy the entire collection, then people will not understand that you are wearing fashion clothes of the next year! After all, no one else has anything comparable. In this case, Putin's behavior was not so much the behavior of the wife of a major statesman of the early 21st century, but rather reminiscent of the behavior of the main wife of an Arab sheikh of the mid-20th century, who was distraught with the amount of petrodollars that fell on her husband.

This episode with Mrs. Putin needs a little explanation. Naturally, neither she nor the “art critics in civilian clothes” accompanying her during the show of the collection had with them as much money as the collection cost. This was not required, because in such cases, respected people only need their signature on the check and nothing else. No money or credit cards. Even if the very mister President of Russia, who is trying to appear before the world as a civilized European, was outraged by this act, then, of course, it was necessary to pay.

Other rulers of countries - former Soviet republics - also know how to “live well”. So, a couple of years ago, the six-day wedding of the son of the President of Kyrgyzstan Akayev and the daughter of the President of Kazakhstan Nazarbayev thundered all over Asia. The scope of the wedding was truly khan. By the way, both newlyweds graduated from the University of College Park (Maryland) just a year ago.

Against this background, Ilham Aliyev, the son of Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev, looks quite dignified, setting a kind of world record: in just one evening he managed to lose as much as 4 (four!) Million dollars in a casino. By the way, this worthy representative of one of the "secretary general" families is now registered as a candidate for the presidency of Azerbaijan. Residents of this one of the poorest countries in terms of living standards are invited to elect either an amateur in the new elections " beautiful life“Aliyev’s son or Aliyev’s father himself, who has already“ served ”two presidential terms, has crossed the 80-year mark and is so sick that he is no longer able to move independently.