What did Chernenko do?
Before becoming general secretary, Chernenko was little known outside of the Soviet Union. Born in 1911, he became active in communist organizations in Russia during the late-1920s. In 1931, he formally joined the Soviet Communist Party.
When did Chernenko come into power?
Konstantin Chernenko, in full Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko, (born September 11 [September 24, New Style], 1911, Bolshaya Tes, Yeniseysk, Russian Empire [now in Krasnoyarsk kray, Russia]—died March 10, 1985, Moscow), chief political leader of the Soviet Union from February 1984 until his death in 1985.
How old was Chernenko?
73 years (1911–1985)
Konstantin Chernenko/Age at death
He was 73 years old. An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a combination of chronic emphysema, an enlarged and damaged heart, congestive heart failure and liver cirrhosis. Chernenko became the third Soviet leader to die in less than three years.
Who led the Soviet Union in 1984?
List of leaders
| Name (lifetime) | Period |
|---|---|
| Leonid Brezhnev (1906–1982) | 14 October 1964 ↓ 10 November 1982† |
| Yuri Andropov (1914–1984) | 10 November 1982 ↓ 9 February 1984† |
| Konstantin Chernenko (1911–1985) | 9 February 1984 ↓ 10 March 1985† |
| Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–) | 10 March 1985 ↓ 25 December 1991 |
Who destroyed USSR?
The following four years of political struggle between Yeltsin and Gorbachev played a large role in the dissolution of the USSR. On November 11, 1987, Yeltsin was fired from the post of First Secretary of the Moscow Communist Party.
How did Soviet Union collapse?
The unsuccessful August 1991 coup against Gorbachev sealed the fate of the Soviet Union. Planned by hard-line Communists, the coup diminished Gorbachev’s power and propelled Yeltsin and the democratic forces to the forefront of Soviet and Russian politics.
Where did Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko come from?
Although his name is Ukrainian, his official biographers describe him as an ethnic Russian, and it has been suggested that his family at one point migrated from the Ukraine to South Siberia, where they came to consider themselves Russian.
Why was Chernenko important to the Soviet Union?
Chernenko was known as a moderate and compromiser, a man unwilling or unable to initiate sharp changes in Soviet policy or to offend various groups of Kremlin leaders identified with competing policies or positions. He seemed to accept Andropov’s success with good grace and political acumen,…
What did Chernenko say at Andropov’s funeral?
At Andropov’s funeral, Chernenko could barely read the eulogy. Those present strained to catch the meaning of what he was trying to say in his eulogy. He spoke rapidly, swallowed his words, kept coughing and stopped repeatedly to wipe his lips and forehead.
When did Chernenko become a member of the Politburo?
After Brezhnev took over as First Secretary of the CPSU in 1964, Chernenko rose to head the General Department of the Central Committee, responsible for setting the agenda for the Politburo and drafting Central Committee decrees. In 1971 Chernenko became a full member of the Central Committee, and in 1978 he was made a full member of the Politburo.