Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov (born January 23 (February 4) 1881, death - December 2, 1969) - professional revolutionary, prominent Soviet military leader and politician, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1935), Hero of the Soviet Union (1956., 1968), Hero of Socialist Labor (1960); Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (1953-1960), Member of the Politburo (Presidium) of the CPSU Central Committee (1926-1960)
During the Civil War, commander and member of the Revolutionary Military Council of a number of fronts and armies. 1925-1940 - People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs and People's Commissar for Defense of the Soviet Union. Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. Was in the immediate circle of I. V. Stalin, became one of the organizers of the mass repressions of the late 1930s.
Origin. early years
The future marshal was born in the village of Verkhnee, Bakhmutsky district of the Yekaterinoslav province (now the Luhansk region of Ukraine) in a working class family. Father - Voroshilov Efrem Andreevich (1844-1907), a railway worker. Mother - Maria Voroshilova (1857-1919), day laborer.
From the age of seven he worked as a shepherd and miner. 1893-1895 - Studied at a zemstvo school in the village of Vasilyevka. From 1896 he worked at the Yuryevsky metallurgical plant, from 1903 at the Hartmann steam locomotive plant (Lugansk).
Revolutionary activity. Civil War
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During the First World War, he dodged the draft. 1903 - Member of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (Bolsheviks). 1904 - Member of the Lugansk Bolshevik Committee. 1905 - Chairman of the Luhansk Soviet, headed the workers' strike, created fighting squads. Delegate of the IV (1906) and V (1907) Congresses of the RSDLP (b). He had the pseudonym "Volodin". 1908-1917 - led underground party work in Baku, Petrograd, Tsaritsyn. He was repeatedly arrested and served exile.
February Revolution of 1917 - Voroshilov was elected to the Petrograd Soviet of Workers 'and Soldiers' Deputies. At the III Congress of Soviets, he was elected to the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK), appointed by the commissar of Petrograd and, together with Dzerzhinsky Felix Edmundovich, created the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission (VChK).
During the Civil War, Kliment Efremovich is engaged in the formation of units of the Red Army, commands a number of armies, participates in the defense of Tsaritsyn.
1919 - Voroshilov was appointed People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, where he organized punitive operations to eliminate Ukrainian national detachments.
One of the organizers and member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the 1st Cavalry Army, under the command of S. M. Budyonny.
1921 - at the head of a group of delegates to the X Congress of the RCP (b) Voroshilov took part in the suppression of the Kronstadt rebellion. Since 1921 - member of the Central Committee of the RCP (b). 1921-1924 - member of the South-Eastern Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), commander of the North Caucasian Military District. He commanded the destruction of the rebels in the Caucasus.
At the head of the armed forces
1925, November - after the death of Mikhail Frunze, Voroshilov was appointed People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs and Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. He remained in this position until 1934. Voroshilov's predecessor, Frunze, was appointed to the post (in January 1925) of the highest military leader of the Soviet Union by the Zinoviev-Kamenev-Stalin troika, who removed Trotsky Lev Davidovich from the same post.
The replacement of Frunze with Voroshilov was connected with the beginning of the struggle, already within the "troika" itself. Zinoviev's supporter Frunze was forced to undergo a medical operation to treat an old stomach ulcer, and he died during the operation from an overdose of chloroform. Many historians believe that this operation covered up the murder of Frunze, whose place was now taken by the protege of the "father of nations", Voroshilov. Kliment Efremovich became a full member of the new highest party body - the Politburo in 1926, remaining in it until 1960.
Marshal of the Soviet Union
1934 - the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs was renamed the People's Commissariat for Defense. It was headed again by Kliment Efremovich (until May 1940) 1935 - he becomes (together with Tukhachevsky, Budyonny, Egorov and Blucher) one of the 5 owners of the new title - Marshal of the Soviet Union. Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov played a very prominent role in Stalin's Great Terror of the 1930s, condemning many of his own military colleagues and subordinates at Stalin's demand.
The Great Patriotic War
During the Great Patriotic War, Marshal Voroshilov was a member of the State Defense Committee (GKO). 1941, July 10 - was appointed commander-in-chief of the North-Western direction (disbanded on August 27), then commander of the Leningrad Front (from 5 to 14 September 1941, replaced by G. K. Zhukov).
Representative of the Headquarters for the formation of troops (September 1941 - February 1942), representative of the Headquarters on the Volkhov Front (February-September 1942), commander-in-chief of the partisan movement (from September 1942 to May 1943), chairman of the Trophy Committee at GKO (May-September 1943), Chairman of the Armistice Commission (September 1943 - June 1944)
After the war. last years of life
1945-1947 - served as chairman of the Allied Control Commission in Hungary.
From 1946 to 1953 - Voroshilov Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. From March 1953 to May 1960 - Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
After Stalin's death he supported the opponents of Khrushchev, was a member of the so-called "anti-party group" (1956-1957) 1957, June - at the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU when the defeat of the "group" became obvious, Kliment Efremovich repented in his speech, admitting the mistakes and condemned the factionalists.
1960, May - "for health reasons" Voroshilov was relieved of his post as chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, but he remained a member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. 1960, July - he was removed from the Central Committee Presidium, and in October 1961 he was no longer elected a member of the CPSU Central Committee.
1961 - Voroshilov addressed the XXII Congress of the CPSU with a letter in which he once again admitted his mistakes and his participation in organizing repressions. After Leonid Brezhnev came to power, he again became a member of the Central Committee of the CPSU.
Stalin's favorite. Characteristics of contemporaries
The "Father of Nations" forgave the marshal for such failures that anyone else would pay with his life. At the post of People's Commissar, Voroshilov was unable to prepare the troops for the war with Finland. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the commander-in-chief of the North-Western direction allowed the blockade of Leningrad.
Georgy Zhukov testified: "He, in essence, was an amateur in military matters." Boris Bazhanov, Stalin's secretary, wrote: “He was a very mediocre character who, even during the civil war, stuck to Stalin and always supported him. He was always an obedient and obedient henchman of Stalin and served for some time for decoration after Stalin's death."
Leon Trotsky said about the red marshal: "Although Voroshilov was from the Luhansk workers, from the privileged elite, in all his habits he always looked more like a proprietor than a proletarian."
Historian Roy Medvedev noted: “In Voroshilov, Stalin valued personal loyalty. The reason is that dictators need decorative figures that, with their insignificance, set off the majestic figure of the leader. " Kliment Efremovich, in fact, is the only one with whom the head of state was on the "you", admitted in communication the party nicknames - "Koba" and "Volodin", allowed in his office to bang his fist on the table and break out in abuse.
Voroshilov with his wife.
Personal life
In Stalin's times, the Voroshilov family lived in the Kremlin. Wife - Golda Davidovna Gorbman (1887-1959), Jewish. Before marrying Clement (1913, in exile in Nyrob), she was baptized, changed her name and became Ekaterina Davidovna. She was a member of the RSDLP (b) since 1917, worked as deputy director of the V. I. Lenin Museum.
There were no children of my own. Since 1918, the family has been raising the adopted son Peter (1914-1984). Subsequently, Peter became a designer, lieutenant general, from him they had two grandchildren - Klim and Vladimir. Since 1926, they raised the son and daughter of MV Frunze - Timur and Tatiana.
Voroshilov has always led an active lifestyle and played sports. At the same time he smoked. At 50, he became interested in skating and spent almost all weekends at the rink. Later he would actively contribute to the development of ice hockey in the Soviet Union.
Death
Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov died on December 2, 1969 in Moscow, at the age of 89, and was buried at the Kremlin wall.
Interesting Facts
• 1910 - the future Marshal received a serious head injury during interrogation, which resulted in auditory hallucinations. Because of them, by the end of his life, he was completely deaf.
• 1957 - Clement Efremovich mistakenly sent a congratulatory telegram, which was intended to the Queen of England, Queen of Belgium, which resulted in a major international scandal.
• Marshal Voroshilov holds the record for the length of stay in the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) (Central Committee of the CPSU), the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU - 34.5 years.
• 1941, September - as commander of the Leningrad Front, he personally led the marines in bayonet attacks.
• After Stalin's death, Kliment Efremovich was elected "Honorary President" - Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. But even in such a "decorative" post, the marshal could not hold out for a long time. Sergei Khrushchev recalled the incident that caused the resignation: “Voroshilov received the Iranian ambassador. At the end of the reception, there was a short conversation. Thanking the ambassador, Kliment Efremovich perked up. “Why do you all endure the Shah? - slapped the ambassador on the shoulder - We threw off our king, and you have to go. The stunned diplomat mumbled something unintelligible and hurriedly said goodbye. Soon, intelligence intercepted a report from the Iranian ambassador to the Shah, who spoke in the most serious tone about the situation. Khrushchev summoned the marshal to the carpet and greeted him with the words: "Yes, you can declare war like that!"
• The name of Voroshilov was given to six settlements, more than 100 streets and educational institutions.