Soviet Union/Leaders

An approximately chronological listing of Soviet leaders (heads of the of the Central Committee)

• Vladimir Lenin never general secretary but November 1917 - January 21 1924
• Joseph Stalin General Secretary April 3 1922 - March 5 1953
• [Nikita Khrushchev]? First Secretary September 7 1953 - October 14 1964
• [Leonid Brezhnev]? First Secretary October 14 1964 - April 8 1966 and General Secretary April 8 1966 - November 10 1982
• [Yuri Andropov]? General Secretary November 12 1982 - February 9 1984
• Konstantin Chernenko General Secretary February 13 1984 - March 10 1985
• [Mikhail Gorbachev]? General Secretary March 11 1985 - August 24 1991

The post was created in April 1922. The title general secretary was introduced in April 1966.