Konstantin Chernenko

Konstantin Chernenko
Константин Черненко
Chernenko in 1973
General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
In office 13 February 1984 – 10 March 1985
Preceded by	Yuri Andropov
Succeeded by	Mikhail Gorbachev
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
In office 11 April 1984 – 10 March 1985
Deputy	Vasily Kuznetsov
Preceded by	Yuri Andropov Vasily Kuznetsov (acting)
Succeeded by	Andrei Gromyko
Second Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
In office 10 November 1982 – 9 February 1984
Preceded by	Yuri Andropov
Succeeded by	Mikhail Gorbachev (de facto)
In office 25 January 1982 – 24 May 1982
Preceded by	Mikhail Suslov
Succeeded by	Yuri Andropov
Personal details
Born	Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko (1911-09-24)24 September 1911 Bolshaya Tes, Russian Empire
Died	10 March 1985(1985-03-10) (aged 73) Moscow, Soviet Union
Cause of death	Combination of chronic emphysema, an enlarged and damaged heart, congestive heart failure and liver cirrhosis
Resting place	Kremlin Wall Necropolis, Moscow
Political party	CPSU (1931–1985)
Spouse(s)	Faina Vassilyevna Chernenko Anna Dmitrievna Lyubimova ​ ​ (m. 1944)​
Children	4, including Albert
Awards	See List
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Soviet Union
Branch/service	Soviet Armed Forces
Years of service	1930–1933
Central institution membership 1971–1985: Full member of the 24th, 25th, 26th Central Committee 1978–1985: Full member of the 25th, 26th Politburo 1977–1978: Candidate member of the 25th Politburo 1976–1985: Member of the 25th, 26th Secretariat Other political offices held 1976–1982: Senior Secretary of Cadres of the CPSU 1984–1985: Chairman, Defense Council 1965–1982: Head of the General Department of the Central Committee Leader of the Soviet Union ← Andropov Gorbachev →

Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko^[a][b] (24 September 1911 – 10 March 1985)^[2] was a Soviet politician and the seventh General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He briefly led the Soviet Union from 1984 until his death a year later.

Born to a poor Ukrainian family in Siberia, Chernenko joined the Komsomol in 1929 and became a full member of the party in 1931. After holding a series of propaganda posts, in 1948 he became the head of the propaganda department in Moldavia, serving under Leonid Brezhnev. After Brezhnev took over as First Secretary of the CPSU in 1964, Chernenko was appointed to head the General Department of the Central Committee. In this capacity, he became responsible for setting the agenda for the Politburo and drafting Central Committee decrees. By 1971 Chernenko became a full member of the Central Committee and later a full member of the Politburo in 1978.

Following the death of Brezhnev and his successor Yuri Andropov, Chernenko was elected General Secretary in February 1984 and made Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet in April 1984. However, due to his rapidly failing health, he was often unable to fulfill his official duties. He died in March 1985 after leading the country for only 13 months, and was succeeded as General Secretary by Mikhail Gorbachev.

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