State Defense Committee
Powerful body in the Soviet government during World War II
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The State Defense Committee (Russian: Государственный комитет обороны (ГКО), romanized: Gosudarstvennyĭ komitet oborony (GKO)) was an extraordinary organ of state power in the Soviet Union during World War II with complete state power in the country.
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| Государственный комитет обороны | |
All ministry seals of the Soviet Union used the USSR coat of arms | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 30 June 1941 |
Preceding agency | |
| Dissolved | 4 September 1945 |
| Jurisdiction |  USSR |
| Headquarters | |
Agency executives |
|
Parent agency | All-Union Supreme Soviet |
General scope
The Soviets set up the GKO on 30 June 1941, a week after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, by a joint decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, the Council of People's Commissars (Sovnarkom), and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The war situation at the front lines required a more centralized form of government. The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, however, continued unsuspended. On 18 June 1942, over a thousand members attended the 9th session of the Supreme Soviet in Moscow.[1]
Geoffrey Roberts described the GKO as "a sort of war cabinet".[2]
Composition
| Portrait | Name (Lifespan) |
Term of office | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Duration | |||
 |
Joseph Stalin (1878–1953) |
30 June 1941 | 4 September 1945 | 4 years, 66 days | Chairman |
 |
Vyacheslav Molotov (1890–1986) |
30 June 1941 | 4 September 1945 | 4 years, 66 days | Deputy Chairman until 16 May 1944 |
 |
Lavrentiy Beria (1899–1953) |
30 June 1941 | 4 September 1945 | 4 years, 66 days | Representing State Security; Deputy Chairman from 16 May 1944 |
 |
Georgy Malenkov (1901–1988) |
30 June 1941 | 4 September 1945 | 4 years, 66 days | Representing Aviation Industry |
 |
Kliment Voroshilov (1881–1969) |
30 June 1941 | 22 November 1944 | 3 years, 145 days | Replaced by Bulganin |
 |
Nikolai Voznesensky (1903–1950) |
3 February 1942 | 4 September 1945 | 3 years, 213 days | |
 |
Anastas Mikoyan (1895–1978) |
3 February 1942 | 4 September 1945 | 3 years, 213 days | |
 |
Lazar Kaganovich (1893–1991) |
20 February 1942 | 4 September 1945 | 3 years, 196 days | |
 |
Nikolai Bulganin (1895–1975) |
22 November 1944 | 4 September 1945 | 286 days | Replaced Voroshilov |
