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.
| 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 | Soviet Union |
| Headquarters | Moscow, Russia |
| Agency executives |
|
| Parent agency | All-Union Congress of Soviets |
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.
Geoffrey Roberts described the GKO as "a sort of war cabinet".
Composition
The initial composition of the committee was such:
- Chairman – Joseph Stalin
- Deputy Chairman – Vyacheslav Molotov
- Members – Lavrentiy Beria (State Security), Georgy Malenkov (Aviation Industry), Kliment Voroshilov
On 3 February 1942, Nikolai Voznesensky and Anastas Mikoyan were added as additional members of the committee. On 20 February 1942, Lazar Kaganovich was added. On 16 May 1944, Beria replaced Molotov as deputy chairman. On 22 November 1944, Nikolai Bulganin replaced Voroshilov as a member.
See also
Bibliography
- Barber, John, and Harrison, Mark. (1991). The Soviet Home Front 1941–1945: A Social and Economic History of the USSR in World War II. London: Longman. ISBN 0-582-00964-2, ISBN 0-582-00965-0.
- Werth, Alexander. (1964). Russia at War 1941–1945. New York: Carrol and Graf.
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