Nikolai Ryzhkov

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Ryzhkov" redirects here. For the surname, see Ryzhkov (surname).
In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Ivanovich and the family name is Ryzhkov.

Nikolai Ryzhkov
Николай Рыжков
Ryzhkov in 2019
Russian Federation Senator
from Belgorod Oblast
In office
17 September 2003 – 25 September 2023
Preceded byAlexander Dondukov
Succeeded byZhanna Chefranova
Member of the State Duma
In office
17 January 1996 – 17 September 2003
Chairman of the Executive Committee of the People's Patriotic Union of Russia
In office
7 August 1996 – 1998
Preceded byPost established
Succeeded byViktor Zorkaltsev
10th Premier of the Soviet Union
In office
27 September 1985 – 14 January 1991
PresidentAndrei Gromyko
Mikhail Gorbachev
Deputy
Preceded by
28th of the Central Committee
In office
3 March 1981 – 29 August 1991
Personal details
Born
Nikolai Ivanovich Ryzhkov

(1929-09-28)28 September 1929
Independent (2003–2024)
Other political
affiliations		People's Patriotic Union of Russia (1996–2003)
Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1956–1991)
SpouseLudmila Ryzhkova
ChildrenMarina

Nikolai Ivanovich Ryzhkov (

Council of Ministers (the post was abolished and replaced by that of Prime Minister in 1991). Responsible for the cultural and economic administration of the Soviet Union during the Gorbachev era, Ryzhkov was succeeded as premier by Valentin Pavlov in 1991. The same year, he lost his seat on the Presidential Council, going on to become Boris Yeltsin's leading opponent in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) 1991 presidential election. He was also the last surviving Premier of the Soviet Union, following the death of Ivan Silayev
on 8 February 2023.

Ryzhkov was born in the city of

Soviet economy
.

Elected to the

Federation Council
, which he held until he retired in 2023.

Early life and career

Nikolai Ivanovich Ryzhkov was born to Russian parents on 28 September 1929, in Dzerzhynsk, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union.

technocrat, he started work as a welder, proceeded through the ranks at the Sverdlovsk Uralmash Plant to become chief engineer, then became between 1970 and 1975 Factory Director of the Uralmash Production Amalgamation.[4] Ryzhkov joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) in 1956.[5] He was transferred to Moscow in 1975 and appointed to the post of First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Heavy and Transport Machine Building. Ryzhkov became First Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Committee in 1979 and[6] was elected to the CPSU Central Committee in 1981. He was one of several members of the Soviet leadership affiliated to the "Andrei Kirilenko faction".[7]

People's Republic of China.[9] During Konstantin Chernenko's short rule, both Ryzhkov and Gorbachev elaborated several reform measures, sometimes in the face of opposition from Chernenko.[10]

When Gorbachev came to power,

Yegor Ligachev, Ryzhkov became a full rather than a candidate member of the Politburo on 23 April 1985 during Gorbachev's tenure as General Secretary.[12] Ryzhkov succeeded Tikhonov on 27 September 1985.[13]

Premiership

Politics of the Soviet Union
 
Leadership
Communist Party
General Secretary
Legislature
Congress of Soviets
Supreme Soviet
Congress of People's Deputies
Governance
Constitution
Government
Premiership
Judiciary
Ideology
Society
Economy
Culture
Repression
flag Soviet Union portal

Political events

Following the Chernobyl disaster, along with Yegor Ligachev, Ryzhkov visited the crippled plant between 2–3 May 1986. On Ryzhkov's orders the government evacuated everyone within a 30 kilometres (19 mi) radius of the plant.[14] The 30 km radius was a purely random guess and it was later shown that several areas contaminated with radioactive material were left untouched by government evacuation agencies.[15]

In the aftermath of the 1988 earthquake in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ryzhkov promised to rebuild the city of Spitak within two years.[16] A Politburo commission was established to provide guidance for the local ASSR Government with Ryzhkov elected its chairman.[17] The commission then travelled to the ASSR to assess damage caused by the earthquake.[18] During Gorbachev's subsequent visit to the ASSR, and aware of local feelings following the disaster, Ryzhkov persuaded the less sensitive Gorbachev to forgo use of his limousine in favor of public transport.[19] When Gorbachev left the ASSR, Ryzhkov remained to coordinate the rescue operation and made several television appearances which increased his standing amongst the Soviet leadership and the people in general.[20] With his standing thus boosted, on 19 July 1988, at the Central Committee Plenum, Ryzhkov criticised nearly every one of Gorbachev's policies, further complaining that as Party Secretary he should devote more time to the Party.[21] In the end, Ryzhkov failed in his promise to rebuild Spitak, partly due to the Soviet Union's mounting economic problems, and partly because many of the city's Soviet-era buildings had not been designed with adequate earthquake protection, making their reconstruction more difficult.[16]

Economic policy

Historian Jerry F. Hough notes that Gorbachev treated Ryzhkov and his reform attempts just as badly as Leonid Brezhnev treated Alexei Kosygin, one-time Chairman of the Council of Ministers, during the Brezhnev era. Brezhnev's most notable snub was over the 1965 Soviet economic reform.[9]

Ryzhkov was an early supporter of the Gorbachev policy calling for an increase in the quantity and quality of goods planned for production during the period of the

ideology before practical considerations, and he instead advocated an alternative long-term program rather than one designed to have immediate effect.[25]

Ryzhkov and Gorbachev continued their work on economic reform and in 1987, began drafting the Law on the State Enterprise, which restricted the authority of central planners.[26] This would later come into effect and give workers an unrealistically high level of power.[27] Nikolai Talyzin, Chairman of the State Planning Committee, became the scapegoat for the failure of this reform and on the orders of Ryzhkov he was replaced by Yuri Maslyukov.[28]

While supporting the transition away from a planned economy, Ryzhkov understood that privatisation would weaken the government's power. As changes occurred, skepticism over

500 Days Programme, which espoused a quick transition to a market economy.[32] Matters did not improve when at the second session of the Congress of People's Deputies of the Soviet Union, Ryzhkov proposed postponing the transition to a market economy until 1992, further suggesting that in the period between 1990–1992, recentralisation of government activities would ensure a period of stabilisation.[33]

Ryzhkov's economic reform plan was a hybrid of Leonid Abalkin's and one created by himself in conjunction with the Maslyukov chaired State Planning Committee along with several other government institutions.[34] On 5 July 1989, the State Commission of the Council of Ministers on Economic Reforms was established, which replaced Maslyukov's reform commission. The new commission was chaired by Abalkin, who had also been appointed Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers.[35]

With strong support from Ryzhkov, Gorbachev abolished the Central Committee economic department, thereby strengthening the authority of central government over economic matters. From then on, the government could not be blamed for economic policies initiated by the Party leadership. The establishment of the post of President of the Soviet Union by Gorbachev in 1990 weakened the power of the government apparatus; a move Ryzhkov and his second cabinet opposed.[36]

Price reform

According to Swedish economist Anders Åslund, Ryzhkov differed little from Gorbachev when it came to price reform.[34] There were, however, subtle differences between the two men's views, with Ryzhkov supporting an administratively controlled price increase while Gorbachev, as a radical economist who supported market reform, opposed such measures. As Hough noted, Ryzhkov supported "the need for greater fiscal responsibility", while Gorbachev advocated the need for more rational prices which, according to Hough, would have brought inflation under control.[37] Ryzhkov proposed price reform measures to Gorbachev several times but was turned down on each occasions, even though Gorbachev had argued strongly on the need for price reform in his speeches. Gorbachev strengthened his public image by accusing the Soviet leadership's conservative faction together with Ryzhkov, of delaying implementation of the necessary price reform. Ryzhkov had the backing of several high-standing institutions, such as the Ministry of Finance and the State Committee on Prices, chaired by the future Soviet Premier Valentin Pavlov.[38] In contrast to Gorbachev, Ryzhkov actually had, according to Hough, a plan for a transition to a market economy. Gorbachev on the other hand was never able to turn words into deeds.[39]

By 1988, Ryzhkov increasingly sided with Leonid Abalkin, one of the few economists who advocated fiscal responsibility. At the 19th Conference of the Central Committee, Abalkin was severely criticised by Gorbachev, and accused of "

Presidium of the Council of Ministers by December, which as things turned out, put financial stability at the top of its agenda.[40] Gorbachev disliked Abalkin's report and rejected Ryzhkov's requests that he support it. Ryzhkov was then forced to create an even more conservative reform plan for 1989 in which price reform was to be postponed until 1991.[41] When the Abalkin report was proposed at the Central Committee plenum, the majority of delegates indirectly attacked Gorbachev for his indecisiveness when it came to the implementation of price reform.[42] In April 1990, after submitting a draft to the Presidential Council and the Federation Council[clarification needed], Ryzhkov's price reform was initiated. However, a short while later it was once more put on hold following severe criticism from Boris Yeltsin and several pro-Gorbachev intellectuals. The economic turmoil which hit the Soviet Union in 1990 was blamed on Ryzhkov, even though it was Gorbachev who had delayed Ryzhkov's proposed reform.[43]

In his memoirs, Gorbachev vaguely asserts that a single price increase would be better than several.[44] Things did not improve for Ryzhkov when, at the 28th Party Congress, Gorbachev claimed it would be "absurd" to begin serious economic reform with price increases.[45]

Fall from power

In August 1990, several leading officials tried to persuade Gorbachev to force Ryzhkov to resign from his post. Gorbachev did not bow to this pressure, fearing that Ryzhkov's removal would lead to increased activity by many of his pro-republican first secretaries and Politburo members. Ryzhkov's numerous supporters were not concerned about policy issues; they backed him simply because he opposed some of Gorbachev's economic and political reforms.

Moscow Kremlin.[52]

Ryzhkov's Plan and the 500 Days Programme were broadly similar, with both supporting price liberalisation, decentralisation and privatisation.[53] The main difference between the two was Ryzhkov's desire to retain much of the social security system, free education for all and the continuance of a strong central government apparatus. The 500 Days Programme did not mention political union with the other Soviet republics, but instead weakened the authority of the central government by establishing a market economy. In other words, they left the question of continuing or dissolving the Soviet Union open.[54] On 17 September, in a meeting of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev openly supported the 500 Days Programme, claiming it would not lead to the reestablishment of capitalism, but instead to a mixed economy where private enterprise played an important role.[55]

In December 1990, Ryzhkov suffered a heart attack. During his recovery, the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union dissolved the Council of Ministers and replaced it with the Cabinet of Ministers headed by Valentin Pavlov, Ryzhkov's former Minister of Finance. The law enacting the change was passed on 26 December 1990, but the new structure was not implemented until 14 January 1991 when Pavlov took over as Prime Minister of the Soviet Union.[56] Between Ryzhkov's hospitalisation and Pavlov's election as Prime Minister, Lev Voronin acted as the Chairman of the Council of Ministers.[57] The reorganisation of the government made it subordinate to the Presidency, weakening the head of government's hold on economic policy. In contrast to Hough's view that Gorbachev had little reason to remove Ryzhkov, Gordon M. Hahn argues that there were good reasons to replace him given that with Ryzhkov's Politburo support much reduced, the reformist opposition saw him as a conservative.[56]

1991 presidential campaign

Main article:
Nikolai Ryzhkov presidential campaign, 1991
1991 election. Blue indicates a win by Yeltsin, red a win by Ryzhkov, grey a win by Tuleyev.

After recovering from his heart attack in early 1991, Ryzhkov stood as the Communist candidate in the first election of the President of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR).[58] Ryzhkov's vice presidential candidate was Boris Gromov, a Soviet war veteran who led the Soviet military during the final stages of the war in Afghanistan.[59] Running as the Communist Party nominee, Ryzhkov placed second in the election. He received a total of 13,395,335 votes, equal to 16.9% of the total vote. He placed more than forty points behind Boris Yeltsin, who won the election.[58]

Post-Soviet Russia

Ryzhkov on 27 November 2009

During the 1995 legislative campaign, Ryzhkov defended his own tenure as Chairman of the Soviet Council of Ministers, claiming that Russians were far worse off under capitalism than Soviet communism.[60] Russian TV channel NTV broadcast a debate featuring only Ryzhkov and Grigory Yavlinsky, a liberal politician who strongly supported economic reforms.[61] At the election, he was elected to the State Duma Federal Assembly as an independent candidate.[62] Once elected, he headed the Power to the People! bloc, a communist faction with nationalist tendencies.[63] The Power to the People bloc came about through the merger of Ryzhkov's supporters and the All-People's Union headed by Sergey Baburin. Its policies were left-wing and included revival of the Soviet Union, the introduction of a planned economy, more state involvement in the economy and the promotion of nationalism and patriotism.[64] In the Second State Duma "Power to the People!" sided with another national-patriotic forces in Narodovlastie faction, also led by Ryzhkov. During the 1996 presidential election, Ryzhkov endorsed Gennady Zyuganov, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) candidate, for the presidency.[65]

In 1996, Ryzhkov was one of the founders of the CPRF-led alliance of leftists and nationalists known as the

Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation as the representative for Belgorod Oblast, subsequently resigning his seat in the State Duma. He served as Chairman of the Federation Council Commission on Natural Monopolies, as a member of the Committee on Local Self-Governance and as co-chairman of the Russian–Armenian commission on inter-parliamentary cooperation.[3] Ryzhkov resigned as a member of the Federation Council on 25 September 2023.[68]

In 2014, Ryzhkov supported the introduction of Russian troops into Ukraine.[69]

In 2022, he expressed his support for the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[69]

Ryzkhov died in Moscow on 28 February 2024, at the age of 94.[70][71][72] He was buried at the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery.

Sanctions

In March 2014, following the

list of individuals sanctioned as "members of the Russian leadership's inner circle."[73][74][75][76][77] The sanctions freeze any assets he held in the US[77] and banned him from entering the United States.[78] On 17 March 2014, Ryzhkov was added to the European Union sanctions list due to his role in the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation.[79] He was barred from entering EU countries, and his assets in the EU were frozen.[79]

Awards, decorations, and orders

Ryzhkov was awarded the

Ukrainian Government awarded him the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 5th class, "for his outstanding contribution to the development of Russian–Ukrainian cooperation and on the occasion of his 75th birthday" on 24 September 2004.[83] The Russian President awarded Ryzhkov the Diploma of the President on 3 October 2009.[84]

Other decorations awarded to Ryzhkov include:

Notes

  1. ISBN 978-1-135-01891-7
    . Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Nikolaj Ivanovič Ryzhkov". Archontology. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  3. ^
    Federation Council of Russia. Archived from the original
    on 21 December 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  4. ^ Николай Иванович Рыжков [Nikolai Ivanovich Ryzhkov] (in Russian). Peoples. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  5. ^ Bialer 1986, p. 158.
  6. ^ Hough 1997, p. 92.
  7. ^ Hough 1997, p. 90.
  8. ^ Hough 1997, p. 93.
  9. ^ a b Hough 1997, p. 19.
  10. ^ Service 2009, p. 435.
  11. ISBN 978-0-295-97823-9
    .
  12. ^ Bialer 1986, p. 116.
  13. ^ Service 2009, p. 439.
  14. ISBN 978-0-582-78465-9
    .
  15. ISBN 978-92-808-0926-8
    .
  16. ^
    ISBN 978-1-84162-163-0
    .
  17. ISBN 978-90-5410-071-3
    .
  18. ISBN 978-0-253-20773-9
    .
  19. ISBN 978-1-55970-333-8
    .
  20. ISBN 978-0-271-01603-0
    .
  21. ^ Åslund 1992, p. 106.
  22. ^ Service 2009, p. 441.
  23. ^ Hough 1997, p. 124.
  24. ^ Hough 1997, p. 125.
  25. ISBN 978-0-521-89244-5
    .
  26. ^ Service 2009, p. 451.
  27. ^ Service 2009, p. 468.
  28. ^ Åslund 1992, p. 94.
  29. ^ Hahn 2002, p. 230.
  30. ^ Service 2009, p. 98.
  31. ^ Gill & Markwick 2000, p. 99.
  32. ^ Gill & Markwick 2000, p. 100.
  33. ^ Åslund 1992, p. 108.
  34. ^ a b Åslund 1992, pp. 108–109.
  35. ^ Åslund 1992, pp. 107–108.
  36. ^ Hahn 2002, p. 73.
  37. ^ Hough 1997, p. 123.
  38. ^ Hough 1997, p. 131.
  39. ^ Hough 1997, pp. 131–132.
  40. ^ Hough 1997, p. 134.
  41. ^ Hough 1997, p. 349.
  42. ^ Hough 1997, p. 352.
  43. ^ Hough 1997, p. 359.
  44. ^ Hough 1997, pp. 132–133.
  45. ^ Hough 1997, p. 358.
  46. ^ Hahn 2002, p. 234.
  47. ^ Gill & Markwick 2000, p. 94.
  48. ^ Hahn 2002, p. 243.
  49. ISBN 978-0-87332-830-2
    .
  50. ^ Hahn 2002, pp. 243–244.
  51. ^ Hahn 2002, p. 245.
  52. ^ Hahn 2002, p. 246.
  53. ^ Hahn 2002, p. 266.
  54. ^ Hahn 2002, p. 239.
  55. ^ Hahn 2002, p. 240.
  56. ^ a b Hahn 2002, p. 316.
  57. ^ Staff writer. "Рыжков, Николай Иванович" [Ryzhkov, Nikolai Ivanovich]. praviteli.org. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
  58. ^
    ISBN 978-0-521-58737-2
    .
  59. ISBN 978-1-56000-335-9
    .
  60. ^ Belin & Orttung 1997, p. 74.
  61. ^ Belin & Orttung 1997, p. 93.
  62. ISBN 978-0-8157-1535-1
    .
  63. ^ Hough, Davidheiser & Lehmann 1996, p. 51.
  64. ^ Belin & Orttung 1997, p. 48.
  65. ^ Hough, Davidheiser & Lehmann 1996, p. 52.
  66. ISBN 978-3-525-36912-8
    .
  67. ISBN 978-1-58826-217-2
    .
  68. ^ "Экс-премьер СССР Рыжков досрочно ушел из Совета Федерации". www.pnp.ru (in Russian). 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  69. ^ a b "Помер колишній прем'єр СРСР та уроженець Донеччини Микола Рижков" [Former Prime Minister of the USSR and urogener of Donetschina Mykola Ryzhkov died]. Istorychna Pravda (in Ukrainian). 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  70. ^ "Умер Николай Рыжков — разочаровавшийся реформатор" (in Russian). BBC News. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  71. ^ Militckaia, Ekaterina; Nefedova, Alena (28 February 2024). "Человек труда: умер Николай Рыжков". Izvestia (in Russian). Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  72. Associated Press News
    . 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  73. ^ "Treasury Sanctions Russian Officials, Members Of The Russian Leadership's Inner Circle, And An Entity For Involvement In The Situation In Ukraine". US Department of the treasury.
  74. ^ "Executive Order – Blocking Property of Additional Persons Contributing to the Situation in Ukraine". The White House – Office of the Press Secretary. 20 March 2014.
  75. ^ www.treasury.gov
  76. ^ Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN)
  77. ^ a b Shuklin, Peter (21 March 2014). "Putin's inner circle: who got in a new list of US sanctions". liga.net. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  78. ^ President of The United States (19 March 2016). "Ukraine EO13661" (PDF). Federal Register. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  79. ^ a b "EU sanctions list includes Russian commanders, Crimea PM". Reuters. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  80. ^ Николай Рыжков награжден почетной медалью армянского парламента за развитие армяно-российских отношений [Nikolai Ryzhkov, awarded the Medal of Honor by the Armenian parliament for the development of Armenian-Russian relations] (in Russian). Armenia News. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  81. ^ Николаю Рыжкову присвоено звание "Национальный Герой Армении" [Nikolai Ryzhkov was awarded the title "National Hero of Armenia"] (in Russian). Armenia News. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  82. ^ "Russian senator Nikolai Ryzhkov hopes for exclusively constitutional, legal solution of Armenia situation". armenpress.am. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  83. ^ Про нагородження М. Рижкова орденом князя Ярослава Мудрого [On awarding N.I. Ryzhkov Order Yaroslav the Wise] (in Ukrainian). Government of Ukraine. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  84. ^ Presidential Administration. О НАГРАЖДЕНИИ ПОЧЕТНОЙ ГРАМОТОЙ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ РЫЖКОВА Н.И. [Order of the President of the Russian Federation from 03.10.2009 N 640-p; "Awarded by the Honorary President of the Russian Federation to N.I. "] (in Russian). Government of Russia. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  85. ^ "Ceremony for presenting state decorations". President of Russia. Government of Russia. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  86. ^ "Структура". Совет Федерации Федерального Собрания Российской Федерации (in Russian). 5 July 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  87. ^ a b c d "Рыжков Николай Иванович". Совет Федерации Федерального Собрания Российской Федерации (in Russian). Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  88. ^ "Фонд № 717 - Рыжков Николай Иванович (1929 - 2024), генеральный директор производственного объединения «Уралмаш», Председатель Совета Министров СССР, член Совета Федерации Федерального Собрания РФ". CDOOSO. Центр документации общественных организаций Свердловской области. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  89. ^ admina (7 December 2017). "Рыжков: «Я приехал в Армению после землетрясения на 2 дня, а остался там навсегда»". Aniarc. Retrieved 3 March 2024.

Bibliography

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Premier of the Soviet Union
27 September 1985 – 14 January 1991 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nikolai_Ryzhkov&oldid=1218033128"