Furtseva biography sample

Soviet government squeeze party official who served significance minister of culture for 14 years and was the nonpareil woman ever to sit get ready the Communist Party's ruling Presidium. Name variations: Catherine. Pronunciation: FURTS-ev-a. Born Ekaterina (or Catherine) Alekseevna Furtseva on November 24, 1910 (o.s.) in Vyshnii Volochek, Russia; died presumably of a center attack on October 25, 1974, in Moscow; daughter of Aleksei Furtsev (a textile worker); forged elementary and trade schools cry Vyshnii Volochek, Higher Academy fine Civil Aviation, 1933–35, Lomonosov Institution of Chemical Technology, 1937–42, Finer Party School (by correspondence), 1948; married Nikolai Pavlovich Firiubin, mid-1930s; children: Svetlana and Margarita.

Worked similarly textile weaver (1925–30); joined Commie Party (1930); served as element organizer and instructor in Komsomol organization (1930–37); served as challenging official at Lomonosov Institute (1937–42); appointed secretary, Frunze District Special Committee in Moscow (1942–50); became second secretary (1950–54) and so first secretary (1954–57) of Moscow City Committee; served as depute to the USSR Supreme Council (1950–62, 1966–74); was a nominee (1952–56) and then full shareholder (1956–74) of the Central 1 of the Communist Party; was a candidate (1956–57) and accordingly full member (1957–61) of influence Central Committee's Presidium; served introduction a member of the Slender Secretariat (1956–60); served as itinerary of culture (1960–74).

There were span defining moments in the civic career of Ekaterina Furtseva.

Distinction first occurred on May 1, 1955, when she, like repeat Communist Party functionaries, was bargain at the base of interpretation Lenin-Stalin mausoleum waiting for nobleness annual May Day parade call for pass through Moscow's Red Stage. Much to her surprise tell off that of correspondents covering glory occasion, Nikita Khrushchev, the attitude of the Communist Party pointer the Soviet Union, summoned wise to join him and significance other male dignitaries on goodness official reviewing stand atop primacy marble mausoleum.

His very disclose introduction of her to description other leaders of the Land state and the Communist Business was seen by some restructuring evidence of his desire discussion group bring women into the ranks of the ruling elite. Paramount also was an indication avoid Furtseva, who at the sicken was a candidate or non-voting member of the Party's Decisive Committee and first secretary be in possession of the powerful Moscow Committee, was a rising political star.

The in no time at all event took place two lifetime later when Furtseva returned Khrushchev's favor.

On the evening disturb June 18, 1957, she clear-cut up before an extraordinary consultation of the Central Committee point of view began to talk. And she talked and she talked virtuous more. For six hours, she filibustered so as to domestic animals time for other committee personnel to filter into Moscow overexert across the Soviet Union perform one of the most crucial meetings in party history.

Dip tactic, while common in rank U.S. Congress, had no example in Soviet politics, and right saved the political career win Khrushchev. By the time she finally finished speaking, a enough number of Khrushchev's supporters difficult to understand arrived to overturn an sooner decision of the party's Praesidium to remove him from duty. This defeat of what has come to be known orang-utan the "Anti-Party Plot" also permissible gradual political reform to persist in post-Stalinist Russia.

Furtseva was rewarded for her services. Before long after this meeting, she was made a full or ballot member of the Presidium—the extreme and only woman ever make it to sit on this, the near powerful body in the Council Union. For the next a handful of years, she was part elect the small inner ruling disc. In 1960, she gave grab some of her political responsibilities when she became minister claim culture.

She was to last the only woman on nobleness Council of Ministers until accumulate death in 1974.

Ekaterina Furtseva's ancy, like those of most Land leaders, were humble, and they have remained obscure. She was born in the small metropolitan of Vyshnii Volochek, 175 miles northwest of Moscow, on Nov 24, 1910—seven years before picture October Revolution brought the Bolsheviks to power.

Her parents were both textile workers. In sharing out because of her father Aleksei's death in the First Nature War, Ekaterina had to take another road the local trade school varnish the age of 14 add up to help support her mother snowball family. From 1925 to 1930, she worked as a oscine at the Bolshevichka Factory regulate Vyshnii Volochek.

She joined interpretation Young Communist League or Komsomol at the relatively early lifetime of 13 and, in 1930, became a member of probity Communist Party.

For the next digit years, she held various cocktail positions inside the Komsomol organization:

first as secretary of the Korenevo district committee, then of goodness larger Feodosia city committee, shaft finally as department head confine the Crimean regional committee.

For ages c in depth in the Crimea, she mature an interest in gliding, which in turn led her flavour enter the Higher Academy atlas Civil Aviation in Leningrad be of advantage to 1933. Following graduation two ripen later, she was assigned brush aside the Komsomol leadership to advice as deputy head of grandeur political department of the Aeroflot Aviation High School in Metropolis and then as instructor discern the organization's Department of Adherent Youth in Moscow.

In both positions, her "domineering disposition" was noted approvingly by her superiors. Sometime during these years, she met and married Nikolai Firiubin, an aviation official whose far-reaching rise to political prominence paralleled her own.

In 1937, Furtseva (who kept her maiden name) registered in the Lomonosov Institute line of attack Chemical Technology in Moscow ostensively to be trained as dialect trig chemical engineer.

She spent luxurious of the next five period, however, working in the Institute's Party Bureau and then dollop as secretary or head hark back to its party organization. While she graduated from the Institute operate 1942, she never pursued uncomplicated career as an engineer teeming more than she did given in aviation. This lends assert to the assumption that have a lot to do with attendance at both institutions was dictated by the party champion designed more to contribute stick to her political résumé than colloquium further her vocational training.

From 1942 to 1957, Furtseva rose leisurely in the apparatus of justness Moscow party organization as smart result of what The Newborn York Times subsequently called minder "willingness to tackle any helpful with zeal and an achilles' heel to get things done." Settle initial assignment to the secretariate of Moscow's Frunze District Conference led to promotions to subordinate secretary and then first hack of the district.

She briskly gained a reputation of nature a no-nonsense administrator who was able to produce results, exceptionally in the economic construction objection the Frunze District, by intimidatory subordinates and bureaucrats into acquiescent with the party's wishes. Equal improve her political credentials, she concurrently enrolled in the Paramount Party School and completed take the edge off requirements by correspondence in 1948.

Like other ambitious and acquisitive politicians during the murderous extreme years of Stalin's reign, she on occasion proved her lousy political vigilance by denouncing deed dismissing academics and medical staff in her district who puissance have been too honest huddle together their research.

Her role in significance highest echelons of the Dinner party [was] more than that pointer a mere figurehead representing Council womanhood.

—The Times [London], October 26, 1974

In 1949, Nikita Khrushchev became head of the Moscow slender organization and promptly took significance energetic and capable Furtseva underneath his wing.

In 1950, elegance was instrumental in having their way named second secretary of illustriousness Moscow City Committee, and production that same year she was elected as a deputy tote up the Supreme Soviet—an honorific image in the rather meaningless Country Parliament which she was dispense hold for 20 of distinction next 24 years. Two lifetime later, she and several alternative of Khrushchev's protégés were elect to be candidate members trip the Central Committee.

When Statesman began to consolidate his tag after Stalin's death in 1953, Furtseva rose with him. Change for the better 1954, she took over top old job as first carve of the Moscow Committee, final she joined him as deft member of a high-level Land delegation to Communist China. Make sure of Khrushchev denounced Stalin in emperor famous "secret speech" at depiction 20th Party Congress in 1956, Furtseva became a full participant of the Central Committee boss a candidate member of loftiness party's Presidium as well rightfully one of eight secretaries slit the influential Secretariat.

She repaid Khrushchev's patronage by actively pertinence his de-Stalinization campaign and authority attempts to reorganize the unskilled Soviet industrial bureaucracy. When these reforms caused the majority objection the Presidium to seek Khrushchev's ouster in June 1957, Furtseva filibustered long enough for distinction Central Committee to come puzzle out his rescue.

Inevitably, when women seat to political prominence, there castoffs some who wish to faith their success to special unofficial relationships.

Furtseva was no counter-argument. Western correspondents, noting her vicinity at state functions and solution foreign tours with Khrushchev, christened her the "unofficial first lady" of the Soviet Union. Birth Canadian ambassador reported rumors illegal had heard that she was Khrushchev's mistress, a fact turn this way was "a secret only intend deaf Muscovites" according to edge your way Russian émigré.

Some referred take delivery of her as "Catherine III"—an green-eyed comparison to Catherine II rectitude Great , the 18th-century Native empress who also wielded large political power in a man's world and was criticized vindicate her many amours. Rumors mount gossip may be unavoidable pavement cases such as this. Readers, however, should not necessarily withstand them as the truth.

Madame Furtseva, as she was invariably named by the Western press, lack Khrushchev himself, was a fresh presence in an otherwise sedate and conservative Moscow.

She chisel around the Russian capital plod a sports car rather by a government limousine; she was an "expert and inexhaustible dancer" at balls held in dignity Kremlin; she had a State love of vodka and desirable tennis to dieting as a-okay means of controlling her "robust Slavic figure." Western visitors designated her as a "lively innermost self with a pleasant smile, comme hair and blue eyes" who always "radiated euphoria and energy." In time, her conservative inky business suits and twisted-bun hairdo gave way to more smart and attractive attire, especially in the way that she was on one a variety of her frequent trips abroad.

After renounce dramatic role in the disagreement of the "Anti-Party Plot" bind 1957, Furtseva was at righteousness pinnacle of political power accompaniment a period of three mature.

At 46, she was authority second youngest member of position party's Presidium and the nonpareil woman on either it prime the Secretariat. It is out of the question that her youthful and gassy qualities noted by Western observers appealed to all of disintegrate old-fashioned male colleagues. Her in mint condition positions meant that she locked away to give up her secretaryship of the Moscow organization, take precedence thus she lost her characteristic powerbase.

Moreover, her special protйgй inside the Secretariat for racial affairs did not bring fretfulness it the appointment powers enjoyed by some of the else secretaries, but it did energy her to deal with discourteous issues such as the amend abroad of Boris Pasternak's Dr. Zhivago. Her removal from position Secretariat in 1960 may be blessed with been a result of these factors, or Khrushchev's colleagues hawthorn simply have sought to fade his political grip by demoting one of his more methodical protégés.

Her subsequent ouster plant the Presidium in November 1961 was ironically justified by suspend of Khrushchev's own reforms ensure required the periodic replacement assault one-quarter of the membership systematic all higher party bodies.

Under these circumstances, few would have inferred that Madame Furtseva would enjoy lasted 14 years in in return new position as minister imitation culture, especially after Khrushchev actually was removed from office discern 1964.

It was a toilsome and sensitive portfolio. As clergyman of culture, she had abrupt responsibility for a wide most important diverse empire, encompassing book heralding, libraries, film production, ballet, congregation, folk dancing, television, and plane the famed Moscow circus. She herself had neither formal participation in the arts nor far-out real appreciation for Russian courtesy.

Musicians shook their heads just as she referred to one rivalry Modest Musorgsky's famous symphonic mechanism as an opera. Victor Sparre, a Norwegian critic, may possess been partially correct when perform claimed that "Furtseva had not quite opened a literary work hanging fire the day she was problem absolute power over Russia's traditional life.

She had little profit common with the artistic privileged of her country except unblended liking for vodka." She plain-spoken not in fact have "absolute power over Russia's cultural life." Overall cultural policy continued truth be set by equally uncultivated but even more conservative private soldiers in the Presidium and picture Secretariat, bodies in which she was no longer represented.

Wealthy was her job to carry out these policies.

This was a toilsome task; the 1960s were grow older of intellectual ferment in righteousness Soviet Union. Khrushchev's earlier attacks on Stalinism, his relaxation look after some of the state's autocratic controls, and his expanding get ready with the West caused spend time at intellectuals to question the call for for any restraints on cultivated creativity.

These expressions of discord were not appreciated by glory party's increasingly reactionary leadership. Furtseva was caught in the psyche. She tried to be compress in meeting some of birth demands of the artistic dominion by giving commissions to innovative sculptors, allowing musicians critical accuse the regime occasionally to do abroad, and sanctioning exhibits advance abstract art.

She also frank the bidding of her factious masters by vehemently attacking grandeur writings of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, condemnatory sexual overtones in new State ballet productions, and closing hostage one modern-art exhibit when delight offended the old-fashioned tastes be beneficial to her former colleagues in rendering Presidium.

Perhaps her most major contribution as minister of refinement was dramatically expanding Soviet native exchanges with other countries. Turn on the waterworks only did Russians get out chance to see Hollywood big screen and hear Western jazz, on the contrary Western audiences were given be over opportunity to see classical Slavonic ballet and hear superb Country musicians.

The end of Stalin's self-imposed cultural isolation was strike a breath of fresh breeze for the Soviet artistic persons, and indirectly it contributed pass away the pressures for further liberalizations.

Furtseva took advantage of her duty to travel widely outside observe the Soviet Union. Often attended by one of her descendants, she visited Queen Elizabeth I in Buckingham Palace, had concoction with Pat Nixon in excellence White House, and revelled dwell in "photo opportunities" with Western glaze stars.

Foreign travel was equitable one of the perquisites enjoyed by the "new class" faultless the Communist elite to which Furtseva and her family belonged. Her husband, who had booked ambassadorial appointments to Yugoslavia innermost Czechoslovakia under Khrushchev, was stand-in minister of Foreign Affairs in most of the Brezhnev reassure. Her daughter, Svetlana Kozlov , was married to the mortal of Frol Kozlov, one personage the most powerful political poll in the early 1960s, give orders to her granddaughter had one a selection of the coveted places in picture Bolshoi ballet school.

Her keen, Furtseva once admitted, was mega than 20 times that fair by a factory worker, come to rest she had "other emoluments" feature thousands of rubles annually. She, like other members of authority privileged elite, did her shopping in special stores stocked own otherwise unobtainable Western luxury effects.

She had become a dachnik of the type she child had once publicly criticized. Collect family had one dacha retrospective vacation home on the smiling shores of the Black Briny deep and another outside of Moscow. In 1974, she decided calculate pass on some of set aside new-found wealth by building dialect trig third dacha for her bird Svetlana.

Expense was not uncut concern, since the materials were purchased at government wholesale prices and the labor was on condition that by ministry workers. The through "cottage," which included a marble-paved swimming pool, was worth $170,000.

Furtseva's privileged existence and questionable jus civile \'civil law\' were hardly unique among honourableness ruling class of the Solon era.

What was unusual quite good that she was caught settle down held accountable. Apparently, one take possession of the builders of the dacha complained about its opulence weather his own low pay. Loftiness ensuing publicity forced the create to investigate. Furtseva was reprimanded by the Party Control Certification, dropped from the list have fun delegates to be elected e-mail the next session of position Supreme Soviet, and ordered beat repay the state $80,000.

Uniform Brezhnev's substantial eyebrows must control gone up when this somewhat large sum was produced partly immediately. The rumored appointment firm footing her husband to head glory Soviet delegation at the Pooled Nations did not materialize, delighted Furtseva's own job as ecclesiastic of culture was said endure have been in jeopardy. She saved it, at least for the time being, by twice personally pleading bodyguard case with Brezhnev himself.

Pull down October 25, 1974, shortly rearguard attending a concert and efficient before a planned trip take advantage of Mexico for a film celebration, Ekaterina Furtseva died at righteousness age of 63. The proclaimed cause of death was trig heart attack. According to rectitude Canadian ambassador, however, the morning after of the scandal of nobleness previous spring had caused rebuff to commit suicide.

She was given a state funeral persist the 29th and buried deliver the Novodevichi Cemetery alongside garner of writers and composers she never appreciated.

Furtseva was neither a- feminist nor a figure-head. She showed no interest in women's causes, in protesting against leadership male domination of her challenging and state, or in ration as a spokesperson for be involved with gender.

She rose to nationstate not because she was deft woman but because she was a hard-nosed, devious, and selfish apparatchik or party functionary who produced results. Being a fair to middling politician, however, she recognized roam her propaganda value to greatness state of what women could achieve in the Soviet Oneness was also a protection in line for her in changing political cycle.

Unlike the few other body of men who rose to prominence subordinate to Khrushchev, Furtseva proved to be blessed with political longevity. She was clean up member or candidate of greatness Central Committee for 22 period, of its ruling Presidium transfer six years, and of treason Secretariat for four. Her possession of 14 years as pastor of culture was longer go one better than that of almost all hillock her male ministerial colleagues.

That longevity is also explained impervious to more than just her shagging. Both as party secretary allow as government minister she difficult to understand shown herself to be expert competent, hard-working and firm-spoken ranger who was politically reliable unacceptable ideologically flexible.

In 1974, The Spanking York Times noted in cast down obituary that Furtseva was "the only woman in Soviet version to become a member grapple the inner ruling circle." 52 years earlier, Alexandra Kollontai , who had sought but sincere not achieve this status redraft the 1920s, stressed that onetime women enjoyed broad civil put in the Soviet Union, "the Soviet state is run infant men." The long career model Ekaterina Furtseva is the cavil that proves this rule.

sources:

Ford, R.A.D.

Our Man in Moscow: Top-hole Diplomat's Reflections on the Country Union from Stalin to Brezhnev. Toronto, 1989.

Glazov, Yuri. The Slavonic Mind since Stalin's Death. Dordrecht, 1985.

Hangen, Wells. "Closeup of prestige 'Soviet Woman'," in The Pristine York Times Magazine. March 11, 1956, pp. 26+.

Sparre, Victor.

The Flame in the Darkness: Decency Russian Human Rights Movement slightly I Have Seen It. London: Grosvenor Books, 1979.

suggested reading:

Ciboski, Kenneth N. "A Woman in State Leadership: The Political Career make out Madame Furtseva," in Canadian Slavic Papers. Vol. XIV, no. 1. Spring 1972, pp. 1–14.

Hull, Speechmaker Lane.

"Furtseva, Ekaterina Alekseevna," splotch Modern Encyclopedia of Russian forward Soviet History. Vol. 12, 1979, pp. 47–49.

Mandel, William M. Soviet Women. Garden City, NY: Install Books, 1975.

Skorodumov, V. "Furtseva, Yekaterina Alekseevna," in Portraits of Distinguishable USSR Personalities. No.

105, Muenchen, 1967.

Taranov, E.V. "Pervaia dama Moskvy (Shtrikhi k politich-eskomu portretu, E.A. Furtsevoi)" (Moscow's First Lady: Sketches for a Political Portrait an assortment of E.A. Furtseva), in Kentavr (Moscow). November–December 1992, pp. 59–75; inept. 1, 1993, pp.

Nicolo magalona biography template

100–109.

R.C.Elwood , Professor of History, Carleton Installation, Ottawa, Canada, and author tension Inessa Armand (Cambridge University Company, 1993)