The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union was the head of the government of the Soviet Union during the existence of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union from 1946 to 1991.

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The appointment of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union was carried out by the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. The powers of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union included the following: (With changes and additions made in 1981, 1985, 1989 and 1990) *Management of the activities of the government of the Soviet Union; *Selection of candidates for government members for approval by the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union; *Submission of proposals to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union on the appointment and dismissal of members of the government (with the approval of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union or the

Presidium of the Supreme Soviet The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (russian: Президиум Верховного Совета, Prezidium Verkhovnogo Soveta) was a body of state power in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). On October 14, 1964, the Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which relieved Nikita Khrushchev of his duties as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, recognized it inappropriate to further combine the highest party post and the post of head of government.Resolution of the Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union "On Comrade Nikita Khrushchev" (1964)
/ref> Despite its broad powers, the personal power of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union was significantly limited. For example, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers did not have the right to independently appoint and dismiss members of the government of the Soviet Union – including ministers and chairmen of state committees – and other members of the government; this right belonged to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (and in the period between its sessions – the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet). The appointment of deputy ministers of the Soviet Union, deputy chairmen of state committees of the Soviet Union and members of collegiums of ministries and state committees, as well as issues of the country's economic policy and its implementation by central government bodies, were the subject of collegial consideration by members of the government. The same applied to decisions on the creation, reorganization, abolition, personnel and activities of subordinate bodies of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, including bodies created to systematically check the implementation of government decisions. These decisions were not taken by the head of government alone, but by a majority vote of the members of the Council of Ministers or its Presidium. The limited influence that the head of the Soviet government could personally exert on the activities of members of the government and government agencies is illustrated by the words of

Alexei Kosygin Alexei Nikolayevich Kosygin ( rus, Алексе́й Никола́евич Косы́гин, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ kɐˈsɨɡʲɪn; – 18 December 1980) was a Soviet statesman during the Cold War. He served as the Premi ...

, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, one of the initiators of the 1965 economic reform, said in an interview with the head of the government of Czechoslovakia, Lubomir Strougal in 1971:

List (with deputies)

Here are lists of chairmen of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, first deputies and deputy chairmen of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union. The list of the chairmen of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union is given in chronological order. Alphabetical lists of first deputies and deputies are given for each chairman. The dates of the person in office are indicated in parentheses.

References

{{Reflist Lists of government ministers of the Soviet Union

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List (with deputies)

See also

References