Anatoly Andreyevich Gromyko (; 15 April 1932 – 25 September 2017) was a Soviet and Russian scientist and diplomat. He specialized in American and African studies as well as international relations, and was a member of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...

and the

Union of Russian Artists ''Mir iskusstva'' ( rus, «Мир искусства», p=ˈmʲir ɪˈskustvə, ''World of Art'') was both a Russian magazine and the artistic movement it fostered, playing a significant role in shaping the Russian avant-garde. The movement was d ...

Biography

Gromyko was born in

Barysaw Barysaw or Borisov (, ; , ) is a city in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Barysaw District. It is located on the Berezina, Berezina River and north-east from the capital Minsk. As of 2025, it has a population of 1 ...

, in the

Byelorussian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, Byelorussian SSR or Byelorussia; ; ), also known as Soviet Belarus or simply Belarus, was a republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 1922 as an independent state, and ...

of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, in 1932, and between 1939 and 1948 lived in the United States, where his father

Andrei Gromyko Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko ( – 2 July 1989) was a Soviet politician and diplomat during the Cold War. He served as Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Soviet Union), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1957–1985) and as List of heads of state of the So ...

worked as the Soviet ambassador and representative in the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. In 1954, he graduated from the

Moscow State Institute of International Relations Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (, also known as MGIMO University) is an higher education, institute of higher education located in Moscow, Russia. The institute is run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Russian ...

, and between 1961 and 1965 worked at the Soviet Embassy to the United Kingdom. After that he took leading positions at the Institute for African Studies and

Institute for US and Canadian Studies Institute for US and Canadian Studies (Russian: Институт США и Канады РАН, ''Institut SShA i Kanadi RAN'') is a Russian think tank which is part of the Russian Academy of Sciences, specializing on the comprehensive American s ...

of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He then returned to diplomacy and acted as the Soviet deputy ambassador in the United States (1973–1974) and East Germany (1974–1975). Between 1976 and 1991, he headed the Institute for African Studies, where he continued working until 2010. From 2010 on, he lectured at the Institute of International Security and at the

Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...

. In 1981, he was elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences where he curated

African studies African studies is the study of Africa, especially the continent's cultures and societies (as opposed to its geology, geography, zoology, etc.). The field includes the study of Africa's History of Africa, history (pre-colonial, Colonisation of Af ...

. Gromyko co-authored more than 30 books and more than 300 journal articles. He was awarded the

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on 31 October 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferred upon individuals or groups for services furthering communis ...

Order of Friendship of Peoples The Order of Friendship of Peoples () was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military units, as well as administrative subdivisions of the USSR for accomplishments in s ...

and

USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...

(1980).

Personal life

Gromyko was married twice, the second time to Valentina Olegovna Gromyko. He had two sons from different marriages, Igor (born 1954) and Aleksei (born 1969), as well as a daughter, Anna. Igor is a diplomat, whereas Alexei is a political scientist.

References

External links

''African Countries' Foreign Policy''
1983, edited by Anatoly Gromyko. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gromyko, Anatoly 1932 births 2017 deaths People from Barysaw Soviet Africanists Russian Africanists Soviet diplomats Soviet economists 20th-century Russian economists Soviet historians 20th-century Russian historians Moscow State Institute of International Relations alumni Corresponding Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Corresponding Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences Recipients of the USSR State Prize Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples 21st-century Russian historians Children of heads of state