Secretariat of the 18th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks)

The 18th Secretariat of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was elected by the 18th Central Committee following the 18th Congress,^[1] of the Communist Party, held in March 1939. The Congress took place during a critical period of pre-World War II tensions, with the Soviet leadership^[2] consolidating its control under General Secretary Joseph Stalin.^[3] Delegates at the Congress discussed economic policies, including the ongoing implementation of five-year plans, and affirmed the party's priorities in the face of growing international uncertainty. The Secretariat, as a key administrative body, played an instrumental role in overseeing the implementation of party directives during this time.

List of members

Name (birth–death)	Took office	Left office	Duration	Note
Joseph Stalin^[4] (1878–1953)	22 April 1939	14 October 1952	13 years, 175 days	—
Andrey Andreyev (1895–1971)	22 April 1939	18 March 1946	6 years, 330 days	—
Alexey Kuznetsov (1905–1950)	18 March 1946	28 January 1949	9 years, 281 days	The official explanation for his removal was that he was being "reassigned".
Andrei Zhdanov (1896–1948)	22 April 1939	31 August 1947	9 years, 131 days	Died in office of natural causes.
Georgy Malenkov (1902–1988)	22 April 1939	6 May 1946	7 years, 14 days	Removed on Stalin's orders.
Georgy Malenkov (1902–1988)	1 July 1948	14 October 1952	4 years, 105 days	Reelected to the Secretariat at Stalin's proposal.
Nikita Khrushchev (1894–1971)	16 December 1949	14 October 1952	13 years, 175 days	—
Nikolay Patolichev (1908–1989)	5 June 1946	24 May 1947	2 years, 87 days	—
Panteleimon Ponomarenko (1902–1984)	1 July 1948	14 October 1952	4 years, 105 days	—
Georgy Popov (1906–1968)	18 March 1946	16 December 1949	10 years, 238 days	—
Alexander Shcherbakov (1901–1945)	5 May 1941	10 May 1945	6 years, 18 days	Elected to the Secretariat at the 6th Plenary Session, but died of natural causes during his tenure.
Mikhail Suslov (1902–1982)	24 May 1947	14 October 1952	5 years, 112 days	—

References

^ Getty, J. Arch; Naumov, Oleg V. (1999). The road to terror: Stalin and the self-destruction of the Bolsheviks, 1932-1939. Annals of communism. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-07772-8.
^ Mccauley, Martin (4 February 2014). "The Soviet Union 1917-1991". doi:10.4324/9781315846743. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ Service, Robert (2005). Stalin: a biography. Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01697-2. OCLC 57001809.
^ Brooks, Jeff (1 March 2007). "Stalin: A Biography. By Robert Service. (Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2005. Pp. xi, 715. $29.95.)". The Historian. 69 (1): 167–168. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6563.2007.00175_62.x. ISSN 0018-2370.

[1] Getty, J. Arch; Naumov, Oleg V. (1999). The road to terror: Stalin and the self-destruction of the Bolsheviks, 1932-1939. Annals of communism. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-07772-8.

[2] Mccauley, Martin (4 February 2014). "The Soviet Union 1917-1991". doi:10.4324/9781315846743. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[3] Service, Robert (2005). Stalin: a biography. Cambridge, Mass: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01697-2. OCLC 57001809.

[4] Brooks, Jeff (1 March 2007). "Stalin: A Biography. By Robert Service. (Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2005. Pp. xi, 715. $29.95.)". The Historian. 69 (1): 167–168. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6563.2007.00175_62.x. ISSN 0018-2370.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]