- Born:
- Feb. 20, 1904, St. Petersburg, Russia
- Died:
- Dec. 18, 1980, Moscow, Russia, U.S.S.R. (aged 76)
- Title / Office:
- prime minister (1964-1980), Soviet Union
- Political Affiliation:
- Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Aleksey Nikolayevich Kosygin
-
Who was Aleksey Nikolayevich Kosygin?
Aleksey Nikolayevich Kosygin (1904–1980) was a Soviet statesman and premier of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1980. He was known as a pragmatic economic administrator rather than an ideologue.
Kosygin's early career included service in the Red Army and various positions in the Leningrad city government and industry. By 1939, he was a member of the Communist Party's Central Committee and people’s commissar for the textile industry.
In 1965, as chairman of the Council of Ministers, Kosygin introduced reforms to modernize the Soviet economy, improve planning, encourage initiative from plant managers, and rely more on profit to improve economic efficiency.
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What position did Kosygin hold in the Soviet Union?
Aleksey Nikolayevich Kosygin held numerous significant positions in the Soviet Union throughout his career. He served as the premier of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1980. Earlier, in 1940, he became deputy chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars and, during World War II, he was the premier of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic. Kosygin also served as minister of finance in 1948 and as minister for light industry from 1948 to 1953.
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When did Kosygin serve as the premier of the Soviet Union?
Aleksey Nikolayevich Kosygin was the premier of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1980. He replaced Nikita S. Khrushchev in October 1964 as chairman of the Council of Ministers, becoming the effective head of the Soviet government. In 1965, Kosygin introduced reforms designed to modernize the Soviet economy by improving the planning process and encouraging initiative from plant managers. Kosygin retired in October 1980 and was succeeded by Nikolay Tikhonov.
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What were some main goals or reforms Kosygin tried to introduce?
Aleksey Nikolayevich Kosygin, the premier of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1980, was known as a pragmatic economic administrator. In 1965, he introduced reforms to modernize the Soviet economy by improving the planning process and encouraging initiative from plant managers. Kosygin aimed to improve economic efficiency by using profit as a key indicator.
Kosygin's reforms aimed to increase the independence of enterprises, but all activities still had to align with the five-year and annual plans set by Gosplan, and the state maintained its monopoly on resource allocation. Although the government later retreated from fully implementing Kosygin’s reforms, his management style helped maintain some efficiency in the Soviet economy into the 1970s.
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How were Kosygin’s economic reforms different from earlier Soviet policies?
Aleksey Nikolayevich Kosygin, Soviet Premier from 1964 to 1980, introduced economic reforms in 1965 that differed from earlier Soviet policies by increasing the independence of enterprises. While still adhering to the five-year and annual plans set by Gosplan, Kosygin aimed to modernize the Soviet economy by improving the planning process and encouraging initiative among plant managers, with greater reliance on profit to improve economic efficiency.
However, the state retained its monopoly on resource allocation, and all activities still had to correspond to the plans elaborated by Gosplan. Kosygin reverted to the pre-1957 ministerial system, where each ministry ensured its enterprises achieved plan targets. Although the government retreated from fully implementing Kosygin’s reforms, his management style helped preserve efficiency and discipline in the Soviet economy into the 1970s.
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What challenges or opposition did Kosygin face during his leadership?
As premier of the Soviet Union, Aleksey Nikolayevich Kosygin faced several challenges. His 1965 reforms, designed to modernize the Soviet economy by increasing the independence of enterprises, were only partly implemented due to resistance from leaders like Brezhnev. The central direction of the economy became increasingly difficult, and a bureaucratic market emerged, hindering economic coordination.
Kosygin's emphasis on expanding light industry also placed him at odds with Brezhnev. Although the Soviet Union reached its peak in the mid-1970s, economic stagnation threatened its world standing, exacerbated by technological stagnation, poor product quality, and low worker productivity.
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Aleksey Nikolayevich Kosygin (born Feb. 20, 1904, St. Petersburg, Russia—died Dec. 18, 1980, Moscow, Russia, U.S.S.R.) was a Soviet statesman and premier of the Soviet Union (1964–80). He was a competent and pragmatic economic administrator rather than an ideologue.
Kosygin joined the Red Army as a volunteer in 1919 and served in the Russian Civil War. Following the war he received some vocational training, joined the Communist Party (1927), and occupied several positions in the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) city government and in industry. By 1939 he had been appointed people’s commissar for the textile industry as well as a member of the party’s Central Committee. In 1940 he became deputy chairman of the Council of People’s Commissars (called Council of Ministers after 1946); he held that post, which gave him special responsibility for consumer industries, until 1953. During World War II Kosygin was premier of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic. He next served as minister of finance (1948) and as minister for light industry (1948–53). The party elected him to the Politburo in 1948.
Kosygin was demoted to an alternate member when the Politburo was reorganized as the Presidium in October 1952. After Joseph Stalin died (March 1953), Kosygin lost his position on the party Presidium completely and was temporarily removed from his government post. He was reinstated as deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers in December 1953 but was removed once again in December 1956.
Although he continued from 1953 to hold a variety of ministerial and economic posts, Kosygin did not regain his former authority until June 1957, when, as a supporter of Nikita S. Khrushchev, he was readmitted to the party Presidium as an alternate member and was reinstated as deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers. Kosygin subsequently worked closely with Khrushchev on economic matters and served as chairman of Gosplan, the Soviet economic planning agency, from March 1959 to May 1960. He was then elected to full membership on the party Presidium and a first deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers (May 1960).
In October 1964 Kosygin replaced Khrushchev as chairman of the Council of Ministers, becoming the effective head of the Soviet government, although his role in Khrushchev’s ouster is obscure. In 1965 Kosygin introduced comprehensive reforms that were designed to modernize the Soviet economy. He sought to improve the planning process, to encourage greater initiative on the part of plant managers, and to rely more on profit as a means of improving economic efficiency. When he announced in 1966 the new economic five-year plan to govern the Soviet Union from 1966 to 1970, Kosygin adhered to Khrushchev’s policy of placing relatively heavy emphasis on the production of consumer goods, and he altered Khrushchev’s objectives only by setting more realistic target dates for various economic projects.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s Kosygin shared the power of governing with Leonid I. Brezhnev and Nikolay V. Podgorny. He apparently exercised a moderating influence on the other Soviet leaders. The government retreated from fully implementing Kosygin’s reforms, but his sensible management style helped preserve efficiency and discipline in the Soviet economy into the 1970s. Kosygin’s emphasis on economic decentralization and on expanding light industry placed him increasingly at odds with Brezhnev. From the early 1970s Kosygin governed in a system of collective leadership with Brezhnev, first secretary of the Communist Party, and Podgorny, chairman of the Presidium. Kosygin’s role, as well as Podgorny’s, diminished, however, as Brezhnev’s authority increased. On Oct. 23, 1980, Brezhnev, by then chairman of the Presidium and, in effect, president of the Soviet Union, announced Kosygin’s retirement because of ill health.