Orgburo


The Orgburo, also known as the Organisational Bureau, of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union existed from 1919 to 1952, when it was abolished at the 19th Congress of the Communist Party and its functions were transferred to the enlarged Secretariat.

Role

The Orgburo was established during Lenin’s reign to make important decisions about organisational work in the Soviet Union. It oversaw the work of local Party committees and had the power to select and place Communist Party members in positions as it saw fit. The functions of the Orgburo and the Politburo were often interconnected, but the latter was ultimately the final decision-maker. While the Politburo mostly focused on strategic planning and monitoring of the people and status of the country, the Orgburo was tasked with overseeing the Party cadre and its assignment to various positions and duties, presumably in furtherance of the Party's strategic agenda.

Election and chronology

In the same manner as the Politburo and the Secretariat, the Orgburo was elected at plenary sessions of the Central Committee. One of the Central Committee secretaries supervised the work of the Orgburo. The first Orgburo of three members was elected on 16 January 1919, at the Central Committee meeting.
The 8th party congress amended the party charter and set up provisions for election of the Politburo, the Orgburo and the Secretariat. The Central Committee plenum elected the new Orgburo of five members and of one candidate member on 25 March 1919. Some key Communist politicians served as members both of the Orgburo and of the Politburo, but most of the Orgburo members were less important figures than those elected to the Politburo and the Secretariat.
DateEvent
16 Jan 1919Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Vladimirsky, Krestinsky, Sverdlov
25 Mar 1919Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Beloborodov, Krestinsky, Serebryakov, Stalin, Stasova; candidate member: Muranov
29 Nov 1919Kalinin elected full member at the Central Committee plenum
5 Apr 1920Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Krestinsky, Preobrazhensky, Rykov, Serebryakov, Stalin
16 Mar 1921Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Komarov, V.Mikhaylov, Molotov, Rykov, Stalin, Tomsky, Yaroslavsky; candidate members: Dzerzhinsky, Kalinin, Rudzutak
Politburo approved Zalutsky, Kutuzov, Shmidt as candidate members
8 Aug 1921Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Dzerzhinsky, Zalutsky, V.Mikhaylov, Molotov, Rudzutak, Rykov, Stalin; candidate members: Kalinin, Kutuzov, Shmidt
3 Apr 1922Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Andreyev, Dzerzhinsky, Kuibyshev, Molotov, Rykov, Stalin, Tomsky; candidate members: Zelensky, Kalinin, Rudzutak
26 Apr 1923Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Andreyev, Dzerzhinsky, Molotov, Rudzutak, Rykov, Stalin, Tomsky; candidate members: Zelensky, Kalinin, V.Mikhaylov
25 Sep 1923Zinoviev and Trotsky elected full members, Bukharin and Korotkov candidate members at the Central Committee plenum
2 Jun 1924Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Andreyev, Bubnov, Voroshilov, Dogadov, Zelensky, L.Kaganovich, Kalinin, Molotov, Nikolayeva, Smirnov, Stalin; candidate members: Antipov, Dzerzhinsky, Lepse, Tomsky, Chaplin, Frunze
Zelensky relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Uglanov elected full member
1 Jan 1926Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Andreyev, Artyuhina, Bubnov, Dogadov, Yevdokimov, Kviring, Kosior, Molotov, Smirnov, Stalin, Uglanov; candidate members: Lepse, V.Mikhaylov, Ukhanov, Chaplin, Shmidt
9 Apr 1926Yevdokimov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Shvernik elected full member
16 Apr 1927Shvernik and Kviring relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Kubyak, Sulimov and Rukhimovich elected full members, Lobov elected candidate member
19 Dec 1927Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Andreyev, Artyuhina, Bubnov, Dogadov, Kosior, Kubyak, Molotov, Moskvin, Rukhimovich, Smirnov, Stalin, Sulimov, Uglanov; candidate members: Kotov, Lepse, Lobov, V.Mikhaylov, Ukhanov, Chaplin, Shmidt
11 Apr 1928Andreyev relieved of duties at the joint plenum of the Central Committee and the Central Control Commission; Bauman elected full member, Antipov elected candidate member
12 Jul 1928Kosior relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; L.Kaganovich elected full member
29 Apr 1929Uglanov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum
17 Nov 1929Gamarnik elected full member at the Central Committee plenum; Shvernik elected candidate member
13 Jul 1930Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Akulov, Bauman, Bubnov, Gamarnik, L.Kaganovich, Lobov, Molotov, Moskvin, Postyshev, Stalin, Shvernik; candidate members: Dogadov, Kosarev, Smirnov, Tsikhon
21 Dec 1930Molotov relieved of duties at the joint plenum of the Central Committee and the Central Control Commission
2 Oct 1932Akulov, Bauman and Dogadov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum
12 Jan 1933Smirnov relieved of duties at the joint plenum of the Central Committee and the Central Control Commission
10 Feb 1934Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Gamarnik, Yezhov, Zhdanov, L.Kaganovich, Kirov, Kosarev, Kuibyshev, Stalin, Stetsky, Shvernik; candidate members: M.Kaganovich, Krinitsky
10 Mar 1935Andreyev approved full member by questionnaire
14 Jan 1938Mekhlis elected full member at the Central Committee plenum
22 Mar 1939Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Andreyev, Zhdanov, L.Kaganovich, Malenkov, Mekhlis, N.Mikhaylov, Stalin, Shvernik, Shcherbakov
18 Mar 1946Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Aleksandrov, Andrianov, Bulganin, Zhdanov, A.Kuznetsov, V.Kuznetsov, Malenkov, Mekhlis, N.Mikhaylov, Patolichev, Popov, Rodionov, Stalin, Suslov, Shatalin
24 May 1947Patolichev relieved of duties by questionnaire
7 Mar 1949A.Kuznetsov and Rodionov relieved of duties by questionnaire
10 Mar 1949Chernousov approved full member by questionnaire
Oct 1952Orgburo abolished at the CPSU 19th Party Congress and duties transferred to Secretariat