Andrei Zhdanov
Andrei Aleksandrovich Zhdanov (Russian: Андре́й Алекса́ндрович Жда́нов, IPA: [ɐnˈdrʲej ɐlʲɪkˈsandrəvʲɪdʑ ˈʐdanəf] ⓘ; 26 February [O.S. 14 February] 1896 – 31 August 1948) was a Soviet politician and ideologue. He has been described as the Soviet Union's "propagandist-in-chief" in the 1940s, and was responsible for developing the Soviet cultural policy, the Zhdanov Doctrine, which remained in effect until the death of Joseph Stalin. Zhdanov was considered Stalin's most likely successor but died before him.
Andrei Zhdanov | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Андрей Жданов | |||||||||||||||||||||
Zhdanov in 1945 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Second Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 21 March 1939 – 31 August 1948 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lazar Kaganovich | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Georgy Malenkov | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Head of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Central Committee | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 21 March 1939 – 6 September 1940 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Post established | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Georgy Aleksandrov | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 26 February 1896 Mariupol, Yekaterinoslav Governorate, Russian Empire | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 31 August 1948 (aged 52) Moscow, RSFSR, Soviet Union | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Resting place | Kremlin Wall Necropolis, Moscow | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | RSDLP(b) (1915–1918) VKP(b) (1918–1948) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | Yuri | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Civil servant | ||||||||||||||||||||
Central institution membership Other political offices held
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Born in Mariupol, Russian Empire, which is in modern-day Ukraine, Zhdanov joined the Bolsheviks in 1915 and quickly rose through the party ranks. A close associate of Stalin, he became a secretary of the Central Committee in 1934, and later that year he was promoted to Leningrad party chief following the assassination of Sergei Kirov. He would go on to play a major role during the Great Purge. In 1939, he was promoted to full membership of the Politburo, Second Secretary of the Communist Party and head of the Central Committee Propaganda Department. Zhdanov's political standing was considerably undermined at the start of the Second World War, due to his association with the Soviet–Finnish War and the failure of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. Nevertheless, he oversaw the Soviet takeover of Estonia, and took a leading role in the defense of Leningrad.
Zhdanov's fortunes greatly improved after the war. He played an instrumental role in formulating an aggressive foreign policy, and oversaw the creation of the Cominform in 1947. He was also tasked with directing the Soviet Union's cultural policy. His campaign, known as the Zhdanov Doctrine or Zhdanovshchina, was strictly enforced and led to the denouncement of supposedly non-conformist artists such as Anna Akhmatova and Dmitri Shostakovich. Initially considered the successor-in-waiting to Stalin, Zhdanov suffered from ill health and fell out of favour as a result of the Tito–Stalin split. He died in 1948 of heart failure and was buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.