Vyacheslav Molotov

Apr 02, 2015

Statesman. 

Stalin’s Foreign Minister during the times of World War II and Cold War. As an outstanding diplomat and intellectual, he was the only first generation Bolshevik to survive Stalin’s purges.

Background
Lived: 1890-1986.
Born Vyacheslav Skryabin, he might have been related to the famous composer Alexander Skryabin. In 1906 he entered Kazan University and became a revolutionary. He took a pseudonym Molotov (“of the Hammer”). At the moment of the February Revolution he was the only prominent Bolshevik who was in St. Petersburg.

Career
Molotov’s career went up as he supported Stalin in the power struggle. He was made member of the Central Committee in 1921 and Politburo in 1926. By Stalin’s command he purged the Moscow party organization of anti-Stalinists.

Molotov stood as the formal Prime Minister of the USSR (1930-41). He also followed Maxim Litvinov as a Foreign Minister (1939-49). His first important task in 1939 was signing of the non-agression pact with Germany, popularly known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. He also played an important role in the Teheran, Yalta and Potsdam conferences.

His standpoint in the negotiations during the cold war brought him a nickname “Mr Nyet” (Mr No). His signature on a decree to introduce new crude bottle bombs gave his name to the “Molotov Coctail”. He disliked the name.

By 1949 Molotov fell out of favour of Stalin and was replaced in foreign ministry by Andrey Vychinsky. He was saved only by dictator’s death.

After Stalin
After Stalin’s death he plotted with Malenkov and Khrushchev against Beria. He was re-elected a Foreign Minister (1953-56), but was later dismissed by Khrushchev.
Molotov also participated in the 1957 “Anti-Party Group” failed coup attempt. Khrushchev had him expelled from the party in 1962. He retired and died in 1986, aged 96.

Personal
Molotov was happily married to Polina Zhemchuzina who was Jewish. She was an informal first lady of the USSR as Stalin’s wife had deceased. In 1948 Stalin let Molotov sign the arrest papers of his own wife.

Kliment Voroshilov