Malenkov, Georgy, 1902-1988

Malenkov pursued a successful career working on the security and political aspects of the military from 1920-1941. At the start of the German invasion of Russia he was appointed to the newly formed Committee for the Defense of the State (GKO). This committee was composed of STALIN, MOLOTOV, VOROSHILOV, BERIA and Malenkov. Malenkov was responsible for technical equipment for the Army and Air Force. He was closely involved in the massive Russian evacuation of industrial materials to the east. During the first two years of the war he also served as political Commissar on a number of different fronts. From 1943-45 he served as Chairman of the Committee for the Restoration of the Economy which dealt with countries recently liberated from the Germans. At the end of the war Malenkov became Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and briefly took power after Stalin’s death, to be ousted shortly thereafter by KHRUSHCHEV.