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List of heads of state of Russia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is the list of the heads of state of Russia after the monarchy had been abolished in 1917.

Russian Republic (1917–1918)

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With the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II after the February Revolution of 1917, power in Russia passed to the Provisional Government formed by the liberal leadership of the Duma. Grand Duke Michael had refused to ascend to his older brother's throne without the consent of an elected Constituent Assembly, and it was broadly assumed that the Assembly would be the only body with the authority to change the form of government. However, after a failed coup attempt against the government, the Russian Republic was proclaimed by Minister-President Kerensky. The election was scheduled for 25 [O.S. 12] November 1917, yet when it finally took place, the power in the capital city of Petrograd had already switched to the Bolshevik revolutionaries. By that time, the government had been de facto dissolved, and the newly elected Assembly was also disbanded after its very first session by the Bolsheviks on 19 January 1918.

# Picture Name Term of office Party
Chairmen of the Provisional Government
Georgy Lvov
(1861–1925)
15 March 1917 21 July 1917 KD
Alexander Kerensky
(1881–1970)
21 July 1917 14 September 1917 PSR
(Trudovik faction)
Minister-President
Alexander Kerensky
(1881–1970)
14 September 1917 7 November 1917 PSR
(Trudovik faction)
Office vacant (until 19 January 1918)

Russian State (1918–1920)

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The October Revolution sparked a civil war across the former Russian Empire, with the most prominent factions being the Bolsheviks, loosely connected anti-Bolshevik governments and armies known as the White movement, as well as numerous independence movements loosely aligned with the Whites. Various anti-Bolshevik governments began to form across Russia since early 1918, initially emerging among the cossacks of Don and Kuban. In September 1918, the largest factions united into the Provisional All-Russian Government, creating the Russian State. Two months later, Admiral Alexander Kolchak headed the Russian State as a Supreme Ruler. After Kolchak's defeat in 1920, the White movement started to decline, with most of its members leaving Russia in November 1920 under the command of General Pyotr Wrangel. Various social-democratic governments continued to function until June 1923, when the Bolsheviks suppressed the Yakut revolt in Priamurye.

# Picture Name Term of office Party
Chairmen of the Provisional Siberian Government
Pyotr Derber
(1883–1938)
29 January 1918 29 June 1918 PSR
Pyotr Vologodsky
(1863–1925)
30 June 1918 3 November 1918 Independent
Chairman of the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly
Vladimir Volsky
(1877–1937)
June 1918 September 1918 PSR
Chairman of the Provisional All-Russian Government
Nikolai Avksentiev
(1878–1943)
23 September 1918 18 November 1918 PSR
Supreme Ruler
Alexander Kolchak
(1874–1920)
18 November 1918 7 February 1920 † Independent
Commanders-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of South Russia
Anton Denikin
(1872–1947)
8 January 1919 4 April 1920 Independent
Pyotr Wrangel
(1878–1928)
4 April 1920 21 November 1920 Independent
Chairmen of the Provisional Priamurye Government
Spiridon Merkulov
(1870–1957)
May 1921 23 July 1922 Independent
Mikhail Diterikhs
(1874–1937)
23 July 1922 25 October 1922 Independent
Anatoly Pepelyayev
Acting
25 October 1922 16 June 1923 Independent

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (1917–1991)

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On 30 December 1922, the Russian Soviet Republic, along with the Soviet pro-Bolshevik republics of Ukraine, Belarus and the Southern Caucasus were merged into the Soviet Union, with the Russian SFSR authorities holding the authority of the highly centralized country, which was governed by a leader of the Communist Party or a collective leadership (Politburo). In 1938, the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR was formed. Following the adoption of amendments to the Constitution in 1989, the office of Chairman of the Presidium was removed, and the position of the Russian head of state passed directly to the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet in May 1990.

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party
Took office Left office
Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the
All-Russian Congress of Soviets (1917–1938)
1 Lev Kamenev
(1883–1936)
9 November 1917 21 November 1917 Communist Party
2 Yakov Sverdlov
(1885–1919)
21 November 1917 16 March 1919 Communist Party
Mikhail Vladimirsky
(1874–1951)
Acting
16 March 1919 30 March 1919 Communist Party
5 Mikhail Kalinin
(1875–1946)
30 March 1919 15 July 1938 Communist Party
Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR (1938)
6 Andrei Zhdanov
(1896–1948)
15 July 1938 19 July 1938 Communist Party
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the
Russian SFSR
(1938–1990)
7 Aleksei Badayev
(1883–1951)
19 July 1938 9 April 1943 Communist Party
Ivan Vlasov
(1903–1969)
Acting
9 April 1943 4 March 1944 Communist Party
8 Nikolai Shvernik
(1888–1970)
4 March 1944 25 June 1946 Communist Party
9 Ivan Vlasov
(1903–1969)
25 June 1946 7 July 1950 Communist Party
10 Mikhail Tarasov
(1899–1970)
7 July 1950 16 April 1959 Communist Party
11 Nikolai Ignatov
(1901–1966)
16 April 1959 26 November 1959 Communist Party
12 Nikolai Organov
(1901–1982)
26 November 1959 20 December 1962 Communist Party
(11) Nikolai Ignatov
(1901–1966)
20 December 1962 14 November 1966 Communist Party
13 Mikhail Yasnov
(1906–1991)
23 December 1966 26 March 1985 Communist Party
14 Vladimir Orlov
(1921–1999)
26 March 1985 3 October 1988 Communist Party
15 Vitaly Vorotnikov
(1926–2012)
3 October 1988 29 May 1990 Communist Party
Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR (1990–1991)
16 Boris Yeltsin
(1931–2007)
29 May 1990 10 July 1991 Independent
President of the Russian SFSR (1991)
(16) Boris Yeltsin
(1931–2007)
10 July 1991 25 December 1991 Independent

Russian Federation (since 1991)

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On 17 March 1991, the all-Russian referendum on the introduction of presidency was held. More than 70% of citizens voted for the introduction of the office. On 12 June, Boris Yeltsin won 57% of the popular vote in the first democratic presidential election. Yeltsin's inauguration took place on 10 July. On 12 December, Russia ratified the Belovezh Accords, thus dissolving the Soviet Union. On 25 December, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was renamed Russian Federation, with the names of the state and its highest executive office constitutionally amended in 1992. The office got its current status with the adoption of a new constitution in 1993, following an armed dispute between the president and the parliament.

Presidents
# Picture Name Term of office Elected Party
1 Boris Yeltsin
(1931–2007)
10 July 1991 21 September 1993 1991 Independent
Alexander Rutskoy
Acting; disputed
22 September 1993 4 October 1993 Independent
1 Boris Yeltsin
(1931–2007)
4 October 1993 5 November 1996 Independent
1996
Viktor Chernomyrdin
Acting
5 November 1996 6 November 1996 Our Home – Russia
1 Boris Yeltsin
(1931–2007)
6 November 1996 31 December 1999
(resigned)
Non-partisan
Vladimir Putin
(b. 1952)
31 December 1999 7 May 2000 Unity
2 7 May 2000 7 May 2008 2000 Independent
2004
3 Dmitry Medvedev
(b. 1965)
7 May 2008 7 May 2012 2008 United Russia
(2) Vladimir Putin
(b. 1952)
7 May 2012 Incumbent
2012 Independent
2018
2024

Timeline

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Dmitry MedvedevVladimir PutinViktor ChernomyrdinAlexander RutskoyBoris YeltsinVitaly VorotnikovVladimir Orlov (politician)Mikhail YasnovNikolai OrganovNikolai IgnatovMikhail Tarasov (politician)Nikolai ShvernikIvan VlasovAleksei BadayevAndrei ZhdanovMikhail KalininMikhail VladimirskyYakov SverdlovLev KamenevAlexander KerenskyGeorgy Lvov

See also

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