Yuri Andropov
1914 – 1984 Soviet KGB chairman, General Secretary of the Communist Party
Long-serving KGB chief who briefly led the Soviet Union and promoted the young Mikhail Gorbachev.
- Affiliations
- KGB, Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Yuri Andropov was Soviet ambassador to Hungary during the 1956 uprising, where he played a key part in the crackdown, and he later led the KGB for fifteen years. As secret police chief he tightened the persecution of dissidents. He became Soviet leader in 1982 and tried to attack corruption and stagnation, but he was already ailing and died after fifteen months. He is remembered as a patron of the reformers, having promoted Mikhail Gorbachev into the top leadership.
Connections
- associate of Leonid Brezhnev — His KGB chief, who succeeded him as leader.
- associate of Leonid Brezhnev — Served as his KGB chief and succeeded him as leader.
- mentor of Mikhail Gorbachev — Andropov promoted him into the senior leadership.
- mentor of Mikhail Gorbachev — Promoted Gorbachev into the senior leadership.
In the timeline
- 1956 Soviet Suppression of the Hungarian Uprising the Soviet ambassador to Hungary
- 1979 – 1989 Soviet-Afghan War the KGB chairman