Vyacheslav Molotov
1890 – 1986 Russian Soviet Foreign Minister and Stalin's deputy
Stalin's closest deputy and the diplomat behind the pact with Hitler.
- Religion
- Russian Orthodox background; a militant atheist.
- Affiliations
- Bolshevik Party; head of government and foreign minister; signed the 1939 pact with Nazi Germany.
Molotov was one of Stalin's most loyal lieutenants, serving as head of government and then foreign minister. He signed the 1939 nonaggression pact with Nazi Germany that carries his name. He kept his place at the top for decades, even after his own wife was arrested, until Khrushchev pushed him out.
Connections
- associate of Joachim von Ribbentrop — Co-signed the 1939 non-aggression pact that bears both their names.
- associate of Joachim von Ribbentrop — Co-signed the 1939 pact bearing both their names.
- ally of Joseph Stalin — His most durable and loyal deputy.
- associate of Joseph Stalin — His most loyal and long-serving lieutenant.
- associate of Joseph Stalin — Longtime foreign minister and loyal deputy.
- rival of Nikita Khrushchev — Purged from leadership by Khrushchev in 1957.
- associate of Vladimir Lenin — An old Bolshevik who served in the party from before the revolution.