Mikhail Kalinin
1875 – 1946 Russian Ceremonial head of the Soviet state
The peasant-born figurehead who was the Soviet Union's nominal head of state for decades.
- Religion
- Russian Orthodox peasant background; a militant atheist.
- Affiliations
- Bolshevik Party; long-serving titular head of state as chairman of the Soviet executive.
Kalinin rose from a peasant and factory background to become the ceremonial head of the Soviet state for nearly its first three decades. His humble image made him a useful symbol of worker-peasant rule. He kept his post by never challenging Stalin, even when his own wife was sent to the camps.
Connections
- associate of Joseph Stalin — Survived as figurehead by loyally deferring to Stalin.