Orgburo

The Orgburo (Russian: ), also known as the Organisational Bureau (Russian:

), of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
existed from 191952, until it was abolished at the 19th Congress of the Communist Party and its
functions were transferred to the enlarged Secretariat.[1]
Role
Orgburo was created to make important decisions about organisational work in the Soviet Union.
It oversaw the work of local party committees and had the power to select and place Communist
members in the positions that they saw fit.[1] The functions of the Orgburo and the Politburo were
often interconnected, but the latter was ultimately the final decision-maker. While the Politburo
was mostly concerned with strategic planning and monitoring of the people and status of the
country, the Orgburo was tasked with overseeing the party cadre and its assignment to various
positions and duties, presumably in furtherance of the government's strategic agenda.[1]
Election and chronology
In the same manner as the Politburo and the Secretariat, the Orgburo was elected at plenary
sessions of the Central Committee.[1] One of the Central Committee secretaries supervised the
work of the Orgburo. The first Orgburo of three members (Vladimirsky, Krestinsky and
Sverdlov) was elected on January 16, 1919, at the Central Committee meeting.[1][2] The 8th party
congress (March 8, 1919 March 23, 1919) amended the party charter and set up provisions for
election of the Politburo, the Orgburo and the Secretariat.[1][2] The Central Committee plenum
elected the new Orgburo of five members and of one candidate member on March 25, 1919.
Some key Communist politicians such as Joseph Stalin, Vyacheslav Molotov, Lazar Kaganovich
and others were both members of the Orgburo and of the Politburo, but most of the Orgburo
members were less important figures than those elected to the Politburo and the Secretariat.[1][2]
Date
Event
16 Jan Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Vladimirsky, Krestinsky, Sverdlov (died 16
1919 Mar 1919)
25 Mar Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Beloborodov, Krestinsky, Serebryakov, Stalin,
1919 Stasova; candidate member: Muranov
29
Nov Kalinin elected full member at the Central Committee plenum
1919
Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Krestinsky, Preobrazhensky, Rykov,
5 Apr
Serebryakov, Stalin
1920
16 Mar Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Komarov, V.Mikhaylov, Molotov, Rykov,
1921 Stalin, Tomsky, Yaroslavsky; candidate members: Dzerzhinsky, Kalinin, Rudzutak
28
Politburo approved Zalutsky, Kutuzov, Shmidt as candidate members

May
1921
8 Aug
1921
3 Apr
1922
26 Apr
1923
25 Sep
1923

Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Dzerzhinsky, Zalutsky, V.Mikhaylov,

Molotov, Rudzutak, Rykov, Stalin; candidate members: Kalinin, Kutuzov, Shmidt
Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Andreyev, Dzerzhinsky, Kuibyshev, Molotov,
Rykov, Stalin, Tomsky; candidate members: Zelensky, Kalinin, Rudzutak
Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Andreyev, Dzerzhinsky, Molotov, Rudzutak,
Rykov, Stalin, Tomsky; candidate members: Zelensky, Kalinin, V.Mikhaylov
Zinoviev and Trotsky elected full members, Bukharin and Korotkov candidate members
at the Central Committee plenum
Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Andreyev, Bubnov, Voroshilov, Dogadov,
02 Jun
Zelensky, L.Kaganovich, Kalinin, Molotov, Nikolayeva, Smirnov, Stalin; candidate
1924
members: Antipov, Dzerzhinsky, Lepse, Tomsky, Chaplin, Frunze (died 31 Oct 1925)
20 Aug Zelensky relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Uglanov elected full
1924 member
Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Andreyev, Artyuhina, Bubnov, Dogadov,
01 Jan
Yevdokimov, Kviring, Kosior, Molotov, Smirnov, Stalin, Uglanov; candidate members:
1926
Lepse, V.Mikhaylov, Ukhanov, Chaplin, Shmidt
09 Apr Yevdokimov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Shvernik elected full
1926 member
16 Apr Shvernik and Kviring relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; Kubyak,
1927 Sulimov and Rukhimovich elected full members, Lobov elected candidate member
Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Andreyev, Artyuhina, Bubnov, Dogadov,
19 Dec Kosior, Kubyak, Molotov, Moskvin, Rukhimovich, Smirnov, Stalin, Sulimov, Uglanov;
1927 candidate members: Kotov, Lepse (died 06 Oct 1929), Lobov, V.Mikhaylov, Ukhanov,
Chaplin, Shmidt
11 Apr Andreyev relieved of duties at the joint plenum of the Central Committee and the Central
1928 Control Commission; Bauman elected full member, Antipov elected candidate member
12 Jul Kosior relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum; L.Kaganovich elected full
1928 member
29 Apr
Uglanov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum
1929
17
Nov
1929

Gamarnik elected full member at the Central Committee plenum; Shvernik elected
candidate member

Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Akulov, Bauman, Bubnov, Gamarnik,

13 Jul
L.Kaganovich, Lobov, Molotov, Moskvin, Postyshev, Stalin, Shvernik; candidate
1930
members: Dogadov, Kosarev, Smirnov, Tsikhon
21 Dec Molotov relieved of duties at the joint plenum of the Central Committee and the Central
1930 Control Commission
02 Oct
Akulov, Bauman and Dogadov relieved of duties at the Central Committee plenum
1932
12 Jan Smirnov relieved of duties at the joint plenum of the Central Committee and the Central

1933

Control Commission
Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Gamarnik (committed suicide 31 May 1937),
Yezhov, Zhdanov, L.Kaganovich, Kirov (assassinated 01 Dec 1934), Kosarev (arrested 29
10 Feb
Nov 1938, executed 23 Feb 1939), Kuibyshev (died 25 Jan 1935), Stalin, Stetsky
1934
(arrested Apr 1938, executed 01 Aug 1938), Shvernik; candidate members:
M.Kaganovich, Krinitsky (executed 30 Oct 1937)
10 Mar
Andreyev approved full member by questionnaire
1935
14 Jan
Mekhlis elected full member at the Central Committee plenum
1938
22 Mar Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Andreyev, Zhdanov, L.Kaganovich,
1939 Malenkov, Mekhlis, N.Mikhaylov, Stalin, Shvernik, Shcherbakov (died 10 May 1945)
Orgburo elected by the Central Committee: Aleksandrov, Andrianov, Bulganin, Zhdanov
18 Mar
(died 31 Aug 1948), A.Kuznetsov, V.Kuznetsov, Malenkov, Mekhlis, N.Mikhaylov,
1946
Patolichev, Popov, Rodionov, Stalin, Suslov, Shatalin
24
May Patolichev relieved of duties by questionnaire
1947
07 Mar
A.Kuznetsov and Rodionov relieved of duties by questionnaire
1949
10 Mar
Chernousov approved full member by questionnaire
1949
Oct
Orgburo abolished at the CPSU 19th Party Congress and duties transferred to Secretariat
1952

References
1. "Orgburo".

2.

"Chronology".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgburo

USSR: Communist Party: Orgburo

The next body in the Communist Party hierarchy after the Politburo was the Organizational
Bureau (Orgburo) authorized to make key decisions about organizational work. The Orgburo
supervised the work of local party committees and was empowered to select and place
Communist cadres. The functions of the Orgburo and the Politburo were often intertwined, but

the Politburo reserved the right to make final decisions. While the Politburo was mostly
preoccupied with strategic planning and general monitoring, the Orgburo helped elaborate tactics
by proper distribution of party forces.
The Orgburo was elected in the same manner as the Politburo and the Secretariat by the plenums
of the Central Committee. One of the Central Committee secretaries supervised the work of the
Orgburo. The first Orgburo of three members (Vladimirsky, Krestinskij and Sverdlov) was
elected on 16 Jan 1919, at the Central Committee meeting. The 8th party congress (8 Mar 1919 23 Mar 1919) amended the party charter and set up provisions for election of the Politburo, the
Orgburo and the Secretariat. The Central Committee plenum elected the new Orgburo of five
members and of one candidate member on 25 Mar 1919. Some key Communist politicians such
as Stalin, Molotov, Kaganovic and others were both members of the Orgburo and of the
Politburo, but most of the Orgburo members were less important figures than those elected to the
Politburo and the Secretariat.
The Orgburo existed from 1919 to 1952, until the 19th Congress, when the Orgburo was
abolished and its functions were transferred to the enlarged Secretariat.
http://www.archontology.org/nations/ussr/cpsu/orgburo_hist.php