With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War the country's governing system is being radically rebuilt. On June 23, 1941, the Headquarters of the High Command of the Armed Forces was formed (on July 10, it was renamed into the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command). It included members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) and the People's Commissariat of Defense. The headquarters of the Supreme High Command had its own representatives at the fronts; the General Staff of the Red Army was subordinate to it. In addition, the bodies of the Headquarters were the directorates of the People's Commissariats of Defense and Fleet, the command of the fronts.

The fronts were subdivided into formations, operational formations and corps. The structure of the armed forces included fronts, armies, corps, divisions, brigades. In the course of the war (1943), the division of military personnel into privates, officers and generals was introduced. New insignia were introduced.

On June 30, 1941, the State Defense Committee (GKO) was created, headed by I.V. Stalin. This supreme emergency body concentrated all power in the country. The T-bills included: V.M. Molotov, K.E. Voroshilov, G.M. Malenkov, L.M. Kaganovich, L.P. Beria, NA. Bulganin, N.A. Voznesensky. All organizations and individuals were obliged to comply with GKO orders. In the union and autonomous republics, the GKO acted through its delegates. The GKO also acted through the existing state, party and public bodies. In addition, local committees and commissions were created. In 65 cities of the USSR in the period 1941-1942. city ​​defense committees were created, which included representatives of the Soviet party bodies, leading employees of the NKVD and the military command. The Council of People's Commissars and Soviets retained their functions. Yet big role Party organs of all levels began to play in the state.

To relocate industrial enterprises and the population from the front-line areas to the east, the Council for Evacuation was created under the GKO (chairman - N.M.Shvernik, deputy - A.N. Kosygin). In addition, in October 1941, the Committee for the evacuation of food supplies, industrial goods and industrial enterprises was formed. In December 1941, these bodies were reorganized into the Evacuation Department under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. In the republics and regional (territorial) councils, corresponding evacuation departments have been created, and on the railways - evacuation points.

The military situation led to the transformation of the structure of sectoral People's Commissariats. The People's Commissariat of the Tank Industry and the People's Commissariat of the Mortar Industry were formed, and the structure and work of the People's Commissariat of Railways and the People's Commissariat of Communications were also rebuilt.

In accordance with the situation, the position of the State Planning Committee of the USSR, evacuated to Kuibyshev, changed. Instead of small sectors, departments of ammunition, weapons, aviation, tanks and self-propelled guns, shipbuilding, military and naval supplies were formed. Methods of centralized planning for the production of finished products (aircraft, tanks and ammunition), as well as the operational regulation of the supply of raw materials and components, began to be applied. Planning National economy was translated into quarterly and monthly periods, and for certain types military equipment and crucial raw materials and products - on five-day and even daily production schedules. Along with the general production plans, for each type of military equipment and the executing ministries, plans were developed for the main plants with the attachment of a plan for their material and technical support for a wide range of products1.

The problem of providing the national economy with personnel demanded the creation of a Committee for Accounting and Distribution under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR work force(June 1941). Accordingly, bureaus for registration and mobilization of the able-bodied population were created under the regional and regional executive committees.

The occupation of Donbass and the withdrawal of German troops to the North Caucasus have greatly exacerbated the problem with fuel. To ensure an uninterrupted supply of energy resources to the front and rear, the Main Directorate for the supply of coal was created in 1942, and in 1943, the Main Directorate for the supply of oil, artificial fuel and gas.

During the war years, military development demanded special attention, i.e. providing the army with military personnel, personnel. Since the beginning of the war, mobilization was carried out at once for 14 ages (from 19 to 55 years old). In the army, at the first stage, the institution of military commissars operated, and at the company level, political instructors. In the fall of 1942, the positions of deputy commanders for political affairs were introduced, whose functions are ideological control and education.

During the Great Patriotic War, a special military justice system operated. In accordance with the decree of 1941, military tribunals functioned in areas under martial law and in areas of hostilities. From military units, tribunals were formed at armies, corps, divisions, garrisons, brigades. In addition, they operated on railways and river (sea) basins. The actions of the tribunals were supervised by the military, military-railway, military water-transport Collegiums of the Supreme Court of the USSR and the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the USSR.

Some of the territorial courts and prosecutor's offices were also transformed into military tribunals, primarily in areas declared under a state of siege. The composition of the tribunals until 1943 included three permanent members, and then assessors began to participate in them.

The wartime situation determined the extremely short terms for the consideration of cases. The verdicts of the tribunals could only be reviewed by way of supervision and were not subject to cassation appeal. The trial was carried out behind closed doors. Judicial sentences could only be suspended by the commanders of armies and districts, as well as by military councils.

The activities of the military tribunals were further used in the work of the Extraordinary State Commission, formed by the decision of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet in November 1942, to investigate the atrocities of the Nazi invaders with the creation of appropriate units in the republics, territories, regions, cities.

By a resolution of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), adopted in July 1941, a partisan movement was organized in the country in the territories occupied by the enemy. Party organs, sabotage groups and NKVD organs took part in this. At the end of 1941, headquarters and departments of the partisan movement began to be created under the political directorates of the fronts. In May 1942, the Central Headquarters was formed at the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief. partisan movement, and in the fall of this year - a special High Command of the partisan movement1.

9.4. Transformations of the state apparatus in the post-war period (1945-1977)

State apparatus in the 40-50s During the period of the national economy restoration (1945-1950), no significant changes in the structure and methods of government took place, except for the abolition of military state bodies. In September 1945, the GKO was abolished, the functions of which were transferred to the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. A number of departments of the executive committees of local Soviets were also liquidated (the department for accounting and distribution of labor, the bureau of food and industrial cards, etc.). In March 1946, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR was renamed the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the Council of People's Commissars of the union and autonomous republics - into Councils of Ministers of the corresponding levels, and the People's Commissariats - into ministries.

During the war years, the influence of party bodies on all aspects of the country's life increased significantly. Appointment to elective positions was widely practiced, which led to the actual removal of the Soviets from performing state functions. Therefore, the improvement of the activity of the Soviets was put forward as the most important task. In 1947, elections were held to the Supreme Soviets of the Union and Autonomous Republics, and in late 1947 - early 1948. - regular elections to local councils. In March 1950, in connection with the expiration of the term of office of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the second convocation established by the Constitution of the USSR, regular elections to the supreme body of power were held.

In February 1947, permanent commissions for legislative proposals of the Council of the Union and the Council of Nationalities of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the second convocation were created. These commissions were entrusted with the task of preliminary consideration and preparation of draft laws for sessions of the Supreme Soviet.

To give the system of government a more democratic look and to intensify the activities of local councils, the creation of permanent commissions under them was of certain importance. They included both deputies and activists of local councils. The standing commissions prepared issues for discussion at the sessions of the Soviets, organized verification of the implementation of decisions adopted by the Soviets, monitored the work of local industry, the state of trade and public services.

The change in the situation in the country led to the need for some reorganization of the state apparatus. In 1947, the State Planning Committee of the USSR Council of Ministers was transformed into the State Planning Committee of the USSR Council of Ministers. Its tasks included planning, accounting and monitoring the implementation of national economic plans.

Also, the State Committee for the Supply of the National Economy of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the State Committee for the Introduction of New Technology into the National Economy of the Council of Ministers of the USSR were created. At the first session of the USSR Supreme Soviet of the second convocation, the composition of the USSR Supreme Court was elected. Elections were held for people's judges and people's judges.

By the beginning of the 50s. In connection with the completion of the restoration of the national economy, the expansion of the scale of production and the complication of economic ties, the improvement of the qualifications and culture of the people, the command-administrative system, which fully corresponded to extreme situations, began to come into conflict with real relations. First of all, the inefficiency of the system began to manifest itself in the management of the economy.

At the same time, one cannot ignore the political processes associated with the death of Stalin (March 5, 1953).

At a joint meeting of the Plenum of the Central Committee, the Council of Ministers and the Presidium of the Supreme Council, it was decided to change the leadership of the country. The Council of Ministers was headed by G.M. Malenkov, L.P. was appointed his deputy. Beria. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ministry state security merged, Beria was elected as the leader. NA became the Minister of the Armed Forces. Bulganin, V.M. Molotov, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet - K.E. Voroshilov.

The new leadership - the so-called "triumvirate" - first of all took a number of steps aimed at eliminating the most obvious manifestations of the repressive system. On March 27, 1953, a decree on amnesty was adopted (by the end of the year, about 1000 people were released from prison), in June the rights of a Special Conference at the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs were limited.

At the same time, a struggle for leadership unfolded, the core of which was determined by the relationship between Malenkov, Khrushchev and Beria. March 1953 - February 1955 defined as a period of "collective leadership". In September 1953, N.S. Khrushchev was elected to the post of First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, which significantly strengthened his position of power, since the country was governed in fact through the party apparatus. Nevertheless, the government under the leadership of Malenkov (until February 1955, when he was removed from the duties of the Pre-Council of Ministers) managed to carry out some reforms in the economy.

In August 1953, at a session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Malenkov formulated the main directions of the new economic course. The content of this course was determined by the social reorientation of the economy, an attempt to turn the practice of political and economic leadership "facing the people", to unleash local initiative (a program for raising the people's welfare was proclaimed, the dictatorship of the center in agricultural production was somewhat weakened, measures were outlined to accelerate scientific and technological progress and develop the struggle with bureaucracy).

NIKITA SERGEEVICH KHRUSHCHOV From 1928 he studied at the Industrial Academy (Moscow). In 1953-1964. First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, 1958-1964 Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. One of the initiators of the "thaw" in the 2nd half of the 50s - early 60s. in domestic and foreign policy, rehabilitation of victims of repression, made an attempt to modernize the party-state system, improve the material situation and living conditions of the population. The dissatisfaction of the state and party apparatus led to the removal of Khrushchev from all positions held in October 1964 (History of the Fatherland: Encyclopedic Dictionary. M .: Great Russian Encyclopedia,

1999). In 1954, changes were made in the organizational structure of the ministries and the reduction of managerial staff was made.

As a result of the conclusion made at the XXI Congress of the CPSU (January-February 1959) about the complete and final victory of socialism and the completion of the development of the state of the dictatorship of the proletariat into a nationwide socialist state, a campaign was launched to increase the role of the Soviets (although in fact they continued to be under the control of the party organizations).

The policy of overcoming the cult of Stalin's personality led the country's leadership to the need to change the system of economic management - an integral part of the existing command and control system based on rigid centralization. In 1957, the sectoral management structure was replaced by a territorial one, which was expressed in the liquidation of ministries and the creation of the National Economy Councils of the regions and economic regions. To substantiate the prospects of these measures, reference was made to the experience of the Supreme Economic Council of the first years Soviet power... But at the same time, the need to coordinate the activities of local authorities was ignored.

at the national level. This led to the development of parochial aspirations of the regions and a violation of the proportions and internal ties of the national economic complex. Therefore, in the early 60s. republican economic councils were formed, and then the Council of National Economy of the USSR (1963). At the same time, sectoral state committees were created. This led to even greater difficulties in management due to the multistage system and the intersection of the functions of its individual links. As a result, after the displacement of N.S. Khrushchev (1964), a return to the sectoral structure of economic management (1965) was carried out, i.e. the command and control system was regenerated. The economic reform of the 60s, designed to increase the efficiency of social production through the widespread introduction of cost accounting and the provision of economic independence to enterprises, by the beginning of the 70s. was practically curtailed, which is explained by the steady growth of centralized bureaucratic management methods.

The Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, held in October 1964, freed from leadership positions NS. Khrushchev. The plenary found it inappropriate

combining in one person the duties of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. L.I. was elected as the first secretary. Brezhnev, and A.N. Kosygin.

At the same time, the territorial-production structure of the Soviet authorities, which had existed until 1962, was restored.

LEONID Ilyich BREZHNEV In 1964, the First and since 1966 General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (1960-1964, 1977-1982). During Brezhnev's tenure as General Secretary, conservative tendencies prevailed in the country, negative tendencies in the economy, social and spiritual spheres of society's life grew. Periods of relaxation of tension in the international situation, connected with the conclusion of a series of agreements with the United States, Germany and other countries, as well as with the development of measures for security and cooperation in Europe, gave way to a sharp exacerbation of international contradictions. (History of the Fatherland: Encyclopedic Dictionary. M .: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 1977).

The 1977 Constitution. Even at the 22nd Party Congress, Khrushchev declared the need to prepare a new Constitution that would reflect the country's transition to communism and the creation of a "state of the whole people" in the USSR. In 1962, a Constitutional Commission was established. But the events of the second half of the 60s. weakened the relevance of the issue of the Constitution. The consequence of the maturation of stagnant phenomena in the economy in the 70s. there was an increase in activity in the field of ideology. One of the results of various ideological and political campaigns was the appearance of the thesis about the entry of the USSR into a new historical stage - the period of developed socialism as a natural stage on the path to communism. The development and theoretical substantiation of this thesis led the political leadership of the country to the idea of ​​the need to develop a new Constitution that reflects and legislates the changes that have taken place in society.

CONSTITUTION (BASIC LAW) OF THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS (1977, October 7) (Extract)

A developed socialist society has been built in the USSR. At this stage, when socialism develops on its own social basis, the creative forces of the new system, the advantages of the socialist way of life are more fully revealed, the working people are increasingly enjoying the fruits of the great revolutionary achievements.

This is a society in which powerful productive forces, advanced science and culture have been created, in which the well-being of the people is constantly growing, and more and more favorable conditions are created for the all-round development of the individual. It is a society of mature socialist social relations, in which a new historical community of people - the Soviet people - has developed on the basis of the rapprochement of all classes and social strata, the legal and actual equality of all nations and nationalities, and their fraternal cooperation.

It is a society of high organization, ideology and consciousness of working people - patriots and internationalists. It is a society, the law of life of which is the concern of all for the good of everyone and the concern of everyone for the good of all.

It is a society of true democracy, the political system of which ensures effective management of all public affairs, an increasingly active participation of workers in public life, a combination of real rights and freedoms of citizens with their duties and responsibilities to society.

A developed socialist society is a natural stage on the road to communism. The new Constitution was adopted on October 7, 1977 at the extraordinary seventh session of the USSR Supreme Soviet of the tenth convocation.

In the introductory part, a brief description of the main stages of the country's history from the Great October Socialist Revolution was given. It also defines the concept of a developed socialist society and fixes that a new historical community of people has emerged - the Soviet people, which “consolidates the foundations of the social system and policy of the USSR, establishes the rights, freedoms and duties of citizens, the principles of organization and goals of the socialist state of the whole people and proclaims them in of this Constitution ”.

The Constitution consisted of nine sections, including 21 chapters and 174 articles. The first section presents the main provisions characterizing the political and economic systems of the country, social, cultural relations, as well as the principles of foreign policy

and protection of the fatherland. Chapter 1 of the Constitution determined the nature and content of the political system, Art. 2 and 3 said that state power

in the country is carried out by the people through the Soviets of People's Deputies, which constitute the political basis of the USSR and operate on the principles

democratic centralism. It is important to note that this chapter defined the role of the CPSU and public organizations (Komsomol, trade unions, labor collectives) in government. Art. 6 more specifically than Art. 126 of the 1936 Constitution, fixed the leading role of the CPSU in the construction of communism.

Sections II and III define the rights and obligations of citizens, their relationship with the state, as well as the structure of the national state structure of the USSR, based on a free union of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics. Section IV was devoted to the characteristics of the Soviet system (principles of activity, electoral system, the status of a people's deputy).

Sections V and VI described the structure and functions of the highest bodies of state power and administration in the USSR, the Union republics and local authorities. The Supreme Soviet of the USSR, which consisted of two equal chambers - the Council of the Union and the Council of Nationalities, was proclaimed the supreme body of state power authorized to resolve all issues attributed to the jurisdiction of the USSR. The permanent body of the Supreme Soviet was the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, which performed the functions of the highest body of state power in the periods between its sessions. The working bodies of the Council of the Union and the Council of Nationalities were standing commissions elected from among the deputies.

The highest executive and administrative body of the state was the Council of Ministers - the Government of the USSR.

The last sections of the Constitution were devoted to the organization of legal proceedings, arbitration, advocacy, prosecutorial supervision, as well as issues of state attributes (coat of arms, flag, anthem) and the procedure for changing the Constitution.

The Constitution (Basic Law) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was put into effect from the date of its adoption - October 7, 1977.

Deep changes in the socio-economic life of the country led to a change in the political regime in October 1917 and the emergence of a new type of republic in the form of the Soviet state. It was based on the "Declaration of the Rights of the Working and Exploited People", included in the first Constitution of 1918. The republican democratic political system of the country, which met modern standards, was legally formalized. The executive (Council of People's Commissars and branch commissariats) and legislative (All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Council of Workers', Soldiers', Peasants' and Cossack's Deputies) branches of government were formed. Class, national, and religious barriers have been eliminated in the country;

women were equal in rights with men, the church was separated from the state, and the school from the church.

At the same time, in the context of the instability of the new system, a tendency arose to increase the influence of the Bolsheviks on the activities of state bodies, which ultimately led to the actual party monopolization of power.

In its classical form, the Soviet model of public administration was formed in the 30s under the leadership of I.V. Stalin and was formalized in the Constitution of the USSR in 1936 and the Constitutions of the Union republics. Councils have become a universal form of government from the lowest level to the highest authority. However, given the monopoly position of the Bolshevik Party, which turned out to be the only bearer of power in the country, and the cult of the leader, the proclaimed democratic principles could not be implemented in life, which predetermined the practically uncontrolled actions of a narrow group of the party-state elite (nomenklatura).

Attempts to reform the command-administrative system in the 50s - early 60s. turned out to be unsuccessful, since they did not affect the conditions of its existence. In the early 70s. the regeneration of the old system took place according to the main parameters. The obviousness of the need for changes in the system of social relations was manifested in the early 80s. But the political leadership of the country turned out to be unprepared neither theoretically nor organizationally for a radical change of course, and the reforms it initiated led to a deepening of the economic and political crisis in the country.

After the attack fascist Germany in the USSR, the necessary changes were made in the Soviet state apparatus due to military circumstances.

Bodies of state power and administration, both central and local, retained their powers during the war years. The Supreme Soviet of the USSR, its Presidium, the Council of People's Commissars and the People's Commissariats did not dissolve, but continued to operate. It was the same in the republican bodies and local Soviet institutions.

The war left its mark on the work of power structures, subordinating it to the needs of wartime. On June 22, 1941, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On martial law" was adopted, which was introduced throughout the entire European part of the country. In this territory, all functions of state authorities and administration in relation to organizing defense, maintaining public order and ensuring state security were transferred to the military authorities.

To ensure the uninterrupted operation of enterprises in a military regime, emergency measures were introduced to regulate military facilities, to combat epidemics, and emergency measures to regulate labor relations were introduced. They were given the right to regulate the working hours of institutions and enterprises, to attract the population and vehicles for defense purposes and the protection of national economic and military facilities.

The military authorities could issue decrees that were binding on the entire population, as well as for local authorities and public organizations. Later, by decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, martial law was introduced in the Georgian SSR, in some cities of the Transcaucasus, along the shores of the Black and Caspian Seas, as well as on all railways, on sea, river and air transport.

The introduction of martial law on transport equated its workers and employees with the military and increased labor discipline, including through criminal liability for misconduct and crimes A.A. Baklanov. The role of the General Staff during the Great Patriotic War / A.A. Baklanova, V.M. Chernykh // History of Science and Technology. - 2007. - N 5. - С.18 ..

In order to ensure timely and prompt resolution of operational issues in wartime conditions, on July 1, 1941, the Resolution "On the Expansion of the Rights of People's Commissars of the USSR in Wartime" was adopted, in which the People's Commissars were given the right to distribute and redistribute material resources, to allow enterprises and their individual parts, to incur expenses for the restoration of enterprises and dwellings destroyed by military actions.

In the activities of the Soviets and their executive committees (executive committees), issues related to the organization of the armed defense of the Fatherland came to the fore. The mobilization of the population, the supply of the Red Army with weapons and uniforms, the creation of acceptable living and working conditions for the people left behind - all these problems were solved by party and Soviet bodies. The merger of their apparatuses has intensified. They jointly solved the most important issues of military, mobilization and economic life.

The activities of the allied people's commissariats as governing bodies did not curtail due to wartime, but, on the contrary, acquired new facets. On July 1, 1941, the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR adopted a Resolution "On the Expansion of the Rights of People's Commissars of the USSR in Wartime Conditions." The heads of the people's commissariats, as well as the directors of factories, the chiefs of construction projects received broad powers within their competence, which contributed to an increase in the efficiency of management and the timely solution of the tasks assigned to them.

In July 1941, the Council of People's Commissars adopted a Resolution "On granting the Council of People's Commissars of the republics and krai (obl) executive committees the right to transfer workers and employees to another job." This decision gave the rights local authorities for refusal to transfer to another job, subject the perpetrators to judicial responsibility as for unauthorized departure from work.

Under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, a number of central administrations arose that were in charge of supplying industry: Glavsnabneft, Glavsnabugol, Glavsnables, etc. New subdivisions were also created in the people's commissariats.

The needs of the war required the creation of a number of new allied people's commissariats. People's Commissariats were formed for the branches of industry that produced weapons: in September 1941, the People's Commissariat of the Tank Industry of the USSR was created and operated until October 1945; From November 1941 to February 1946 the People's Commissariat of Mortar Armament of the USSR worked, reorganized from the People's Commissariat of General Machine Building.

In August 1941, the Main Directorate of the Rear Services of the Red Army was created, headed by the Deputy People's Commissar of Defense. Military councils of fronts, armies, fleets and flotillas were created. They were headed by the commander - the chairman of the Military Council. Also at the beginning of the war, the Soviet Information Bureau (Sovinformburo) was created.

During the war years, the rights of the union republics were expanded. On February 1, 1944, at the session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the law "On the Creation of Military Formations of the Union Republics" was adopted. As a result of this resolution, the Supreme Soviets of the Union republics established the people's commissariats of defense, appointed the people's commissars and, in this connection, made changes to their constitutions Budnitsky O. Materials on the history of the occupation regime and collaborationism during the Great Patriotic War in American archives // Ros. history. - 2014. - N 3. - С.126 ..

Thus, the All-Union People's Commissariat of Defense "in order to strengthen the defense power" of the USSR was transformed into a Union-republican one.

There have been changes in the field of criminal law. Great responsibility during the war years fell on the country's punitive organs.

In July 1941, a unified NKVD was recreated, in April 1943 an independent People's Commissariat of State Security emerged, and the Main Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (SMERSH) was transferred to the People's Commissariat of Defense.

The decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 22, 1941 approved the Regulation on military tribunals in areas declared under martial law and in areas of hostilities. The rights of military tribunals were expanded.

In connection with the war, the procedural procedure for considering cases in military tribunals was changed: complaints and protests against the sentences of the tribunals were not allowed. The sentences were carried out immediately, sentences to capital punishment were reported by telegram to the chairman of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR "L. Glazkova. Intelligence reported exactly // Russian Federation today. - 2005. - N 6. - P.61 ..

Introduction

The system of public administration during the years of the Great Patriotic War underwent a severe test of strength. She passed this test, however, at the cost of incredible efforts and sacrifices. Many millions of people laid down their heads defending the Fatherland. The price was prohibitively high, but the integrity of the state and its independence were preserved.

Depending on the periods of the Great Patriotic War, its main tasks, directions, organizational structure, means and forms of functioning changed, which are subordinated to a single goal - to defeat fascism, free the country from the invading aggressors, defend its freedom and independence, and ensure its post-war security. Dynamism, the adequacy of public administration to changing conditions, needs manifested itself in its concreteness, clarity, efficiency, mobilization efficiency, which became possible in many respects due to its Soviet nature.

It was possible to overcome the temporary hitch in the functioning of various levels and links of the management system associated with the surprise, the scale of the fascist attack, the swiftness and broad frontality of the offensive, with the need for an unusual restructuring of power and management, the entire life of the people in the difficult conditions of the initial period of the war.

Such factors as the reshuffle of personnel in state bodies and public organizations in connection with mobilization to the front, the renewal of the personnel of the state apparatus through the promotion of people who are not subject to conscription and mobilization into the army, who did not have the necessary experience in leadership and administrative work, also had an effect.

Taking into account the lessons of the First World War, the defeat of the foreign military intervention of 1917-1920, and other domestic and world experience made it possible to subordinate the entire system of state administration to the solution of military tasks, to ensure the unity of the rear and the front.

The militarization of management manifested itself not only in tasks, objects of influence, but also functions, organization, methods of activity.

The purpose of my work is to examine government bodies during the Great Patriotic War. To achieve this goal, I set the following tasks:

· Consider emergency central government bodies;

· To characterize the activities of the formed management bodies.

1. Governing bodies on the eve of the beginning of the Second World War

In the pre-war and war years, state administration was built on the basis of the Constitution of the USSR, adopted in 1936, and republican constitutions, which theoretically made it possible to create a more democratic system than before for the formation and operation of bodies of state power and administration.

Legislatively fixed and such a basis of power and management, as the role of the CPSU (b), which, according to Art. 126 of the USSR Constitution represented the governing core of all public and government organizations workers. The management system, which was going through the process of formation on the basis of the USSR Constitution of 1936, had to withstand the test of vitality, the ability to rebuild and function in accordance with the international and domestic situation.

During the Second World War, the directions of the activities of the state administration bodies of the Soviet Union were radically changed. The great threat of being drawn into this war forced to change the priorities, tasks, methods and structure of the management system for the implementation of domestic and foreign policies. The main attention of the governing bodies was redirected from the tasks of social transformation and development of society to ways of strengthening the country's defense. In the course of the outbreak of the Second World War, the administration of the country acquired a militarized character.

In such an atmosphere, the public administration system at any of its links could not be highly effective, since the atmosphere of suspicion and fear gave rise to uncertainty, fettered initiative, and promoted passive executors of directives from higher bodies to the leadership of the leaders.

The command and control methods of government have been streamlined, the leadership of the parties in all its structures from start to finish. The CPSU (b) is undergoing a deformation of its main functions, it is becoming bureaucratic. The merger of the party leadership and state administration takes place, as a result of which the party-Soviet administration is formed. The personality cult of IV Stalin, as well as his repressions, had a negative effect on the party and state cadres.

After the conclusion of a peace treaty with Finland on March 12, 1940, the territory of the Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic expanded, which in March 1940 was transformed into the Karelo-Finnish SSR, which existed until 1956. The annexation of the territories of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Western Belarus, Western Ukraine, Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina was accompanied by the formation of new government bodies, reconstruction of the system central authorities authorities. Parliaments have been transformed into supreme councils, cabinets of ministers - into councils of people's commissars; instead of presidential posts, collective presidiums of supreme councils have been formed.

The constitutions of the new republics differed from the Constitution of the USSR, despite the fact that legal relations in them were based on Soviet legislation. Small private and industrial trade enterprises were allowed in the Baltics. In the Moldavian SSR, the existence of a private sector was allowed in the form of individual peasants, artisans, handicraftsmen, small industrial and trade enterprises, which led to the peculiarities of public administration.

The most important management task is leadership various industries economy - was solved by loosening and creating new People's Commissariats. In connection with the continued downsizing and specialization of the people's commissariats, measures were taken to improve the management of economic departments. By August 1940, the government of the USSR had 25 all-union people's commissariats and 16 union-republican ones. It became necessary to expand the bureaucratic apparatus to improve political control. This function was carried out by the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs. Among his functions were - management of dirt roads, government cartography, resettlement. Since the repressions were intensified and the workload of the NKVD expanded, in February 1941 there was a division into two People's Commissariats - the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs and the People's Commissariat of People's Security. Later, the People's Commissariat of State Control of the USSR was created to establish control over consumption Money, control of the execution of the government decree. The list of functions included the functions of the Soviet Control Commission, the Main Military Control. It was also granted the right to give mandatory instructions to institutions and enterprises, to impose disciplinary sanctions on their leaders for failure to comply with government decisions, to make monetary payments and to bring persons to justice. In all the people's commissariats, control and inspection groups were created. The regulation on the People's Commissariat of State Control did not provide for the involvement of workers in control activities. Control activities were carried out by controllers - auditors. The main forces of government were focused on strengthening labor and production discipline. The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a number of decrees to streamline the work of the people's commissariats, all state institutions, industrial enterprises, to strengthen the responsibility of employees, workers, heads of institutions and enterprises for the quality of work and discipline.

Changes have been made to military administration constantly increasing and restructuring army, which contributed to the creation of new structures, strengthening one-man command and tightening discipline in the army. In accordance with the Disciplinary Regulations of 1940, the penalties were restored. Drawing conclusions from the Finnish campaign (November 30, 1939 - March 12, 1940), the Soviet leadership turned to the experience of the pre-revolutionary Russian army.

In the field of military control, the headquarters of the Red Army was transformed into the General Staff (in 1936), the People's Commissariat of the Navy was created (in 1937), the main military councils of the Red Army and the Navy were established (in 1936). The number of military districts and district military councils was increased, the institute of military commissariats was restored, which, however, testified to the fact that J.V. Stalin did not trust anyone in the command staff of the army.

Before the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet leadership took a number of steps to strengthen the country's defense capability. By 1939, a personnel system for manning and organizing troops was formed, the network of military educational institutions was expanded, measures were taken to equip the troops with new equipment, especially aviation. The Politburo adopted a special resolution obliging the directors of the largest factories to inform the Central Committee on a daily basis about the production of aircraft and aircraft engines.

Measures aimed at strengthening labor and production discipline also contributed to the solution of managerial problems. The decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 26, 1940 "On the transition to an 8-hour working day and a 7-day working week and on the prohibition of unauthorized departure of workers and employees from enterprises and institutions" were adopted.

The threat of a military attack forced the Soviet leadership to strengthen the all-Union institutions of management, to centralize the powers of power and powers in the all-Union bodies.

2. Emergency central government bodies

Measures to strengthen the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR served the purpose of increasing the authority of state administration. Before the war, it was headed by I.V. Stalin. The basis of management and internal policy as a whole is also “based on the principle of maximum centralization of political, economic and military leadership,” which strengthened the executive vertical from top to bottom, gave directivity, efficiency, and effectiveness to its functioning. The composition of the Defense Committee was renewed. Within the framework of centralization, unity has been strengthened, a kind of merger working together state and party bodies under the leadership of the latter. By a decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks of March 21, 1941, the Bureau of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR was formed, consisting of 7 people. The newly formed body had all the rights of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, which significantly increased the efficiency of management.

An extraordinary character is given to all links of the management system both vertically and horizontally. The extraordinary management manifested itself in two directions: 1) the militarized, maximally centralized constitutional bodies acted in emergency conditions, performed extraordinary functions, applied extraordinary methods, and achieved extraordinary results; 2) a system of extraordinary, unconstitutional, with special powers of bodies that functioned on an extraordinary legal basis not provided for by the Constitution of the USSR was created. "To some extent, the idea of ​​the legitimacy and necessity of creating emergency bodies was fueled by the fact that during the Great Patriotic War, emergency bodies worked really effectively."

Changes in the control system could not solve the problems of wartime. Therefore, along with the traditional forms of power and administration, with the beginning of the war, special emergency bodies with special powers were created. These bodies were extraordinary because, firstly, their creation was not provided for by the Constitution of the USSR; secondly, their powers were higher than those of the constitutional authorities and administration. The main emergency bodies were: the Headquarters of the High Command, replaced by the Headquarters of the High Command (SVK), the State Defense Committee (GKO), regional and city defense committees, the Evacuation Council, the Committee for the evacuation of food supplies, industrial goods and industrial enterprises, the Department for Evacuation under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and local republican, territorial, regional administrations, evacuation points on railways, river ports, the Committee for food and clothing supply of the Red Army, the Committee for the unloading of transit cargo, the Transport Committee, etc. They were created in connection with an emergency, acted, modified to the extent of the perceived need, without any preliminary pre-war plan, but following a collective discussion of the projects developed at the same time; were formalized by the appropriate legislative procedure without changing the Constitution of the USSR. Corresponding positions, apparatuses were established, the technology of emergency management was developed in creative searches.

On November 2, 1942, a state commission was created to identify and investigate the German - fascist invaders. The main functions belonged to this commission. Subsequently, the activities of this commission were highly appreciated by the International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg). Under the chairmanship of JV Stalin, on July 10, 1941, the SGK was abolished and the Headquarters of the Supreme Command was created, as a result of which JV Stalin became the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. During this time, the scale of the country's disaster began to grow. The tendency to endow nominal state structures with real powers of power, which the leadership of the ruling party had at its disposal, continued to develop.

On June 30, 1941, the State Defense Committee was created, which was a measure to rid the country of an impending disaster. The GKO was headed by the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b) I.V. Stalin, which meant the highest degree of centralization of management, concentration, combining it different forms in the hands of one official. The members of the GKO represented the highest party and state leadership, constituted a narrow composition of the PB of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b), which considered in advance, proposed draft decisions on all the most important issues of state life, power and administration.

GKO possessed unlimited powers. Its composition testified that J.V. Stalin gathered around himself the most capable and authoritative people from the highest party and state bodies and endowed them with legitimate powers of power. Despite the small number of GKOs, wartime conditions did not allow him to meet regularly and in full complement... Decisions were made by the chairman in agreement with other members of the GKO.

GKO decisions had the force of wartime laws. All organizations - party, Soviet, economic, public - were obliged to strictly comply with any decisions and orders. In total, during the war years, the State Defense Committee adopted about 10 thousand resolutions.

In 1944, a Special Committee was created under the State Defense Committee, which dealt with issues of reparation, that is, compensation for economic damage to the USSR at the expense of the property of the defeated states.

Emergency authorities and administrations were created to address concrete solutions arising from the war tasks.

3. Characteristics of the activities of the formed management bodies

The creation of emergency governing bodies did not relieve the responsibility of the traditional levels of leadership. They were required not only to be diligent, but also to be proactive and given full energy. Government bodies, like the whole country, worked in a state of emergency.

Emergency bodies contributed to the unity of management in a state of emergency, were created by the decision of the State Defense Committee, were guided by its decrees, decisions of local, party and Soviet bodies, military councils of fronts and armies. GKO established such bodies in almost 60 cities of the Moscow region, Center, Volga region, North Caucasus and since 1942 in large cities of the Caucasus. They united civil and military power in cities that were in the combat zone and near the front line or were within the range of enemy aircraft, as well as where the ships of the naval and merchant fleets were based. They included the first officials of the party and state governing bodies, military commissars, commandants of garrisons, heads of NKVD directorates. They were closely associated with the military command, and their representatives were at the same time members of the respective military councils. Lacking their own staff, like the GKO in the center, the city defense committees relied on local party, Soviet, economic, public bodies... Under them, there was an institution of commissioners, operational groups were created to urgently resolve issues, and public activists were widely involved.

Emergency subsidiary bodies were also created. On June 24, 1941, the Evacuation Council appeared as part of N.M. Shvernik and his deputy A.N. Kosygin. “Create a Council. To oblige him to start work, ”read the corresponding decree. This laconicism, combined with the absence of a work schedule, opened up a wide scope for initiative. On July 16, 1941, M.G. Pervukhin (deputy chairman), A.I. Mikoyan, L.M. Kaganovich, M.Z. Saburov, B.C. Abakumov. The Council acted as a body under the T-bills, had in its composition authorized T-bills. Additionally, in October 1941, the Committee for the evacuation of food supplies, industrial goods and industrial enterprises was formed. At the end of December 1941, instead of both of these bodies, the Department for Evacuation Affairs was created under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the corresponding departments in the republics, territories and regions, evacuation points on the railways.

Along with all, the emergency bodies were also the Committee for food and clothing supply of the Red Army, the Committee for the unloading of transit cargo, and the Transport Committee. The latter was formed under the State Defense Committee on February 14, 1942. His responsibilities included planning and regulating transportation by all types of transport, coordinating their work, and developing measures to improve the material base. The head of the military communications department testified about the effectiveness of the management of the transport system, and since December 1944, the People's Commissar of Railways I.V. Kovalev: during the war there was not a single train crash due to the fault of railway workers and not a single military echelon was destroyed by enemy aircraft along the route.

Under the GKO on December 8, 1942, an operational bureau was created, which controlled all the people's commissariats of the defense complex, made quarterly and monthly production plans, and prepared draft decisions for the chairman of the GKO.

Top management bodies, including GKOs, paid Special attention the military-organizational system, they made changes to the structure, the composition of the military leadership, made up for the loss of command personnel, helped the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command, the General Staff of the Red Army, directorates of the NKO, the Navy, the command of strategic directions and fronts. Management of all structures of the armed forces has been established, the command of fronts, armies, formations and operational formations in the composition of fronts, corps, divisions, brigades, and regiments has been streamlined.

In all parts of the Red Army and on ships of the Navy from July 15, 1941 to October 9, 1942, the institute of military commissars and political instructors functioned in the companies. Unlike the commissars of the period of foreign military intervention and civil war, the military commissars of 1941-1942. did not have the right to control the command staff, but quite often many of them intervened in the actions of military leaders, which undermined the one-man command, created a state of dual power in the military organism. In the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of October 9, 1942, the abolition of the institution of military commissars was motivated by the fact that he had fulfilled the tasks assigned to him. At the same time, the institute of deputy commanders for political work(political officers), who throughout the war and after it performed the functions of ideological and political education of the constantly renewed personnel under the military leaders.

During the course of the war, there was an increase in partisan movement. In this regard, on May 30, 1942 at the Supreme Command Headquarters, the Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement (TsSHPD) was formed, which was headed by the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus P.K. Ponomarenko. TSSHPD coordinated the actions of numerous partisan detachments among themselves and with regular army units, organized the supply of the people's avengers with weapons, ammunition, communications, provided medical assistance, established mutual information, held meetings of partisan commanders in Moscow, helped prepare and conduct deep raids of partisan formations in the rear the German fascist army; and others. TSSHPD worked together with the leaders of underground Soviet, party, Komsomol bodies in the temporarily occupied territory. The management of the mass partisan movement from a single center proved to be especially effective during the liberation of Soviet territory in 1943-1944.

During the war, new features of the state administration of the military sphere were acquired - an all-encompassing nature, new functions, carried out on the basis of the laws of wartime, by extraordinary methods, provided intensive military construction, a qualitatively new level of military organizational work, victorious in the end, albeit with individual errors and failures, the Armed Forces fulfill the main tasks of defending the country and defeating the enemy.

The unified management system of the military sphere was an important state administration of the rear, which became the entire vast country with its complex national economic, socio-political and spiritual-cultural complex.

According to the plan for the development of the national economy of the USSR, there was a third five-year plan (1938-1942), which was thwarted by the attack of Nazi Germany. The USSR State Planning Commission urgently developed a military-economic plan for the fourth quarter of 1941, which was approved by the highest state authorities.

In the course of the war, new features of management were reflected, associated with the restoration of the five-year plan. The strategic offensive of the Soviet Armed Forces after the Stalingrad and Kursk-Belgorod battles, the massive expulsion of the Nazi invaders that began, revealed new functional tasks for the command and control bodies. They began the planned implementation of the program for the restoration of the economy, normal living conditions in the liberated regions, organized comprehensive assistance with material, financial resources, food, specialists and other Soviet people who endured the horrors of the enemy occupation, retained faith in their power, the army, who awaited liberation.

The moral and patriotic factor played an important role. This reflected the faith of the Soviet people in a dignified post-war future.

The system of people's commissariats played a huge role in the years of the Great Patriotic War. To provide the Armed Forces with the latest types of military equipment, the People's Commissariat for the Tank Industry was created in September 1941, and in November 1941 the People's Commissariat for Mortar Armament (on the basis of the abolished People's Commissariat for General Machine Building). In 1942, the Committee for Accounting and Distribution of Labor was created under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, which mobilized the able-bodied population. Similar bureaus have been set up at regional and regional executive committees. The creation of these bodies finally formalized the system of centralized provision of industry with cadres, which had developed even before the war, headed by the Main Directorate of State Labor Reserves. Thirdly, according to the law "On the expansion of the rights of the USSR people's commissars in wartime" (July 1, 1941), the people's commissars, directors of enterprises, heads of construction sites received very broad rights in the use of material and monetary resources, the redistribution of capital investments, etc., which contributed to the proactive, prompt solution of the tasks assigned to them, embodied the tendency of decentralization of individual links of government.

The main difference between the state administration of wartime was a peculiar combination of two opposite tendencies: centralization and decentralization. Decentralization is inherent in nature Soviet rule, due to the impossibility of detailed control only through higher bodies and from a single union center. The situation required strengthening the independence of sectoral and local government bodies, expanding the rights of their organizational structures and officials.

Changes have been made to the tasks and scope of the work of law enforcement agencies. Their composition was constantly updated, the structure, methods, functions were improved. On July 20, 1941, the unified People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs was recreated, where state security and military counterintelligence agencies joined. The leadership was concentrated in the hands of L.P. Beria. This powerful structure existed until the spring of 1943, when intelligence and counterintelligence again separated into an independent People's Commissariat of State Security (People's Commissar V.N. Merkulov), and the Main Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (SMERSH), headed by B.C. Abakumov became part of the People's Commissariat of Defense under the personal control of I.V. Stalin. Its activities were focused on identifying and neutralizing enemy agents, their accomplices in the advancing army, in the front-line zone, in the liberated territory.

Also, changes were made to the basis of the functioning of the punitive bodies. The system of military justice bodies was rebuilt at the beginning of the war in accordance with the July 1941 Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On military tribunals in areas declared under martial law and in areas of hostilities." Military tribunals have been formed - extraordinary bodies and with extraordinary powers - with armies, corps, divisions, garrisons, as well as with brigades on the railways and in river and sea basins. They functioned under the direction of the USSR People's Commissariat of Justice, under the supervision of the military, military-railway, military water-transport collegiums of the USSR Supreme Court and special prosecutors, which supported the prosecution. In 1943, assessors were added to the three permanent members of the tribunals. The tribunals considered all the most dangerous acts, including speculation and hooliganism. Cases were heard in a closed process, were considered in an extremely short time, the sentences were not subject to cassation appeal, were executed immediately after delivery. The execution of death sentences could be suspended by the commanders of armies and districts, military councils. In areas declared under a state of siege, shooting was used without trial against "provocateurs, spies and other agents of the enemy." In these areas, it was transformed into a military unit of territorial courts and prosecutor's offices. The centralized system of state administration, its constitutional and emergency bodies relied on trade union, Komsomol, cooperative and other public organizations.

Bodies of state power and administration supported the public initiative of the Slavic, Jewish, women's, youth anti-fascist committees, which established and strengthened ties with the public circles of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition.

The attitude of state power and government towards the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and other religions has been changed. The interests of defending the Fatherland dictated their rapprochement, the muffling of ideological differences, and the rejection of mutual accusations. Power structures closed anti-religious publications, disbanded the Union of Militant Atheists, introduced new orders associated with Russian history, including the orders most revered by the church - the canonical saints Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy. The patriarchate was restored. On behalf of the ROC, Metropolitan Sergius of Moscow and Kolomna published an appeal to all Orthodox Christians in Russia on June 22, 1941. The Church blessed the Orthodox to protect the sacred borders of our Motherland and emphasized that the Lord will grant us victory. On June 26, 1941, the appeal was read at the Moscow Epiphany Cathedral at a solemn prayer service for the granting of victory to the Russian army. Metropolitan Sergius called on everyone to protect native land, its historical shrines, independence from foreign enslavement and declared a shame to anyone who remains indifferent to her call. Figures of the Russian Orthodox Church took part in the work of extraordinary commissions to investigate fascist crimes. Under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the Council for the Affairs of the ROC was created. In February 1943, the Russian Orthodox Church donated 6 million rubles and a large number of gold and silver items for the construction of a tank column named after I. Dmitry Donskoy, for which she received the acknowledgment of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. For several military and early post-war years, more than 1400 churches, 85 monasteries were returned to the church, two theological academies and seminaries were opened. In 1945 there were 22,000 Orthodox churches... A similar rapprochement was observed with the Islamic clergy, which made it possible to disrupt the plans of the Germans in the Crimea and the Caucasus, rallying believers of various confessions to defend the country. The interaction of the authorities and the clergy manifested itself in a promising trend in the development of the activity of believers in the war and post-war years.

The governing bodies contributed to the manifestation of new trends in the national state structure, including the trend of decentralization of public administration. The rights and functions of the republican administration have been expanded. Moreover, Ukraine and Belarus, and then other republics, received the right to directly communicate with foreign states and conclude intergovernmental agreements. On February 1, 1944, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted the law "On granting the Union republics powers in the field of foreign relations and on the transformation of the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs into the Union-Republican People's Commissariat in this regard." In 1944, the People's Commissariats for Foreign Affairs of the Union Republics were formed. Ukraine and Belarus became some of the original members of the UN.

At the same time, on February 1, 1944, the law "On the creation of military formations of the Union republics and on the transformation of the People's Commissariat of Defense from an all-Union into a Union-republican People's Commissariat" was adopted. Republican people's commissariats of defense were created. As a rule, people with a poor command of Russian were called up to the national military units. Kazakh, Georgian, Armenian and other divisions fought on the territory of the RSFSR, the Ukrainian SSR, and the BSSR.

These and other laws strengthened the sovereignty of the republican government within the union, contributed to the development of the independence of the republican bodies in solving both local and all-union problems.

In the extreme conditions of the war, repressive measures of an emergency nature were applied, deported to the eastern regions in August 1941, 1,024,722 Volga Germans, from October 1943 to June 1944 - 91919 Kalmyks, 608,749 Chechens, Ingush, Karachais, Balkars, 228390 Crimean Tatars, Bulgarians, Armenians, Greeks, 94955 Turks, Kurds, Hemshils, their national autonomous statehood was abolished. Fundamental importance was attached to these actions. They were carried out on the initiative and by the forces of the NKVD, headed by L.P. Beria by decision of the State Defense Committee of the USSR (I.V. Stalin), formalized by Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (M.I.Kalinin).

The state administration of 1941-1945, rebuilt adequately to the conditions and tasks of the war, acted in a military manner, functioned in a state of increased mobility, promptly, purposefully, and resolved issues quickly in accordance with the continuously changing situation. “On the whole, all the changes in the system of governing the country during the war years were dictated by extraordinary circumstances and, as experience has shown, were quite adequate to those conditions and tasks that had to be solved by the leadership.” The victory of the Soviet people in 1945 was not predetermined in advance and is rightly considered a victory of state power and administration, of all links and officials of this system. Millions of professional, proactive, courageous organizers worked in the department, measures of material, moral encouragement, official promotion, as well as mobilization, tough disciplinary measures were used.

"The administrative-command system created back in the 1930s has demonstrated its advantages in the extreme conditions of war."

The system of state administration became one of the sources and mechanisms of victory; it relied on the support, patriotism, and selfless enthusiasm of the Soviet people. During the war years, the unity of the people, their state power and administration, was manifested as never before.

In the end, the system of state power and administration ensured a glorious victory, despite the mistakes and miscalculations that took place. The lessons of her historical experience of activities based on military mobilization principles do not lose their relevance, contribute to the comprehension of the theory of public administration, teach a comprehensive account of the entire set of objective and subjective factors, a specific historical situation while ensuring the effectiveness of management with the lowest costs, in the interests of the entire people.

Conclusion

The victorious 1945 opened new page history of public administration, which was to take into account the qualitative change in external, geopolitical and internal conditions, learn from the experience of management during the war, consolidate and use the results of the Victory, ensure a safe post-war world order, normal living conditions for people, continue the civilizational ascent, interrupted, slowing down and weakened the most destructive of the wars, which did not solve the main problems of the crisis that befell civilization. The war and the Victory strengthened the awareness of the majority of the people, the administrative elite, of the adequacy of the Soviet system of state administration to the needs of the civilization of the 20th century, because it allowed the Soviet Union to acquire the status of a leading, great world power that influenced civilization by its development along the anti-capitalist path.

The military state administration was rebuilt into a peaceful one on the basis of the post-war concept, planned, gradually, which manifested itself in demilitarization, decentralization and partial democratization, the abolition of emergency bodies and methods of an unconstitutional nature, the restoration and development of constitutional principles, learning from the pre-war and military experience, and their creative application. , preservation and strengthening of the leading role of the CPSU (b) and in other substantive directions of this process.

The demilitarization of management began at the end of the Second World War, reflecting the creative and mobile nature of the Soviet system of power and management, and meant the rejection of military-style management, the reorientation of goals, current tasks, state plans, budgets, and the functions of management bodies for peaceful construction.

State administration abandoned military mobilization principles. Gradually, the normal work regime was resumed in institutions, in the entire apparatus mechanism of management, in enterprises. The management is based on the state budgets for the 3-4th quarters of 1945 and for 1946, amended by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, according to which the allocations for military needs were reduced, and the expenditures for the development of civilian sectors of the economy were increased. The demilitarization of management was carried out on a planned basis, without fuss, in accordance with the new concept of the post-war structure of society.

Many central government structures have changed their profile. The People's Commissariat of Mortar Armament was reorganized into the People's Commissariat for Mechanical Engineering and Instrumentation, the People's Commissariat for Ammunition was transformed into the People's Commissariat for Agricultural Engineering, and the People's Commissariat for the Tank Industry was transformed into the People's Commissariat for Transport Engineering; etc. The most modern equipment of subordinate enterprises, which embodied the achievements of military-technical science and engineering solutions, was switched to the production of complex civilian equipment for the needs of the national economy and the population.

According to the Law on Demobilization of June 23, 1945, more than 8.5 million soldiers were employed by the administrative bodies and acquired a peaceful civil state. An organized recruitment of workers under contracts with collective farms and labor recruitment bodies have been restored. Since February 1947, contracts between the administration of economic bodies and trade unions have been renewed. The state administration of the USSR did not allow unemployment, which persisted and increased after the war in countries of a different socio-economic system.

The demilitarized state administration abandoned the laws, tasks, methods of wartime, began to function on the basis of the laws of peacetime in accordance with its inherent creative nature and determined by the Constitution of the USSR. The personnel of the administrative apparatus has been renewed at the expense of qualified specialists, including those demobilized from the army.

Emergency governing bodies have been liquidated: GKO, SVGK, etc. The prerogatives of many bodies have been narrowed. In extreme situations of the post-war period, relapses of emergency methods in management sometimes took place. The rejection of the state of emergency did not become oblivion in the first post-war years. Leaders who were accustomed to commanding and managing directively showed a penchant for it. The eradication of the elements of emergency was a complex problem of governance in the second half of the 40s.

State administration was rebuilt under the conditions of nationwide constitutional elections of the union (1946, 1950), republican supreme soviets (1947, 1951), regional, territorial, district, city, district, settlement, rural Soviets of Working People's Deputies (1947-1948, 1952 biennium). As a result of them, the entire system of bodies of legislative representative power has been substantially updated, the age qualification of deputies has been slightly increased, the composition of the presidiums of the Union and Republican Supreme Soviets has been reduced, their competence has been expanded, the work of the standing commissions of local Soviets has been streamlined. the legislative framework on the basis of the Regulations on local Soviets and their executive bodies adopted by the Union republics. In February 1947, in both chambers of the supreme legislative body, permanent commissions of legislative assumptions were created in order to streamline the union lawmaking, taking into account republican, local interests and peculiarities, the development of constitutional foundations of legislation in different areas management, social life. According to the projects of the standing commissions, laws were adopted on restructuring, improving the management of industry, agriculture, branches of the humanitarian sphere, etc.

In line with the post-war decentralization of state power and administration, the powers of union and republican bodies have been redistributed, the rights of the republics, the prerogatives of their power and administrative structures have been expanded, responsibility for the compliance of republican laws with union laws, the Constitution and their implementation has been strengthened. Republican constitutions and legislative acts were unified on a union-legal basis, including in the regulation of the administrative and executive functions of governing bodies.

The recreated and developed system of representative bodies renewed the composition, changed the highest union and republican governing bodies. The Councils of People's Commissars of the USSR and the republics were reorganized according to the Law of March 15, 1946. in councils of ministers, which were formed, approved by the supreme councils, were accountable to them, were subject to their constitutional control. This reform consolidated the unity of power and administration, the constitutional supremacy of the representative bodies represented by the Soviets of Working People's Deputies. With such a formal hierarchy and in spite of it, the status of executive power and management bodies has been significantly strengthened, where power and management functions were more and more concentrated. The role of the Council of Ministers of the USSR under the chairmanship of I.V. Stalin and republican governments headed by high-ranking officials from the party elite. The status of the Presidiums of the Union and Republican Councils of Ministers, which ruled the day-to-day, operatively subordinate institutions and organizations, changed.

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The system of institutions operating on the territory of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War, which included: the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD), the Main Directorate of State Security (GUGB), the People's Commissariat for State Security (NKGB).

On July 10, 1934, a decision was made to establish the USSR People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD USSR) as a centralized body for managing state security and public order. People's Commissars were G.G. Yagoda (10.07.1934 - 26.09.1936), N.I. Yezhov (26.09.1936-25.11.1938), L.P. Beria (25.11.1938 - 29.12.1945. ). A number of independent branches and institutions were transferred to the jurisdiction of the NKVD, including convoy troops, correctional labor institutions withdrawn from the justice authorities, the number of which reached 528 by February 1941. People's Commissariats of Internal Affairs were also created in all Union republics ( except for the RSFSR), and in the regions - the management of the NKVD. In full, the OGPU of the USSR entered the NKVD, transformed into the Main Directorate of State Security (GUGB). Instead of the abolished judicial collegium of the OGPU of the USSR, a Special Meeting was created under the People's Commissar, which, in addition to the People's Commissar, included his deputies, the authorized person for the RSFSR, the head of the Main Directorate of the Workers 'and Peasants' Militia (GURKM), the People's Commissar of the republic, in whose territory this or that criminal case, and the Prosecutor of the USSR. At first, the powers of the meeting were limited to the right to apply extrajudicially imprisonment in a labor camp for periods of up to 5 years, exile under supervision for 5 years and expulsion from the USSR. On December 1, 1934, a decree of the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR was adopted "On the procedure for conducting cases involving the preparation or commission of terrorist acts", according to which the investigation period was reduced to 10 days, the indictment was handed over to the accused just a day before the trial. The case was considered in court without a prosecutor and a lawyer. Appeals and petitions for clemency were not allowed. The death sentence was carried out immediately. A similar procedure was introduced on September 14, 1937 for the consideration of cases of sabotage and sabotage. As a result of the aggravation of the struggle for power in the leadership of the state and the party in 1937-1938. the country plunged into the abyss of political repression, from which all strata of society suffered. The punitive component of the NKVD apparatus was a tool in carrying out repressions, but this did not save the NKVD from a total purge. GG Yagoda and NI Yezhov, all their deputies and assistants, heads of all large prisons and camps responsible for the mass repression were arrested and shot. Many security officers working in the field of intelligence and counterintelligence were subjected to repression. On February 3, 1941, in accordance with the decision of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the People's Commissariat of State Security was separated from the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs. The NKVD of the USSR retained the functions of protecting public order, socialist and personal property, protecting state borders USSR, the organization of local air defense, the maintenance of convicts, prisoners of war and internees and a number of other functions. The border and internal troops, as well as special departments serving them, remained in his subordination. The People's Commissariat of State Security of the USSR (NKGB USSR) (People's Commissar - V.N. Merkulov from 03.02. To 20.07.1941 and from 04.14.1943 to 04.05.1946) subversive, espionage, sabotage and terrorist activities of foreign intelligence services within the USSR, operational development and elimination of the remnants of the anti-Soviet underground and protection of the country's leadership. With the outbreak of the war, the enemy concentrated on the Soviet-German front the main forces and assets of his intelligence apparatus, counterintelligence and sabotage units. The state security agencies had to carry out difficult and intense work to expose and suppress the subversive activities of the special services of Nazi Germany, to ensure the safety of national economic facilities, to maintain vigilance, organization and order in the country. By a decree of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks dated June 25, 1941, the NKVD organs were entrusted with the task of protecting the rear of the active Red Army. For this purpose, the troops of the NKVD, the militia of the front-line areas and the fighter battalions created in June 1941 at the territorial bodies of the NKVD were used, which became one of the links in the system of ensuring state security. With their help, the tasks of combating sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the enemy, searching for and capturing spies, protecting enterprises, maintaining public order in settlements... Subsequently, 1,350 destroyer battalions with a total strength of 250 thousand people were added to the active army. At the end of June 1941, due to the difficult situation at the front, the government of the USSR entrusted the NKVD with the formation of 15 rifle divisions from the border and internal troops of the NKVD. The formed divisions were transferred to the active army and took an active part in the defense of Leningrad, the battle of Moscow and many other defensive and offensive operations... In June 1942, the NKVD organs formed and transferred 10 more divisions to the Red Army. In the territory liberated by the Red Army, the enemy left a large number of sabotage groups to carry out sabotage on important sites , terrorist acts against military personnel, party and Soviet leaders. Starting in January 1942, as the territory of the country was liberated, the state security organs took measures to neutralize the German agents, their accomplices and traitors, who actively collaborated with the invaders. In July 1941, by decision of the State Defense Committee and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), the NKVD and the NKGB were again merged into one People's Commissariat - the NKVD of the USSR. The creation of a single centralized body for the protection of state security and internal affairs made it possible in the difficult initial period of the war to combine efforts and direct them to the fight against invaders, traitors and deserters. In April 1943, due to a change in the military situation, the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs was finally divided into the NKVD of the USSR and the NKGB of the USSR. In the first days of the war, under the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs, a Special Group was created, which was entrusted with the tasks of reconnaissance and sabotage activities in the deep and near rear of the enemy, organizing a partisan movement, directing special radio games with German intelligence in order to misinform the enemy. A separate special-purpose motorized rifle brigade (OMSBON) of the NKVD of the USSR was created under the Special Group. The OMSBON consisted of more than 25 thousand fighters, of which 2 thousand were foreigners. The brigade consisted of the best Soviet athletes, including boxing and track and field champions. OMSBON became the basis of sabotage formations that were thrown into the rear of the enemy. On October 3, 1941, instead of the Special Group, due to the protracted nature of the war, the occupation of most European countries and a large territory of the Soviet Union, as well as the need to carry out reconnaissance and sabotage measures on a wider scale behind the front line, the 2nd Department of the NKVD of the USSR was created , which had independent functions. On January 18, 1942, the 4th Directorate of the NKVD-NKGB of the USSR was created on its basis. During the war years, the Special Group (2nd Department of the NKVD - 4th Directorate of the NKVDNKGB of the USSR, during the whole war, Chief P.A. The Caucasian ridge, a number of front commanders. More than 2 thousand operational groups with a total number of 15 thousand people were sent to the enemy's rear, 2,045 enemy agent groups were neutralized and 87 high-ranking German officials were eliminated. More than 80 disinformation radio games were held with the Abwehr and the Gestapo, including Operation Monastery, Novice, Berezino. On the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, behind enemy lines and in confrontation with enemy agents, more than 12 thousand employees of state security agencies - the NKVD, the NKGB and the SMERSH counterintelligence service - were killed.

Historical sources:

Lubyanka in the days of the battle for Moscow. Materials of the USSR State Security Bodies from the Central Archives of the FSB of Russia. M., 2002;

State security bodies of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War: a collection of documents. In 3 T. M., 1995-2003.

"The days of war have come.
We will fight until victory.
We are all ready, comrade Stalin,
Defend the birthmark by the breast. "

S. Alymov

According to the Constitution of the USSR in 1936, the Supreme Soviet (Supreme Council) of the USSR was the highest body of state power in the USSR, which was elected for 4 years. The USSR Armed Forces elected the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces - the supreme body of power of the Soviet Union in the period between sessions of the Armed Forces. Also, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR elected the government of the USSR - the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR (SNK). The Supreme Court was elected by the Supreme Soviet of the USSR for a term of five years. The USSR Armed Forces also appointed the Prosecutor ( The Attorney General) THE USSR. The 1936 Constitution, or the Stalinist Constitution, did not in any way provide for the procedure for exercising state and military administration of the country in wartime conditions. In the presented diagram, the heads of the structures of power of the USSR are indicated in 1941. The Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces was endowed with the right to declare a state of war, general or partial mobilization, martial law in the interests of the country's defense and state security. SNK USSR - the highest executive agency state power - took measures to ensure public order, protect the interests of the state and protect the rights of the population, supervise the general construction of the USSR Armed Forces, determine the annual contingent of citizens to be called up for active military service.

The Defense Committee (KO) under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR was in charge and coordinating the issues of military development and direct preparation of the country for defense. Although before the war it was envisaged that with the outbreak of hostilities military control was to be carried out by the Main Military Council headed by the People's Commissar of Defense, this did not happen. The general leadership of the armed struggle of the Soviet people against the German fascist troops was assumed by the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, or rather its Central Committee (Central Committee), headed by the situation at the fronts was very difficult, Soviet troops were retreating everywhere. A reorganization was needed higher bodies state and military administration.

On the second day of the war, June 23, 1941, by a decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, the Headquarters of the Main Command of the Armed Forces of the USSR was created. It was headed by the People's Commissar of Defense Marshal of the Soviet Union, i.e. military command and control bodies were reorganized. The reorganization of the system of state power took place on June 30, 1941, when by the decision of the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the State Defense Committee (GKO) was created - the extraordinary supreme state body of the USSR, which concentrated all power in the country. The GKO supervised all military and economic issues during the war, and the leadership of the hostilities was carried out through the Supreme Command Headquarters.

“There was no bureaucracy in both the Headquarters and the State Defense Committee. These were exclusively operational bodies. The leadership was concentrated in the hands of Stalin ... Life in the entire state and military apparatus was tense, the work regime was round-the-clock, everyone was in their official places. Nobody gave orders. that it should be exactly so, but it happened ", - recalled the head of the Logistics, General of the Army A.V. Khrulev. In the first months of the Great Patriotic War, there was a complete centralization of power in the country. Stalin I.V. concentrated immense power in his hands - remaining The Secretary General Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), he headed the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the State Defense Committee, the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command and the People's Commissariat of Defense.

State Defense Committee

The State Defense Committee, created during the Great Patriotic War, was an extraordinary governing body that possessed full power in the USSR. The General Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks became the Chairman of the State Defense Committee, his deputy was the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs. (secretary, head of the personnel department of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b)). In February 1942, the following were added to the GKO: N.A. Voznesensky. (1st Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars) and Mikoyan A.I. (Chairman of the Committee for Food and Clothing Supply of the Red Army), Kaganovich L.M. (Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars). In November 1944 N.A. Bulganin became a new member of the State Defense Committee. (Deputy People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR), and Voroshilov K.E. was removed from the GKO.

GKO was endowed with broad legislative, executive and administrative functions; it united the military, political and economic leadership of the country. Resolutions and orders of the State Defense Committee had the force of wartime laws and were subject to unquestioning execution by all party, state, military, economic and trade union bodies. However, the USSR Armed Forces, the Presidium of the USSR Armed Forces, the USSR Council of People's Commissars, the People's Commissariats also continued to operate, carrying out the decisions and decisions of the State Defense Committee. During the Great Patriotic War, the State Defense Committee adopted 9,971 resolutions, of which approximately two-thirds dealt with the problems of the military economy and the organization of military production: the evacuation of the population and industry; mobilization of industry, production of weapons and ammunition; handling captured weapons and ammunition; organization of hostilities, distribution of weapons; appointing authorized T-bills; structural changes in the GKO itself, etc. The rest of the decisions of the GKO dealt with political, personnel, and other issues.

Functions of GKO:
1) directing the activities of government departments and institutions, directing their efforts towards the utmost use of the material, spiritual and military capabilities of the country to achieve victory over the enemy;
2) mobilization of the country's human resources for the needs of the front and the national economy;
3) the organization of the uninterrupted operation of the defense industry of the USSR;
4) solving the issues of restructuring the economy on a military basis;
5) evacuation of industrial facilities from threatened areas and transfer of enterprises to liberated areas;
6) training of reserves and personnel for the Armed Forces and industry;
7) restoration of the economy destroyed by the war;
8) determination of the volume and timing of deliveries of military products by the industry.

Before the military leadership, the State Defense Committee set military-political tasks, improved the structure of the Armed Forces, determined the general nature of their use in war, and assigned leading cadres. The working bodies of the GKO on military issues, as well as the direct organizers and executors of its decisions in this area were the People's Commissariats of Defense (NKO USSR) and Navy(NK of the USSR Navy).

From the jurisdiction of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the people's commissariats of the defense industry were transferred to the jurisdiction of the GKO: People's Commissariat of Aviation Industry, the People's Commissariat for Tankoprom, the People's Commissariat for Military Equipment, the People's Commissariat for Armaments, the People's Commissariat for Armaments, the People's Commissariat of Defense, etc. GKO decrees on the production of military products. The plenipotentiaries had mandates, signed by the chairman of the State Defense Committee - Stalin, which clearly defined practical tasks, which the GKO set before their authorized representatives. As a result of the efforts undertaken, the output of military products in March 1942 only in the eastern regions of the country reached the pre-war level of its output throughout the entire territory of the Soviet Union.

During the war, in order to achieve maximum efficiency of management and adaptation to current conditions, the structure of the GKO changed several times. One of the important subdivisions of the State Defense Committee was the Operations Bureau, created on December 8, 1942. The Operations Bureau included LP Beria, GM Malenkov, AI Mikoyan. and Molotov V.M. The tasks of this subdivision initially included coordination and unification of actions of all other subdivisions of the State Defense Committee. But in 1944 the functions of the bureau were significantly expanded. It began to control current job all the people's commissariats of the defense industry, as well as the preparation and implementation of plans for the production and supply of industries and transport. The Operations Bureau became responsible for supplying the army, in addition, it was entrusted with the duties of the previously abolished Transport Committee. “All the members of the GKO were in charge of certain areas of work. So, Molotov was in charge of tanks, Mikoyan - the affairs of the quartermaster supply, fuel supply, lend-lease issues, sometimes he carried out individual orders from Stalin to deliver shells to the front. Malenkov was in charge of aviation, Beria - ammunition Everyone came to Stalin with their own questions and said: I ask you to make such and such a decision on such and such an issue ... ", - recalled the head of the Rear, General of the Army A.V.

To carry out the evacuation of industrial enterprises and the population from the front-line areas to the east, the Council for Evacuation was created under the State Defense Committee. In addition, in October 1941, the Committee for the evacuation of food supplies, industrial goods and industrial enterprises was formed. However, in October 1941, these bodies were reorganized into the Evacuation Department under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. Other important divisions of the State Defense Committee were: the Trophy Commission, created in December 1941, and in April 1943 transformed into the Trophy Committee; A special committee that dealt with the development of nuclear weapons; A special committee dealt with issues of reparations, etc.

The State Defense Committee has become the main link in the mechanism of centralized management of the mobilization of the country's human and material resources for defense and armed struggle against the enemy. Having fulfilled its functions, the State Defense Committee was disbanded by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on September 4, 1945.

Headquarters of the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces of the USSR

Initially, the supreme body of the strategic leadership of military operations of the Soviet Armed Forces was called the Headquarters of the High Command. It included members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) Stalin I.V., Molotov V.M., Marshal of the Soviet Union Voroshilov K.E., Deputy People's Commissar of Defense Marshal of the Soviet Union S.M. Budyonny, People's Commissar of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet and Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army, led by People's Commissar of Defense Marshal S.K. Timoshenko. At the Headquarters, an institute of permanent advisers was formed, consisting of: Marshals of the Soviet Union and G.I. Kulik; generals, Zhigarev P.F., Vatutin N.F., Voronov N.N .; and also Mikoyan A.I., Kaganovich L.M., Beria L.P., Voznesensky N.A., Zhdanov A.A., Malenkov G.M., Mekhlis L.Z.

However, the dynamism of military operations, rapid and abrupt changes in the situation on a huge front required high efficiency in commanding the troops. Meanwhile, Marshal Timoshenko S.K. could not independently, without agreement with, make any serious decisions on the leadership of the country's Armed Forces. He did not even have the right to make decisions on the preparation and use of strategic reserves. In order to ensure centralized and more efficient control of the actions of the troops, by the decree of the State Defense Committee of the USSR of July 10, 1941, the Headquarters of the High Command was transformed into the Headquarters of the Supreme Command. It was headed by the chairman of the State Defense Committee, Stalin. By the same decree, Marshal B.M. Shaposhnikov, Deputy People's Commissar of Defense, was introduced to the Headquarters. August 8, 1941 Stalin I.V. was appointed the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Since that time, the Headquarters of the Supreme Command was renamed into the Headquarters of the Supreme Command (VGK). It included: I. Stalin, V. Molotov, S. Timoshenko, S. Budyonny, K. Voroshilov, N. Kuznetsov, B. Shaposhnikov and G. Zhukov.

At the final stage of the Great Patriotic War, the composition of the Supreme Command Headquarters was changed for the last time. By the decree of the State Defense Committee of the USSR of February 17, 1945, the following composition of the Supreme Command Headquarters was determined: Marshals of the Soviet Union I.V. (Chairman - Supreme Commander-in-Chief), (Deputy People's Commissar of Defense) and (Deputy People's Commissar of Defense), Army Generals Bulganin N.A. (member of the State Defense Committee and Deputy People's Commissar of Defense) and Antonov A.I. (Chief of the General Staff), Admiral N.G. Kuznetsov (People's Commissar of the USSR Navy).

The headquarters of the Supreme Command carried out the strategic leadership of the Red Army, the USSR Navy, border and internal troops,. The activity of the Stavka consisted in assessing the military-political and military-strategic situation, making strategic and operational-strategic decisions, organizing strategic regroupings and creating groupings of troops, organizing interaction and coordinating actions during operations between front groups, fronts, individual armies, as well as between active army and partisan detachments. In addition, the Headquarters supervised the formation and preparation of strategic reserves, the material and technical support of the Armed Forces, supervised the study and generalization of war experience, exercised control over the implementation of assigned tasks, and resolved issues related to military operations.

The headquarters of the Supreme Command led the fronts, fleets and long-range aviation, set tasks for them, approved plans of operations, and provided them the necessary forces and by means, through the Central Headquarters of the partisan movement, she led the partisans. An important role in directing the combat activities of the fronts and fleets was played by the General Headquarters directives, which usually indicated the goals and objectives of troops in operations, the main areas where it was required to concentrate the main efforts, the necessary density of artillery and tanks in the areas of breakthrough, etc.

In the first days of the war, in a rapidly changing situation, in the absence of stable communication with the fronts and reliable information about the position of the troops, the military leadership was systematically late in making decisions, so it became necessary to create an intermediate command authority between the Supreme Command Headquarters and the fronts. For these purposes, it was decided to send the leading employees of the People's Commissariat of Defense to the front, but these measures at the initial stage of the war did not yield any results.

Therefore, on July 10, 1941, by a GKO decree, three Main Commands of Troops were created in strategic directions: the North-West direction, headed by Marshal K.E. Voroshilov. - coordination of actions of the Northern and North-Western fronts, as well as fleets; The western direction, headed by Marshal S.K. Timoshenko. - coordination of actions of the Western Front and the Pinsk military flotilla, and later - of the Western Front, the Front of Reserve Armies and the Central Front; Southwest direction headed by Marshal S.M. Budyonny - coordination of actions of the South-Western, Southern, and later the Bryansk fronts, with operational subordination.

The tasks of the High Commands included the study and analysis of the operational-strategic situation in the direction zone, coordination of actions of troops in the strategic direction, informing the Stavka about the situation on the fronts, directing the preparation of operations in accordance with the plans of the General Headquarters, and guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines. In the initial period of the war, the High Commands were able to respond quickly to enemy actions, providing more reliable and precise command and control of troops, as well as organizing interaction between the fronts. Unfortunately, the Commanders-in-Chief of the strategic directions not only did not have sufficiently broad powers, but also did not have the necessary military reserves and material resources to actively influence the course of hostilities. The headquarters did not clearly define the range of their functions and tasks. Often their activities were limited to the transmission of information from the fronts to the Headquarters and, conversely, the orders of the Headquarters to the fronts.

The commanders-in-chief of the troops of the strategic directions did not manage to improve the leadership of the fronts. The main commands of the troops of the strategic directions began to be abolished one by one. But the Supreme Command Headquarters did not finally abandon them. In February 1942, the Headquarters assigned General of the Army G.K. Zhukov to the commander of the Western Front. duties of the Commander-in-Chief of the Troops Western direction, to coordinate the hostilities of the Western and Kalinin Fronts during. Soon the High Command of the troops of the South-West direction was restored. The commander-in-chief was appointed commander of the Southwestern Front, Marshal Timoshenko S.K., to coordinate the actions of the Southwestern and neighboring Bryansk fronts. And in April 1942, on the southern wing of the Soviet-German front, the High Command of the North Caucasian Direction was formed, headed by Marshal S.M. Budyonny, to whom the Crimean Front, the Sevastopol Defense Region, the North Caucasian Military District, the Black Sea Fleet and Azov military flotilla. Soon from such a management system, how little effective had to be abandoned. In May 1942, the Main Commands of the troops of the Western and North Caucasian directions were abolished, and in June - of the South-Western directions.

The institution of representatives of the Supreme Command Headquarters appeared, which became more widespread during the Great Patriotic War. Representatives of the Headquarters appointed the most trained military leaders who were endowed with broad powers and were usually sent to where, according to the plan of the High Command Headquarters, the main this moment tasks. Representatives of the Supreme Command Headquarters at the fronts at different times were: S.M. Budyonny, G.K. Zhukov, A.M. Vasilevsky, K.E. Voroshilov, A.I. Antonov, S.K. Timoshenko, N.G. Kuznetsov ., Shtemenko S.M., and others. Supreme Commander-in-Chief - Stalin I.V. demanded from the representatives of the Headquarters standing reports on the progress of the assigned tasks, often summoning them to Headquarters in the course of operations, especially when something went wrong.

Stalin set specific tasks to his representatives personally, severely asking for omissions and miscalculations. The institute of representatives of the Supreme Command Headquarters significantly increased the effectiveness of strategic leadership, contributed to a more rational use of forces in operations carried out at the fronts, it was easier to coordinate efforts and maintain close interaction between the fronts, branches of the Armed Forces, branches of the armed forces and partisan formations. Representatives of the Headquarters, having great powers, could influence the course of battles, correct the mistakes of the front and army command in time. The Institute of Headquarters representatives existed almost until the end of the war.

Campaign plans were adopted at joint meetings of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), the State Defense Committee and the Supreme Command Headquarters, although in the first months of the war the principle of collegiality was practically not observed. The commanders of the fronts, branches of the Armed Forces and combat arms took an active part in further work on the preparation of operations. As the front was stabilized and the strategic leadership system was reorganized, command and control was also improved. Operations planning began to be characterized by more coordinated efforts of the Supreme Command Headquarters, the General Staff, and the front headquarters. The most expedient methods of strategic leadership were gradually developed by the Supreme Command Headquarters, as combat experience accumulated and military art grew among the highest levels of command and staff. During the war, the methods of strategic leadership of the Supreme Command Headquarters were continuously developed and improved. Most important questions strategic plans and plans of operations were discussed at its meetings, which in a number of cases were attended by the commanders and members of the military councils of the fronts, the commanders of the branches of the armed forces and combat arms. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief formulated the final decision on the issues under discussion personally.

Throughout the war, the Supreme Command Headquarters was located in Moscow, which was of great moral importance. The members of the Supreme Command Headquarters gathered in the Kremlin office of I.V. Stalin, but with the beginning of the bombings, she was transferred from the Kremlin to a small mansion on Kirov Street with a reliable work space and communications. The headquarters was not evacuated from Moscow, and during the bombing the work moved to the Kirovskaya metro station, where the underground strategic command center of the Armed Forces was prepared. There were equipped offices of Stalin I.V. and Shaposhnikova B.M., housed task force Of the General Staff and Directorates of the People's Commissariat of Defense.

In Stalin's office I.V. at the same time, members of the Politburo, GKO and Headquarters of the Supreme Command gathered, but the unifying body in the conditions of war, nevertheless, was the Headquarters of the Supreme Command, whose meetings could be held at any time of the day. Reports to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief were made, as a rule, three times a day. At 10-11 o'clock in the morning the chief of the Operations Directorate usually reported, at 16-17 o'clock - the chief of the General Staff, and at night the military leaders went to Stalin with the final report for the day.

Priority in resolving military issues belonged, of course, to the General Staff. Therefore, during the war, his superiors visited Stalin I.V. almost every day, becoming for him the main experts, consultants and advisers. Frequent visitors to the Supreme Command Headquarters were the People's Commissar of the Navy N.G. Kuznetsov. and the head of the Rear Services of the Red Army Khrulev A.V. On several occasions, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief met with the heads of the Main Directorates of the NKO, the commanders and chiefs of the combat arms. People's Commissars of the aviation, tank industries, weapons, ammunition and others came with them on issues related to the admission of military equipment or its supply to the troops. Leading designers of weapons and military equipment were often invited on these issues. Having fulfilled its functions, the Supreme Command Headquarters was abolished in October 1945.

General Staff of the Red Army

The General Staff is the main body of planning and control of the Armed Forces in the system of the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. “Such a collective,” according to BM Shaposhnikov, “is required to streamline the gigantic work of preparing for war. Only the General Staff can coordinate, harmonize the preparation ... only the General Staff - a collection of persons who forged and tested their military views under the same conditions under the same leadership, carefully selected, bound themselves with mutual responsibility, friendly performances, who have reached breakthroughs in the military construction ".

In the pre-war period, the General Staff carried out large-scale work to prepare the country for defense. The General Staff developed a "Plan for the Strategic Deployment of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union in the West and East for 1940 and 1941", approved on October 5, 1940. On May 15, 1941, a revised draft "Considerations for the Plan strategic deployment in case of war with Germany and its allies ”, but it was not approved. Zhukov G.K. wrote: “By the decision of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) and the Soviet government of March 8, 1941, the distribution of responsibilities in the USSR People's Commissariat of Defense was clarified. central offices... The General Staff performed tremendous operational, organizational and mobilization work, being the main apparatus of the People's Commissar of Defense. "

However, according to the testimony of Marshal GK Zhukov, who was chief of the General Staff before the war, "... JV Stalin on the eve and at the beginning of the war underestimated the role and importance of the General Staff ... he was very little interested in the activities of the General Staff. Neither my predecessors, nor I did not have the opportunity to fully report to IV Stalin on the state of the country's defense, on our military capabilities and the capabilities of our potential enemy. "

In other words, the country's political leadership did not allow the General Staff to fully and timely implement necessary measures on the eve of the war. For the USSR Armed Forces on the eve of the war, the only document prescribing to bring the troops of the border districts into combat readiness was a directive sent to the troops a few hours before the start of the war (June 21, 1941 at 21.45 Moscow time). In the initial period of the war, under conditions of an unfavorable situation on the fronts, the volume and content of the work of the General Staff increased enormously. But only by the end of the first period of the war, Stalin's relations with the General Staff were largely normalized. From the second half of 1942, IV Stalin, as a rule, did not take a single decision without first hearing the opinion of the General Staff.

The main governing bodies of the Armed Forces of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War were the Supreme Command Headquarters and the General Staff. This command and control system operated throughout the war. In accordance with the requirements of wartime, the General Staff worked around the clock. The working hours of the Supreme Command Headquarters were also practically round-the-clock. The tone was set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief himself, who worked 12-16 hours a day, and, as a rule, in the evening and at night. He paid main attention to operational-strategic issues, armament problems, training of human and material resources.

The work of the General Staff during the war was complex and multifaceted. Functions of the General Staff:
1) collection and processing of operational-strategic information about the situation on the fronts;
2) preparation of operational calculations, conclusions and proposals for the use of the armed forces, direct development of plans for military campaigns and strategic operations in theaters of military operations;
3) development of directives and orders of the Supreme Command Headquarters on the operational use of the Armed Forces and war plans in new possible theaters of military operations;
4) organization and management of the activities of all types of intelligence;
5) processing of data and information of subordinate headquarters and troops;
6) resolution of air defense issues;
7) management of the construction of fortified areas;
8) management of the military topographic service and supplying the army with topographic maps;
9) the organization and arrangement of the operational rear of the army in the field;
development of regulations on army formations;
10) development of manuals and manuals for staff service;
11) generalization of the advanced combat experience of large formations, formations and units;
12) coordination of combat actions of partisan formations with the formations of the Red Army and much more.

The Chief of the General Staff was not just a member of Headquarters, he was its deputy chairman. In accordance with the instructions and decisions of the Supreme Command Headquarters, the chief of the General Staff united the activities of all departments of the People's Commissariat of Defense, as well as the People's Commissariat of the Navy. Moreover, the Chief of the General Staff was empowered to sign orders and directives of the Supreme Command Headquarters, as well as to issue orders on behalf of the Headquarters. Throughout the war, the Chief of the General Staff reported on the military-strategic situation in the theaters of operations and the General Staff's proposals to the Supreme Commander in person. The head of the Operations Directorate of the General Staff (Vasilevsky A.M., Shtemenko S.M.) also reported to the Supreme Commander about the situation at the fronts. During the Great Patriotic War, the General Staff was successively headed by four military leaders - Marshals of the Soviet Union G.K. Zhukov, B.M. Shaposhnikov, A.M. Vasilevsky. and General of the Army Antonov A.I.

The improvement of the organizational structure of the General Staff was carried out throughout the war, as a result of which the General Staff became a command body capable of promptly and adequately responding to changes in the situation on the fronts. During the Second World War, the necessary changes took place in the departments. In particular, directions were created for each active front, consisting of a direction chief, his deputy and 5-10 operator officers. In addition, a corps of officers representing the General Staff was created. It was intended to maintain continuous communication with the troops, check the execution of directives, orders and orders of the highest command bodies, provide the General Staff with operational and accurate information about the situation, as well as to provide timely assistance to the headquarters and troops.