Anatoly Lukyanov

Anatoly Ivanovich Lukyanov (Russian: Анатолий Иванович Лукьянов, 7 May 1930 – 9 January 2019) was a Russian Communist politician who was the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR between 15 March 1990 and 22 August 1991. One of the founders of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) in 1993, he was described by its leader Gennady Zyuganov as having been the Deng Xiaoping of the party.[1] He published books of poetry under his own name and under the pseudonyms Osenev (Осенев) and Dneprov (Днепров).[2]

Anatoly Lukyanov Анатолий Лукьянов
Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
In office 15 March 1990 – 22 August 1991
President	Mikhail Gorbachev
Preceded by	Mikhail Gorbachev
Succeeded by	Office abolished
First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
In office 1 October 1988 – 15 March 1990
President	Mikhail Gorbachev
Preceded by	Pyotr Demichev
Succeeded by	Gennady Yanayev (as vice president)
Head of the General Department of the Central Committee
In office 24 May 1985 – 17 January 1987
Preceded by	Klavdii Bogolyubov
Succeeded by	Valery Boldin
Candidate member of the 27th Politburo
In office 30 September 1988 – 14 July 1990
Member of the 27th Secretariat
In office 28 January 1987 – 30 September 1988
Personal details
Born	Anatoly Ivanovich Lukyanov 7 May 1930 Smolensk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died	9 January 2019 (aged 88) Moscow, Russia
Nationality	Russian
Political party	Communist Party of the Russian Federation (1993-2019)
Other political affiliations	Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1953-1991)
Profession	Civil servant

Lukyanov was an early political ally of Mikhail Gorbachev, supporting his efforts in issues such as the fight against corruption and the start of reforms in the economy. However, beginning in 1987–1988, he increasingly sympathized with the party establishment, correctly foreseeing that Gorbachev's policies would lead to the Soviet collapse.[3][4]

Early life

Lukyanov was born in Smolensk on 7 May 1930, the son of a Red Army officer who was killed in action during World War II.[5] He graduated from the Law School of the Moscow State University in 1953, while also being a member of the Communist Youth League (Komsomol).[3][6] During his years in law school, he befriended Mikhail Gorbachev, who was also studying there at the time, becoming an early political ally of the future leader.[6] He went on to earn a post-graduate degree in Constitutional Law and a PhD in Public Law.

Early career

From 1956 to 1961 Lukyanov worked as a legal adviser at the Legal Commission of the Soviet Council of Ministers.[7] He later was an adviser on legislation-drafting at the Supreme Soviet and worked on constitutional law issues at the Central Committee.[4] He also served as a constitutional adviser to the governments of the People's Republic of Poland and the Hungarian People's Republic.[8] All the while he benefited from being constantly based in Moscow, at the center of government.[6]

Political career

In 1975-77 he worked on drafting the 1977 Soviet Constitution, which replaced the 1936 Soviet Constitution. From 1977 till 1983 he was Chief of the Secretariat of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.[9] He was also a leading member of the powerful Central Auditing Commission.[10] Lukyanov was a secretary of the CPSU Central Committee from January 1987 and a candidate member of the Politburo from September 1988.[11]

Lukyanov was elected vice-chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union in March 1989, and chairman the following year.[11] In 1991, Ivan Silayev accused him of being the leading force behind the Soviet coup attempt of 1991.[12] Lukyanov was arrested on 29 August 1991, and held for fifteen months on charges of conspiracy.[13] Throughout the investigation, Lukyanov denied complicity.[14]

Lukyanov was the Chairman of the Central Advisory Council of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, and the senior adviser to party leader Gennady Zyuganov, since co-founding the party in 1993.[15][16]

Lukyanov was elected as a deputy to the first three State Dumas of the Russian Federation (1993, 1995 and 1999).[17] His last political position was as Chairman of the Duma Committee on Constitutional Law.[18] He did not participate in the elections of 2003 and instead became a board member of the company OEG Petroservis.[19]

Death

Lukyanov was found dead in his Moscow home on 9 January 2019, at the age of 88, after suffering from an unspecified illness.[20] He was buried at Troyekurovskoye Cemetery in Moscow on 11 January.[21]

References

1. Gardels, Nathan (1997). The Changing Global Order: World Leaders Reflect. Blackwell Publishing. p. 112. ISBN 1-57718-072-0.
2. "Поэты МГУ". Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
3. "Lukyanov, Gorbachev's college buddy, may be coup mastermind". UPI. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
4. "Anatoly Lukyanov Dies At Age 88, Was Imprisoned After Failed August 1991 Soviet Coup". RFERL.org. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
5. "Сайт Конституции Российской Федерации". Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
6. The Deal Is Already Done For Gorbachev's Coup Book, The New York Times, 4 October 1991 p. 1D
7. "In Russia died a close associate of Gorbachev Lukyanov". 24-my info. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
8. McFaul, Michael (2002). Russia's Unfinished Revolution: Political Change from Gorbachev to Putin. ISBN 0801488141. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
9. Hough, Jerry F. (May 1997). Democratization and Revolution in the USSR, 1985-91. ISBN 0815791496. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
10. "New Times". Trud. May 1989. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
11. Anatoly Lukyanov, In the Maelstrom of the Russian Troubles (Moscow: Kniga i Biznes, 1999), 3.
12. Soviet Turmoil; The Soviet Coup and Its Aftermath: A Recap, in The New York Times, 25 August 1991, p. 16
13. Russia Coup Trial Is Yielding A Maze, in The New York Times, 21 August 1992, p. 3
14. Anatoly Lukyanov, In the Maelstrom of the Russian Troubles 4.
15. Muse of Anti-Yeltsin Forces: He Is Feared, Never Ignored, in The New York Times, 2 May 1996
16. Лукьянов будет похоронен на Троекуровском кладбище в Москвe
17. "What Happened To The August 1991 Soviet Coup Plotters?". RFERL. Archived from the original on 4 July 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
18. "Constitutional Reform as a Struggle for Power". Departments Bucknell. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
19. Lukyanov's page on the OEG Petroservis website (in Russian)
20. Умер последний председатель Верховного совета СССР Анатолий Лукьянов Archived 9 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
21. Лукьянов будет похоронен на Троекуровском кладбище в Москве (in Russian)

External links

• Biography (in Russian)
• Biography (in Russian)
• Examples of his poetry (in Russian)