Molotov, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich (1890–1986)
Soviet politician. Molotov headed the communist party’s press department during the October Revolution of 1917. He entered the higher leadership in 1921. He was a Central Committee secretary until 1930, a Political Committee member until 1926, and president of the Council of People’s Commissars in 1930–41. He gave Stalin his unreserved support in building up a cult of personality, and directed the violent › collectivization of agriculture and forced industrialization. He became foreign commissar in 1939. In May 1941, Stalin took over the presidency of the Council of People’s Commissars and Molotov became his deputy (first deputy in 1942–6), while remaining foreign minister until he was dismissed in 1949. He was foreign minister and deputy premier again in 1953–6. He took part in the intra-party plot to remove Khrushchev, and so he was expelled from the Central Committee and Political Committee in June 1957. He was then ambassador to Mongolia until 1960 and then the Soviet representative on the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. He was expelled from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union at the 22nd Congress. He was pensioned in 1962. He was readmitted to the party in July 1984.
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