Lev Mekhlis | |
|---|---|
Лев Мехлис | |
 Mekhlis in 1939 | |
| Minister of State Control | |
| In office 19 March 1946 – 27 October 1950 | |
| Premier | Joseph Stalin |
| Preceded by | Vasily Popov |
| Succeeded by | Vsevolod Merkulov |
| In office 6 September 1940 – 21 June 1941 | |
| Preceded by | Rosalia Zemlyachka |
| Succeeded by | Vasily Popov |
| Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars | |
| In office 6 September 1940 – 15 May 1944 | |
| Premier | Vyacheslav Molotov Joseph Stalin |
| Editor-in-chief of Pravda | |
| In office 1930–1937 | |
| Preceded by | Maximilian A. Saveliev |
| Succeeded by | Ivan E. Nikitin |
| Full member of the 17th, 18th Central Committee | |
| In office 12 October 1937 – 16 October 1952 | |
| Candidate member of the 17th Central Committee | |
| In office 10 February 1934 – 12 October 1937 | |
| Full member of the 17th, 18th Orgburo | |
| In office 14 January 1938 – 16 October 1952 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lev Zakharovich Mekhlis 13 January 1889 Odessa, Russian Empire |
| Died | 13 February 1953 (aged 64) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Resting place | Kremlin Wall Necropolis |
| Citizenship | Russian Empire, Soviet Union |
| Political party | CPSU (1918–53) |
| Alma mater | Institute of Red Professors |
| Occupation | Politician Political commissar Chief editor |
| Awards | Order of Lenin (4) Order of the Red Banner (2) Order of Suvorov Order of Kutuzov Order of Military Valour (grade 4) |
| Signature |  |
| Nickname(s) | The Shark Gloomy Demon |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Russian Empire(1911–1917)  Soviet Russia(1918–1920)  Soviet Union(1941–1945) |
| Years of service | 1911–20, 1941–45 |
| Battles/wars | World War I Russian Civil War World War II |
Lev Zakharovich Mekhlis (Russian: Лев Заха́рович Ме́хлис; January 13, 1889 – February 13, 1953) was a Soviet politician and a prominent officer in the Red Army from 1937 to 1940. As a senior political commissar, he became one of the main Stavka representatives on the Eastern Front (1941–1945) during World War II, being involved successively with five to seven Soviet fronts. Despite his fervent political engagement and loyalty to the Communist Party, various Soviet leaders, including Joseph Stalin, criticized and reprimanded Mekhlis for incompetent military leadership during World War II.[1][need quotation to verify][2][page needed]
- ^ "Lev Mekhlis: Stalin's Grand Inquisitor | CODOH". codoh.com. Retrieved 2020-05-16.
- ^
Sebag Montefiore, Simon (2005). Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar (First Vintage books ed.). New York. ISBN 1-4000-7678-1. OCLC 61699298.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)