Jānis Kalnbērziņš (17 September 1893 – 4 February 1986) was a Latvian

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

politician and statesman who was the first secretary of the Communist Party of Latvia and the first de facto leader of the

Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Also known as the Latvian SSR, or Latvia) was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1941, and then from 1944 until 1990. The Soviet occupation and annexation of Latvia began between J ...

Biography

Born into a working-class family in Katlakalns Parish (now

Ķekava Municipality Ķekava Municipality () is a municipality in Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by Merger (politics), merging Baloži town, Daugmale Parish and Ķekava Parish, the administrative centre being Ķekava. On 1 July 2021, Ķekava Municipalit ...

) in the

Governorate of Livonia The Governorate of Livonia, also known as the Livonia Governorate, was a province (''guberniya'') and one of the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire, Baltic Governorate-General until 1876. Governorate of Livonia bordered Governorate of E ...

, Kalnbērziņš joined the

Bolshevik Party The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

in April 1917. After the defeat of the

Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic The Latvian Socialist Soviet Republic (, LSPR) was a short-lived socialist republic formed during the Latvian War of Independence. It was proclaimed on 17 December 1918 with the political, economic, and military backing of Vladimir Lenin and ...

, he enlisted in the ranks of the Red Latvian Riflemen and fought against the

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forces during the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

in the Southern Front. From 1925 he was active in the underground Communist movement of Latvia but returned to the

RSFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

in 1928. He graduated from the Communist University of the National Minorities of the West in 1931 and from the Institute of Red Professors in 1933. Kalnbērziņš continued underground party work in Latvia. His wife was arrested in 1937 during the

Great Purge The Great Purge, or the Great Terror (), also known as the Year of '37 () and the Yezhovshchina ( , ), was a political purge in the Soviet Union that took place from 1936 to 1938. After the Assassination of Sergei Kirov, assassination of ...

and his children were sent to an orphanage. He himself was arrested by Latvian authorities in 1939 and was sentenced to a long prison term. After the Soviet troops entered Latvia in 1940 he was released from custody and was appointed the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Latvia (CPL) from 1940 to 1949 and at the same time the secretary of the Riga Committee of the CPL. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he was a member of the Military Council of the North-Western Front. He was a member of the Central Committee of the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

from 1952 to 1971 and a candidate member of the

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

of the CPSU from 1957 to 1962. He was a deputy of the

Supreme Soviet of the USSR The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSUSSR) was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Based on the principle of unified power, it was the only branch of government in the S ...

of 1-7th convocations, member of the

Presidium of the Supreme Soviet The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet () was the standing body of the highest organ of state power, highest body of state authority in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).The Presidium of the Soviet Union is, in short, the legislativ ...

from 1950 to 1954. After the defeat of the National Communist faction of the CPL in 1959 he was removed from his position of first secretary in May 1959. In November 1959 he was appointed Chairman of the Presidium of the

Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic The Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR (Latvian language, Latvian: ''Latvijas PSR Augstākā Padome''; Russian language, Russian: Верховный Совет Латвийской ССР, ''Verkhovnyy Sovet Latvyyskoy SSR'') was the Supreme So ...

. Kalnbērziņš was retired in 1970 by the decision of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and received a personal pension. He died in 1986 aged 92 and was buried in the Rainis Cemetery in Riga.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalnberzins, Janis 1893 births 1986 deaths People from Ķekava Municipality People from Riga county Russian Social Democratic Labour Party members Old Bolsheviks Deputies of the People's Saeima Heads of the Communist Party of Latvia Candidates of the Presidium of the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Candidates of the Central Committee of the 18th Congress of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) Members of the Central Committee of the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Committee of the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Committee of the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Members of the Central Committee of the 23rd Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Heads of state of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1947–1951 Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1951–1955 Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1955–1959 Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1959–1963 Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1963–1967 Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1967–1971 Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1971–1975 Members of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1975–1980 First convocation members of the Soviet of the Union Second convocation members of the Soviet of the Union Third convocation members of the Soviet of the Union Fourth convocation members of the Soviet of the Union Fifth convocation members of the Soviet of the Union Sixth convocation members of the Soviet of the Union Seventh convocation members of the Soviet of the Union Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War Heroes of Socialist Labour Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour