Alexei Kosygin was the longest-serving head of government of the Soviet state. But even before this he was a noticeable person. At thirty-five, even before the war, he became the youngest people's commissar. But his life remained closed. He was rarely in the foreground; even very few colorless shots of the official chronicle remained. For many, this strict man merged with the rest of the pillars of the system, which did not evoke the warmest feelings.
Since the eighties, the theory that Alexey Nikolaevich Kosygin is Tsarevich Alexei Romanov, who managed to avoid execution in the house of engineer Ipatiev in 1918, has been of particular interest. The authenticity of the remains of the royal family is still not recognized by the Russian Orthodox Church. It may still turn out that Alexey Kosygin is the son of Nicholas 2, but so far this has not been confirmed. Perhaps new research will shed light on this issue.
Biography of Alexey Kosygin
Some researchers argue that this man surpassed Minister Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin in terms of the effectiveness of economic reforms. Everyone called him Joseph Stalin's favorite, an eminence grise, but at the same time an effective and professional head of the Soviet government. Perhaps (if the words of this man had been listened to and reforms in industry had been allowed to be completed in the mid-sixties), in some ten to twenty years the Soviet Union could have become a truly independent state without raw materials industries.
Economists and knowledgeable historians note that the economic basis on which Russia now rests was created by this talented man. He also became the record holder for the longest tenure at the head of the USSR government. Sixteen years in office is a record that no one else has been able to break. Kosygin had rather tense relations with N. Khrushchev and L. Brezhnev, but he was tolerated. There was no worthy replacement for a professional in his field. The biography of Alexei Kosygin (photo of the figure is in the article) really arouses interest.
Childhood and early years
The brilliant biography of Alexei Kosygin turned out to be possible solely thanks to the revolution. At thirty-two he got a job at a textile factory, in the same year he became a shift supervisor, and at thirty-three he became a factory director. At thirty-five he was appointed to the post of People's Commissar of Industry of the USSR. If it were not for the revolution, there would simply be no other opportunities for a young man born into the family of an ordinary turner to get to the political elite. The tsarist regime did not provide an opportunity to climb the social ladder so much.
There is very little information about the childhood of Alexei Kosygin. It is known that he was born on February twenty-first (February eighth according to the old style) 1904 in St. Petersburg. His father, Nikolai Ilyich, was a turner, but there is no information about his mother, Matrona Alexandrovna. Some sources indicate that she died in childbirth. The newborn son was baptized according to the Orthodox rite on March 7 of the same year in the Church of Sampson. Alexei Kosygin's family was quite wealthy. His father raised him.
Already at the age of fifteen, the alleged son of Nicholas II, Alexey Nikolaevich Kosygin, went to the Red Army as a volunteer. Then he was a student at the Petrovsky School. The young man dug trenches and built defensive structures. Three years later he returned to his hometown to continue his studies. After receiving a college diploma, the promising specialist went to Siberia to develop industrial cooperation for the benefit of his country.
Career
Kosygin preferred the civilian path to the military path.
Returning to Petrograd two years later, he graduated from a cooperative technical school and left for Novosibirsk. In just three years, Alexey Nikolaevich rose to head of the planning department of the Siberian Union of Cooperation. There, in 1927, he joined the Communist Party. Kosygin was forced to return to his hometown by studying at a textile institute. Upon graduation, Alexey got a job as a foreman at a textile factory, and two years later became its director. A year later, the 34-year-old director took the post of chairman of the Leningrad City Executive Committee.
Stalin had a nose for such talents, and the following year, 1939, Alexei Kosygin received the post of People's Commissar of the Textile Industry of the USSR. It wasn't easy in my new position. Desperate to achieve timely delivery of raw materials, he decided to ask for help from the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, Molotov. “You are the People's Commissar to carry out your duties yourself. But I don’t intend to be your pusher,” he snapped. Kosygin learned a lesson for life.
Career of a young specialist
In a planned economy, industrial cooperation was a minor area in which entrepreneurship was encouraged. In this “oasis of economic freedom” the first basic ideas of Alexei Kosygin as an outstanding economist were formed. He was able to prove himself well from the very beginning of his professional career and showed the makings of a promising manager. The young specialist was sent back to Leningrad for further training, where he was able to obtain a higher education at the Institute of Textile Industry.
The career of Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin began to actively develop after 1935, then in two years he was able to become the director of the Oktyabrskaya factory, although he initially came to the position of foreman. Kosygin managed the textile industry enterprise for a little over a year. His successes turned out to be significant, so that the young man was appointed chairman of the committee of the Leningrad Council of Workers and Peasants. A year later, Kosygin was appointed People's Commissar of the country's textile industry.
Many historians explained such a dizzying career growth by the fact that during the Lenin-Stalinist terror, all ambitious specialists were exiled to hell or executed, that is, there was simply no one to put in high positions. What was needed were young specialists who were practically devoid of political ambitions. To some extent, these words really characterized Alexei Kosygin. He had absolutely no desire to participate in any intrigues in the struggle for power. At the same time, he was a professional of the highest class.
Stalin did not trust his comrades, trying to turn his back on them, but he assessed the personal and professional qualities of Alexei Kosygin quite highly. This specialist fully met the criteria that were necessary for an ideal Soviet business executive. The outbreak of war became a serious “trial period” for the still young manager (Kosygin was thirty-seven). Any failure as chairman of the Council for the Evacuation of Industrial Enterprises could ruin hundreds or even thousands of lives, as well as the economic potential of the country.
The Great Patriotic War
A few days after the treacherous attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union, Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin was appointed to the post of head of the Evacuation Council. Soon a special group was created, headed by a party leader. Under his control, in the second half of 1941, more than one and a half thousand enterprises were evacuated, including more than 1,300 large ones.
In besieged Leningrad, Kosygin carried out activities to supply the civilian population and wax, and participated in the work of local party bodies of the Leningrad Front. At the same time, he supervised the evacuation of civilians from the besieged settlement, and also participated in the creation of the famous “Road of Life” - the only transport route across Lake Ladoga. Alexey Nikolaevich directly supervised the laying of the pipeline along the bottom of the lake, fulfilling the relevant resolution.
"Leningrad affair"
In August 1942, Kosygin was appointed authorized representative of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR for fuel procurement. Since June of the following year, he became chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR. These appointments testified to the highest level of management's trust in Alexey Kosygin. Stalin openly declared a good-natured attitude and even some kind of trust in the manager. This is probably what saved Alexei Nikolaevich from post-war repressions.
A series of trials against state leaders and party leaders of the USSR called the “Leningrad Case” passed Kosygin by. As a result of the investigation, the heads of a whole list of persons suspected of self-will, conspiracy, anti-Soviet activities, espionage and plans to undermine the statehood of the Soviet Union were “rolled”. The formal reason was the holding of the All-Russian Fair in Leningrad, but in reality this was only an addition to the existing compromising evidence on the leaders of the party organization in Leningrad.
Kosygin's name appeared in the case materials. Then Alexei Nikolaevich threw the pistol into the river so that when he was arrested he would not also be accused of preparing a terrorist attack or an attempt on Stalin’s life. In those years, the leader of the peoples, having met the minister, once said: “Well, how are you, Kosyga? It’s okay, you’ll still have to work...” The Stalin years left their mark on the character of the official and even on the expression of his face. This expression was tired and vexed, to use Solzhenitsyn’s words.
The name of Alexei Kosygin could well be included in the lists of those repressed. Moreover, the secretary of the Central Committee and chief personnel officer of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) A. Kuznetsov was a relative of Kosygin. This was the husband of cousin Klavdia Andreevna Krivosheina, the wife of Alexei Nikolaevich. Kuznetsov was arrested in 1949, sentenced to death and executed. The party leader was rehabilitated in 1954. At this time, Alexey Nikolaevich Kosygin was still in power.
Post-war time
After the war, Alexei Kosygin's political career continued to develop. He became deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union. He was soon appointed a candidate member of the Politburo. He was clearly an atypical official. Joseph Vissarionovich called him an “arithmometer.” Indeed, Alexei Kosygin’s ability to multiply multi-digit numbers in his mind was amazing. The official avoided banquets and did not like flattery; he quickly highlighted the essence, not allowing his subordinates to talk beyond the point.
Perhaps Kosygin managed to stay in power only because Joseph Vissarionovich passed away before completing the change of elites. After the death of the leader, those who remained in place successfully removed young cadres from the ranks of the party. Alexei Nikolaevich was removed from his post as deputy head of the Council of Ministers, light industry was taken away, but he was given a more modest position. Kosygin was now responsible for the production of consumer goods.
The official distinguished himself in this post, demonstrating a thoughtful approach to business. In the summer of 1953, he headed the Ministry of Industry and Food Products, created by the merger of several previous ministries. In December of the same year, Alexey Nikolaevich again took up the post of deputy head of the Council of Ministers. He quickly got used to new positions and approached things responsibly.
Alexey Kosygin was dedicated to his work. After the end of hostilities, Alexey Nikolaevich quit smoking. One day, due to his duty, he had to go to a new tobacco factory in Georgia. He asked the plant manager for a cigarette. He offered him what he smoked himself. The director of a Soviet factory handed the minister a pack of American cigarettes. The minister immediately left, and the factory director was replaced.
Stalin's favorite
In June 1941, Kosygin was appointed deputy chairman of the Evacuation Council under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. It was he who, at the head of a group of inspectors, managed the evacuation of more than 1,500 enterprises to the East of the country.
In January 1942, Kosygin was entrusted with an equally difficult task - he was supplying the dying Leningrad, participating in the creation of the “Road of Life”.
He appeared in the most difficult places, personally solved problems, and organized the coordinated work of all services.
At the height of the war, in 1943, Kosygin headed the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR, which was clear evidence that senior Soviet leaders increasingly trusted him.
In March 1946, Alexei Kosygin was appointed deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, and after this a candidate member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks.
Stalin openly favors him, without hiding that he sees in him the future head of the Soviet government. That is why Leningrader Kosygin escaped the repressions associated with the so-called “Leningrad affair.”
However, the “change of elites” planned by the leader was prevented by Stalin’s death. Stalin's "old guard" hastily began to push the young shoots away from the levers of power. But here too Kosygin suffered less than others. His dislike for political intrigue worked in his favor - Kosygin was not removed from the government at all, but was sent to manage the production of consumer goods. The state elite treated this industry with disdain, but Kosygin approached the matter thoughtfully and seriously.
Alexey Kosygin speaks at the XXV Congress of the CPSU in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses with a report on “The main directions of development of the national economy of the USSR for 1976-1980”, 1976. Photo: RIA Novosti / Yuri Abramochkin
Kosygin under Khrushchev and Brezhnev
Under Nikita Khrushchev, Kosygin was promoted again, although it was said that his relations with the leadership of the Soviet Union had deteriorated. In the sixties he became first deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers. After the coup in power in 1964, Brezhnev promoted Alexei Nikolaevich to the post of head of government. The leader of the country openly disliked the manager. The reason for further growth was only his lack of ambition.
Kosygin (the only one from the Politburo) voted against the entry of USSR troops into Afghanistan. Therefore, Leonid Ilyich himself and his entourage looked askance at him. Brezhnev was openly jealous of Kosygin's popularity. He made sure that Alexey Nikolaevich remained alone.
The manager knew how to solve international problems and was a really good diplomat. With the assistance of Alexei Nikolaevich, the Arab-Israeli conflicts in 1967 and 1973 were successfully resolved. He helped bring about an end to American hostilities in Indochina in the early seventies. His main victory in diplomatic terms was the resolution of the conflict between the Soviet and Chinese sides. Historians say that it was the minister's four-hour negotiations at Beijing airport that prevented war.
Soviet tandem
Legends are still told about Kosygin’s approach to business. The minister, who himself quit smoking immediately after the war, once hosted a newly built tobacco factory in Georgia. Kosygin suddenly asked the factory director for a cigarette. The director respectfully handed the distinguished guest a pack of American cigarettes, which he himself smoked. Kosygin looked attentively at the director, turned around and left. It became clear to him that the factory did not meet high requirements, and its director was clearly in his post by mistake.
Article on the topic
Forgotten hero. How did Alexei Stakhanov anger Khrushchev?
Soon Nikita Khrushchev realized that a manager of Kosygin’s level was needed to solve complex problems. He again began to be promoted, and in 1960 Kosygin became 1st Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR.
He was raised to the top of state power by the “palace coup” in October 1964, when Nikita Khrushchev was removed from power.
After this, one of the most successful tandems appeared in the Soviet Union: Leonid Brezhnev as the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and Alexei Kosygin as the head of government.
Relations between them were not too close and friendly, but Brezhnev did not question Kosygin’s managerial abilities.
Leonid Brezhnev and Alexey Kosygin on the podium of the Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin on May 1, 1980. Photo: RIA Novosti / Yuri Abramochkin
"Kosygin" reforms
How Kosygin's economic reforms in industry are assessed as very successful. He promoted increasing the independence of enterprises and decentralization of the economy. Gross production was inferior to the indicators of sold products. The introduction of reforms was difficult because Alexei Nikolaevich’s ideas significantly diverged from Lenin’s principles. Yuri Andropov even directly stated that the official’s proposals could destroy the entire existing social system.
The reforms met resistance from officials. He wanted to make oil and gas products, rather than their exports, the basis of the country's budget. But Alexei Nikolaevich was unable to complete the reform due to poor health. He was no longer a fighter. Kosygin's behavior was affected by his age. In October 1973, a deputy intelligence officer recalled the official as “not the right person at all.”
Kosygin - son of Nicholas II
The conspiracy theory has long been known that Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin is the son of Nicholas II, the last Russian autocrat. Could any of the Romanovs survive?
The Investigative Committee of Russia recently resumed its investigation into the death of the royal family. As part of the case, a new examination of the remains and the study of archival materials began. Is there any reason to assume that the remains of the royal family are not buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral? Such rumors have been circulating since the mid-eighties. Even then they said that Alexey Kosygin was the son of Nicholas II.
A comparative analysis of the ears of Nicholas II and A. Kosygin showed that they are very similar. The fact is that the shape of the ear is individual for each person, and in close relatives they can be almost identical. A comparison of Alexei Nikolaevich and Tsarevich Alexei (from children's photos) showed that the distance from the eyelids to the eyebrows, the shape of the eyes, the distance from the upper lip to the nose and to the chin are the same.
There are no photographs of Alexey Nikolaevich Kosygin as a child or teenager. There is also very little information about his life before he began his studies and political career. Historians find a lot of mysterious moments in the biography of the Soviet leader. He was the youngest party leader in history to be appointed to the post of minister. Many say that Kosygin had influential patrons. Among them was Stalin himself. So could Kosygin turn out to be Tsarevich Alexei, who managed to avoid execution?
In a narrow circle, Stalin called Kosygin “Tsarevich.” But what was the point of saving the royal family? What confirms the guess that Alexey Nikolaevich Kosygin is the son of Nicholas II? There is information that Joseph Vissarionovich and Nicholas II were cousins on their fathers, that is, Alexey Nikolaevich was a distant relative of him. Stalin valued him and promoted him as his second cousin.
Supporters of the theory that Alexey Nikolaevich Kosygin is the son of the last Russian emperor cite as an example the story of the organization of the “Road of Life” through Ladoga. During the blockade, according to his design, a road was built on the ice of the lake. Kosygin had very little time to implement the project. It was necessary to repair the railway line and assemble vehicles to transport people. It was necessary to know this area very well.
A native Petersburger could cope with this, and Tsarevich Alexei was definitely up to the task. In 1914, the Romanov family took a long cruise along Ladoga. The heir had many opportunities to explore the shores of the lake. “The Road of Life” became Kosygin’s main project. In the strictest secrecy, he evacuated the unique collection of the Hermitage. Who else but the heir to the House of Romanov could be entrusted with this task?
Alexey Kosygin - son of Nicholas II? What else confirms the theory? Alexey Nikolaevich was successful not only in economics, but also in international politics. It was he who went to meet with Elizabeth II, although according to his status this visit should have been made by Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev. According to the recollections of witnesses, the impression was created that people of the same position were communicating. Kosygin never studied diplomacy, but always remained at the forefront of Soviet international politics. Heads of government, kings, presidents and sheikhs met with him equally cordially.
None of the open sources indicate that Alexei Nikolaevich suffered from hemophilia, although it is known that this illness undermined the health of Tsarevich Alexei. The medical records of Soviet party leaders were hidden from the general public.
There is also surprising evidence that Grigory Rasputin still managed to cure the heir to the imperial family. There is a photo showing Emperor Nicholas II with his son in Tobolsk, where they arrived in early 1917. The image shows a young man working with a saw. His father would not have allowed him to pick up an instrument if any cut could threaten the crown prince with death.
Unknown Kosygin
Dossier
Tatyana Gvishiani-Kosygina is the daughter of Jermen Mikhailovich Gvishiani and Lyudmila Alekseevna Kosygina. Her mother was the director of the State Library of Foreign Literature. Father is a famous scientist, academician, and management specialist. Both, unfortunately, have already passed away. Tatyana Dzhermenovna graduated from MGIMO, Candidate of Legal Sciences. Her brother Alexey Dzhermenovich is a Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.
“The personal life of Alexei Nikolaevich,” says Tatyana Dzhermenovna, “is divided into two stages: with Claudia Andreevna and without her. Actually, there was one more stage - before her, before meeting Claudia Andreevna Krivosheina, in Kosygina’s marriage, but, undoubtedly, their forty years together outweighed everything that came before. Do you know how Claudia Andreevna Kosygina once answered Stalin’s question about the role of a wife, her calling? “A wife is destiny,” she said in Crimea in 1947, allowing herself to complement her sovereign interlocutor. He lost his destiny, his Klavochka, as Kosygin most often called his wife, on a holiday, May 1, 1967. A few months before the disaster, someone she knew told her that she had lost a lot of weight. “And that’s exactly what I wanted,” answered Klavdia Andreevna. — In Pitsunda, Alexei Nikolaevich and I walked and swam a lot. But this change in her appearance was not caused by walks or the sea. Returning from Pitsunda, their last trip together, she complained that she was in the very heat. With such diseases in the south, the sun is not recommended at all. Alas, the doctors of the vaunted Kremlin clinic overlooked the terrible disease. The very first to show condolences, Tatyana recalls, was Boris Nikolaevich Ponomarev, secretary of the Central Committee and member of the Politburo. He was accompanied by a young wife, almost the same age as Lyudmila Alekseevna, Kosygin’s daughter. They barely had time to say a few words when a security officer approached: “Sorry, Alexey Nikolaevich, they asked me to report: Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev has come to see you!” As soon as Ponomarev heard these words, he rushed through the kitchen and the yard to another gate, followed by his girlfriend. Kosygin even involuntarily smiled: “I didn’t expect such agility from an academician!” One can only guess what the old party functionary was afraid of. Maybe he was afraid to show his young wife to his boss? The Secretary General was alone; his Victoria Petrovna was ill. We must pay tribute to Leonid Ilyich - he knew how to share someone else's misfortune. And, realizing Kosygin’s condition, he didn’t get away with a duty visit. So Kosygin became orphaned for the second time. “After the death of Claudia Andreevna, a lot has changed for us,” continues Tatyana Dzhermenovna Gvishiani-Kosygina. I understand now how difficult the May Day holiday was for him. There is music, flags, songs all around, a military parade and demonstration; the chairman of the Council of Ministers, a member of the Politburo should be on the podium of the Mausoleum, then at the state reception. And only after that he could stop by Novodevichye, stand at his wife’s grave, leave flowers... And spend the evening with his family and closest friends... Now they went to the skating rink less often. “I studied at a figure skating school, and he has been skating since childhood,” Tatyana recalls. — He had old skates, “Eiders,” with antediluvian, black boots. I remember them very well. When we came to the skating rink of the military sanatorium, we went to the trailer, he always put on foot wraps, only foot wraps, not socks, otherwise, he said, you’ll hurt your leg. The same thing happened when I went skiing. Moreover, he wrapped this footcloth so masterfully, but did not recognize socks on skis or skates. Alexey Nikolaevich was proud of his granddaughter: a beauty, a Komsomol member, an athlete, as they said in the popular film. And, I’ll add, today I am the custodian of my grandfather’s large family archive. Lovely family trinkets and rare photographs, original documents, work notebooks and Kosygin’s notebooks - all this is carefully preserved by Tatyana Dzhermenovna. Each call she made added some new detail to our general search. — Viktor Ivanovich, I found Alexey Nikolaevich’s work book, in my opinion, a very interesting document. Interesting indeed. This is the work book that was issued to Kosygin, the People's Commissar of the textile industry, on January 25, 1939. By that time, his “hired work experience” was already 14 years. There is a note in the margin: “Confirmed by documents.” Next entry: “Service in the Red Army - two years.” I note that he became a Red Army soldier at the age of fifteen in 1919. And again the note: “Confirmed by documents.”
* * *
On March 16, 1943, Mr. Nichols, editor of the Biographical Encyclopedia of the World, New York City, USA, sent a letter to Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin in Moscow. “Your name,” he wrote, “is proposed to be included in the third edition of the Encyclopedic Dictionary of the World, dedicated to persons in each country whose achievements in the relevant field deserve recognition.” Attached to the letter was a questionnaire with a dozen questions. Judging by the fact that the English original of the questionnaire and the Russian translation remained in the files of Kosygin’s secretariat, Mr. Nichols did not wait for an answer. One can only imagine how Alexey Nikolaevich smiled when, at twelve o’clock at night, the manager. secretariat Gorchakov reported to him, the deputy chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, by mail. He smiled and again - to current affairs: reports, telegrams from the authorized representatives of the Council of People's Commissars on the progress of loading firewood for Moscow; The Tambov regional party committee is asking for 1,300 pairs of leather boots, 1,000 pairs of felt boots, and 3,600 meters of sheet material for orphanages; The Barnaul melange plant stopped - there was no electricity: “The implementation of special order plans is under threat of complete failure.” However, he could have found a dozen or two minutes to fill out the form. But it was addressed, firstly, to the People's Commissar, and he has not been the People's Commissar for three years. Secondly, during these same three years in the Kremlin, Alexey Nikolaevich took a little closer look at the customs accepted here. And thirdly, he did not rush to the pages of the “Biographical Encyclopedia of the World”, because he was a modest person, not in appearance, but by nature. Not worth a penny, but worth a ruble, his father, Nikolai Ilyich, used to say about the arrogant.
Dossier
Alyosha Kosygin was born on February 21, 1904. In the metric book of the Church of Sampson the Host on the Vyborg side in St. Petersburg for 1904, there is registration number 136: “Alexey - born February 21, 1904, baptized March 7, 1904. Father - Nikolai Ilyich Kosygin. Mother - Matrona Alexandrovna. Receivers: tradesman of the city of Torzhok Sergei Nikolaevich Stukolov and wife of a peasant of the village of Ryabka, Borovichi district, Novgorod province, Maria Ilyinichna Egorova.”
He was the third child in the working-class family of Nikolai Kosygin, a native of the peasants of the Moscow province. When answering Mr. Nichols’s questions, I could tell you a little about my ancestors: they plowed other people’s land, worked in other people’s factories. My father was a turner at, after the revolution, named after Karl Marx. Grandfather is from the village of Amereva near Moscow. From there, from Kolomna district, many moved to St. Petersburg. There, in the capital of the empire, one of the districts was even called New Kolomna. Alyosha lost his mother, the beautiful Matrona, when he was less than three years old. Three children, two brothers and a sick sister, were left with their monogamous father. He raised his children himself.
* * *
After graduating from a cooperative technical school, Kosygin worked in Siberia for six years: Novosibirsk, Kirensk - an ancient Russian city on the Lena River, Novosibirsk again. Then the Leningrad Textile Institute. Kosygin combines his last year at the institute with work at the Zhelyabov textile factory. Soon he heads the shift at the Oktyabrskaya Weaving and Spinning Factory...
* * *
Alexey Nikolaevich did not forget his hometown, his institute in any positions. ...In the summer of 1969, during the examination session, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR unexpectedly appeared in Tekstilny, without any calls or warnings. They offered to show him around the institute, but Kosygin politely replied that he did not need guides within these walls; he could guide anyone himself. Alexey Nikolaevich looked into the departments, into the audience, and went to the balcony of the large assembly hall. And here I gasped - below there were rows of cots, like in a barracks. This is how the correspondence students were accommodated; there were no other places for them. Professors and teachers came up. They talked about the present and future of the institute, about the selection of applicants - as early as possible, Kosygin noted, about expanding the information base. Taking another look at the “barracks,” Alexey Nikolaevich promised to submit for consideration to the Presidium of the Council of Ministers the issue of building a dormitory, a laboratory building, and a new building for a technical school of light industry. Journalists from the institute's circulation prepared information about this meeting, but censorship did not let it through - only TASS, they say, has the right to write about the visits of members of the Politburo, and TASS did not know that Kosygin visited his native institute during his vacation.
- So what about the promises? — I asked Viktor Romanov, rector of the State University of Technology and Design (as Textile University is now called), although I knew that Kosygin’s word was always followed by action.
“Even today we manage without campus dormitories,” answered Viktor Yegorovich. - Kosyginskoe helps out.
Viktor Romanov is one of those half a million Leningraders who were evacuated from the city with the direct participation of Kosygin in the spring and summer of 1942. This is in his memory forever.
“We were evacuated at the end of August - beginning of September of '42 across Lake Ladoga. Mom, me and my sister... I was five years old. We were transported at the bottom of a barge, from where we could only see the sky.
* * *
...July forty-three. The height of the fighting on the Oryol-Kursk Bulge. Gosplan divides every ton of metal. July 24 Kosygin signs a letter to the State Planning Committee:
“To Comrade Voznesensky N.A. I ask you to take into account when drawing up a plan for the distribution of metal for the third quarter of this year. d. allocation to the People's Commissariat of Industry of the RSFSR 6 tons of stitching wire for student notebooks.”
And he adds by hand: “I. Tevosyan agrees.” Ivan Fedorovich Tevosyan, People's Commissar of Ferrous Metallurgy, understood Kosygin at a glance: “Of course, we will help the schools.” Kosygin many times, carrying out orders from Stalin and the State Defense Committee (GKO), flew to besieged Leningrad. Only one detail from the January days of 1942, noticed by Kosygin’s companion, Anatoly Sergeevich Boldyrev. Along the cold street, two boys were pulling a sled on which their brother or neighbor was lying. A typical picture for those days. This is how the dead were transported throughout the city. Something made Kosygin stop at this sad procession and ask who they were taking to bury. The guys had not yet had time to answer when Alexey Nikolaevich noticed that the boy lying on the sled had trembled his eyelid. Maybe in these last moments of the life leaving him, through oblivion, he heard a voice similar to his father’s? Alexey Nikolaevich took the child in his arms, and he began to come to his senses. Kosygin ordered that the boy be warmed, fed, and then evacuated from Leningrad. This episode seems to me symbolic and characteristic of Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin. In his mind, a person was never a “cog”, like Stalin, or a guinea pig, like shock therapy surgeons. There is a classic expression: the dead open their eyes to the living. Yes, this truth has been confirmed more than once, but, truly, it is more valuable when the living open the eyes of the dead, returning them to life, as happened on the frost-bound street of besieged Leningrad. And in other circumstances, albeit not so tragic, Kosygin always came to the aid of people, work collectives, and industries. Figuratively speaking, he tried to open the eyes of the Soviet economy, and did everything he could for this.
* * *
The name of Kosygin is associated with the economic reform of the 60s, which was never allowed to unfold. He himself was actively fulfilling his LESSON (one of his favorite words), but his comrades in the Politburo wanted a quiet life. A remarkable example was given in one of our conversations by Anatoly Ivanovich Lukyanov, now a State Duma deputy. — Kosygin constantly felt resistance from, let’s say, the Dnepropetrovsk group. I saw these clashes at the Politburo. Most often they arose in relations with Podgorny, Kirilenko, and much less often with Suslov. And Brezhnev seemed to step aside. Kirilenko was especially active, claiming to know production well, but he was a peculiar polymath. Once, speaking out against what Kosygin was saying, Kirilenko literally said this:
“You want to drive our living Soviet reality, our economy, into the Proskurovo Lodge.”
Kosygin was silent for a moment, and then said:
“Poor Procrustes, he did not know his exact name and the basics of planned farming.”
And he went on to report further. Just as calm and reserved. One can assume that this is not his only rebuke to gross ignorance, which Chekhov, in one of his letters to Suvorin, called the mother of all Russian evils.
* * *
— Your father, Jermen Mikhailovich, knew Kosygin for three decades. What did he consider the most important thing in the character of Alexei Nikolaevich? — we continue our dialogue with Tatyana Dzhermenovna. “According to my father, Kosygin never adapted to anyone. He remained, above all, an honest and conscientious specialist, responsible for the assigned work. This word is very precise - honesty - in Kosygin’s description. It was not declared, not put on display, but was the essence of this man throughout all the years of his life. Following Turgenev (from correspondence with Herzen), he could repeat: “... it is impossible without honesty, like without bread.” Undoubtedly, Alexey Nikolaevich shared this attitude to life.
* * *
The last entry in Kosygin’s work book: “10/23/1980. Relieved of his duties as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR at his request.” The pages where entries about awards are made remain blank. I was too lazy to enter his military and labor awards! ...In Arkhangelskoye, next to the palaces that world culture is proud of, Tatyana Dzhermenovna showed me a three-story school that bears the name of Kosygin. In its place was a wreck. — Alexey Nikolaevich, walking to the car, more than once looked critically at the center of education: “How can children be taught here?” And one day I made a decision: to build a new school in the village of Arkhangelskoye. Such “records” remain in people’s memory forever. How many are there in the work book of Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin? Even the most meticulous experts will not answer this question. Because his name is associated not only with the construction of new schools, universities, plants and factories, but also with the formation of the largest systems - the oil and gas production complex of Western Siberia, the Kansk-Achinsk fuel and energy complex, pipeline transport and many, many other objects of the country's economy, which was called Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
By the way
In the popular series “The Life of Remarkable People” by the publishing house “Young Guard”, the book “Kosygin” by writer Viktor Andriyanov will be published in the coming days. Its presentation will take place in early September at the Moscow International Book Fair.
Personal life of Alexey Nikolaevich
Is Kosygin really the son of Nicholas 2, who managed to survive in 1918? The controversy surrounding the remains of the royal family has not subsided since their discovery in the seventies. In this regard, there is also an increased interest in the personality of Alexei Nikolaevich, a party leader who served as head of the government of the Soviet state for sixteen years and enjoyed the exceptional trust of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin himself.
Alexey Kosygin, the son of a simple Soviet worker, reached incredible heights. This is quite possible, given the peculiarities of the time when he built his career. Little is known about Alexei Nikolaevich’s parents, but the same cannot be said about his future life, including his personal life. Kosygin was married to Klavdiya Andreevna (born in 1908). As stated earlier, she was a relative of another statesman, Alexei Kuznetsov.
Alexey Nikolaevich and his wife lived together for forty years. They got married in Novosibirsk. They said that Claudia’s father was the manager of wine (or beer, if you refer to other data) enterprises, so marriage with a young Leningrader would have saved the family from troubles with the Soviet regime. Alexey Kosygin was also a prominent groom and earned enough money. He doted on his wife.
Children appeared in the family of Alexei Kosygin very soon. Daughter Lyudmila was born on November 4, 1928. Thus, the only daughter of Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin (son of Nicholas 2) may be the heiress of the Romanovs.
The meaning of Alexei Nikolaevich’s life was work, but when Klavdia Andreevna fell ill, he took it hard. When she was diagnosed with advanced cancer, one of the best surgeons operated on the wife of a party leader, but nothing could be done. Klavdia Andreevna died on May 1, 1967. At this time, Alexei Kosygin stood on the podium, saluting the columns of Soviet citizens who carried his portraits.
After the death of Claudia, Alexey Nikolaevich insisted that the money from the subbotniks be transferred to the construction of the Oncological Research Center. Later, a cardiology center was built in Moscow. Alexey Nikolaevich erected such a monument to his wife. Now Kosygin’s daughter went with him on business trips abroad and became the mistress of the house of the chairman of the government.
Lyudmila Alekseevna became the wife of Jermen Gvishiani. The young man was charming and sociable, he played several musical instruments well and often organized many sports games for the family. Germain was the son of a famous security officer, former security chief Leonty Beria. He himself came up with a name for the child, combining the surnames of Dzerzhinsky and Menzhinsky, whom he deeply respected.
After the execution of Beria, Father Gvishiani was transferred to the reserve. He was stripped of his rank. They said that it was Alexey Kosygin who saved him from big troubles. The former state security general returned to Tbilisi. He worked in the State Committee under the leadership of his son.
Jermain Gvishiani's career has been very successful. He became deputy chairman of the committee on science and technology. The chairman of the committee was a person close to Kosygin. The statesman's son-in-law did excellent field work and always had money.
Kosygin’s daughter Lyudmila (like Galina Leonidovna Brezhneva) was first assigned to one of the departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then appointed director of the Library of Foreign Literature. The daughter of Alexei Nikolaevich behaved very carefully and prudently, and was by nature a rather reserved person. Perhaps this is what helped her achieve success in her career. Lyudmila Alekseevna Kosygina died in 1990.
The grandchildren of Alexey Kosygin are Tatyana and Alexey. Alexey is a scientist (geoinformatician), academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, director of the Geophysical Center. He is married, has a daughter, Ekaterina, who works as the head of the Ekaterina Foundation, and is an economist and mathematician by training.
Today is A.N.’s 115th birthday. Kosygin. Or Tsarevich Alexei?
Today is the 115th anniversary of the birth of the brightest and longest-serving Soviet prime minister, Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin, who served in this position for 16 years. In terms of style and effectiveness of his work, he is compared to Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin. And there is an interesting explanation for this: Alexey Nikolaevich is the heir to the throne of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II . In recent years, the execution of the royal family in July 1918 has been called into question. This is also facilitated by the absence in Kosygin’s biography of information about his childhood years, his mother - there are practically no photographs of this period, although it is officially believed that he was born into the family of Nikolai Kosygin, a turner at the Petrograd Mechanical Plant Lessner, whose family lived in prosperity. Only the date of birth differs - for the Tsarevich it was on August 12, 1904, and for Tokarev’s son it was on February 21 of the same year. At any stage of his career, Kosygin differed from his colleagues of proletarian origin in his modesty, good manners and education.
Below I give several reasons in favor of this interesting hypothesis.
This is Tsarevich Alexey Nikolaevich Romanov
Kosygin - son of Nicholas II
The conspiracy theory has long been known that Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin is the son of Nicholas II, the last Russian autocrat. Could any of the Romanovs survive?
The Investigative Committee of Russia recently resumed its investigation into the death of the royal family. As part of the case, a new examination of the remains and the study of archival materials began. Is there any reason to assume that the remains of the royal family are not buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral? Such rumors have been circulating since the mid-eighties. Even then they said that Alexey Kosygin was the son of Nicholas II.
A comparative analysis of the ears of Nicholas II and A. Kosygin showed that they are very similar. The fact is that the shape of the ear is individual for each person, and in close relatives they can be almost identical. A comparison of Alexei Nikolaevich and Tsarevich Alexei (from children's photos) showed that the distance from the eyelids to the eyebrows, the shape of the eyes, the distance from the upper lip to the nose and to the chin are the same.
There are no photographs of Alexey Nikolaevich Kosygin as a child or teenager. There is also very little information about his life before he began his studies and political career. Historians find a lot of mysterious moments in the biography of the Soviet leader. He was the youngest party leader in history to be appointed to the post of minister. Many say that Kosygin had influential patrons. Among them was Stalin himself. So could Kosygin turn out to be Tsarevich Alexei, who managed to avoid execution?
In a narrow circle, Stalin called Kosygin “Tsarevich.” But what was the point of saving the royal family? What confirms the guess that Alexey Nikolaevich Kosygin is the son of Nicholas II? There is information that Joseph Vissarionovich and Nicholas II were cousins on their fathers, that is, Alexey Nikolaevich was a distant relative of him. Stalin valued him and promoted him as his second cousin.
Supporters of the theory that Alexey Nikolaevich Kosygin is the son of the last Russian emperor cite as an example the story of the organization of the “Road of Life” through Ladoga. During the blockade, according to his design, a road was built on the ice of the lake. Kosygin had very little time to implement the project. It was necessary to repair the railway line and assemble vehicles to transport people. It was necessary to know this area very well.
A native Petersburger could cope with this, and Tsarevich Alexei was definitely up to the task. In 1914, the Romanov family took a long cruise along Ladoga. The heir had many opportunities to explore the shores of the lake. “The Road of Life” became Kosygin’s main project. In the strictest secrecy, he evacuated the unique collection of the Hermitage. Who else but the heir to the House of Romanov could be entrusted with this task?
Alexey Kosygin - son of Nicholas II? What else confirms the theory? Alexey Nikolaevich was successful not only in economics, but also in international politics. It was he who went to meet with Elizabeth II, although according to his status this visit should have been made by Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev. According to the recollections of witnesses, the impression was created that people of the same position were communicating. Kosygin never studied diplomacy, but always remained at the forefront of Soviet international politics. Heads of government, kings, presidents and sheikhs met with him equally cordially.
None of the open sources indicate that Alexei Nikolaevich suffered from hemophilia, although it is known that this illness undermined the health of Tsarevich Alexei. The medical records of Soviet party leaders were hidden from the general public.
There is also surprising evidence that Grigory Rasputin still managed to cure the heir to the imperial family. There is a photo showing Emperor Nicholas II with his son in Tobolsk, where they arrived in early 1917. The image shows a young man working with a saw. His father would not have allowed him to pick up an instrument if any cut could threaten the crown prince with death.
Personal life of Alexey Nikolaevich
Is Kosygin really the son of Nicholas 2, who managed to survive in 1918? The controversy surrounding the remains of the royal family has not subsided since their discovery in the seventies. In this regard, there is also an increased interest in the personality of Alexei Nikolaevich, a party leader who served as head of the government of the Soviet state for sixteen years and enjoyed the exceptional trust of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin himself.
Alexey Kosygin, the son of a simple Soviet worker, reached incredible heights. This is quite possible, given the peculiarities of the time when he built his career. Little is known about Alexei Nikolaevich’s parents, but the same cannot be said about his future life, including his personal life. Kosygin was married to Klavdiya Andreevna (born in 1908). As stated earlier, she was a relative of another statesman, Alexei Kuznetsov.
Alexey Nikolaevich and his wife lived together for forty years. They got married in Novosibirsk. They said that Claudia’s father was the manager of wine (or beer, if you refer to other data) enterprises, so marriage with a young Leningrader would have saved the family from troubles with the Soviet regime. Alexey Kosygin was also a prominent groom and earned enough money. He doted on his wife.
Children appeared in the family of Alexei Kosygin very soon. Daughter Lyudmila was born on November 4, 1928. Thus, the only daughter of Alexei Nikolaevich Kosygin (son of Nicholas 2) may be the heiress of the Romanovs.
The meaning of Alexei Nikolaevich’s life was work, but when Klavdia Andreevna fell ill, he took it hard. When she was diagnosed with advanced cancer, one of the best surgeons operated on the wife of a party leader, but nothing could be done. Klavdia Andreevna died on May 1, 1967. At this time, Alexei Kosygin stood on the podium, saluting the columns of Soviet citizens who carried his portraits.
After the death of Claudia, Alexey Nikolaevich insisted that the money from the subbotniks be transferred to the construction of the Oncological Research Center. Later, a cardiology center was built in Moscow. Alexey Nikolaevich erected such a monument to his wife. Now Kosygin’s daughter went with him on business trips abroad and became the mistress of the house of the chairman of the government.
Lyudmila Alekseevna became the wife of Jermen Gvishiani. The young man was charming and sociable, he played several musical instruments well and often organized many sports games for the family. Germain was the son of a famous security officer, former security chief Leonty Beria. He himself came up with a name for the child, combining the surnames of Dzerzhinsky and Menzhinsky, whom he deeply respected.
After the execution of Beria, Father Gvishiani was transferred to the reserve. He was stripped of his rank. They said that it was Alexey Kosygin who saved him from big troubles. The former state security general returned to Tbilisi. He worked in the State Committee under the leadership of his son.
Jermain Gvishiani's career has been very successful. He became deputy chairman of the committee on science and technology. The chairman of the committee was a person close to Kosygin. The statesman's son-in-law did excellent field work and always had money.
Kosygin’s daughter Lyudmila (like Galina Leonidovna Brezhneva) was first assigned to one of the departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and then appointed director of the Library of Foreign Literature. The daughter of Alexei Nikolaevich behaved very carefully and prudently, and was by nature a rather reserved person. Perhaps this is what helped her achieve success in her career. Lyudmila Alekseevna Kosygina died in 1990.
The grandchildren of Alexey Kosygin are Tatyana and Alexey. Alexey is a scientist (geoinformatician), academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, director of the Geophysical Center. He is married, has a daughter, Ekaterina, who works as the head of the Ekaterina Foundation, and is an economist and mathematician by training.
Death of A. Kosygin
In August 1976, Alexey Nikolaevich lost consciousness while kayaking. He capsized along with the boat and ended up under water. Kosygin was saved from drowning by the fact that his legs were attached to the kayak. The guard pulled the official out along with the boat. He was taken unconscious to a military hospital. He suffered a hemorrhage in the membranes of the brain. The doctor managed to save Alexey Kosygin (see the article for the photo with his wife).
In October 1979, Kosygin was admitted to a hospital on Michurinsky Prospekt with a massive heart attack. In fact, he could no longer work, but did not want to admit it and retire. Still, in October 1980 he had to resign. Alexey Nikolaevich then sent a letter to the Politburo, in which he recommended to his comrades to renew personnel and promote young people to high positions. The final text, which was read to the government, contained only gratitude.
Alexey Nikolaevich Kosygin was very ill. He lived only two months. On December 18, 1980, he passed away. On the nineteenth, Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev celebrated his birthday, so the announcement of Kosygin’s death and his funeral were postponed for several days.
Death of A. Kosygin
In August 1976, Alexey Nikolaevich lost consciousness while kayaking. He capsized along with the boat and ended up under water. Kosygin was saved from drowning by the fact that his legs were attached to the kayak. The guard pulled the official out along with the boat. He was taken unconscious to a military hospital. He suffered a hemorrhage in the membranes of the brain. The doctor managed to save Alexey Kosygin (see the article for the photo with his wife).
In October 1979, Kosygin was admitted to a hospital on Michurinsky Prospekt with a massive heart attack. In fact, he could no longer work, but did not want to admit it and retire. Still, in October 1980 he had to resign. Alexey Nikolaevich then sent a letter to the Politburo, in which he recommended to his comrades to renew personnel and promote young people to high positions. The final text, which was read to the government, contained only gratitude.
Alexey Nikolaevich Kosygin was very ill. He lived only two months. On December 18, 1980, he passed away. On the nineteenth, Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev celebrated his birthday, so the announcement of Kosygin’s death and his funeral were postponed for several days.
Personal life
This man was surprisingly unpretentious and modest. And also deeply decent. Having vacated his post, the former VIP official left the state dacha a week later and went to his rather modest apartment, taking only personal belongings and books. He never got his own country house.
He did not acquire countless riches, although he could have. For example, during visits to different countries he was often given gifts. If he agreed to take them, he immediately handed them over to the State Repository or a sponsored school. For example, in Arab countries, prominent Soviet officials were more than once presented with swords and sabers decorated with diamonds and other precious stones. But Kosygin never kept the gift for himself.
Alexey Kosygin with his wife and daughter
The personal life of Alexei Kosygin is his only wife, Claudia Andreevna Krivosheina. They say that Stalin himself respected this woman. She never felt constrained in his company.
In 1968, Alexey Nikolaevich became a widower: his beloved wife died on May 1, when he stood on the podium of the Mausoleum. Klavdia Andreevna herself sent her husband, who spent the night in her room, to Red Square, understanding the importance of his presence at the event.
Alexey Kosygin and Lyudmila Zykina
He never married again. And the alleged affair with Lyudmila Zykina turned out to be just idle gossip. Later, in an interview, Kosygin’s driver said that his boss took the shirt donated by his deceased wife with him on all his business trips as a talisman.
In the happy marriage of Kosygin and Krivosheina, a daughter was born, Lyudmila, who later became the director of the Library of Foreign Literature and gave her parents two grandchildren - Tatyana and Alexei Gvishiani. Today Alexey Dzhermenovich Gvishiani is a famous geoinformatics scientist, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and director of the Geophysical Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
