VOROSHILOV, KLIMENT EFREMOVICH(1881-1969), leader of the revolutionary movement, military and state leader, Marshal Soviet Union (1935), twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1956, 1968), Hero of Socialist Labor (1960). Born January 23 (February 4) 1881 in the village of Verkhnee, Yekaterinoslavskaya province, in the family of a railway watchman. From childhood he worked, graduated from two classes of a zemstvo school. From 1896 he worked at Yuryevsky metallurgical plant, from 1902 - in Lugansk. In 1903 he joined the RSDLP, a Bolshevik. In 1905, chairman of the Lugansk Council of Workers' Deputies, a delegate to the Stockholm and London Congresses of the RSDLP. He was arrested several times, was exiled to the Arkhangelsk province, and fled from exile. In 1908-1917, he led party work in Baku, St. Petersburg, Tsaritsyn, was arrested again, served exile in the Arkhangelsk province and Cherdyn region. Since March 1917, the chairman of the Lugansk council, the city duma, the city committee of the Bolsheviks. Since November 1917, he was the commissar of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee for City Administration, participated in the creation of the Cheka and directed the first arrests in the city. Since January 1918, the chairman of the Cheka for the protection of Petrograd.
In March 1918 Voroshilov became the commander of the 1st Lugansk Socialist Detachment. From April 1918 - organizer and commander of the 5th Ukrainian army, which withdrew under the pressure of the White Guards to Tsaritsyn. In July - early August 1918 he commanded a group of troops in the defense of Tsaritsyn, where he met and became close to J.V. Stalin. In August-September 1918, a member of the Military Council of the North Caucasian Military District, in September-October 1918, a member of the Revolutionary Military Council and assistant commander of the Southern Front. In October - December 1918, commander of the 10th Army.
From January 1919 - People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Organized a punitive operation to eliminate the detachments of Ataman Grigoriev. In March 1919, at the VIII Congress of the RCP (b), Voroshilov became an active participant in the so-called "military opposition", which opposed the course of the then People's Commissar on military and maritime affairs and the chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the republic, LD Trotsky, on the creation of a regular army and demanded to expel all military experts from the army, to build the Red Army exclusively on a militia basis, subject to "revolutionary discipline." In June-July 1919 he commanded the 14th Army and the Ukrainian internal front, which operated against Ukrainian nationalist detachments. Together with S.M. Budyonny, he was among the main organizers of the 1st Cavalry Army (November 1919) and became a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the army. In this post remained the entire last period of the Civil War - until May 1921. He was awarded three Orders of the Red Banner and an honorary revolutionary weapon. During the hostilities, he did not show the talent of a commander, he was distinguished by distrust of military experts. During the war with the Poles, he supported the command Southwestern Front (A.I. Egorov, Stalin), who refused to timely fulfill the directive of Moscow on the transfer of the 1st Cavalry Army to the operational subordination of the commander of the Western Front M.N. Tukhachevsky.
At the head of a group of delegates to the X Congress of the RCP (b) in 1921 he participated in the suppression of the Kronstadt uprising. From 1921 he became a member of the Central Committee of the RCP (b). In 1921-1924 he was a member of the South-Eastern Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), commander of the North Caucasian Military District. Supervised the destruction of the rebels in the Caucasus. Since 1924, commander of the troops of the Moscow Military District and a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. In June 1924 - December 1925 he was a member of the Organizing Bureau of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b). In the internal party struggle, he always spoke from the positions of the party majority, supported Stalin.
After the death of MV Frunze, Stalin's choice settled on Voroshilov - on November 6, 1925, he was appointed People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs of the USSR and chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. Since 1926, a member of the Politburo (since 1952 - the Presidium) of the Party Central Committee. Voroshilov justified the hopes of his friend and patron. In the struggle against the Trotskyite, Zinoviev-Kamenev, united Trotsky-Zinoviev, and then the right opposition, he always supported Stalin's position, advocated the policy of intensified industrialization of the national economy and the complete collectivization of the countryside, and other initiatives of the leader.
Voroshilov became the most famous commander of the Civil War (especially after 1937-1938, when most of the war heroes were shot), songs were composed in his honor, collective farms, factories, ships, etc. were named in his honor. Soviet propaganda strenuously inflated the merits of Voroshilov, calling him "the first marshal." In 1932, the Central Council of Osoaviakhim established the honorary title and badge "Voroshilovsky shooter" for those who fulfilled the standards for rifle shooting, the famous heavy tank "KV" was named after his initials.
In the late 1920s - early 1930s, he was the head of the Politburo commission of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) to direct the activities of the Bolshoi Theater, was known as a famous theater-goer and patron of ballet.
He made a significant contribution to the recognition of Stalin's military merits by releasing works Stalin and the Red Army (1929), Stalin and the construction of the Red Army (1939).
Voroshilov was a supporter of the campaign of repression in the country. He supported the accusations against the higher commanding staff of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA), who participated in the "military-fascist conspiracy" (the case of M.N. Tukhachevsky, I.E. Yakir, I.P. Uborevich and others). At an expanded meeting of the military council at the People's Commissariat of Defense held from June 1 to June 4, 1937, with the participation of members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), he made a report in which he stated that “the organs of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs disclosed in the army a long-existing and wielding impunity, strictly conspiratorial, counter-revolutionary fascist an organization headed by people who were at the head of the army. "
In August 1939, Voroshilov led the Soviet delegation to the unsuccessful negotiations with France and Great Britain on joint actions against Germany. After losses and unsuccessful actions of the Red Army during soviet-Finnish war In the winter of 1939-1940, it became clear that Voroshilov would not be able to competently lead the armed forces in the new conditions of war. Therefore, on May 7, 1940, Stalin removed him from the post of People's Commissar of Defense and made him deputy chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and chairman of the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR (he remained in this post until May 1941). He was tasked with overseeing the defense industries.
During the Great Patriotic War He was a member of the State Defense Committee and the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command. On July 10, 1941, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the troops of the North-Western direction, but on August 31, showing complete inability to lead troops in modern warfare, he was removed from command. In September 1941 he was sent to Leningrad as the front commander, where he could not stop the German offensive. Being a brave man, he personally tried to lead the troops into the attack, but this, of course, was not enough for successful hostilities. Stalin recalled Voroshilov and replaced him with G.K. Zhukov. In September - November 1942 he held the formal post of commander-in-chief partisan movement... In January 1943, he coordinated the actions of the troops of the Leningrad and Volkhov fronts in breaking the blockade of Leningrad. In 1943 he accompanied Stalin to the Tehran conference. In December 1943 he was sent to a separate Primorsky army to participate in the development of an operation plan for the liberation of Crimea and the organization of interaction ground forces with the fleet.
1945-1947 Chairman of the Allied Control Commission in Hungary. Since 1946, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. Due to unsuccessful actions during the war, he was actually barred from making important political decisions. At the 19th Party Congress, the leader criticized Voroshilov along with other old members of the Politburo.
After Stalin's death in March 1953, he was appointed to the honorary position of chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, thus becoming the official head of state. In 1956-1957, on the basis of rejection of the political course of NS Khrushchev, he became close to the "anti-party group" of GM Malenkov, LM Kaganovich and VM Molotov. He supported them at a meeting of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee, when most of its members demanded the removal of Khrushchev. However, when the defeat of the "group" became obvious at the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU in June 1957, Voroshilov repented in his speech, admitted his mistake and condemned the factionalists. Khrushchev and his entourage decided not to touch Voroshilov as a popular hero of the Civil War. This saved him for a while, and he retained his posts. In May 1960 "for health reasons" he was dismissed from the post of chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, in July he was removed from the Presidium of the Central Committee, and in October 1961 he was no longer elected a member of the Central Committee of the CPSU. However, he was left as a member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. In 1961 Voroshilov turned to the XXII Congress of the CPSU with a letter in which he once again admitted mistakes. After Leonid Brezhnev came to power, he again became a member of the Central Committee of the CPSU.
In the 1930s, many cities and towns were named after Voroshilov, including Ussuriysk (in 1935-1957 - Voroshilov), Lugansk (in 1935-1958 - Voroshilovgrad), Stavropol (in 1935-1943 - Voroshilovsk), Kommunarsk ( in 1931-1961 - Voroshilovsk). After Voroshilov's death, Lugansk in 1970 was again given the name Voroshilovgrad (from 1991 - again Lugansk).
Our beloved country is great and immense. It is captivating with the beauty of endless seas, wide steppes, flowering meadows, and mighty forests. Unforgettable greatest feats their people. Labor, combat, in the fields of science, culture, art ... Many "nuggets" were given to the world by the Russian land. Many sons glorified her
We have reached from the shores of the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean without destroying a single people on our way. We carried with us the spirit of peace and enlightenment. We have always extended a helping hand to our neighbors, relieving them of foreign oppression. We have broken the back of fascism. We were the first to fly into space.
We are proud of our glorious ancestors. This is our story.
There were also "dark" times in our history. There were troubles and misfortunes. There were such falls when it seemed that Russia would no longer rise from its knees. But faith in oneself and love for the Motherland did their job. Russia, like the Phoenix bird, was reborn each time from the ashes with its head held high.
Our past is a part of ourselves, of our identity. That is why we keep our history and protect from outside encroachments. This is our memory and heritage.
ROOIVS "Rusichi" brings to your attention an excerpt from the chapter "Red Marshal Voroshilov" of the book of the author of works on the history of RA Medvedev "Stalin's inner circle. Companions of the leader", dedicated to Voroshilov Kliment Efremovich
Difficult childhood
KE Voroshilov was born on February 4, 1881 in the family of a retired soldier, a railroad watchman, Efrem Voroshilov. Klim's mother - Maria Vasilievna - worked as a cook and a laundress. It was a poor family, where everyone was illiterate, including little Klim, who at the age of ten had to work as a caretaker, and at eleven - an auxiliary worker at a mine near Lugansk, one of the industrial centers of the Donetsk basin. Soon, his mother took him away from the hard work in the mine, and he was able to visit the Zemskaya for two seasons. primary school... At the age of fifteen, Voroshilov began working at a metallurgical plant in the city of Alchevsk, first as a courier, then as an assistant driver at a water pumping station, a mechanic in an electrical workshop, a crane driver in an iron foundry. Here, in Alchevsk, seventeen-year-old Klim joined the Social Democratic circle and read the "Manifesto of the Communist Party" by Marx and Engels. He took part in the first strike, was arrested, fired from his job, and then wandered around the southern provinces of Russia for three years, making odd jobs.
In 1903 Voroshilov returned to Donbass and got a job in Lugansk at the Hartmann steam locomotive plant. In Lugansk in the same year, a city social democratic organization was created, which Voroshilov also joined. He joined the Bolshevik faction and soon became a member of its city committee.
Professional revolutionary
The revolutionary events of 1905 shook the workers of Donbass. In Lugansk, Voroshilov headed not only the city Bolshevik committee, but also the Soviet of Workers' Deputies. Strikes and demonstrations of the Luhansk workers took place under his leadership. In the summer of 1905, Voroshilov was arrested, but soon he was released on bail at the request of a demonstration of many thousands.
At the beginning of 1906, Voroshilov was elected from the Luhansk Social Democrats as a delegate to the IV Congress of the RSDLP. There he first met Lenin. He also met and became friends with Stalin, who was known in party circles under the name Koba, and also under the party pseudonym Ivanovich. Voroshilov had a party pseudonym Volodya or Volodin. Voroshilov combined participation in the Stockholm Congress with the purchase of weapons for the combat groups of the Luhansk workers. He organized several transports of weapons from Finland. With Voroshilov's help, an underground printing house was organized in Lugansk, and the local Bolshevik newspaper Donetskiy Kolokol began to appear under his editorship.
In 1907 Voroshilov came to London to participate in the 5th Congress of the RSDLP. At the party congresses, he met many famous Bolsheviks of that era, but became especially close to MV Frunze and MI Kalinin. In 1907, Voroshilov met with Ekaterina Davydovna Gorbman, who soon became his wife.
The revolution of 1905-1907 ended in defeat. The Lugansk organization of the Bolsheviks was also defeated. Voroshilov was arrested again and exiled to the Arkhangelsk province. He fled from exile to the south, to Baku, where in 1908 he worked with Stalin as part of the Baku Bolshevik Committee. In the same year he returned to St. Petersburg and was arrested again. Until 1912, Voroshilov visited many prisons and distant settlements of the Arkhangelsk exile. Having freed himself, he returned to Donbass, where he resumed his activities among the workers. But he was again captured and sent into exile in Perm, from which he was released a year later under an amnesty on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the royal house of the Romanovs.
It was dangerous for Voroshilov to stay in the Donbass, and he got a job as a worker at a gun factory in Tsaritsyn.
Started world War.
Many Bolsheviks did not shy away from being drafted into the army, they went to the front to conduct Bolshevik agitation there and prepare the army for participation in the revolution. But Voroshilov decided to avoid mobilization. Therefore, he and his family left Tsaritsyn and after a while settled in Petrograd, where he began to work in a small factory and established contact with the illegal city committee of the Bolsheviks. Here, in Petrograd, Voroshilov was caught by the February Revolution.
Year of new revolutions
On the decisive days of February, Voroshilov is in the midst of workers' demonstrations. At the beginning of 1917, he established contact with some of the soldiers of the Izmailovsky regiment. Now he has gained influence in the garrison. From the soldiers of the Izmailovsky regiment, Voroshilov was elected to the first composition of the Petrograd Soviet. However, he is called to Luhansk, and with the consent of the party leadership, he again goes to Donbass, where he is elected chairman of the city party committee.
The February revolution gave freedom to all political parties and groups in Russia. Along with various nationalist organizations, 15 different parties operated in Luhansk alone. However, the Bolsheviks became the most powerful revolutionary organization here. By the end of July, the Luhansk organization of the Bolsheviks already included more than 2,500 people. On behalf of Luhansk, Voroshilov also participated in the VI Congress of the Party, which set a course for an armed uprising. But in Luhansk, the matter went without an uprising. Already in August, the Bolsheviks won here elections to the city duma, of which Voroshilov was elected chairman. During the days of the Kornilov revolt in Lugansk, several units of the Red Guard were created. And in September, at the re-elections of the Soviets, the Bolsheviks received two-thirds of all mandates. Voroshilov added the post of chairman of the Council to his post as mayor. Not only in fact, but also formally, the Bolshevik organization of Lugansk took power in the city into its own hands. Voroshilov did not go to the 2nd All-Russian Congress Soviets, he had too much to do in the city. Two Bolsheviks were present from Luhansk at the congress. However, it was Voroshilov who was elected in absentia at this Congress of Soviets as a member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.
Only in November 1917, Voroshilov, a delegate to the Constituent Assembly, left for Petrograd. He took part in the work of the 3rd Congress of Soviets and was again elected to the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. Together with Dzerzhinsky, he was organizing the Cheka. His stay in the capital was delayed due to the need to fulfill many orders of the Central Committee, as well as the SNK of the RSFSR. In one of the resolutions of the Council of People's Commissars, for example, it was written: “Instruct comrade. Voroshilov liquidation of the former Petrograd City Administration according to the plan of Comrade. Dzerzhinsky and the organization of a special body to maintain peace and order in Petrograd ... "
At the head of the 5th Ukrainian army
In February 1918, after the breakdown of peace negotiations and the end of the armistice, German troops launched an offensive to the east. It was suspended after the signing of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty between the RSFSR and Germany. However, in Ukraine, German troops, in agreement with the so-called Central Rada, continued to advance and occupied Kiev. Soviet detachments fought back under pressure german divisions... In the cities of Donbass, working detachments were created, armored trains were equipped. In Lugansk, under the leadership of Voroshilov, the 1st Lugansk socialist partisan detachment was formed, which took part in the battles near Kharkov. In the industrial regions of Ukraine, the Donetsk-Kryvyi Rih Republic was formed. In the course of the battles, individual detachments were united in hastily put together armies. One of the largest was the 5th Ukrainian Army, the command of which was entrusted to Voroshilov.
The Germans did not recognize the Donetsk Republic. Poorly armed Soviet troops were defeated and retreated. Voroshilov ordered his army to leave Lugansk and retreat to the RSFSR. However, in the Don region, through which Voroshilov's army was supposed to pass, Soviet power was overthrown. The Cossack government of General Krasnov entered into an agreement with the German command. This put the soldiers of the Red Army in a very difficult position. Already in the first battle at the station Likhaya, they were defeated and retreated to Belaya Kalitva. It was decided, however, not to abandon echelons, not to leave refugees, but to continue moving along the line railroad to Tsaritsyn. Voroshilov later recalled:
“Tens of thousands of demoralized, exhausted, ragged people and thousands of wagons with belongings of workers and their families had to be carried through the raging Cossack Don. For three whole months, surrounded on all sides by Generals Mamontov, Fitzkhelaurov, Denisov, and others, my troops fought their way, restoring the railway. canvas, demolished and burned for tens of miles, rebuilding bridges and erecting embankments and dams. Three months later, "Voroshilov's group of troops" made its way to Tsaritsyn ... "( encyclopedic Dictionary Garnet. 7th ed. T. 41. Part 1. Appendix. Stlb. 96.)
In battles near the city of Tsaritsyn
Participation in the defense of Tsaritsyn is undoubtedly the main episode in military biography Voroshilov. He brought several thousand fighters to Tsaritsyn, of whom they formed one of the front divisions. In addition, several more divisions were formed and individual brigades... All of them, by order of the RVS, were united into the 10th Army, at the head of which was put KE Voroshilov. E. A. Shchadenko became the political commissar of the army. The army also included the cavalry division of B. M. Dumenko, one of the brigades of this division was commanded by S. M. Budyonny. The general leadership of the defense of Tsaritsyn was taken over by Stalin, who had been there since the beginning of June 1918 as the head of the food business in southern Russia, vested with emergency rights. For many months at Tsaritsyn there were heavy battles with varying success, mainly with the Cossack regiments of General Krasnov. Voroshilov showed himself to be a brave commander. But rather it could be attributed to his personal bravery, rather than military talent. The Cossack magazine "Donskaya Volna" wrote in February 1919: "We must do justice to Voroshilov that if he is not a strategist in the generally accepted sense of the word, then in any case he cannot be denied the ability to stubbornly resist."
In those years, such harsh criticism of Voroshilov was not an isolated fact. Even earlier, A.E.Snesarev, military commander of the North Caucasian Military District and commander of the detachments defending Tsaritsyn, in his memo addressed to the Chairman of the Supreme Military Council, wrote:
“… T. Voroshilov, as a military commander, does not possess the necessary qualities. He is not sufficiently imbued with duty and does not adhere to the elementary rules of commanding troops "(Quoted from: V. Pariysky, G. Zhavoronkov Falling into disfavor ... // Soviet culture. 1989. Feb. 23).
Much more categorical was the opinion of the members of the revolutionary tribunal, which examined the circumstances of the surrender of Kharkov to Denikin's troops in the summer of 1919. The city was defended by units of the 14th Army, commanded by Voroshilov. The members of the tribunal concluded that the military knowledge of the army commander did not allow even the battalion to be entrusted to him. The revealed incompetence of Voroshilov was so great that it became a mitigating circumstance, and the tribunal limited itself only to his removal from office.
The White divisions failed to capture Tsaritsyn in 1918, and this greatly eased the general military situation of the Soviet Republic. The Red Army was just being created, and Voroshilov often had sharp conflicts with the Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic L. D. Trotsky. The actions of the 10th Army still bore a strong imprint of partisanship. In addition, Voroshilov for a long time refused to use military specialists from among the officers of the old army. Of course, in this case, Stalin stood behind Voroshilov, to whom he already obeyed almost unquestioningly. When Stalin left Tsaritsyn, Voroshilov was removed by Trotsky from command of the 10th Army. Ukraine at this time was already liberated from the German occupation, and Voroshilov was appointed People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian Soviet Republic. At the VIII Congress of the RCP (b) Voroshilov was one of the leaders of the so-called "military opposition", condemned by the majority of the congress. Speaking at the congress, Lenin said:
“… The old partisanship lives in us, and this sounds in all the speeches of Voroshilov and Goloshchekin. When Voroshilov spoke of the enormous merits of the Tsaritsyn army in the defense of Tsaritsyn, of course, Comrade. Voroshilov is absolutely right, such heroism is difficult to find in history ... But he himself, now speaking, Voroshilov cited facts that indicate that there were terrible traces of partisanism. This is an indisputable fact. Comrade Voroshilov says: we did not have any military specialists, and we had 60,000 casualties. This is awful ... The heroism of the Tsaritsyn army will enter the masses, but to say, we did without military specialists, is this really a defense of the party line ... Comrade is to blame. Voroshilov is that he does not want to give up this old partisanship.
... Maybe we would not have to give these 60,000 if there were specialists there, if there was a regular army ... "(Leninsky collection T. 37. S. 138, 139.)
At the head of the First Cavalry Army
The civil war in Ukraine was particularly fierce and complex, and Voroshilov was not able to work quietly in the Soviet government of Ukraine. He participated in battles with the detachments of the rebellious ataman Grigoriev, Makhno, then at the head of the 14th Army he defended Yekaterinoslav, commanded the internal Ukrainian front. Under the pressure of the troops of General Denikin, the Red Army had to leave most of Ukraine. After the formation of the First Horse, Voroshilov was appointed a member of the RVS of this army. Budyonny, Voroshilov and Shchadenko stood at the head of the First Horse in the fall of 1919, when she fought fierce battles with white cavalry divisions in Central Russia, and then pursued the retreating Denikin. The First Horse played an important role in the battles in the North Caucasus. The battles in Tavria and the Crimea against the troops of General Wrangel, and then against the detachments of Makhno and Petliura, completed the combat path of the First Horse. Voroshilov was sent from the party organization of this army to the 10th Party Congress. He was elected to the presidium of the congress and presided over some of its meetings. Together with a group of delegates to the congress he participated in the suppression of the Kronstadt rebellion in the spring of 1921. For this military operation Voroshilov was awarded the second Order of the Red Banner. With two orders on his chest, he appeared at a regular meeting of the party congress, for which he was awarded Lenin's sarcastic remarks. It was then considered bad form for party members to demonstrate their awards at business meetings or even at conventions. Voroshilov came to the next meeting in an embroidered Ukrainian shirt and without orders. At the X Congress of the party, Voroshilov was elected a member of the Central Committee of the RCP (b). The Central Committee in 1921 consisted of only 25 members and 15 candidates.
Unfortunately, already during the Civil War, both as a military commander and as a political worker, Voroshilov distinguished himself not only on the battlefields. He, Shchadenko and Budyonny were involved in the arrest, trial and execution of the then famous hero of the Civil War, organizer of the first cavalry units of the Red Army, "the first checker of the Republic" BM Dumenko. The false and even absurd testimonies of Voroshilov, Shchadenko, Budyonny, preserved in the Dumenko case, gave grounds for a hasty and unjust verdict. Here, for example, what Shchadenko said, referring to himself and Voroshilov: “... We tried Budyonny to suggest that maybe he did not understand Dumenko and that Dumenko was starting an adventure against Soviet power, talking about“ black clouds ”, then after that, Budyonny decided that, apparently, this is the way it is ... "In Budyonny's written testimony that" there was some discontent on the part of Dumenko towards political workers ... Orders were not always executed accurately by Dumenko ... ", Voroshilov put a" resolution ": he (Dumenko. - RM) is insignificant "(See: N. Starov. The First Draft of the Republic // Izvestia. 15 Aug. 1988). Ordzhonikidze and Tukhachevsky asked the hastily summoned Revolutionary Tribunal to refrain from arrest or from a harsh sentence. However, the organizers of the falsified "Dumenko case" were in a hurry, and immediately after the verdict was passed, he was shot.
We found in Voroshilov a propensity to exaggerate their achievements and to appropriate others' successes. For example, reporting on the fight against Grigoriev's rebellion, he wrote: "Under my personal leadership, the gangs were defeated ..." At the same time, they were told: "Our units are worthless, and the command staff should be hanged to a man."
In reality, the commanders of the directions P.V. Yegorov and P.E.Dybenko made a very significant contribution to the defeat of the Grigorievshchina. The commander of the Ukrainian front, VA Antonov-Ovseenko, who was entrusted with command of all the armed forces of Ukraine, rejecting Voroshilov's claims, wrote: “Voroshilov was the commander in a certain sector of the internal front. At first he had big failures on it, corrected by successes in other areas, where he was not in command ... He can only attribute the success of the fight against Grigoriev to himself because of a big misunderstanding. Then - the reports of his headquarters about the defeat of Grigoriev near Alexandria turned out to be false ...
Voroshilov's assertions both in the field of his own successes and in relation to the behavior of our units are shamefully exaggerated "(Quoted from: Fesenko A. P. On the assessment of the role of K. E. Voroshilov in the defeat of the Grigoriev region // Questions of history. 1988. No. 10. P . 188.).
At the head of military districts
Although Voroshilov was not a professional soldier, he was left behind in military work after the end of the Civil War. In 1921-1924 he commanded a large North Caucasian military district. During these years Mikoyan was the party leader of the North Caucasian Territory, with whom Voroshilov established friendly relations. Together with Ordzhonikidze, Voroshilov was introduced in 1924 to the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. He soon became a member of the PBC Presidium. These appointments were clearly intended to limit the influence of Trotsky and his closest supporters in the RVS. In May 1924, Voroshilov was also appointed commander of the Moscow military district instead of N.I.Muralov. Muralov was one of the heroes of the Civil War. He distinguished himself on Eastern Front in battles against Kolchak. But he was a political ally and personal friend of Trotsky, and Stalin wanted to remove him from the Moscow garrison. Therefore, Muralov replaced Voroshilov as commander of the North Caucasian military district. In January 1925, the Party Central Committee accepted Trotsky's resignation. MV Frunze was appointed to the post of People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs and Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. Remaining the commander of the Moscow military district, Voroshilov also became Frunze's deputy.
Voroshilov - People's Commissar of Defense
Frunze led the Red Army for only about a year. He died in late 1925 during an inept and negligent medical operation. The Soviet Union then had good cadres of military commanders, commissars and military specialists. Many of them commanded during the Civil War not only separate armies and divisions, but also fronts, participating in the planning and conduct of large-scale military operations. In military experience Voroshilov was inferior to many. He was far from the first among equals. However, some of the most prominent military leaders of the Civil War, such as Tukhachevsky, were newcomers to the Bolshevik party and did not occupy a prominent place in the party hierarchy. Some of the old Bolsheviks who distinguished themselves during the Civil War, such as M. M. Lashevich, although they were members of the Central Committee of the CPSU (b), took part in one or another opposition. Therefore, Voroshilov's candidacy for the post of People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs did not raise objections in the Politburo, although this appointment was commented on very critically in the circles of the new opposition.
We are not going to talk here about Voroshilov's long and varied activities as the head of the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs. The construction of the modern Red Army and the Navy in our country in the conditions of capitalist encirclement was given no less importance than the creation modern industry or the development of culture. Voroshilov, as the People's Commissar of Defense, had a lot of things and responsibilities. However, he performed mainly representative functions and the functions of the political leader of the army, doing little about military science and the study of problems of military strategy. In this he distinguished from such prominent military figures as B. M. Shaposhnikov, who studied the problems of the activities of army headquarters (the book "The Brain of the Army"), like M. N. Tukhachevsky, who was considered an expert on strategy (the book "Questions of Modern Strategy"), like KB Kalinovsky, who studied the role of tank formations (the book "Tanks"), and others. In fact, Voroshilov never became a professional military man, and more than once he lacked both general and special military education. Perhaps he himself felt that he was far from complete correspondence with the post he held and the duties that he imposed on him. He wrote: "If I possessed the qualities that Comrade Frunze had, it would be easy for me to fulfill my party responsibilities in the work that I am in charge" (Quoted from: B. Chistyakov, People's Commissariat for Military Affairs number three // Smena (Leningrad) . 1989.19 Feb.).
It would seem that such a critical self-assessment should have prompted Voroshilov to vigorous studies. But, alas, even in November 1927, talking with the French delegation, he said not without pride: “I am a worker, a locksmith by profession, and I have no special military training. I did not serve in the old, tsarist army. My military "career" began with the fact that in 1906-1907. I illegally transported weapons from Finland to the Donetsk Basin and there, together with our entire organization, I built Bolshevik military workers' squads. At that time I worked at a factory, and then, as befits any decent Bolshevik, in prisons, was in exile (from 1907 to 1914, I spent with short intervals in prison and exile). From 1914 he worked in Tsaritsyn, then in Leningrad until April 1917. In April he started professional party work. I have been working in the Red Army since March 1918, but since November 1917 I have been at military work as the revolutionary “mayor” of Leningrad ”(Voroshilov K. Ye. Articles and Speech. Moscow, 1937, pp. 174-175 ).
These words, without additional comments, give an idea of \u200b\u200bwho was put in charge of the military department. However, in general, the cadres of the People's Commissariat of Defense in 1926-1936 were distinguished by a very high professional level. For their time, perhaps, these were the best cadres of military leaders in the world.
In 1926 Voroshilov was elected a member of the Politburo. There was hardly any doubt that in the fight against the "left" opposition, in which a great many military and military-political workers took part, Voroshilov invariably sided with Stalin and the majority of the Central Committee. For example, in 1927, he addressed the July-August Plenum of the Central Committee and Central Control Commission of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) with his statement directed against L.D.Trotsky, which at the same time reflected Voroshilov's long-standing dislike for military specialists. The statement, in particular, said: "It is enough to run through at least one volume of his" works "" How the Revolution Armed "to understand this simple mechanics, with the help of which the party, thousands of glorious communard workers, Lenin himself, disappear from the historical scene, and there remains the “fairytale hero” Trotsky, who, together with several smaller “heroes”, mostly specialists, armed the revolution ”(Quoted from: B. Chistyakov, People's Commissariat for Military Affairs, number three // Smena (Leningrad). 1989. Feb. 19).
Voroshilov distinguished himself during the Civil War. But among its participants there were many people who had more significant merits than he. Among the military leaders of the Civil War, some enjoyed greater popularity and fame than Voroshilov. He also "lagged behind" in the number of military awards. V.K.Blyukher, the first in the republic to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner, by the end of the 20s had four Orders of the Red Banner, like J.F. Fabritius and I.F. Fedko, not to mention those who were awarded three times. Voroshilov was vain, and Stalin took advantage of this flaw. A legend about Voroshilov began to be created, a special cult of the "worker-commander". A year after Voroshilov's appointment as People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs, his first biographies and stories of his exploits began to appear (see: Efimov V., Gai E. Voroshilov with us. M .; L., 1926; Vardin I. Voroshilov - worker leader of the Red Army. M., 1926, etc.). The poet and writer K. Altaysky wrote not only a collection of stories, but also a poem about Voroshilov, there are the following lines:
... The poet Vladimir Mayakovsky sketched Ilyich for us ... The poet-party member Bezymensky drew Dzerzhinsky ... We have lagged behind from the era, We are taken full of little things. Stalin has not yet been sketched, Kalinin is bypassed by the song ... The big theme captivated us, The bell is like a battle, Ostra is like a bayonet. Clement Efremich Voroshilov, Soldier, People's Commissar and Bolshevik.
Another poem about Voroshilov was composed by the 90-year-old Kazakh akyn Dzhambul. "On those who dared to violate the borders, you will bring down the troops, you are beautiful and brave, batyr Voroshilov ..."
Voroshilov did not remain in debt. At the end of 1929, a long article "Stalin and the Red Army" was published, which laid the foundation for the legend of Stalin as the greatest commander of the Civil War and organizer of the main victories of the Red Army. Voroshilov wrote:
“In the period 1918-1920. Comrade Stalin was, perhaps, the only person whom the Central Committee threw from one battle front to another, choosing the most dangerous, most terrible places for the revolution. Where it was relatively calm and safe, where we had success, Stalin was not visible. But where ... the Red armies were crumbling, where counterrevolutionary forces ... threatened the very existence of Soviet power ... - there appeared Comrade Stalin "(Stalin: Collection of articles on the 50th anniversary of his birth. Moscow; L., 1929, p. 57 .).
Of course, in 1929, historical falsifications should have been approached with some caution. In 1929 Voroshilov inserted the word "perhaps" into the above passage. He speaks of Stalin as "one of the most prominent organizers of the victories of the Civil War." After 10 years, these reservations could be dropped. In 1939, in his article "Stalin and the Construction of the Red Army," Voroshilov writes:
“Many volumes will be written about Stalin, the creator of the Red Army, its inspirer and organizer of victories, the author of the laws of strategy and tactics of the proletarian revolution.
We, his contemporaries and comrades-in-arms, can only give some touches on his enormous and fruitful military work "(Voroshilov KE Stalin and the Armed Forces of the USSR. M., 1951, p. 66.).
Here is another example of the zeal of the "first red officer" in this field - an excerpt from his speech at a meeting of the party activists of the Moscow garrison on January 20, 1938:
“Lenin died ... Trotsky, Zinoviev, Kamenev and others claimed the leadership of the party. Fortunately for us, there were old Bolshevik cadres in the party who united and opposed a revolutionary line to the outsiders and opportunists.
Among these people was a man, a true Leninist, a real student of his. Comrade Stalin became Lenin's deputy not because one or another individual comrade or group wanted it, but because in the process of struggle, in the process of terrible upheavals within the party, Comrade Stalin was defined as a true party leader who would not be lost in difficult conditions, as a person who knows where to do business, what to strive for, where to send the working class ”(Quoted from: B. Chistyakov, People's Commissariat for Military Affairs, number three // Smena (Leningrad). 1989. Feb. 19).
In the late 1920s, Voroshilov still retained the features of an independent personality. In 1928-1929, when Stalin launched an offensive against the peasantry, Voroshilov sometimes expressed doubts about such a policy at Politburo meetings. He feared that the discontent of the peasantry would affect the fighting efficiency of the Red Army, staffed mainly at the expense of peasant youth. Rumors of differences between Voroshilov and Stalin were, however, so exaggerated that in exile Trotsky, in some of his letters, spoke of the possibility of an uprising of the peasantry against Stalin under the leadership of Voroshilov and Budyonny.
When I. Babel wrote the famous cycle of stories "Cavalry" in 1926, Budyonny was angry and accused him of slander. Unpleasantly met Babel's essays and contemporary criticism. However, not only A.M. Gorky, but also Voroshilov then defended the writer.
In the 1930s, Voroshilov increasingly fell under the influence and power of Stalin. At this time, he was part of the very closest circle of Stalin and was considered his intimate friend. They sat together in the presidiums of various conferences, stood side by side on the platform of the Mausoleum, went hunting together, rested in the south, spent time at Stalin's dacha and in his apartment in the Kremlin. Quite often Stalin and Voroshilov visited Gorky, who finally returned to the USSR. Once Alexei Maksimovich read them his fairy tale "The Girl and Death". On the last page of the text of the tale, Stalin wrote: “This thing is stronger than Goethe's Faust (love conquers death). 11.X.31 ". On the next page, Voroshilov wrote his own review: "On my own behalf, I love M. Gorky, as my and my class of writer, who spiritually determined our forward movement."
Voroshilov had to travel abroad several times. At the receptions held there, Kliment Efremovich did not dance - he could not. A military officer who cannot dance made a strange impression in the West. At the initiative of Voroshilov in the numerous Houses of the Red Army, which were created in almost all large cities, and in the command clubs in the military camps, training of commanders in modern European dances, so despised by the Komsomol youth in the 1920s, was introduced.
Of course, much more important than the introduction of dances into army life was the intensive technical re-equipment of the Red Army, which began in the early 30s simultaneously with the forced industrialization of the country. The party did not hide that the development military industry and the maximum technical equipment of the army and navy is one of the main tasks of the first and second five-year plans. Even before 1930, the Red Army had mainly the weapons that it got from the First World War and the Civil War. In the next four years, the Red Army received a large number of new tanks, artillery, communications equipment, and chemical equipment. The Air Force, including bomber and other types of aircraft, has been particularly cared for. The Navy was enlarged and modernized. Speaking at the 17th Party Congress, Voroshilov argued that by the beginning of 1934 the Red Army was technically better equipped than the French and American armies, and even more mechanized than the British army, which was then considered the best in the world in terms of technical equipment.
Voroshilov's cult increased even more after the 17th Party Congress. At this time, the names of "leaders" were assigned to many cities and villages. The city of Lugansk was renamed Voroshilovgrad. Stavropol, a large city in the North Caucasus, then part of the Ordzhonikidze Territory, was renamed Voroshilovsk (the former name was returned to the city in 1943, when a new wave of renaming began in the North Caucasus). Several more cities and towns in different parts of the country began to bear the name of Voroshilov. Factories, collective farms and mountain peaks named after Voroshilov appeared. The best shooters received the honorary title "Voroshilovsky shooter". The heavy Soviet tank "KB" was named after Voroshilov. In one of the regions, the village of Ostolopovo and the Ostolopovsky village council were renamed into the village of Voroshilovo and the Voroshilovsky village council.
Meanwhile, the management and technical equipment of the Red Army in the 30s became more complicated, and Voroshilov could no longer cope with solving complex problems of military development. Disagreements often arose in the RVS, especially since Voroshilov and Budyonny continued to exaggerate the role of large cavalry units in a future war, slowing down the motorized mechanization of the army.
Change was needed. In 1934, the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs was transformed into the People's Commissariat for Defense. MN Tukhachevsky became one of Voroshilov's deputies. In the book by Lydia Nord about Tukhachevsky, the following opinion about Voroshilov is given:
“Everything will go on in a new way,” he (Tukhachevsky - RM) continued at the table. - Voroshilov, Yegorov, Blucher, Ordzhonikidze and others who joined the Defense Council sat for three weeks, day and night, behind plans. Voroshilov, I must say, is very blunt, but he has that positive quality that he does not climb into wise men and readily agrees with everything ... "(Nord L. Marshal Tukhachevsky. Paris, 1978. P. 102. (Lydia Nord personally knew Tukhachevsky over the years.However, her book contains not only true facts, but also many unreliable rumors and gossip, which greatly reduces its importance as a source.Tukhachevsky's opinion about Voroshilov, however, could hardly be different.Tukhachevsky highly appreciated M.V. Frunze, but he did not consider Voroshilov an authority in purely military affairs and generally a professional military man. By the way, not only Tukhachevsky did not have a very high opinion of Voroshilov's mental abilities.))
However, the transition of the Red Army to mechanized units and formations was delayed for a long time. Even in 1938, Voroshilov still argued:
“The cavalry in all the armies of the world is going through, or rather, has already gone through a crisis and in many armies has almost come to naught ... We take a different point of view ... We are convinced that our valiant cavalry will more than once make us speak of itself as a powerful and victorious Red cavalry ... Red cavalry is still a victorious and crushing armed force and can and will solve large tasks on all battle fronts "(Quoted from: A. Nenarokov Armor and Horses // Moscow News. 1988. April 3).
Such stubborn resistance to long-overdue changes is surprising. Moreover, it will seem completely absurd if we remember that the same Voroshilov belongs to another, quite reasonable statement:
"The modern front, saturated to the extreme with machine-gun fire, can hardly be penetrated without the help of a tank" (Quoted from: A. Chistyakov, People's Commissariat for Military Affairs number three // Smena (Leningrad). 1989. Feb. 19).
Such a "strangeness" of thinking can be explained by the fact that, not having the necessary erudition and being unable to keep up with the development military equipment and new forms of its combat use, feeling more and more lagging behind its current level strategic thinking, but at the same time, not wanting to part with his high post, Voroshilov, with the direct support of Stalin, in every possible way delayed the transition of the Red Army to the new principles of organization and management. This drew criticism from those who correctly understood the character coming war and could not come to terms with the erroneous position of the People's Commissar of Defense. Among these top military leaders was M. N. Tukhachevsky, who, for example, in his article published in Krasnaya Zvezda literally on the eve of his arrest, wrote:
“We had to face the theory of the“ special ”maneuverability of the Red Army, a theory based not on studying and accounting for new weapons ... but on the lessons of the Civil War alone ... Some even argued that less artillery shells could be used to prepare an attack for a Red Army soldier, than to prepare the attack of a soldier of the capitalist army, explaining this by the superiority of the spirit of the Red Army. In fact, this narcissism could entail unnecessary bloody losses in battles and major failures "(Quoted from: V. Anfilov The most difficult years // Literaturnaya gazeta. 1989. March 22.).
It is clear that the fate of all those who disagreed with the point of view of the USSR People's Commissar of Defense Voroshilov, and therefore with the opinion of Stalin himself, was a foregone conclusion ...
During the years of terror (1936-1938)
The "Great Terror" of the second half of the 1930s hit the military personnel of the Soviet state with particular cruelty. It is no exaggeration to say that the main and, as a rule, the best part of the leading cadres of the Red Army and the Navy was ruthlessly killed in 1936-1938. These people died not on the battlefield, but in the basements of the Lubyanka and other prisons of the country, as well as in the "labor" concentration camps. No one has exact data on this score, but we can say with a fair degree of confidence that from 25 to 30 thousand cadre commanders and military-political workers of the Red Army and Navy were killed. In 1935, the title of Marshal was introduced in the USSR. It was assigned to five military leaders: Voroshilov, Budyonny, Blucher, Tukhachevsky and Yegorov. But already in 1937-1939 Blucher, Tukhachevsky and Yegorov were shot as "enemies of the people." From the command staff of 1935 during the terror died: out of 16 commanders of the 1st and 2nd rank - 15, out of 67 corps commanders - 60, out of 199 division commanders, 136 were repressed, out of 397 brigade commanders - 221. Of the four flagships of the fleet, four were killed, out of six flagships of the 1st rank - six, out of 15 flagships of the 2nd rank - nine. All 17 army commissars of the 1st and 2nd rank were killed, as well as 25 of 29 corps commissars. Out of 97 divisional commissars, 79 were arrested, out of 36 brigade commissars - 34. A third of the military commissars of the regiments was arrested (According to the author's calculations. Ed.).
What is the role of the people's commissar Voroshilov in this terrible beating of the military cadres? We have no information that it was he who drew up the proscription lists for arrests and executions. But Stalin did not need Voroshilov to deal with arrests. It was enough that he sanctioned them and signed most of the lists together with Stalin and Yezhov. None of the prominent military leaders could be arrested without the knowledge and consent of the People's Commissar of Defense. And Voroshilov always gave such consent. Voroshilov contributed to the incitement of spy mania in the army and navy. Back in August 1937, that is, shortly after the military trial and execution of M.N. Tukhachevsky, I.E. Yakir, I.P. Uborevich, B.M.Feldman, A.I.Kork and others, and the suicide of Voroshilov's deputy. B. Gamarnik, People's Commissar of Defense Voroshilov and People's Commissar of Internal Affairs Yezhov signed a joint order on the Armed Forces of the USSR. It stated that in the USSR, and especially in the Red Army, an extensive network of spies from various states had been created. Hence the requirement: everyone who is somehow connected with the spies - confess; and to those who know something or suspect about espionage activities - to inform. The repressions caused a terrible damage to the fighting efficiency of the Red Army, bled its personnel, but this did not prevent Voroshilov, speaking on March 23, 1939, before the military - delegates of the XVIII Congress of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks), to declare:
“We have basically already cleared ourselves of the spy scum, but we still have Gestapo agents” (Quoted from: V. Anfilov The most difficult years // Literaturnaya gazeta. 1989. March 22.).
In a number of cases, Voroshilov also acted as a direct accomplice of the repressive organs. I. Fedko, appointed first deputy commissar of defense after the deaths of Tukhachevsky and Gamarnik, offered armed resistance to the NKVD workers who appeared to him and ordered his guards to keep them at gunpoint. At the same time Fedko immediately phoned Voroshilov. He told Fedko that he, Voroshilov, would personally figure it out. But at the same time Voroshilov ordered Fedko to stop resistance and "temporarily" submit to the NKVD workers. Soon Fedko was shot according to the list, which was undoubtedly signed not only by Stalin and Yezhov, but also by Voroshilov. And here is what G.L.Blyukher, V.K.Blyukher's widow, tells:
"... the People's Commissar (Voroshilov. - RM) offered to" relax "VK Blucher with his family at his personal dacha" Bocharov Ruchei "in Sochi.
And there, in a luxurious "trap" for those times, Vasily Konstantinovich Blucher was arrested, then I, then VK Blucher's brother - Pavel Konstantinovich Blucher, captain of the Air Force ... "(Voenno-istoricheskiy zhurnal. 1989. No. 1. S. 3 covers.)
Some of the USSR military attachés abroad were summoned to Moscow for an appointment with Voroshilov, and they were arrested in the waiting room of the People's Commissar of Defense. It was obvious that this was done with his consent and approval.
When Hitler was preparing to attack the USSR, he bluntly referred to the destruction of Soviet military personnel as a factor favorable for Germany, and Field Marshal F. von Bock wrote:
One can challenge such judgments, one can show their rashness, but it cannot be denied that, along with other circumstances, these assessments were used by the Nazi leadership in developing their plans.
Failures in the Soviet-Finnish war
The Red Army was extremely weakened as a result of massive repression. It was not only a matter of the loss of the first-class composition of the top Soviet cadres. Discipline declined in the army, where soldiers and junior commanders no longer trusted their senior commanders. The rapid promotion of new cadres was often simply based on personal data. At the same time, platoon commanders became battalion and even regimental commanders, regiment and battalion commanders became division commanders. The activities of the military academies were almost paralyzed for two or three years, the military engineering and design work... Many of the most important undertakings of the former commanders were stopped: for example, the formation of partisan bases in the western regions, the construction of defensive lines along the former state border was stopped. The army increased in number, the number of regiments, divisions, army formations increased, but the new commanders did not have enough personnel and military experience. Meanwhile, the Second World War began, and this circumstance increased the requirements for the Red Army. Voroshilov, Budyonny and the new marshals of the USSR - S. K. Timoshenko, G. I. Kulik - all from the former First Horse, tried to establish order and discipline in the army, but not always successfully.
The famous comedian Yuri Nikulin, who was drafted into the army before the Patriotic War, spoke about one of such visits by Voroshilov to the regiment's location, not without humor:
“Somehow Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov came to our regiment. He wore a Kuban, a short jacket trimmed with fur, a small Browning in a holster on the side. He also visited our battery. The drill went well. Then Voroshilov, along with his entourage, entered the dining room. The cook, seeing the legendary marshal, was speechless from surprise.
Is lunch ready? - asked Kliment Efremovich.
No, - the cook muttered almost audibly. - Will be in an hour.
Ah, sly fellow, - said the marshal, smiling, - are you afraid that we will stay for dinner? We won't stay, don't be afraid.
He left the dining room and ordered to build a battery. Kliment Efremovich expressed his gratitude to everyone for his excellent combat training and, sitting in a black "em", left.
Voroshilov's arrival at our battery was a huge event. We discussed in detail everything that happened. Everything went well with us, but in the next regiment, they said, there was an incident. Voroshilov suddenly came upon one of the batteries. The orderly, perplexed, let his superiors pass without calling the battery duty officer and not informing him of the marshal's arrival.
Where is the battalion commander? - Voroshilov immediately asked.
And over there, in the house, - answered the orderly.
Voroshilov went to the house, opened the door and saw: the commander of the battery in his underpants was sitting at the table with his back to the door and was writing something in a notebook. Voroshilov coughed. The battalion commander turned around and immediately jumped up and exclaimed:
Clement Efremovich! It is you?!
It's me, - said Voroshilov. - What is your name and patronymic?
Yes Pavel Alekseevich name.
It's very pleasant, Pavel Alekseevich, - Voroshilov answered and ... taking the battalion commander by the arm, led him to the position.
So the battalion commander walked in front of everyone - in shorts - and, on Voroshilov's order, announced the alarm.
When everyone gathered, Voroshilov gave the task: there, at such and such an altitude, the enemy plane. Open fire.
From unexpectedness and unpreparedness, everything went badly: the guns looked in all directions, but not at the target.
Voroshilov, without saying a word, got into the car and drove away "(Nikulin Yu. Almost Seriously ... M., 1982, pp. 75-76).
In an effort to create more strategically advantageous borders in the west, Stalin decided to push back the Soviet-Finnish border, which on the Karelian Isthmus was too close to Leningrad. Stalin himself received a Finnish delegation in the Kremlin, headed by Juho Kusti Paasikivi, and proposed to exchange the territory of 2,700 square kilometers near Leningrad for 5,500 square kilometers in Karelia. However, the Finns had to lose not only the economically more developed territories, but also their main lines of fortifications. The Finnish government rejected this proposal and did not react to the direct threats of war with which Molotov made. It was November 1939, and the Finns thought that the Soviet Union would not dare to start a war before winter began. It was a delusion: on the morning of November 30, the first bombs fell on Helsinki, and the Red Army crossed the Soviet-Finnish border. But this was also a big mistake of Stalin, who was confident that it would be a short and not too expensive military action. After all, an army of 450 thousand people, 1700 guns, 1000 tanks and 800 aircraft was deployed against small Finland. Finland had 215 thousand soldiers under arms, but only 75 combat aircraft, 60 old tanks, several hundred guns (These data are taken by the author from foreign sources. In the Soviet press see about this: Pravda. 1989. Nov. 30, Arguments and Facts. 1989. No. 47.). However, only the first line of the Finnish defense was defeated by the Red Army without much difficulty. On the second line, Soviet units got bogged down in battles. Attack followed attack, but there was no success. The Finns defended bravely, they were better prepared for war in winter conditions. One after another, more and more Soviet divisions were drawn into the war. Voroshilov personally directed the hostilities, often going to the front. However, every kilometer of the territory occupied by the enemy had to be literally covered with the bodies of dead and frozen soldiers. The wounded and frostbitten numbered at first in tens, and then in hundreds of thousands. The winter of 1939/40 turned out to be incredibly harsh, with frosts reaching at times 50 degrees. In such conditions, a battalion of Finnish skiers could both stop and defeat the Red Army division.
The failures of the Red Army aroused Stalin's irritation and anger. Even before the defeat of Finland, Stalin at many unofficial meetings expressed his displeasure about this. N. S. Khrushchev later recalled:
“Stalin, in the conversations that took place, criticized the military department, he criticized the Ministry of Defense, he criticized Voroshilov especially, concentrated everything on the person, on Voroshilov ... I agreed with Stalin, and others agreed with this criticism, because indeed, in the first place answered Voroshilov, because he served as Minister of Defense for many years ... I remember when Stalin was in the heat of an acute polemic, and this was not at any meetings, it happened in an apartment in the Kremlin and at Blizhnyaya dacha. There, I remember, when Stalin was very critical, got nervous, got up, it means, on Voroshilov, Voroshilov also ... boiled, blushed, got up ... he says to criticism of Stalin: "You are to blame for this, you destroyed the military personnel ..." gave a rebuff ... "(Khrushchev N. S. Memories. New York, 1981. Book. 2. S. 39-40.)
Already in January 1940, Stalin actually removed Voroshilov from direct leadership of military operations, appointing Marshal S.K. Timoshenko as commander of the active army. Tymoshenko received reinforcements, including several divisions from Siberia. With an army of almost 500,000, Tymoshenko launched a general offensive. The ice of the Gulf of Finland became so strong that Soviet tanks could move along it bypassing Vyborg. Ultimately, the USSR won the victory, but at an extremely high cost. According to Soviet data, the USSR lost more than 250 thousand soldiers (See: A. Chudakov, Requiem of the Karelian Marshes // Komsomolskaya Pravda, 1989, November 14). According to Western estimates, our country's losses were estimated at about 300 thousand soldiers.
The results of the Finnish campaign were considered in April 1940 at an expanded meeting of the Main Military Council. At this meeting, he spoke a lot and rather sharply about the blunders of the People's Commissar of Defense L. Voroshilov. Z. Mekhlis. Some of the speakers argued with Mehlis, but it was clear that such a dispute itself became possible only with the approval of Stalin. Decisions were made aimed at strengthening the combat capability of the Red Army. Unofficially, Stalin gave instructions to rehabilitate and release some of the repressed commanders of the Red Army. At the same time, it was decided to release Voroshilov from the duties of the USSR People's Commissar of Defense. SK Timoshenko was appointed to this post. During the defense of Tsaritsyn, Timoshenko commanded a regiment; in the First Cavalry Army, he was a division commander. After the death of I.E. Yakir, Timoshenko headed the Kiev military district, and from January 1940 he commanded troops on the Soviet-Finnish front.
To somehow soften the blow to Voroshilov's prestige, he was awarded the Order of Lenin and appointed Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars. In February 1941, the name of Voroshilov was given to the Academy of the General Staff. However, his real influence in the party and military hierarchy has clearly diminished.
Voroshilov during the Patriotic War
The Patriotic War began with heavy defeats for the Red Army. By the end of the first day, the Nazis had achieved tangible success, and the People's Commissariat of Defense and the General Staff began to lose the threads of command and control. Stalin retired for several days at his dacha and did not receive anyone. At the head of the Headquarters of the High Command, created on June 23, 1941, Timoshenko stood. Zhukov, who headed the General Staff, also played an important role. A particularly difficult situation was created on the basis of Western front... The headquarters sent Marshals Shaposhnikov, Kulik and Voroshilov there. But even they were unable to change anything or even master the command of the troops in order to streamline the retreat. Seeing the defeat and indiscriminate withdrawal of many units, Voroshilov and Shaposhnikov proposed to create a new line of defense not along the Berezina River, but much farther east - along the middle course of the Dnieper. In fact, the advance of the Germans was temporarily suspended even further east - in the battles for Smolensk.
The main responsibility for the defeats of the first period of the war lies, of course, with Stalin. But the demand from Voroshilov is also very high. He is guilty of allowing the beating of military personnel. He reassured the country with speeches that the Red Army allegedly had more powerful firepower than any other army, while the German army had the advantage in most types of weapons. Voroshilov, as People's Commissar of Defense, greatly exaggerated the role of cavalry in a future war, to the detriment of the development of tank formations and air defense forces.
On July 1, 1941, Voroshilov was recalled to Moscow. Stalin returned to the leadership of the country and the army. The State Defense Committee was created, which included Voroshilov. Stalin headed the Headquarters of the Supreme Command. Budyonny - South-West direction of defense, Tymoshenko - West, Voroshilov - North-West. On July 11, Voroshilov arrived in Leningrad with a small headquarters to take command of the retreating troops in the Northwest. It is interesting that already in July, not only young fighters, but even schoolchildren were learning a new song, in which there was such a chorus:
The call is heard; Forward to victory! The people are confident in their commanders. Lead, Voroshilov, Lead, Timoshenko, Lead us, Budyonny, On a sacred campaign!
This chorus was apparently added to the song after the decision to create three defensive lines.
The arrival of Voroshilov and his headquarters in Leningrad did not arouse much enthusiasm in the battered and tired troops. Both commanders and party workers in the Northwest still remembered well the unsuccessful Finnish campaign. Nevertheless, the Leningrad press greeted Voroshilov. Rallies and meetings were held in many enterprises. The resolution adopted at a meeting of workers and employees of the Kirov plant stated: “The appointment of Comrade Voroshilov to the post of Commander-in-Chief of the North-Western Direction once again speaks of the tremendous attention the party and government devote to the cradle of the socialist revolution - the city of Lenin ... Long live the glorious commander Klim Voroshilov! Long live the banner of our victories - the great Stalin! " (Leningradskaya Pravda. 1941, July 13.)
Leningrad poets hastily composed the Leningrad March:
Trumpets, sound the alarm, Line up, a detachment to the detachment. Boldly, comrades, in step, Into the battle for native Leningrad! ...
The war made us all friends, the Duma soldered us one. Voroshilov is leading us into battle, Zhdanov is calling us to battle!
But Voroshilov's appointment did not change the unfavorable situation at the front. The retreat of the Red Army in the Baltics continued, and only in some areas did the battles go on with varying success. Fortunately for the city, the Finnish army, weakened by the recent war, was not very active. Nevertheless, the front line gradually moved east, and the number soviet troops and their armament diminished. Complicated the situation and the need to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people and many enterprises from the Baltic States, mainly through Leningrad.
In August, the Nazis reached the distant approaches to Leningrad. Voroshilov acted bravely, but ineptly. He had enough courage, and he often went to the front line of the defense in the line of sight of the enemy. But he lacked firmness in the leadership of the troops. At the end of August, Leningrad was almost surrounded and lost its railway connection with the country.
September 9-10, after the loss of Shlisselburg, Leningrad was completely surrounded. Voroshilov personally led the attack of the Marines on September 10, but it was rather an act of despair. Stalin decided to remove Voroshilov and appoint General of the Army Zhukov in his place. Zhukov immediately flew to Leningrad and went straight from the airfield to Smolny. He was carrying with him a short note from Stalin to Voroshilov: "Transfer command of the front to Zhukov, and fly to Moscow immediately."
The appearance of Zhukov interrupted a meeting of the Front Military Council, at which it was discussed what should be done if Leningrad could not be held. But this question disappeared by itself, since Zhukov also brought Stalin's order: not to surrender Leningrad, no matter what the cost.
There were no formalities when the front command was surrendered, and Zhukov reported on a direct wire to Headquarters: "He entered command." Voroshilov gathered the generals of the headquarters to say goodbye. “The Supreme Commander is recalling me,” said the Marshal bitterly. “Today it’s not a civil war - we should fight in another way…” Voroshilov wanted to give Zhukov any advice before leaving for Moscow, but the latter rather abruptly refused to talk with him. A new assault on Leningrad by the Germans, which began a few days later, was repulsed under the command of Zhukov. As a representative of the General Headquarters, Voroshilov for some time helped his friend, the commander of the 54th Army, Kulik, who was trying to break through to help Leningrad from the east. However, Marshal Kulik was unable to skillfully lead the army and was defeated. He was also removed and severely punished.
Voroshilov was spared by Stalin. Appointed from the State Defense Committee to supervise the training of the Red Army reserves in the Moscow, Volga, Central Asian and Ural military districts. In September 1942, Voroshilov became the Commander-in-Chief of the partisan movement. He was subordinate to the Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement, created in the spring of 1942, headed by P.K.Ponomarenko, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (Bolsheviks) of Belarus. It was he who was the main leader of the partisan movement, for Voroshilov's participation was only episodic and formal. Voroshilov's participation in the work of the rear was also purely formal. Former Deputy People's Commissar of Armaments in 1941-1948 V. N. Novikov recalled:
“In 1942, a member of the State Defense Committee KE Voroshilov arrived in Izhevsk, who was then engaged in the formation of new military units. He reviewed the created in our region military units... The next morning Kliment Efremovich expressed a desire to inspect the plant. We started with the workshops where rifles were produced. When he came to the assembly, the rifles flowed on two conveyors (the width of the conveyor belt was about a meter) literally like a river. The operations have been broken down into very small steps in order to train people to assemble faster. Voroshilov stood for a long time, looked, then he said to me: "Comrade Novikov, can rifles really be produced by the river?" I said that this is how production goes around the clock. He shook his head and offered to continue our acquaintance with other workshops. At 6 o'clock. In the evening Kliment Efremovich unexpectedly asked me to return with him to the assembly shop again. They came - and again the river of rifles. He said: "Miracles!" (Novikov V.N. The army needs weapons // Questions of history. 1985. No. 12. P. 84.)
When the Red Army began to advance westward, Voroshilov headed the Trophy Committee. He also carried out other assignments: he negotiated with the British military delegation, participated in the Tehran conference, was the chairman of the armistice commissions with Finland, Hungary and Romania.
Sometimes, however, Voroshilov went to the front as a representative of the State Defense Committee. There is a known case when, during such a trip, he wished to arrive at the 9th Red Banner Plastun Division not by car, but on horseback, motivating this with his knowledge of the psychology of the Cossacks (See: B. Chistyakov Narkomvoenmor number three // Smena (Leningrad). 1989. Feb 19). The book by V. Karpov "The Commander" tells how in 1944 Voroshilov arrived there after a brilliant landing by the Separate Primorsky Army and the seizure of a bridgehead on the Kerch Peninsula to coordinate the actions of the ground forces and the fleet. He personally ordered the forces of the Azov flotilla to conduct another landing operation, which ended in complete failure. But the blame for it was laid by Stalin on General I.E. .).
The farther the troops of the Red Army moved westward, the less Voroshilov took part in military affairs. In 1943, for example, he was appointed one of the leaders of the commission for the creation of a new anthem of the USSR. He auditioned many of his versions dozens of times before approving the final one. During the war, few new awards appeared on Voroshilov's chest. He was awarded the Order of Suvorov in 1944. Voroshilov received his first title of Hero of the Soviet Union eleven years after the end of the war, on the occasion of his 75th birthday. It was just an anniversary award. On the podium of the Mausoleum during the Victory Parade, Zhukov, Voroshilov and Budyonny stood next to Stalin. But for Voroshilov, this was one of the last episodes in his life, when he had to put on a military uniform.
The first years after the war
After the war, Voroshilov almost completely retired from military affairs. As a member of the Politburo and the Bureau of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, he received a new assignment - he headed various departments for culture. I must say that Voroshilov sometimes "supervised" culture before the war. For example, he corresponded with Repin. Stalin really wanted the great Russian artist to return to the USSR. Voroshilov had a long-standing friendship with the artist Nalbandyan. Voroshilov (along with Molotov) examined the sculpture "Worker and Collective Farm Woman" before Stalin examined and approved it. The writer A. Rekemchuk tells about it this way:
“Molotov and Voroshilov stopped, not reaching the statue half a hundred paces.
Well, how? asked Molotov. - For a fresh look?
Voroshilov looked with his head thrown back.
Why are you keeping silent? Molotov was worried. - Don't you like it?
I like it ...
So what is it?
For the first time in my life I see a worker holding a hammer in his left hand.
The chairman of the Council of People's Commissars suddenly perked up, the glasses of his pince-nez flashed:
Or maybe he's left-handed? Have you read Leskov?
Okay, - Voroshilov nodded. But immediately, looking around, he sternly asked Mukhina: - Why does the girl have bags under her eyes? Can't you take it away?
Okay, I'll take it away, - Vera Ignatievna promised.
Kliment Efremovich, bending down to Molotov's ear, said something. Having given a sign that everyone should stay in place, the two of them walked around the statue, vigilantly peering into the folds of the scarf and the wind-swept skirt (there was a denunciation that a bearded face was visible in the folds - R. M.).
But with all the care it was impossible to see what was not and could not be.
They are back.
What's good is good, - concluded the inspection procedure Molotov.
And Voroshilov smiled for the first time:
What's great is great!
They went to the cars that were waiting at the gates ”(A. Rekemchuk, Gospriyemka 1937 // Soviet Culture. 1988. Aug. 6).
And now Voroshilov was put in charge of the Bureau of Culture under the Council of Ministers of the USSR. This Bureau was in charge of the activities of the country's theaters, the Committee for Cinematography, and book publishing. In Voroshilov's office in the Kremlin, it was now possible to meet not generals, but directors, directors of large publishing houses, and some artists. Of course, the main issues of culture have been resolved even now, apart from Voroshilov. So, for example, not a single film was released on the screens of the country without a preview by Stalin himself. Once director M.I.Romm talked for a long time with Voroshilov about the creation documentaries to the 10th anniversary of the Battle of Moscow. At the same time, it was felt that Voroshilov was in culture, and not at the head of it, he was simply afraid to decide something on his own, although he was a member of the Politburo. “I feel that I am getting old and stupid,” Voroshilov said at the end of the conversation.
Most often, Voroshilov intervened in musical affairs, in the work of the Union of Composers, operas, and musical theaters. He had some musical abilities, he knew Ukrainian folk songs well and loved choral singing... Apparently, this was enough for him to think of himself as the same "specialist" in music that AA Zhdanov considered himself to be. Voroshilov, with great diligence, gave various instructions to many composers and interpreters. One well-known artist told D. Shostakovich how he once sang with Stalin, Voroshilov and Zhdanov. It was after one visit, when everyone was very tipsy. The soloists of the Bolshoi Theater accompanied the singing of the "leaders". Stalin conducted, for even here he could not allow anyone to command.
Stalin during these years not only did not take into account Voroshilov, but often showed him disdain and mistrust. There is a legend that in 1949 an attempt was made to arrest Voroshilov's wife, who, like Molotov's wife, was Jewish. And it was as if Voroshilov grabbed the wrong saber or the gun and drove the Chekists who appeared there from his apartment. This legend is not true. No attempts were made to arrest Voroshilov's wife. But some of his relatives were arrested. In addition, Voroshilov himself increasingly fell into disgrace "at the court" of Stalin.
At one of the meetings of the Politburo after the war, the question of the ways of development of the Soviet Navy was discussed. This was an extended meeting to which the commanders of the main fleets were invited. As usual, Stalin invited everyone present to speak out, leaving behind the last word... Voroshilov's opinion did not coincide, however, with the opinion of the majority. Concluding the debate, Stalin not only rejected Voroshilov's proposals, but at the same time said: "I don't understand why Comrade Voroshilov wants to weaken the Soviet Navy." He repeated this ominous phrase two more times. After the meeting, all its participants went at Stalin's invitation to watch the film "Lights big city"Which Stalin had seen many times. There were tables with a snack in a small viewing room. None of those present had already sat down at the table with Voroshilov, he was left alone. When, after the end of the film, the lights came on, Stalin turned around and, seeing Voroshilov sitting alone, suddenly got up and, coming up, put his hand on his shoulder. “Lawrence,” Stalin turned to Beria. - We need to take better care of Voroshilov. We have few such old Bolsheviks as Klim Voroshilov. He needs to create good conditions. " Everyone was silent, because it was difficult to understand why Stalin turned to Beria with a proposal to "take care of Voroshilov." Deputy Commander of the USSR Navy IS Isakov, who was present at this meeting of the Politburo, wrote down his impressions immediately upon his arrival home.
Stalin not only alienated Voroshilov from himself, but repeatedly expressed his political distrust in the presence of other members of the Central Committee, and sometimes even declared that Voroshilov was ... an English spy. Often he was not invited to meetings of the Politburo. There were cases when Voroshilov, having learned about the upcoming meeting, called Stalin's personal secretary A. Poskrebyshev and humbly asked: "Please find out if I can come to the Politburo meeting?"
Nevertheless, in 1952 Voroshilov presided over the last meeting of the XIX Party Congress and closed this congress. Voroshilov was elected to the expanded Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee and to the Bureau of the Presidium of nine people. Until the end of Stalin's life, only two members top management the parties addressed him as "you" - Molotov and Voroshilov. At the same time, Voroshilov often called Stalin Kob.
Voroshilov - Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
Immediately after Stalin's death, Voroshilov took part in meetings of the highest officials parties and states, which discussed the distribution of power. At this time, the post of Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet was held by N.M.Shvernik. He did not enjoy much influence and was not even a full member of the Politburo after the war, but only his candidate. Before the war, Shvernik headed the Soviet trade unions. Now it was decided to reappoint him as Chairman of the AUCCTU. Voroshilov was elected to the post of head of the Soviet state, that is, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
Soon after Stalin's death, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR decided to declare a very broad amnesty, on the basis of which hundreds of thousands of convicts were released from prisons and camps, mainly criminals and the so-called "domestic workers." Since the Decree of the Presidium was signed by Voroshilov, this amnesty was popularly called "Voroshilov". Many people still remember this amnesty. Undoubtedly, for many people it was a great blessing - in Stalin's times, many received long sentences for very minor offenses. People were often forced to various kinds of “everyday” crimes by hard life. A very small number of political prisoners also fell under the amnesty, but no more than one percent of their total number. Apparently, on the basis of Beria's secret instructions, malicious criminals, robbers, murderers, recidivists also fell under the amnesty, who, if strictly adhering to the text of the amnesty, had to remain in the camps. Beria wanted to complicate the situation in the cities and extend the stay of the special troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in them (especially in Moscow). Indeed, immediately after the "Voroshilov" amnesty in Moscow and in many large cities, crime sharply increased and arrogant robberies of citizens, apartments, shops became more frequent. As a result, the police received special powers to combat crime. But all this did not save Beria from retribution. The Chekists did not have to sing their new hymn, written for their 35th anniversary, that is, by December 1952, for a short time. In this hymn they were called "Stalin's favorites, Beria's pets."
Voroshilov supported Malenkov and Khrushchev in the removal of Beria. After a preliminary conversation with Malenkov about Beria, Voroshilov not only agreed to his arrest, but even burst into tears with excitement. For too long he was afraid that Beria would really take care of him.
After Beria's arrest, a ditty was popular among the people for some time:
Cherry plum blossoms in Tbilisi Not for Lavrenty Palych, but for Kliment Efremich and Vyacheslav Mikhalych.
The beginning of the rehabilitation of "enemies of the people" and especially the report of N. S. Khrushchev at a closed meeting of the XX Congress of the CPSU on February 25, 1956 "On the personality cult and its consequences" raised the question of the responsibility of those who, besides Stalin, were part of the power structure and more or less successfully survived these years. But neither Voroshilov, nor many others to whom this question was directed, did not want to give an exhaustive and frank answer to it, but tried to get off with little intelligible explanations. The immorality of such excuses became even more obvious after the suicide of A. A. Fadeev. Therefore, rumors immediately began to spread that it was caused by some kind of personal tragedy, and in an official message published a day later, it was said that it was due to alcoholism. The memoirs of the writer M. Shkerin testify to Voroshilov's involvement in this disinformation:
“Sholokhov was still in Moscow, and I (Shkerin - RM) went to see him. Shaking the newspaper, he raged:
Well, just think, what a vile reason they have exposed! I've read it, I'm calling the Presidium of the Central Committee. I talked with Voroshilov. Why, I ask, was this version published, posthumously humiliated a talented writer, hero of the Civil War, together with the delegates of the Tenth Party Congress who stormed the rebellious Kronstadt in the twenty-first year, seriously wounded in that battle - why ?! And do you know what Voroshilov said in response in a whining voice? He, hey, left us a terrible letter, passed on to the identity of the members of the Politburo! (Voroshilov, out of habit, still spoke "Politburo") "(Manuscript from the author's archive.).
Amicable working together with Khrushchev, Voroshilov did not succeed. Voroshilov supported Molotov, Malenkov and Kaganovich when they opposed Khrushchev in June 1957. Khrushchev's line of exposing Stalin's crimes worried Voroshilov very much, and he was against his intention to speak out about the dangers of the personality cult at the 20th Congress of the CPSU. Voroshilov, however, was not a very loyal ally of Molotov and Malenkov. When he was convinced that the Plenum of the Central Committee would not support the decision of his Presidium, he again sided with Khrushchev and in his speech at the Plenum strongly condemned his recent allies. Therefore, the name of Voroshilov was not mentioned in the decisions of the Plenum on the anti-party group. Voroshilov himself already in early July, speaking in Leningrad, once again condemned the "heinous attempt" of Molotov, Malenkov and Kaganovich to oppose the "Leninist leadership" of the CPSU Central Committee in the person of Comrade Khrushchev. As a result, Voroshilov retained the post of head of state for several years. But this activity of his was not marked either by flashes of the state mind, or by manifestations of any initiative. But people close to him at work were sometimes surprised by the signs of stinginess, unusual for Voroshilov. For example, he really did not want to give to the state fund those very valuable gifts that he often received as the head of state during his visits to other countries or during visits of heads of other states to the USSR. Voroshilov tried to keep as many of these gifts as possible.
The disloyalty shown by Voroshilov in June 1957 was not forgotten. The city of Lugansk, which was renamed Voroshilovgrad in 1935, became Lugansk again in 1958. In 1960, when Voroshilov was already 79 years old, he was relieved of his duties as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Voroshilov's departure from the post of head of state was marked by a solemn procedure. He was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor. Speeches befitting the occasion were delivered. Kliment Efremovich remained a member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. LI Brezhnev, 53, was elected Chairman of the Presidium.
At the XXII Congress of the CPSU
Neither Molotov, nor Kaganovich, nor Malenkov attended the 22nd Congress of the CPSU. Voroshilov was not only elected a delegate to this congress, but also as a member of the party leadership was in its Presidium. He had to listen to many accusations here, directed not only against his recent political associates, but also against himself.
Already Khrushchev in his report, speaking about the factional anti-party group, named Voroshilov among its active participants. At the same time, Khrushchev said that his position was not accidental, because he too bears personal responsibility "for many massive repressions against party, Soviet, economic, military and Komsomol personnel and for other phenomena of this kind that took place during the period of the personality cult" ( XXII Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. October 17-31, 1961. Verbatim report. M., 1962. T. 1. P. 105.). Almost all other speakers also mentioned Voroshilov as a member of the anti-party group. The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR D.S.Polyansky spoke out especially sharply and reasonably against Voroshilov:
“It should be said about the behavior of Comrade. Voroshilov as a member of an anti-party group. Everyone knows his previous services to the Motherland. Therefore, the Party Central Committee was very lenient towards him. But you, Comrade Voroshilov, played an active role in this group, although you say that "the devil has beguiled you." We don't think the devil has anything to do with it. You wanted to cover up the traces of your participation in repressions against innocent people, especially against cadres of military leaders known throughout the country. Being a member of the anti-party group, being its active participant, Comrade. Voroshilov behaved insolently, rudely, and defiantly. At critical moments, he even refused to meet with members of the Central Committee of the party, who demanded the convening of a Plenum of the Central Committee. He forgot that he was elected to the Presidium of the Central Committee and, therefore, could be deprived of this high confidence. And how did he behave at the Central Committee Plenum? Let me remind you of just one point. When Kaganovich was charged with mass repressions in the Kuban, carried out on his orders and with his personal participation, Voroshilov defended Kaganovich; He jumped up and, waving his fists, shouted: "You are still young, and we will fix your brains." We then replied to his remark: "Calm down, the Central Committee will figure out who should set their brains!" So you, comrade Voroshilov, do not pretend to be Ivan, who does not remember kinship. For anti-party affairs, you must bear full responsibility, like the entire anti-party group "(XXII Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. October 17 - 31, 1961. Verbatim report. M., 1962. T. 2. S. 43-44.).
During Polyansky's speech, Voroshilov was very nervous. He got up, sat down, then angrily threw a notebook and left the presidium of the congress and out of the hall. But the next day, he again sat at the congress and listened to speeches, in which his name was often mentioned. So, for example, A.N. Shelepin, who in 1961 held the post of chairman of the Committee state security, said, in particular, about Voroshilov:
“On the eve of the execution, Yakir addressed Voroshilov with the following letter:“ K. E. Voroshilov. In memory of my many years of honest work in the Red Army, I ask you to instruct you to look after my family and help her, helpless and innocent ... "
And on the letter of a man with whom he worked for many years, he knew very well that he had repeatedly looked death in the eyes, defending Soviet power, Voroshilov imposed a resolution: “I doubt the honesty of a dishonest person in general. K. Voroshilov. June 10, 1937 " (XXII Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. T. 2. S. 403.)
Many of the delegates demanded the expulsion of the leaders of the anti-party group from the party. At the 19th meeting of the Congress on October 27, 1961, however, Voroshilov's statement to the 22nd Congress of the CPSU was read out. In it, Voroshilov asserted that, although he supported the "erroneous, harmful actions" of the members of the anti-party group, he "had no idea about its factional actions." Voroshilov wrote:
“Having deeply realized the enormous harm that the anti-party group of Molotov, Kaganovich, Malenkov and others could have inflicted on our party and the country, I strongly condemn its factional activities aimed at turning the party off the Leninist path. I fully understand the seriousness of the mistake I made when I supported the harmful actions of the members of the anti-party group. "
As for his participation in the Stalinist repressions, Voroshilov stated: "I fully agree with the great work carried out by the party to restore Leninist norms of party life and eliminate violations of the revolutionary legality of the period of the personality cult, and I deeply regret that in that situation, I made mistakes" ( Ibid. Pp. 589-590.).
At the next session of the congress, Khrushchev, summing up the debate, although he condemned Voroshilov, urged to show generosity to him. Khrushchev said:
“I would like to say especially about Comrade Voroshilov. He came up to me, talked about his feelings ... But we - politicians - cannot be guided by feelings alone. Feelings are different, they can be deceiving. Here, at the congress, Voroshilov listens to criticism and walks around like a beaten one. But one should have seen him at a time when the anti-Party group raised its hand against the Party. Then Voroshilov showed activity, performed, as they say, with all his regalia and in armor, almost on horseback.
... It is no coincidence that the factionalists singled out him for a meeting with the members of the Central Committee, who were seeking to convene a Plenum of the Central Committee. The anti-party group hoped that Voroshilov, with his authority, would be able to influence the members of the Central Committee, shake their resolve in the fight against the anti-party group ...
Comrade Voroshilov made grave mistakes. But I, comrades, believe that he should be approached differently from other active members of the anti-Party group, for example, Molotov, Kaganovich, Malenkov.
... The name of Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov is widely known among the people. Therefore, his participation in the anti-party group, together with Molotov, Kaganovich, Malenkov and others, seemed to strengthen this group, made some impression on people who were inexperienced in politics. Leaving this group, Comrade Voroshilov helped the Central Committee in its struggle against the factionalists. Let us, too, respond in kind for this good deed and make his situation easier.
Comrade Voroshilov was sharply criticized, this criticism was correct because he made big mistakes, and the communists cannot forget them. But I believe that we should approach Comrade Voroshilov carefully, show generosity. I believe that he sincerely condemns his actions and repents of them "(XXII Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Vol. 2. S. 589, 590.). These words drew applause.
Voroshilov's forgiveness was that he was not expelled from the party. But he was not already elected to the new composition of the Central Committee of the CPSU and was not included in other leading organs of the party. Articles about Voroshilov and his own articles ceased to appear in the press. He almost completely retired from public and political activities... He was not always present at the meetings of the Supreme Soviet and its Presidium, although he was elected to the Supreme Soviet both in 1962 and in 1966.
last years of life
Voroshilov was not deprived of those privileges that he enjoyed in the past. Therefore, he calmly lived out his last years at a large dacha-estate in the suburbs. His family was small. Voroshilov's wife, Ekaterina Davydovna, has died. They had no children of their own. Voroshilov raised a son and daughter Frunze and adopted son Peter, from whom he had two grandchildren - Klim and Volodya. In the mid-60s, Voroshilov began working on his memoirs. Apparently, in this regard, he began to visit the State Library named after Lenin, where his daughter-in-law, Peter's wife, worked.
Voroshilov was often seen in the dining room of the Prague restaurant, a favorite dining place for many privileged pensioners. Old age has greatly changed his appearance. The pensioners around him here almost did not react to his presence. But in other places it was different. Nevertheless, the legend of Voroshilov still existed in the minds and consciousness of people, despite the revelations of the XXII Congress. Therefore, the public received Voroshilov differently than Molotov or Kaganovich.
Once, when I was working in the Lenin Library, there was applause somewhere behind me. I turned around. Voroshilov came down the steps leading to the reading room. Almost all the readers, and there were at least a thousand of them, rose from their seats and gave Voroshilov a standing ovation. To thunderous applause, he slowly walked between the tables to the exit from the hall. Only five or six people remained silently to sit in their seats, among whom I saw Yakir's son Peter, who could hardly refrain from shouting something insulting both for Voroshilov and for the scientists who greeted him.
However, sympathy for Voroshilov after the removal of Khrushchev began to manifest itself for more high level... This fully fit into the framework of the policy of partial rehabilitation of Stalin, which very influential circles tried to pursue after the October (1964) Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU. At the 23rd Congress of the CPSU in 1966, Voroshilov, after a five-year break, was re-elected a member of the CPSU Central Committee. Articles about him and excerpts from his memoirs began to appear in newspapers and magazines. This aroused protest among some of the military and the intelligentsia. Military historian Lieutenant Colonel V. A. Anfilov, speaking in the spring of 1966 at a meeting at the Institute of Marxism-Leninism when discussing A. Nekrich's book “1941. June 22 ", said:" ... My heart bleeds when he (Voroshilov - RM) stands on the podium of Lenin's Mausoleum. " In 1967, the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution was celebrated especially solemnly. Of course, people like Voroshilov and Mikoyan were also invited to the joint meeting of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Council of Ministers of the USSR. But in the presidium of the meeting were also the oldest members of the party, such as Fyodor Nikolaevich Petrov, a member of the CPSU since 1896, and Anna Lvovna Ryazanova, a member of the CPSU since 1899, wife of the famous historian and theoretician of Marxism D. B. Ryazanov, who died during the years of Stalinist terror. She herself spent more than fifteen years in the camps. Having received an invitation to a meeting in the Kremlin, A. L. Ryazanova demonstratively refused to participate in it, declaring that she did not want to sit next to people like Voroshilov and Mikoyan, who were guilty of the deaths of many thousands of old Bolsheviks. Her protest, as one would expect, went unheeded, like many other similar protests. In February 1968, another anniversary was celebrated - the 50th anniversary of the Red Army. On this occasion, Voroshilov was awarded high honors. He received the second Gold Star medal and an honorary weapon with the gold emblem of the USSR. The authorities of Rostov-on-Don awarded Voroshilov the title of an honorary citizen of this city. In 1968, the first book of his memoirs, Stories about Life, was published, dedicated mainly to the Luhansk period of his activity. Talking about his first meeting with Stalin, Voroshilov considered it necessary to express a general judgment about this man:
“We became friends, and soon I found out that my new friend is a Georgian and his name is Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili ... So, by chance, many decades ago I had the opportunity to meet for the first time with a man who later, under the name of Stalin, entered the history of our party and country. ... He lived a great and difficult life, and although his activity was overshadowed by the major mistakes known to all, I cannot speak of him without respect and consider it my duty in the subsequent presentation of my memories ... to truthfully tell about him everything that I know and what has been forever preserved in my memory ”(Voroshilov K. Ye. Stories about life. M., 1968. Book. 1. P. 247-248.).
After such an introduction, it was difficult to count on Voroshilov to truly tell the truth about the events of his life. My friends told me that at one of the receptions Mikoyan, who had just read Voroshilov's book, approached his former associate in the Politburo and publicly asked him: "How can you, Klim, after everything that happened, write about Stalin like that?" Voroshilov got angry: "I wrote and will write as I see fit." But Kliment Efremovich did not have time to write the second book. On December 2, 1969, he died and was buried with honors at the Kremlin wall. The 90th anniversary of Stalin's birth was approaching, and Brezhnev and Suslov were seriously preparing his rehabilitation, which did not take place only because of the active protest of the Polish, Hungarian and Italian communist and workers' parties. Meanwhile, the city of Lugansk was again renamed Voroshilovgrad, and the Academy of the General Staff began to bear the name of Voroshilov, a commander who did not win a single battle during the Patriotic War, but suffered many defeats, killing hundreds of thousands of soldiers and commanders of the Red Army and surrendering dozens of cities to the enemy. ...
Since the death of Voroshilov, a lot has been done to revive the legend of the "red marshal". Several albums dedicated to Voroshilov were published, his new biographies were written, two memorial museums were organized. But the renewed legend was no longer able to establish itself in the minds of the Soviet people. Many unflattering words about Voroshilov are contained in the book by V. Karpov "The General". In excerpts from the memoirs of G.K. Zhukov (not included in the "years of stagnation" in his book) it is said that both in the role of the people's commissar of defense and in the role of the military leader Voroshilov was always an incompetent person, that he, in essence, was an amateur in the military questions (See: Itskov I., Babak M. Marshal Zhukov // Ogonek. 1986. No. 48. S. 7.). The press again recalls the role of Voroshilov in the defeat of the Soviet military personnel before the war, of his groveling before Stalin. It is not surprising that many military men demand that Voroshilov's name be removed from the General Staff Academy: “... It is unclear whether there is any logic in the fact that Military Academy The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR, designed to train the personnel of the brain of the army, is not named after outstanding domestic or Soviet theorists and practitioners of military affairs, but KE Voroshilov? An incompetent military leader in the problems of strategy "(Quoted from: Danilov V. Klim Voroshilov: a portrait in the light of truth // Komsomolskaya Pravda. 1989. Feb. 12). Many residents of Voroshilovgrad want again and this time to finally return it to the city. historical name... More recently, the 9th session of the Council of People's Deputies of the Voroshilovsky District of Moscow decided to rename the district to Khoroshevsky. According to the survey public opinion this corresponds to the mood of 70% of its residents (See: N. Izyumova Should the Voroshilovsky District Be? // Moscow News. 1989. March 26.).
Voroshilov Kliment Efremovich (4.2.1881 - 02.12.1969) - Soviet military leader, statesman and party leader, hero of the Civil War, one of the first Marshals of the Soviet Union.
Born on February 4, 1881 in the village of Verkhnee, Bakhmutskiy district, Yekaterinoslavskaya province (now Luhansk region, Ukraine) in the family of a railway worker. Russian. Member of the RSDLP (b) / VKP (b) / KPSS since 1903.
From 1896 he worked at the Yuryevsky metallurgical plant, from 1903 in the city of Lugansk at the Hartmann steam locomotive plant. In 1904, a member of the Lugansk Bolshevik Committee. In 1905, he was chairman of the Luhansk Soviet, led the workers' strike, the creation of military squads. Delegate to the 4th (1906) and 5th (1907) Congresses of the RSDLP. In 1908-17 he conducted underground party work in the cities: Baku, St. Petersburg, Tsaritsyn. He was repeatedly arrested and served exile. After the February Revolution of 1917 - a member of the Petrograd Soviet, a delegate to the 7th (April) All-Russian Conference and the 6th Congress of the RSDLP (b). Since March 1917, the chairman of the Lugansk Council and the City Duma.
During the days of the Great October Socialist Revolution, in November 1917, K.E. Voroshilov was the commissar of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee (for city leadership). Together with F.E. Dzerzhinsky led the work on the organization of the All-Russian Emergency Commission (VChK). In early March 1918, he organized the 1st Lugansk Socialist Detachment, which defended the city of Kharkov from the German-Austrian troops.
During the Civil War, commander of the Tsaritsyn group of forces, deputy commander and member of the Military Council of the Southern Front, commander of the 10th Army, People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, commander of the Kharkov Military District, commander of the 14th Army and the internal Ukrainian front. One of the organizers and member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the 1st Cavalry Army, commanded by S.M. Budyonny. For military services in 1920 he was awarded an honorary revolutionary weapon. At the 8th Congress of the RCP (b), held in March 1919, he joined the "military opposition". In 1921, at the head of a group of delegates to the 10th Party Congress, he took part in the liquidation of the Kronstadt anti-Soviet rebellion. In 1921-24 he was a member of the South-Eastern Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), commander of the troops of the North Caucasus Military District. In 1924-25, the commander of the Moscow Military District and a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. From November 6, 1925 to June 20, 1934, People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs and Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR; in 1934-40, People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR.
On September 22, 1935, the "Regulations on the passage of service by the command and command personnel of the Red Army" introduced personal military ranks. In November 1935, the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR awarded the five largest Soviet commanders a new military rank "Marshal of the Soviet Union". Among them was Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov.
Since 1940 - Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and Chairman of the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR.
During the Great Patriotic War, Marshal of the Soviet Union Voroshilov K.E. - Member of the State Defense Committee, Commander-in-Chief of the North-Western Direction (until September 5, 1941), Commander of the Leningrad Front (September 5-10, 1941), Headquarters representative for the formation of troops (September 1941 - February 1942), representative Headquarters of the Supreme Command on the Volkhov Front (February - September 1942), commander-in-chief of the partisan movement (from September 1942 to May 1943), chairman of the Trophy Committee at the State Defense Committee (May - September 1943), chairman of the Armistice Commission (September 1943) - June 1944). In 1943 he took part in the work of the Tehran Conference.
1945-1947 - Chairman of the Allied Control Commission in Hungary. In 1946-53 - Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. From March 1953 to May 1960 - Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
By decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR: of February 3, 1956 (in connection with the 75th anniversary of his birth) and of February 22, 1968 (in connection with the 50th anniversary of Armed Forces USSR), legendary hero Civil war, "the first red officer", Marshal of the Soviet Union Voroshilov Kliment Efremovich was twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 7, 1960, Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.
Since May 1960, a member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. From 1921 to October 1961 and from 1966 - a member of the CPSU Central Committee, from 1926 to 1952 - a member of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, from 1952 to July 1960 - a member of the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee. Delegate of the 10-23rd Party Congresses. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 1st-7th convocations.
He died at the age of 89 on December 2, 1969. He was buried in Moscow on Red Square. There is a monument on the grave. In Moscow, at number 3 on Granovskogo Street, where K.E. Voroshilov, a memorial plate was installed.
He is one of 11 people who were awarded both highest degrees of distinction of the Soviet Union.
He was awarded eight Orders of Lenin (No. 880, 3582, 14851, 26411, 128065, 313410, 331807, 340967), six Orders of the Red Banner (No. 47, 629/2, 27/3, 5/4, 1/5, 1 / 6), the Orders of Suvorov 1st degree (No. 125), the Red Banner of the Uzbek SSR (17.2.30), the Red Banner of the Tajik SSR (14.1.33, No. 148), the Red Banner of the TSFSR (25.2.33. ) and foreign orders and medals, as well as honorary weapons with the image State emblem USSR. Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic.
Used materials from the book: Defense of the USSR. Selected articles and speeches, M., 1937;
Life Stories (Memories), Vol. 1, M., 1968.
Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov ... Wikipedia
Voroshilov, Kliment Efremovich - Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov. VOROSHILOV Kliment Efremovich (1881 1969), Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (1953 60), Marshal of the Soviet Union (1935). During the Civil War, the commander and member of the Revolutionary Military Councils of a number of armies and ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
- (1881 1969) Marshal of the Soviet Union (1935), Hero of the Soviet Union (1956, 1968), Hero of Socialist Labor (1960). Since 1918, commander and member of the Revolutionary Military Council of a number of armies and fronts. Since 1925 People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs and Chairman ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Voroshilov Kliment Efremovich - (1881-1969), party, military and statesman, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1935), twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1956, 1968), Hero of Socialist Labor (1960). Member of the Communist Party since 1903. Since 1915 in Petrograd, worker. ... ... Encyclopedic reference book "St. Petersburg"
Voroshilov K.E. (1881 1969; autobiography). Rod. I'm in the village of Verkhnee, Yekaterinoslavskaya lips. Father served as a watchman on the railway. dor., and his mother worked as a day laborer. His father, a soldier of the Nikolaev service, was a free-thinking and very peculiar person. Working for ... Big biographical encyclopedia
- (1881 1969), party, military and statesman, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1935), twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1956, 1968), Hero of Socialist Labor (1960). Member of the Communist Party since 1903. Since 1915 in Petrograd, worker. ... ... Saint Petersburg (encyclopedia)
Soviet statesman, party and military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1935), twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1956 and 1968), Hero ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
- (1881 1969), Marshal of the Soviet Union (1935), Hero of the Soviet Union (1956, 1968), Hero of Socialist Labor (1960). Bolshevik from 1903. In 1917, the chairman of the Lugansk council, the commissar of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee. Since 1918, a member of the Revolutionary Military Council, commander of a number of armies ... encyclopedic Dictionary
- (1881, the village of Verkhnee, Bakhmutsky uyezd, Yekaterinoslavskaya province - 1969, Moscow), political, military and statesman, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1935), Hero of the Soviet Union (1956, 1968), Hero of Socialist Labor (1960). ... ... Moscow (encyclopedia)
Voroshilov, Kliment Efremovich - (1881 1969) Factory worker and, Voroshilov showed undoubted personal courage during the Civil War, Trotsky wrote, but also a complete lack of military and administrative talent, and, in addition, a narrow, provincial horizon. His… … Historical reference book of the Russian Marxist
Kliment Voroshilov headed the People's Commissariat of Defense for 15 years, escaped reprisals during the Great Terror, did not bear responsibility for the failure of the Soviet-Finnish war. "Clement the unsinkable" - so his contemporaries called him.
"You can't figure it out without vodka"
All the "universities" of Kliment Voroshilov are two classes of school, work at a metallurgical plant, and after that - revolutionary activities and battlefields. However, Voroshilov's lack of education and rudeness of manner never bothered him.
Once at a meeting of the People's Commissariat for Finance, Voroshilov heard an outlandish phrase - "dynamic coefficient", and immediately burst out laughing: "Di-na-mi-ch-ki coefficient! Here, understand! You can't figure it out without vodka. "
The Politburo discussed the question of raising the qualifications of the leadership of the Red Army. Kliment Efremovich immediately sent a note to Joseph Vissarionovich: "When will I go to study?" Stalin's answer was laconic: "NEVER!"
"Take the scoundrels!"
Oleg Suvenirov, academician of the Academy of Military Sciences, in his book "The Tragedy of the RKK" calls Voroshilov an executioner of the Red Army. Clement Efremovich, the author claims, sent many people to the next world. Many of the arrest documents were personally signed by the marshal. For example, the sanction of May 28, 1937 received an emotional resolution - “To Comrade Yezhov. Take all the scoundrels. " Iona Yakir and Ieronim Uborevich were summoned by Kliment Voroshilov to Moscow for a meeting, but they were detained on the way. Marshal Vasily Blucher was invited to spend a vacation at Voroshilov's dacha in Sochi, but the vacation ended in arrest.
The daughter of the repressed military leader Jan Gamarnik Victoria recalled: “Upon returning from exile, Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan helped me a lot: with money, an apartment, and care. But not everyone helped. Kliment Efremovich Voroshilov refused to accept Svetlana Tukhachevskaya. I don’t know why. Maybe you didn't have the courage to look Svetlana in the eye? "
"Gospriyemka"
Kliment Voroshilov, together with Vyacheslav Molotov, examined the sculpture "Worker and Collective Farm Woman". Suddenly Kliment Efremovich said thoughtfully: "For the first time in my life I see a worker holding a hammer in his left hand." The chairman of the Council of People's Commissars began to convince: the hero is probably left-handed, as in Leskov's book. Voroshilov agreed to close his eyes to the defect, but with the condition that Vera Mukhina must remove the bags under her eyes, which so disfigured the collective farmer.
Then Voroshilov and Molotov walked around the statue together, vigilantly peering at the sculpture. They checked the denunciation, as if a bearded face was visible in the folds of a skirt.
"War genius"
Stalin forgave Voroshilov for failures that would cost anyone else their lives. As a people's commissar, Voroshilov was unable to prepare the troops for the war with Finland. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the commander-in-chief of the North-Western direction allowed the blockade of Leningrad.
Georgy Zhukov wrote: "He, in essence, was an amateur in military matters." Boris Bazhanov, Stalin's secretary, testified: “This was a very mediocre character who, even during the civil war, stuck to Stalin and always supported him. He was always an obedient and obedient henchman of Stalin and served for some time for decoration after Stalin's death. "
Historian Roy Medvedev summed up: “In Voroshilov, Stalin valued personal loyalty. The reason is that dictators need decorative figures that, with their insignificance, would set off the majestic figure of the leader. "
Voroshilov, indeed, was the only one with whom the General Secretary was on the "you", admitted in communication the party nicknames - "Koba" and "Volodin", allowed in his office to bang his fist on the table and break out in abuse.
Auditory hallucinations
Voroshilov suffered all his life from an incurable disease. Back in the days of his militant Bolshevik youth, he ran into a raid and ended up in prison, where he was severely beaten. After receiving a head injury, Kliment Efremovich suffered a headache until the end of his life and heard various sounds: the roar of the train, the barking of dogs, the screams of people. The doctors signed for powerlessness. Voroshilov managed to get away from nightmares with the help of sports - at the dacha, the marshal spent hours on the horizontal bar and parallel bars.
Father of many children
On the eve of the fatal operation, Mikhail Frunze asked Kliment Efremovich: if he dies, Voroshilov will take part in raising his children. However, a double tragedy happened: a few days after the death of the marshal, his wife committed suicide.
By this time, the Voroshilov family already had three adopted children: Peter, Gertrude and Nikolai. Soon Timur and Tanya Frunze moved into the house. According to the recollections of the children, Voroshilov was a crazy father who adored children. The sons subsequently followed in his footsteps - they became the military.
"Yes, you can declare war like that!"
After Stalin's death, Voroshilov was elected " honorary president"- Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. However, even in this "decorative" position, Kliment Efremovich could not hold out for a long time. Sergei Khrushchev recalled the incident that caused the resignation: “Kliment Efremovich received the Iranian ambassador. At the end of the reception, a short conversation is supposed. Thanking the ambassador, Voroshilov perked up. “Why do you all endure the shah? - slapped the ambassador on the shoulder - We threw off our king, and you have to go. The stunned diplomat muttered something unintelligible and hurriedly took his leave. Soon, the scouts intercepted a report from the Iranian ambassador to the Shah, who spoke in the most serious tone about the mentioned situation. Khrushchev summoned Voroshilov to the carpet and greeted him with the words: "Yes, you can declare war like that!"