Background
Iakovlev, Aleksandr was born on December 2, 1923.
Iakovlev, Aleksandr was born on December 2, 1923.
Graduated from the Iaroslavl’ Pedagogical Institute, 1946.
Served in the Soviet Army, 1941-1943. Party posts in Iaroslavl’ Oblast’. Deputy Editor of Severnyi Rabochii.
Lecturer at Iaroslavl’ Oblast’ Party School, 1948-1950. Member of staff on the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1953-1956, and 1960-1965.1st Deputy Head of the Department of Propaganda of the Central Committee, 1965-1973. Member of the Central Auditing Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1971-1976.
USSR Ambassador to Canada, 1973-1983. Gorbachev’s most trusted aide. Elected to the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union on 6 March 1986.
Responsible for domestic ideological affairs and culture. In 1987, promoted to full membership of the Politburo. Regarded as the man behind many of Gorbachev’s international publicrelations triumphs.
Head of the International Policy Commission of the Central Committee, October 1988.