First Secretary, Molodechno Oblast Komsomol Committee.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
At home in the cabinet. 1977.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. M. Masherov, writer, M. T. Lynkov (left) and G. R. Shirma People`s Artist of the USSR, Lake Naroch, 1972.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. M. Masherov, at the studio of the People`s Artist of the USSR, the sculpture of Zair Azgur
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
The 60-th anniversary of P. M. Masherov. Right to left: writer I. Shamyakin, painter M. Savitsky, poets P. Brovka, M. Tank, artist N. Eremenko, 1978.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
The Meeting of the USSR Minister of Internal Affairs of N. A. Shelkov at Minsk airport. Right to left: P. M. Masherov, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Belarus; T. Y. Kiselev, Chairman of the Council of Ministers. 28 May 1971.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. M. Masherov is in Brest region in the area of flood, speaks with citizens.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Minister of Agriculture of the USSR, D. S. Polyansky; the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Belarus, P. M. Masherov; the First Secretary Grodno Regional Committee, L. G. Kletskov; secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Belarus, V. F. Mitskevich are on the state farm "Avangard" of Grodno region. June 1973.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Conversation with workers of the state farm "Tarnovo" of Lida district, Brest region; 1975.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Visiting of Mogilev Plant "Himvolokno". April, 1978.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. M. Masherov is at collective farm "Soviet Belarus" in Kamenetsk district, Brest region. July, 1974.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. M. Masherov is the 3rd from left, among the participants of republic meeting on animal husbandry. Collective Farm "Osnezhitsky" in Pinsk district, Brest region, 1972. Next to him: Hero of Socialist Labor, V. A. Goroshko - principal agronomist (left) and V. A. Ralko, Chairman.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. M. Masherov and Paul Verner, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of Socialist Unity Party of Germany, the First Secretary of Berlin Regional Commitee of Socialist Unity Party of Germany acquaint with MAZ (Minsk Automobile Plant) production samples.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. M. Masherov, on the day of his 60th anniversary in the cabinet. March 13, 1978.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
From left to right: daughter Lena, wife Plina Andreeuna, P. Masherov and daughter Natasha are on Red Square in Moscow.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. M. Masherov and USSR space-pilot Valentina Tereshkova. November, 1973.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Interview during visiting Warsaw. 1979.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. M. Masherov and A. I. Kostousov, minister of machine-tool industry of the USSR, speak with the guidance of the plant of automatic lines. Minsk, 1980.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. M. Masherov is at the celebration of 30th anniversary of Belarus liberation frm german-fashist invaders. P. K. Ponomarenko stands behind him. July 3, 1979.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
The Celebration of the 60th anniversary of Kazach SSR and Communist Party of Kazahstan. From right to left: M. P. Masherov, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Belarus; D. A. Kunaev, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Kazahstan, V. V. Shcherbytsky, the first secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Ukraine, N. S. Nazarbaev, secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Kazahstan; G. V. Romanov, the First Secretary of Leningrad Regional Committee; S. R. Rashidov, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Uzbekistan. Alma-Ara, 1980.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Two twice Hero: P. M. Masherov and N. S. Patolichev, USSR Minister of Foreign Commerce. 1979.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. M. Masherov, Drezden in art gallery. 1978.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. M. Masherov inspects the plane "Wilga-35" at the exhibition "Made in Poland". Minsk, 1979.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Petr Masherov's parents Daria Petrovna and Miron Vasilyevich and sisters Olga (younger) and Nadezhda. Vitebsk. 1934.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Petr Masherov. 1972.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
With his spouse Polina. Lake Naroch. 1954.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Petr Masherov, the first secretary of Central Committee Belarus Youth Union with his spouse Polina.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
They were always good together. Lake Naroch. 1954
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Petr Masherov, the first secretary of Molodechno Olympic Committee.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Masherov's note, issued by Belarussian staff of guerrilla movement. Vileika city. Byelorussian SSR, 1944.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Petr Masherov, the Hero of the Soviet Union is on World Youth Congress. London, 1947.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Secretaries of Central Committee (the 2nd line, left to the right): E. Konoplin, V. Liventsev, L. Danilova, P. Masherov
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
USSR youth delegation visit to China. Petr Masherov's right. 1952.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Petr Masherov, the first secretary of Belarussian Central Committee.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. Masherov, the first secretary of Brest Regional Committee. 1957.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. Masherov, the first secretary of Brest Regional Committee with participants on grower meeting next to cornfield in Pruzany, Brest region. 1958.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. Masherov, the first secretary of Brest Regional Committee at workplace. 1956
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
K. E.Voroshilov's meeting, the Chairman of Supreme Soviet Presidium at Brest railway station. Left to the right:
the third is I. S. Konev, the Soviet Union Marshal, K. E. Voroshilov, P. M. Masherov, the first secretary of Brest Regional Committee, 1957.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Delegates of 12th CPSU meeting. Left to the right: V.F.Shauro, the secretaty of Central Committee, P. M. Masherov, V. I. Kozlov, I. F. Klimov. Moscow, 1961
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Kremlin palace of conventions. Left to the right: S. O. Pritytskii (the 2nd), P. M. Masherov. The 13th CPSU meeting. 1966
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Soviet Union Marshals: I. H. Bagramyan, K. K. Rocossovskii, the first secretary of Central Comittee of Commistic Party in Belarus K. T. Mazurov, the second
secretary P. M. Masherov, Soviet Union Marshal S. K. Timoshenko and Air Marshal S. I. Rudenko. 6th of May, 1964.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
The send-off Walter Ulbricht, the Council of State Сhairman, on the right - Petr Masherov. Minsk, 1966.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Right to the left: L. I. Brezhnev, P. M. Masherov, A. N. Kosygin, A. I. Mikoyan. Kremlin palace of conventions. 1965.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
L. I. Brezhnev, General Secretary of Central Committee at Belarussian Great Patriotic War Museum. 1969.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Kremlin palace of conventions. The 13th CPSU meeting. Left to the right: N.Patolichev, K.Mazurov, M.Mikhaylov. 1966.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
P. Masherov and S. Pritytskii, the Chairman of Supreme Soviet Presidium (on the right).
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Masherov is on National milkmaid competition. 1973.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
National milkmaild competition.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
Meeting of A. N. Kosygin, a member of Soviet Central Committee political bureau and the Council of Ministers Сhairman at collective farm "Luch sotsializma"
in Orsha, Vitebsk region. On the right: the first secretary of Belarussian Central Committee. 1973.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
The Council of Ministers Chairman A.N.Kosygin and P. M. Masherov visited Minsk Tractor Factory. November of 1973.
Gallery of Pyotr Masherov
The General Secretary L. I. Brezhnev and P. M. Masherov lead
Achievements
Membership
Awards
Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of Socialist Labour
Seven Orders of Lenin
Order of Georgi Dimitrov
Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary since the Birth of Vladimir Il'ich Lenin"
Medal "Partisan of the Patriotic War" 1st class
Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
Jubilee Medal "Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
Jubilee Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
Medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands"
Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
Jubilee Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
The Meeting of the USSR Minister of Internal Affairs of N. A. Shelkov at Minsk airport. Right to left: P. M. Masherov, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Belarus; T. Y. Kiselev, Chairman of the Council of Ministers. 28 May 1971.
Minister of Agriculture of the USSR, D. S. Polyansky; the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Belarus, P. M. Masherov; the First Secretary Grodno Regional Committee, L. G. Kletskov; secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Belarus, V. F. Mitskevich are on the state farm "Avangard" of Grodno region. June 1973.
P. M. Masherov is the 3rd from left, among the participants of republic meeting on animal husbandry. Collective Farm "Osnezhitsky" in Pinsk district, Brest region, 1972. Next to him: Hero of Socialist Labor, V. A. Goroshko - principal agronomist (left) and V. A. Ralko, Chairman.
P. M. Masherov and Paul Verner, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of Socialist Unity Party of Germany, the First Secretary of Berlin Regional Commitee of Socialist Unity Party of Germany acquaint with MAZ (Minsk Automobile Plant) production samples.
P. M. Masherov and A. I. Kostousov, minister of machine-tool industry of the USSR, speak with the guidance of the plant of automatic lines. Minsk, 1980.
P. M. Masherov is at the celebration of 30th anniversary of Belarus liberation frm german-fashist invaders. P. K. Ponomarenko stands behind him. July 3, 1979.
The Celebration of the 60th anniversary of Kazach SSR and Communist Party of Kazahstan. From right to left: M. P. Masherov, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Belarus; D. A. Kunaev, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Kazahstan, V. V. Shcherbytsky, the first secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Ukraine, N. S. Nazarbaev, secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Kazahstan; G. V. Romanov, the First Secretary of Leningrad Regional Committee; S. R. Rashidov, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Uzbekistan. Alma-Ara, 1980.
K. E.Voroshilov's meeting, the Chairman of Supreme Soviet Presidium at Brest railway station. Left to the right:
the third is I. S. Konev, the Soviet Union Marshal, K. E. Voroshilov, P. M. Masherov, the first secretary of Brest Regional Committee, 1957.
Delegates of 12th CPSU meeting. Left to the right: V.F.Shauro, the secretaty of Central Committee, P. M. Masherov, V. I. Kozlov, I. F. Klimov. Moscow, 1961
Soviet Union Marshals: I. H. Bagramyan, K. K. Rocossovskii, the first secretary of Central Comittee of Commistic Party in Belarus K. T. Mazurov, the second
secretary P. M. Masherov, Soviet Union Marshal S. K. Timoshenko and Air Marshal S. I. Rudenko. 6th of May, 1964.
Meeting of A. N. Kosygin, a member of Soviet Central Committee political bureau and the Council of Ministers Сhairman at collective farm "Luch sotsializma"
in Orsha, Vitebsk region. On the right: the first secretary of Belarussian Central Committee. 1973.
Pyotr Mironovich Masherov was a great Belarusian politician, the first secretary of Belarusian committee of the Soviet Union Communist Party, a communist leader of Soviet Belarus, and a hero of the Great Patriotic War who led an underground group of Soviet partisans in Belarus.
Background
Pyotr Masherov was born as Pyatro Mashera on February 13, 1918 in Shirki village (today’s Sennsky district, Vitebsk region) into a poor peasant family. According to the family tale, the great-grandfather surnamed Macheraut was a solder of the Napoleonic army, who stayed on the territory of Sennsky district and married a peasant girl.
The Masherov family was relatively small: father Miron (died 1938), mother Daria (died 1942), brother Pavel (1914 – 1988, military commander), sisters Matryona (born in 1908), Olga (born in 1924, doctor) and Nadezhda (1930, doctor). The children learnt from parents about diligence and neatness; such important things like exceptional kindness, perseverance in achieving their goals, modesty, love and respect to other people also were laid down within the family.
Pyotr was the second son. He was light-eyed and fair-haired boy with a broad smile on a freckled face. Together with his elder brother, they were participating in various kinds of mischiefs and sometimes were punished by mother. Pyotr was fond of sports from the very childhood. During winter, he got to school using self-made skates and skis. He also liked singing. Through adolescent years, he had even attended voice-training classes.
In 1937, his father Miron, was unfairly arrested and exiled to Gor’kovsky region, where he died soon. Pavel and Pyotr took responsibility for the family.
Education
Pyotr entered a seven-year school in Moshkany village in 1927. He was very good in Mathematics and Physics, and even started to write poems. He graduated from the school in 1934. From 1935 to 1939, Masherov studied at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the Vitebsk Pedagogical Institute.
In 1939, Masherov graduated from Vitebsk Pedagogical Institute and was sent to work as a teacher of Mathematics and Physics at the Rossony Secondary School. Pupils respected him. He had good reputation among others. Colleagues appreciated his knowledge, organizational skills and devotion to teacher's work. He liked sports and tried to involve other teachers and high school students in various kinds of activities. Together they went out to the country for trainings, organized sport competitions during weekends. Pyotr Masherov took part in the regional teacher’s conferences every year. He was fond of his job and planned to continue his studies as a postgraduate. Unfortunately, everything changed on summer 1941. He came to the Secretary of regional committee with the request to direct him at the front. He was sent to destroyer battalion, which was defeated in August 1941. He was captured by the Germans, but miraculously managed to run away (jumped out of the moving German train) and returned to Rossony. However, few days before his return his mother was tormented and shot by the Nazi. Filled with ebullient hatred for the invaders, Masherov assumed leadership of the underground Komsomol organization and was a leader of the partisan movevement in Rossony Raion, Belarusian SSR. From December 1941, he worked as an accountant in kolhoz (collective farm) “Rossony” and as a school teacher. He became commander of the Shchors Partisan Detachment in April 1942, commissar of the Rokossovskii Partisan Brigade in March 1943. At the same time, he became the first secretary of the underground Vileika Oblast Committee of Belarusian Komsomol in November 1943. Masherov personally participated in planning and carrying out many military operations known as “Dubnyak”. Under his leadership, the guerilla forces attacked connections between cities, authorities of command and provisioning for the German troops in Vitebsk and Kalinnynsk regions, USSR. He was wounded two times.
On August 15, 1944, he was awarded the highest honorary title in the Soviet Union “Hero of the Soviet Union” for exceptional heroism and gallantry in combat operations during the war against German-fascist invaders, and received the Order of Lenin.
In 1944-1946, he worked as the First Secretary of Molodechno Oblast Komsomol Committee, secretary and then first secretary of the Central Committee of the Belarusian Komsomol in 1946-1954. In 1954, he became the second secretary of the Minsk Oblast Committee of the Belarusian Communist Party. From 1955 to 1959, he served as the first secretary of the Brest Oblast Party Committee. In 1959, Masherov became secretary, then second secretary in 1962. In 1965, after holding some key positions in Belarusian regions and in Minsk, Pyotr Masherov became the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Belarusian Communist Party. He was de facto the president of BSSR. He proved himself as a talented leader with inclusive thinking, logical mind and incredible energies.
Masherov was a delegate to the Nineteenth through Twenty fourth Congresses of the CPSU. He was elected a candidatemember of the Central Committee at the 22 Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1961) and a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union at the October Plenary Session of the Central Committee of Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1964) and at the Twenty-third (1966), Twenty-fourth (1971), and Twenty-fifth Party Congresses. In April 1966, he became a candidate member of thePolitburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He was a deputy to the third through fifth and seventh through ninthconvocations of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and has been a member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of theUSSR since 1966.
Pyotr Masherov died on October 4, 1980 in an automobile accident.
After the World War II, Masherov rose through the ranks of the Young Communist League and then the Communist Party. He had been near the upper ranks of power in the Soviet Union for 15 years and had long been tipped as a potential successor to ailing Premier Alexei Kosygin. Western diplomats who met him described Mr. Masherov as "urbane and intelligent."
Views
Quotations:
“It’s better not to know everything but see the best in people. Only then, you will mean something. That is my moral. That is my life position. Even if I’m angry at someone I still take a pity on him and love him. That’s why I live. I really love people. I can knock someone’s teeth out, but after that, I will get them fixed – to better and more effective one. I really love people… And regret their weaknesses”
Personality
Masherov was known by his diligence and neatness; such important things as exceptional kindness, perseverance in the achieving the goals, modesty, love and respect to other people also were among the features of his character. According to memories of his colleagues, Pyotr Mironovich was charismatic, intelligent and easy to communicate; he had an ability to find a way in to people and very seldom got loud.
Physical Characteristics:
From his childhood he liked sports, such as skiing and skating. He was always in a good athletic condition.
Quotes from others about the person
According to the memories of family members, Masherov had “…an incredible mind, extensive and generous nature, sweet and loving heart, beautiful and kind face, light and athletic pace. At the same time he was very strict, tough on himself and others, brave and strong; he stood his ground and loved the Motherland.
Western diplomats who met him described Masherov as "urbane and intelligent."
Interests
ballet, theater, reading, baths
Sport & Clubs
skiing, skating
Connections
He was married and had two daughters. Wife Polina outlived her husband’s death for less than 20 years and worked as a dentist in hospital. She died in 2002. Daughter Natalia lives in Minsk, and Elena – in Moscow, working in large telecommunications company. Peter Mironovich has 4 grandchildren who live in the USA, Russia and Belarus.
Peter's sister Olga lives in Grodno, Nadezhda – in Minsk.