Background
MENZHINSKIY, Vyacheslav was born on October 1, 1874 in Saint St. Petersburg. Son of a teacher.
MENZHINSKIY, Vyacheslav was born on October 1, 1874 in Saint St. Petersburg. Son of a teacher.
1898 graduate Law Faculty, Saint St. Petersburg University.
From 1895 active in revol movement. Member, Yaroslavl’ Party Committee and head of its Agitation and Propaganda Department. 1903 after 2nd Russian Social-Democratic Workers’ Party Congress sided with Bolsheviks.
Worked in Yaroslavl’ for legal newspaper “Severnyy kray”. Active in 1905-1907 Revol. Company-ed, Bolshevik newspaper “Kazarma”.
1906 arrested in Saint St. Petersburg and imprisoned. 1907 escaped and fled abroad. Lived in Belgium, Switzerland and France.
Late 1910—spring 1911 sided with “Vperyod” faction and lectured at “Vperyod” Party school. Worked for foreign organizations of Party. Worked for editorial board, newspaper “Prolctariy”.
Summer 1917 returned to Russia. Helped prepare and carry out 1917 October Revol. Bureau member. Military Organization(s) and ed, Bolshevik newspaper “Soldat”.
After 1917 October Revol People's Commissar of Finance. Directed nationalization of banks. 1918 Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic consul-general in Berlin.
1919 Ukraine People's Commissar of State Control. From 1919 exec work with All-Russian Extraordinary Commission Against Counterrevolution, Sabotage and Speculation. Deputy chairman, Extraordinary Commission Against Counterrevolution, Sabotage and Speculation and head
Special Department, Extraordinary Commission Against Counterrevolution, Sabotage and Speculation. From 1922 Collegium member, State Polit Board. From 1923 first deputy chairman, Joint State Political Administration.
From 1926, after Dzerzhinskiy’s death, chairman, Joint State Political Administration. Uncovered such alleged anti-Soviet organizations and plots as: the “Shakhtinskiy Affair," the “Industrial Party,” “Peasant Labor Party,” the “Union Russian Social-Democratic Workers’ Party (Mensheviks) Bureau,” et cetera Member, Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics Central Executive Committee of 4th and 5th convocations.
1927 and 1930 at 15th and 16th Party Congresses elected member, Central Committee, All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks).
Religion is an instrument of the ruling classes to instill in the masses the religious conviction that their current suffering will lead to eventual happiness.
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union is the leading and guiding force of Soviet society, and the nucleus of its political system, of all state and public organizations.
Communist Party member from 1902.