The President of the Soviet Union was the Head of State of the USSR from March 15, 1990 to December 25, 1991. Mikhail Gorbachev was the first and only person to occupy the office. Gorbachev was also General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (a position that he had held since March 1985) between March 1990 and August 1991. He derived an increasingly greater share of his power from his position as President until he finally resigned as General Secretary after the Soviet coup attempt of 1991.

The office had not existed until 1990; previously the head of Soviet state had been the Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR (Chairman of the All-Union Executive Committee, ВЦИК) from 1922-1938, the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet from 1938-1989, then the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet in 1989-90.

From the mid-1920s on, all effective executive political power was in the hands of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, with the Chairman exercising largely symbolic and figurehead duties. Starting with Leonid Brezhnev in 1977, four General Secretaries simultaneously served as Chairmen of the Supreme Soviet during their time in office.

List of Heads of State of Soviet Russia (1917-1922) and the USSR (1922-1991):

• Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets

Note: The first Central Executive Committee of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets elected in June 1917 was not a governing body and its chairman was not the head of Russian state. This changed at the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets during the October Revolution.

• Lev Kamenev (November 9, 1917 - November 21, 1917)
• Yakov Sverdlov (November 21, 1917 - March 16, 1919) (died in office)
• Mikhail Vladimirsky (March 16, 1919 - March 30, 1919) (acting)
• Mikhail Kalinin (March 30, 1919 - July 19, 1938)

Note: On December 30, 1922 the Soviet Union was formed. It comprised Soviet Russia (RSFSR) and other Communist-controlled Soviet republics. Mikhail Kalinin retained his position as Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the All-Russian Congress of Soviets and became Chairman of the newly formed Central Executive Committee of the USSR as well. Both positions were mostly ceremonial, increasingly so in later years.

• Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR ( jointly )
  • Mikhail Kalinin (December 30, 1922 - January 12, 1938) (office renamed)
  • Grigory Petrovsky:(30 Dec 1922 - 12 Jan 1938 )
  • Aleksandr Chervyakov :(30 Dec 1922 - 16 Jun 1937 )
  • Nariman Narimanov :(30 Dec 1922 - 19 Mar 1925 )
  • Gazanfar Musabekov :(21 May 1925 - Jun 1937 )
  • Nedirbay Aytakov :(21 May 1925 - 21 Jul 1937 )
  • Fayzulla Khodzhayev :(21 May 1925 - 17 Jun 1937 )
  • Nusratulla Lutfullayev :(18 Mar 1931 - 4 Jan 1934 )
  • Abdullo Rakhimbayev :(4 Jan 1934 - Sep 1937 )

• Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
  • Mikhail Kalinin (January 17, 1938 - March 19, 1946)
  • Nikolay Shvernik (March 19, 1946 - March 6, 1953)
  • Kliment Voroshilov (March 15, 1953 - May 7, 1960)
  • Leonid Brezhnev (May 7, 1960- July 15, 1964)
  • Anastas Mikoyan (July 15, 1964 - December 9, 1965)
  • Nikolai Podgorny (December 9, 1965 - June 16, 1977)
  • Leonid Brezhnev (June 16, 1977 - November 10, 1982) (died in office)
  • Vasily Kuznetsov (November 10, 1982 - June 16, 1983) (acting)
  • Yuri Andropov (June 16, 1983 - February 9, 1984) (died in office)
  • Vasily Kuznetsov February 9, 1984 - April 11, 1984) (acting)
  • Konstantin Chernenko (April 11, 1984 - March 10, 1985) (died in office)
  • Vasily Kuznetsov (March 10, 1985 - July 27, 1985) (acting)
  • Andrei Gromyko (July 27, 1985 - October 1, 1988)
  • Mikhail Gorbachev (October 1, 1988 - May 25, 1989) (office renamed)

• Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR
  • Mikhail Gorbachev (May 25, 1989 - March 15, 1990)
  • Anatoly Lukyanov (March 15, 1990 - December 26, 1991)

  Note: On March 15, 1990 most constitutional powers were transferred to the newly created office of the President of the Soviet Union. Anatoly Lukyanov was elected Chairman of the Supreme Soviet to replace Mikhail Gorbachev. Although the Chairman's office retained its name, it was now that of a parliamentary speaker, not a head of state. Real executive powers were retained by Mikhail Gorbachev.

• President of the Soviet Union
  • Mikhail Gorbachev (March 15, 1990 - December 25, 1991) (office abolished with the dissolution of the USSR)
  • Gennady Yanayev (acting; in opposition) (August 19, 1991 - August 21, 1991)

Government of the Soviet Union | Russian leaders | Lists of office-holders | Heads of State of the Soviet Union

Председател на Президиума на Върховния съвет на СССР | Prezident Sovětského svazu | Kategorie:Staatsoberhaupt der Sowjetunion | Presidente del Presidium del Soviet Supremo de la URSS | Председатель Президиума Верховного Совета СССР | Председник Совјетског Савеза | Dirigeants de l'URSS | Voorzitter van het Presidium van de Opperste Sovjet van de USSR