Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov (15 June 1914-9 February 1984) was General Secretary of the CPSU from 12 November 1982 to 9 February 1984, succeeding Leonid Brezhnev and preceding Konstantin Chernenko.
Biography[]
Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov was born in Naguskaia (near Stavropol), Russian Empire, and he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1939. He became a high-ranking officer of the Komsomol during World War II, taking part in Karelian partisan activities during the war. After the war, he rose within the [[Karelian Communist Party] and served as ambassador to Hungary from 1957 to 1962, warning Nikita Khrushchev of a possible revolution and advising the dismissal of Matyas Rakosi; he instead supported the ruthless suppression of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Andropov served as Secretary of the Party Central Committee department in charge of coordinating Soviet relations with its communist neighbors, and he acquired a reformist reputation. He headed the KGB from 1967 to 1982, meaning that conservatives admired him as well. He thus prevailed over Leonid Brezhnev's protege Konstantin Chernenko and led the party from 1982 to 1984. Andropov attempted to increase efficiency in party and economy, but the only lasting influence that he left on the Soviet Union before his death was appointing Mikhail Gorbachev to positions of power.