First Deputy Premier of the Soviet Union

The First Deputy Premier was like the second-in-command in the Soviet Union, a big country that doesn't exist anymore. They helped the main leader, called the Premier, run everything. Sometimes, there wasn't just one helper, but a few! They had different jobs, like making sure factories were busy or that farms grew lots of food. It was a very important job to keep the country running smoothly.

This job wasn't always called the same thing. For a long time, it was called 'First Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars.' That's a mouthful! Later, it became 'First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers.' Finally, right before the Soviet Union ended, it was called 'First Deputy Prime Minister.' It's like a toy changing its name as it gets older!

These helpers had special powers! They were in charge of important areas, like industry or farming. They also made sure all the different government groups were working together. If the main Premier was sick or away, one of the First Deputies would step in and be the acting boss! They were also part of the most important meeting group, like the VIPs of the government.

Twenty-six different people held this important job. The very first one was Valerian Kuibyshev, starting in 1934. Some people were helpers for a very short time, like Lavrentiy Beria, who was only in the job for 113 days. But Vyacheslav Molotov was a helper for a super long time, over 17 years! He was there for many years, helping different leaders.