Yan Gamarnik
| Yan Gamarnik Ян Гамарник | |
|---|---|
| First Secretary of the Communist Party of Byelorussia | |
|
In office 4 December 1928 – 3 January 1930 | |
| Preceded by | Vilgelm Knorinsh |
| Succeeded by | Konstantin Gey |
| First Secretary of the Kiev Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine (Bolsheviks) | |
|
In office 25 April 1921 – July 1923 | |
| Preceded by | Post established |
| Succeeded by | Hryhoriy Hrynko |
| Head of the Political Directorate of the Red Workers' and Peasants' Army | |
|
In office 1 October 1929 – 31 May 1937 | |
| President | Kliment Voroshilov |
| Preceded by | Andrei Bubnov |
| Succeeded by | Pyotr Smirnov |
| Full member of the 15th, 16th Orgburo | |
|
In office 17 November 1929 – 10 February 1934 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jakov Tzudikovich Gamarnik June 14 [O.S. June 2] 1894 Zhytomyr, Volhynian Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died |
May 31, 1937 (aged 42) Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Nationality | Soviet |
| Political party |
AUCP(B) (1916–) CPU(B) (1918–) |
| Children | Viktoria Kochneva |
| Alma mater | St Petersburg Psychoneurological Institute |
| Awards |
Order of the Red Banner (1928) Order of Lenin (1933) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Service/branch | Army |
| Years of service | 1919-1937 |
| Rank | Army Commissar of 1st rank |
| Unit | 58th Rifle Division |
| Commands | Army Political Administration (1929-37) |
Yan Gamarnik (birth name Jakov Tzudikovich Gamarnik (Russian: Яков Цудикович Гамарник), sometimes known as Yakov Gamarnik (Russian: Яков Гамарник) (June 14 [O.S. June 2] 1894 — May 31, 1937) was a Soviet military commander and politician of Jewish ethnicity.
Biography
Gamarnik was born in Zhytomyr in a Jewish family as Jakov Tzudikovich Gamarnik. He attended the St Petersburg Psychoneurological Institute and the Law School of Kiev University. In 1917 he became a member and the secretary of the Kiev committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. From 1921 to 1923 Gamarnik was a chairman of the Kiev city council (see Mayor of Kiev). During his administration Kiev was divided into five districts. He went through many Communist Party positions, both civil and military, e.g. a First Secretary of the Belarusian Communist Party of Belorussia from December 1928 to October 1929.[1]
He was instrumental in preparing the 10-year development plan for the Far-Eastern region of the USSR.
An idealist, Gamarnik was a staunch supporter of Marshal Tukhachevsky's drive to make USSR a military superpower. In 1937 Gamarnik was accused of participating in an anti-Soviet conspiracy after the Case of Trotskyist Anti-Soviet Military Organization; however, shortly before the trial he had actually been called upon by the Soviet government to be one of the judges for the accused. He insisted on Tukhachevsky's innocence and later committed suicide before he could be punished for his actions. Only after this was he added to the list of conspirators. He was rehabilitated posthumously by the CC CPSU and Nikita Khrushchev in 1955.
Honours and awards
- Order of Lenin (22 February 1933)
- Order of the Red Banner (20 February 1928)
- The town Suchan was named Gamarnik in his honour (1932-1937)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ipolit Dyakov |
Mayor of Kiev 1921–1923 |
Succeeded by Hryhoriy Hrynko |
References
Sources
- Robert Conquest, The Great Terror: A Reassessment, Oxford University Press, May 1990, hardcover, ISBN 0-19-505580-2 pp 201–202;
- Several versions of Gamarnik biography
- Gamarnik in the Fleet, with photo
- Trotsky about Gamarnik and others
- Profile at Handbook on history of the Communist Party and the Soviet Union 1898 – 1991
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