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Yakov YakovlevBolshevik. Edited <Krestyanskaya Gazeta> and <Bednota>. In 1939-1934 - People's Commissar of Agriculture of the USSR. Fell into the machine of repression and shot.
Date of Birth: 02.07.1896
Country:  Russia |
Content:
- Early Life and Bolshevism
- Revolutionary and Soviet Activities
- Party and Propaganda Roles
- Agriculture and Collectivization
- The Great Terror
- Rehabilitation and Legacy
Early Life and Bolshevism
Born to a teacher in 1939, Yakovlev enrolled at the Petrograd Polytechnic Institute but never graduated. In 1913, he joined the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP).
Revolutionary and Soviet Activities
Yakolev became the secretary of the Yekaterinoslav Committee of the RSDLP(b) in 1917 and participated in the armed uprising in Petrograd during the October Revolution. After the revolution, he held various positions in the Soviet government, including secretary of the Moscow Regional Bureau of the Union of Metalworkers and head of the political department of the 14th Army.
Party and Propaganda Roles
In the 1920s, Yakolev rose through the ranks of the Communist Party. He served as editor of the peasant-oriented newspaper "Krestyanskaya Gazeta" (1923-29) and the "Bednota" (1924-28). He also became a member of the Central Committee of the Party (1924-30) and held leadership positions in the Central Control Commission (1924-30).
Agriculture and Collectivization
In 1929, Stalin established a national Ministry of Agriculture, appointing Yakolev as its head. Charged with eliminating "bourgeois ideology" in rural areas, Yakolev enthusiastically implemented the collectivization campaign, a disastrous policy that resulted in the death of millions and the unprecedented famine of 1932-33.
The Great Terror
Yakolev's loyalty to Stalin and his ruthless efficiency earned him a key role in the Great Purge. He was appointed Acting First Secretary of the Communist Party of Belarus (1937) and conducted mass arrests of "national fascists." On October 12, 1937, he was himself arrested and sentenced to death.
Rehabilitation and Legacy
Yakolev was posthumously rehabilitated in 1957 and reinstated in the Communist Party. Despite his role in the tragedies of the Great Purge and collectivization, he remains a controversial figure.
