Kolbin Gennadiy Vasilyevich: biography, photo, interesting facts

About such people as Gennady Vasilyevich Kolbin, during Soviet times they said: a strong business executive, a good performer, a loyal Leninist. But these qualities are clearly not enough to be a leader in the full sense of the word. In all likelihood, it was the lack of personal charisma and party foresight that led to the fact that G. Kolbin's tenure as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan was problematic and ended too quickly.

Career stages and track record

Kolbin Gennady Vasilievich, whose biography could be considered quite ordinary and unremarkable outside his tenure as head of Kazakhstan, was born on May 7, 1927 in Nizhny Tagil. In his native city, he went from a tailor's apprentice to sewing shoes to the head of the shop, and later became deputy chief engineer of a metallurgical plant.

GV Kolbin was also advancing along the party line. First he headed the party cell of his enterprise, then was elected first secretary of the district branch of the CPSU, then continued to work in the same post in the city Central Committee of the Communist Party of Nizhny Tagil. In 1970, Kolbin became the second secretary of the Sverdlovsk Regional Committee of the CPSU, and in 1975 transferred to a similar post in the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Georgia.

The year 1983 can be called a turning point in the career of Gennady Vasilyevich. Former before that, on the secondary roles of a party figure, he was appointed First Secretary of the Ulyanovsk Regional Committee of the CPSU, that is, the head of a not very large but quite independent region. Here he worked for about three years, exactly as long as the country has not begun a drastic change.

Hostage of Gorbachev's ambitions

In December 1986, at the direction of the then head of the USSR and the "steering adjustment" of Mikhail S. Gorbachev, the Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan dismisses Dinmukhamed Akhmedovich Kunayev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Kazakh Republic, and appoints G. Kolbin to this post. For people of the younger generation, perhaps, we need to clarify: at that time the post of First Secretary of the Central Committee was the equivalent of the almost absolute leader of the region, akin to the current republican presidents or regional governors.

Kolbin's appointment caused a shock not only among the party leaders of Kazakhstan, but also among ordinary citizens. In the then capital of the republic, the city of Alma-Ata, Gennady Vasilyevich took more than a cold. His nomination for such a high post was one of the main reasons for the December disturbances of youth in the squares and streets of the Kazakh capital.

Why, in Gorbachev's opinion, it was Gennady Vasilyevich Kolbin who should have risen at the helm of the third largest population and the second in the territory of the republic of the USSR? History is silent about the true reasons for this decision. But the fact that it was erroneous is recognized both by witnesses of Gorbachev's changes, and by contemporary researchers. To please his ambitions, Mikhail Sergeyevich was not only destroying the fate of people from a close and distant environment. He managed to demolish a huge country from the map of the world, called the Soviet Union.

Miscalculations in national politics

Both Gorbachev and Kolbin Gennady Vasilyevich could not help but understand that such a step would be perceived ambiguously. But the first, feeling his boundless power, did not care much about political ethics, and the second was really a good performer. Violation of party discipline would inevitably put an end to the career, which, of course, Gennady Vasilyevich did not want.

Today different versions of the reasons are being voiced, which did not allow Kolbin to linger on as head of Kazakhstan. First of all, they called the tradition that existed at that time to nominate the candidates for the highest positions in the republics of people of indigenous nationality. The second important point: Kolbin Gennady Vasilyevich is a figure of too small scale for such a huge republic as Kazakhstan.

But it seems that the first two reasons fade in front of the most important argument - he was a stranger. In the mid-80's, the population of the Kazakh SSR was about 150 million people. In addition to the Kazakhs, many Russians, Ukrainians, Germans, Uighurs, Koreans and Tatars lived here.

There were famous scientists, prominent politicians, successful directors of factories and factories, skilful chairmen of agricultural enterprises in the republic. If a respected person with merit to his people were appointed to the highest party post, his candidacy would surely have been accepted favorably regardless of nationality.

Fighting corruption and drunkenness

According to the testimony of political figures who at that time were the party leaders of the republic, Kolbin Gennady Vasilyevich zealously undertook the purge of the ranks of bribe-takers and plunderers of socialist property. About 30% of the total number of responsible employees were removed from their positions. But there were suspicions that only those party members who are disagreeing with Gorbachev's policy fall under the millstone. Gennady Vasilievich was a devoted communist and was very responsible for the implementation of instructions coming from Moscow.

The struggle against drunkenness, which at that time was carried out throughout the Soviet Union, in Kazakhstan was monstrous. Vineyards were cut, wine and liquor factories were closed , huge queues lined up in stores for alcoholic beverages, alcohol was forbidden to be sold even in restaurants.

Economic incidents

Former members of the government of Kazakhstan today with a smile recall how Gennady Vasilyevich, speaking at a meeting of the party activist, put forward the idea of selling cow and sheep carcasses to the population together with the skin. This measure, according to the head of the republic, would bring additional income to the treasury.

There were other, no less "valuable" initiatives. For example, in order to fulfill the plan for the production of meat Kolbin proposed to begin mass shooting of wild waterfowl. Specialists managed to temper the ardor of the party functionary, explaining that the skins of livestock are a necessary raw material for the leather industry, and the destruction of birds will damage the environment.

In general, as eyewitnesses of those events noted, Kolbin Gennady Vasilyevich did neither good nor bad for the republic. He only strictly followed the instructions from above, implementing the plans of Gorbachev. In 1989, Gennady Vasilyevich was recalled to Moscow, offering the post of Chairman of the People's Control Committee of the USSR.

Post-perestroika life and death of Gennady Kolbin

In the new position, the former head of Kazakhstan did not work for long, in 1990 he was retired with honor. Even before the official abolition of the CPSU Gennady Vasilyevich voluntarily withdrew from the ranks of the party. He lived unassumingly and modestly in his Moscow apartment, finding solace in communicating with his daughter and grandson. In mid-January 1998, on a visit to his relatives, he died in a subway car from a heart attack.

No one was looking for him, so the body of the unknown man was already going to be buried at the state expense. Fortunately, someone from the police identified him as a high-ranking official. Kolbin Gennady Vasilievich was buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery. At the farewell ceremony were only the closest people. Official speeches, as is customary in such cases, did not sound on the grave. None of the former colleagues and associates of the party to honor his memory came.

That's how quietly and imperceptibly the faithful Leninist and principled party member Kolbin Gennady Vasilyevich passed away. The awards received for services to the motherland are kept in the family of the deceased. During the years of state and political activity, he was twice awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, as well as the Orders of Lenin, the October Revolution and the Emblem of Honor.