This is the list of the heads of state of Russia after the abolition of the monarchy in 1917.
Russian Republic (1917) With the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II after the February Revolution of 1917, power in Russia passed to the Provisional Government formed by the liberal leadership of the Duma. Grand Duke Michael had refused to ascend to his older brother's throne without the consent of an elected Constituent Assembly, and it was broadly assumed that the Assembly would be the only body with the authority to change the form of government. However, after a failed coup attempt against the government, the Russian Republic was proclaimed by Minister-President Kerensky. The election was scheduled for November 1917, yet when it finally took place, the power in the capital city of Petrograd had already switched to the Bolshevik revolutionaries. By that time, the government had been de facto dissolved, and the newly elected Assembly was also disbanded after its very first session by the Bolsheviks on 19 January 1918. #PictureNameTerm of officePartyChairmen of the Provisional Government Georgy Lvov(1861–1925)15 March 191721 July 1917KDAlexander Kerensky(1881–1970)21 July 191714 September 1917PSR(Trudovik faction)Minister-PresidentAlexander Kerensky(1881–1970)14 September 19177 November 1917PSR(Trudovik faction)Office vacant
Russian State (1918–1920) The October Revolution sparked a civil war across the former Russian Empire, with the most prominent factions being the Bolsheviks, loosely connected anti-Bolshevik governments and armies known as the White movement, as well as numerous independence movements loosely aligned with the Whites. Various anti-Bolshevik governments began to form across Russia since early 1918, initially emerging among the cossacks of Don and Kuban. In September 1918, the largest factions united into the Provisional All-Russian Government, creating the Russian State. Two months later, Admiral Alexander Kolchak headed the Russian State as a Supreme Ruler in result of a military coup. After Kolchak's defeat in 1920, the White movement started to decline, with most of its members leaving Russia in November 1920 under the command of General Pyotr Wrangel. Various social-democratic governments continued to function until June 1923, when the Bolsheviks suppressed the Yakut revolt in Priamurye. #PictureNameTerm of officePartyChairmen of the Provisional Siberian GovernmentPyotr Derber(1883–1938)29 January 191829 June 1918PSRPyotr Vologodsky(1863–1925)30 June 19183 November 1918PSRChairman of the Committee of Members of the Constituent AssemblyVladimir Volsky(1877–1937)June 1918 September 1918PSRChairman of the Provisional All-Russian GovernmentNikolai Avksentiev(1878–1943)23 September 1918 18 November 1918PSRSupreme RulerAlexander Kolchak(1874–1920)18 November 19187 February 1920 †White movementCommanders-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of South RussiaAnton Denikin(1872–1947)8 January 19194 April 1920White movementPyotr Wrangel(1878–1928)4 April 192021 November 1920White movementChairmen of the Provisional Priamurye GovernmentSpiridon Merkulov(1870–1957)May 192123 July 1922White movementMikhail Diterikhs(1874–1937)23 July 192225 October 1922White movementAnatoly PepelyayevActing25 October 192216 June 1923White movement
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (1917–1991)
On 30 December 1922, the Russian Soviet Republic, along with the Soviet pro-Bolshevik republics of Ukraine, Belarus and the Southern Caucasus were merged into the Soviet Union, with the Russian SFSR authorities holding the authority of the highly centralized country, which was governed by a leader of the Communist Party or a collective leadership (Politburo). In 1938, the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR was formed. Following the adoption of amendments to the Constitution in 1989, the office of Chairman of the Presidium was removed, and the position of the Russian head of state passed directly to the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet in May 1990.
During nearly all Soviet era, 1917–1990, the de-facto rulers were the leaders of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union; see List of leaders of the Soviet Union.
Portrait Name Term of office Political partyTook officeLeft office 1 Lev Kamenev 9 November 1917 21 November 1917 Communist Party 2 Yakov Sverdlov 21 November 1917 16 March 1919 Communist Party — Mikhail VladimirskyActing 16 March 1919 30 March 1919 Communist Party 5 Mikhail Kalinin 30 March 1919 15 July 1938 Communist Party 6 Andrei Zhdanov 15 July 1938 19 July 1938 Communist Party 7 Aleksei Badayev 19 July 1938 4 March 1944 Communist Party — Ivan VlasovActing 9 April 1943 4 March 1944 Communist Party 8 Nikolai Shvernik 4 March 1944 25 June 1946 Communist Party 9 Ivan Vlasov 25 June 1946 7 July 1950 Communist Party 10 Mikhail Tarasov 7 July 1950 16 April 1959 Communist Party 11 Nikolai Ignatov 16 April 1959 26 November 1959 Communist Party 12 Nikolai Organov 26 November 1959 20 December 1962 Communist Party (11) Nikolai Ignatov 20 December 1962 14 November 1966 Communist Party 13 Mikhail Yasnov 23 December 1966 26 March 1985 Communist Party 14 Vladimir Orlov 26 March 1985 3 October 1988 Communist Party 15 Vitaly Vorotnikov 3 October 1988 29 May 1990 Communist Party 16 Boris Yeltsin 29 May 1990 10 July 1991 Independent (16) Boris Yeltsin 10 July 1991 25 December 1991 Independent
Russian Federation (since 1991) On 17 March 1991, the all-Russian referendum on the introduction of presidency was held. More than 70% of citizens voted for the introduction of the office. On 12 June, Boris Yeltsin won 57% of the popular vote in the first democratic presidential election. Yeltsin's inauguration took place on 10 July. On 12 December, Russia ratified the Belovezh Accords, thus dissolving the Soviet Union. On 25 December, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic was renamed Russian Federation, with the names of the state and its highest executive office constitutionally amended in 1992. The office got its current status with the adoption of a new constitution in 1993, following an armed dispute between the president and the parliament. Presidents#PictureNameTerm of officeElectedParty 1Boris Yeltsin(1931–2007)10 July 199121 September 19931991Independent —Alexander Rutskoy(b. 1947)Acting; disputed22 September 19934 October 1993—Independent 1Boris Yeltsin(1931–2007)4 October 19935 November 1996—Independent1996 —Viktor Chernomyrdin(1938–2010)Acting5 November 19966 November 1996—Our Home – Russia 1Boris Yeltsin(1931–2007)6 November 199631 December 1999(resigned)—Non-partisan —Vladimir Putin(b. 1952)31 December 19997 May 2000—Unity 27 May 20007 May 20082000Independent2004 3Dmitry Medvedev(b. 1965)7 May 20087 May 20122008United Russia (2) Vladimir Putin(b. 1952) 7 May 2012 Incumbent 2012All-Russia People's Front20182024
Timeline
See also