Cold War Survivor: Soviet &"sister" party leaders: IMRE NAGY is the SURVIVOR !

[big bad fab]

These are the leaders (general secretaries or first secretaries or presidents of the party, with the sole exception of Nagy, PM, and of secretary Rakowski, not included as he wasn't Poland's nr.1 at that time) of Communist Parties (whatever their real name) in power in the USSR and in the Central and East European countries between 1945-49 and 1989 (November, 9th, Berlin wall's fall), that were, at least for a period of time, members of the Warsaw Pact.
Hence, Yugoslavia is not included (besides, with one leader each year after 1980, it would have been a bit long... sorry to our "titists" !).


1. Wladyslaw Gomulka (Poland, 1945-1948, 1956-1970)
2. Boleslaw Bierut (Poland, 1948-1956)
3. Edward Ochab (Poland, 1956)   
4. Edward Gierek (Poland, 1970-1980)   
5. Stanislaw Kania (Poland, 1980-1981)   
6. Wojciech Jaruzelski (Poland, 1981-1989)   

7. Georgi Dimitrov (Bulgaria, 1945-1949)
8. Vulko Chervenkov (Bulgaria, 1949-1954)
9. Todor Zhivkov (Bulgaria, 1954-1989)

10. Wilhelm Pieck (East Germany, 1946-1950)   
11. Walter Ulbricht (East Germany, 1950-1971)
12. Erich Honecker (East Germany, 1971-1989)   
13. Egon Krenz (East Germany, 1989)   

14. Matyas Rakosi (Hungary, 1945-1956)   
15. Ernö Gerö (Hungary, 1956)
THE SURVIVOR !16. Imre Nagy (Hungary, 1956)
OUR WINNER !17. Janos Kadar (Hungary, 1956-1988)
18. Karoly Grosz (Hungary, 1988-1989)

19. Enver Hoxha (Albania, 1944-1985)
20. Ramiz Alia (Albania, 1985-1991)   

21. Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej (Romania, 1945-1954, 1955-1965)
22. Gheorghe Apostol (Romania, 1954-1955)   
23. Nicolae Ceausescu (Romania, 1965-1989)

24. Klement Gottwald (Czechoslovakia, 1945-1953)
25. Antonin Novotny (Czechoslovakia, 1953-1968)
26. Alexander Dubcek (Czechoslovakia, 1968-1969)   
27. Gustav Husak (Czechoslovakia, 1969-1987)   
28. Milos Jakes (Czechoslovakia, 1987-1989)   

29. Iosif Dzhugashvili Stalin (USSR, 1922-1953)
30. Georgy Malenkov (USSR, 1953)
31. Nikita Khrushchev (USSR, 1953-1964)
32. Leonid Brezhnev (USSR, 1964-1982)
33. Yuri Andropov (USSR, 1982-1984)
34. Konstantin Chernenko (USSR, 1984-1985)   
35. Mikhail Gorbachev (USSR, 1985-1991)


Results:
round one: Stalin 10
round two: Hoxha 5, Ceausescu 4
round three: Ceausescu 6, Rakosi 1, Bierut 1
round four: Rakosi 5, Bierut 2, Zhivkov 2
round five: Zhivkov 3, Bierut 2, Gottwald 2, Chervenkov 1
round six: Gottwald 4, Bierut 3, Chervenkov 2
round seven: Bierut 4, Chervenkov 1
round eight: Gheorghiu-Dej 5, Chervenkov 2
round nine: Ulbricht 3, Honecker 2, Chervenkov 1
round ten: Chervenkov 5, Gomulka 1
round eleven: Novotny 3, Gerö 2, Husak 1
round twelve: Gerö 6, Gomulka 1, Brezhnev 1
round thirteen: Dimitrov 4, Brezhnev 3
round fourteen: Brezhnev 5, Chernenko 2, Alia 1, Krenz 1
round fifteen: Chernenko 7, Honecker 1
round sixteen: Honecker 6, Malenkov 2
round seventeen: Alia 3, Husak 2, Gomulka 1, Krenz 1, Malenkov 1
round eighteen: Malenkov 3, Gomulka 2, Ochab 1
round nineteen: Gomulka 5, Husak 1, Ochab 1, Khrushchev 1
round twenty: Pieck 4, Krenz 3, Husak 1
round twenty-one: Husak 7, Krenz 2
round twenty-two: Krenz 6, Khrushchev 2
round twenty-three: Jakes 3, Ochab 1, Khrushchev 1, Kadar 1
round twenty-four: Apostol 5, Kadar 1, Jaruzelski 1
round twenty-five: Ochab 6, Khrushchev 1
round twenty-six: Gierek 5, Jaruzelski 2, Khrushchev 1
round twenty-seven: Kania 4, Khrushchev 3, Jaruzelski 2, Kadar 1
round twenty-eight: Jaruzelski 3, Khrushchev 2, Kadar 2
round twenty-nine: Khrushchev 6, Kadar 1, Gorbachev 1
round thirty: Kadar 5, Andropov 2, Gorbachev 1
round thirty-one: Andropov 6, Gorbachev 1
round thirty-two: Grosz 6, Dubcek 3
round thirty-three: Gorbachev 6, Dubcek 3
round thirty-four: Dubcek 6, Nagy 3

Vote for the leader you want to eliminate. Vote is open for 24 hours+.

[big bad fab]

Before my 20th century survivor and as Kalwejt Polish survivor is over, let's try this one...

Don't blame me for accents, misspellings, wrong writings, etc...

It will be a difficult choice between mostly evil men, but I've always been fascinated by the communist machinery...

VOTE IS NOT OPEN FOR THE MOMENT.

Just a few hours for comments, ideas, critics, and we'll be able to start.

[big bad fab]

Great idea

I got one comment. I'm not sure we can count Rakowski, who became the first secretary when Mazowiecki already takes over government and Jaruzelski became President. Yes, he was prime minister before, but Jaruzelski was the one most important. 

He became first sec when Kiszczak was PM, but, you're right, Jaruzelski was the real nr.1 as President.
Mmmm... not very easy...

And I wonder whether I should keep Grotewohl and add Nagy, in order to have only real nr.1.

[big bad fab]

Stalin

Voting not open.

Can we have all communist leaders?

What do you mean ?

Yugoslavia ? It would be too long, unless I don't pick anybody after 1980 or only "real" nr.1, which is very hard to do.

Other countries ? With China, it's too complex to pick only a handful of leaders (and why stop in 1989 ?) and would be too long here (but that's an idea I've got for another Survivor !).

With other countries outside the COMECON, were they really communist ? (Ethiopia, Angola, South Yemen, Afghanistan, etc)

With other countries INSIDE the COMECON, I've thought about it, but it would be too "exotic" in comparison with old Czechosloavia or East Germany (Cuba is really another debate; Vietnam also) or we wouldn't be able to have an "enlightened" view, I think (see Mongolia).
And that would put inside Vietnam and aside North Korea. And if I include Vietnam, I must put inside North Korea and I must include China, and Laos, etc.

So, I'd prefer to stick to the USSR and East European countries, unless you have another idea.

[big bad fab]

My opinion:

Afghanistan
Albania
Angola
Bulgaria
Benin
Cambodia
China
Cuba
Czechoslovakia
Ethiopia
Germany (East)
Grenada
Hungary
Korea (North)
Laos
Mongolia
Mozambique
Nicaragua
Poland
Romania
Somalia
Soviet Union
Vietnam
Yemen (South)
Yugoslavia

I am sure I have forgotten some countries.

If you take also allies like Somalia, you have to include Congo, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and even Syria, Iraq, Sao Tomé...

It goes too far.

I wanted to justify my list with Soviet-imposed regimes (to justify that Yugoslavia, but also Cuba and Vietnam are excluded) and I would have included Mongolia, but Albania wouldn't fit.

So, let's stick to Warsaw Pact, a big criteria BTW !

[big bad fab]

Some changes and we can go:

ROUND ONE IS OPEN

Vote away !

I vote for Stalin.

[big bad fab]

A unanimous first round ?

Come on, guys, please vote for this opening round !

[big bad fab]

There are only two leaders on this list that could be considered overall positive, and maybe another two or three that could be considered "acceptable" (under the circumstances of the time) making most of it rather uninteresting like this round.

I also don't understand why Lenin wasn't included.

Please read the opening post.
It's about Warsaw Pact leaders.

Survivors aren't only among "good" people ! Or they are boring.
And what are "overall positive" and "acceptable" people ?
Everyone has his own definition.
What is more, I'm not responsible for, ahem, the bad quality of communist leaders

What is interesting in a Survivor is the order in which people are eliminated... And here, I think it's especially interesting
Sorry for writing something so obvious...

It's fine to see a quite good turnout for an austere Survivor in a not-very-read board.
But you aren't forced to vote in, if you don't like it

[big bad fab]

Stalin is out, with a big unanimity. Thanks for this fine turnout.

ROUND TWO IS OPEN
Vote away !
(list of remaining leaders in opening post)

I vote for Hoxha

[big bad fab]

Already a fight in sight between Ceausescu and Hoxha !
Fine !

Come & vote, guys !

[big bad fab]

After a close contest, the little Stalin of Albania is out.

ROUND THREE IS OPEN
Vote away !
(list of remaining leaders in opening post)

I vote for Ceausescu,
who indeed deserves to be ousted now.

[big bad fab]

We've killed Ceausescu.

ROUND FOUR IS OPEN
Vote away !
(list of remaining leaders in opening post)

I vote for Rakosi, a really harsh one in Hungary.

[big bad fab]

Matyas Rakosi -  one of the worst of the Stalin era party leaders.

Oh yes !

[big bad fab]

The little Stalin of Hungary is out.

ROUND FIVE IS OPEN
Vote away !
(list of remaining leaders in opening post)

I vote for Klement Gottwald.

[big bad fab]

The little Brezhnev of Bulgaria is out, after a fiercely contested round. He's the first to be eliminated with only a plurality of votes.

ROUND SIX IS OPEN

I vote again for Klement Gottwald,
the man who killed the only real democracy in Eastern Europe and who launched the Slansky-London et alii trials.

[big bad fab]

Kalwejt: no rule prevents you from switching your vote, now that Bierut seems to be about to fall (but, sure, Hans-im-Glück hasn't voted and the Zhivkov voters are up for grabs)
Of course, if Gottwald is ousted this round, I'll vote for Bierut in the next

GMantis: does that mean you vote for Chervenkov ?

[big bad fab]

Another fiercely contested round
I'll wait a bit, all the more as some of our "usual voters" haven't come yet.

[big bad fab]

The man of the Prague Coup is out in a quite competitive round.

ROUND SEVEN IS OPEN
Vote away !
(list of remaining leaders in opening post)

I vote for Bierut

[big bad fab]

Come on guys, we need your vote !

[big bad fab]

At last, Bierut is out, but with the lowest turnout
Come on, guys, please vote and make other forumers vote !

ROUND EIGHT IS OPEN
Vote away !
(list of remaining leaders in opening post)

I vote for Chervenkov.

[big bad fab]

Oh, I was about to vote for him in next round. Indeed, he was a really bad one...
Fine vote, guys.

Anyway, it seems as if he won't need my vote to be ousted

[big bad fab]

Another evil Romanian leader is out (maybe even worse than Ceausescu, Hans-im-Glück is right).
I only regret not to have voted for him

ROUND NINE IS OPEN
Vote away !
(list of remaining leaders in opening post)

I vote for the monolithic Walter Ulbricht.

East German leaders haven't even received one vote up to now. And still, there are here some big bad guys !

[big bad fab]

Ulbricht was really a slave of the Soviet Union (and of Stalin, first), a stupid slave, what is more.

[big bad fab]

Ulbricht has been eliminated, over its successor Honecker.

ROUND TEN IS OPEN
Vote away !
(list of remaining leaders in opening post)

I vote for Chervenkov, a real dictator, even if not well known in the West.

[big bad fab]

At last, Chervenkov is eliminated.
With Bierut, he's our biggest vote-getter for the moment, with more votes than Stalin and Ceausescu... but over many rounds of course !

ROUND ELEVEN IS OPEN
Vote away !
(list of remaining leaders in opening post)

I vote for Ernö Gerö.

If Rakosi was the little Stalin of Hungary, Gerö was nothing else than a little... Rakosi.