(CLICK TIMELINE FOR LARGER VIEW)

October 26, 1917 - Jaunary 21, 1924: VLADIMIR LENIN
Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars. Lead the Bolsheviks since the beginning.

April 3, 1922 - March 5, 1953: JOSEPH STALIN
General Secretary of the Central Committe of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks then Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR.

March 5, 1953 - September 7, 1953: GEORGY MALENKOV
Secretary of the Central committeee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union then Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR.

September 7, 1953 - October 14, 1964: NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV
First Secretary of the Central committeee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union then Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR.

October 14, 1964 - November 10, 1982: LEONID BREZHNEZ
First Secretary of the SPSU then General Secretary of the CPSU then Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

November 12, 1982 - February 9, 1984: YURI ANDROPOV
General Secretary of the CPSU then Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

March 11, 1985 - December 25, 1991: MIKHAIL GORBACHEV
General Secretary of the Central committeee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, then Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, then Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, and then President of the Soviet Union.