Kruglov Sergey Nikiforovich: biography and family

This representative of the Soviet nomenklatura tried to avoid publicity, because he was a modest and unpretentious person. However, his merits in leadership positions in the system of public administration and achievement as a public figure were very great. Work in the security forces Kruglov Sergei Nikiforovich devoted a significant segment of his life, and his career could envy everyone. Why did the leaders of the Soviet state notice it? As one of the reasons for this circumstance, the experts noted the fact that Kruglov Sergey Nikiforovich had a diploma of higher education, had several foreign languages, was a brilliant organizer, had a broad outlook, respected his subordinates, unlike his "colleagues" who Of all listed qualities possessed one or two. What was remarkable about the biography of this statesman and public figure? Let's consider this issue in more detail.

Years of childhood and adolescence

Kruglov Sergei Nikiforovich, whose family was a peasant, was born on October 2, 1907 in the village of Ustye (Tver province).

Soon his parents moved to Petrograd, where his father goes to work at the plant. But in the late 1910's, the mother returned to her former place of residence along with the offspring.

Already a teenager, he began to work, namely to graze cattle. Of course, Sergei did not have much time for studying at school. However, in 1924 he managed to get an elementary education in the city of Zubtsov. Having reached the age of seventeen, the young man got a job as a secretary of the village council in the village of Nikiforovo. For diligence in the work of a young man after some time appointed head of the village council.

In 1925, Kruglov Sergey Nikiforovich replenishes the ranks of the Komsomol and, in parallel with this, runs a hut-reading room. Then he goes to the state farm "Vakhnovo" of Rzhev Uyezd, where he first works as a trainee, then as a repair worker, and then as a tractor driver.

At the end of 1928 the young man was admitted to the Bolshevik party.

Years of army service and further work

Soon Kruglov Sergey Nikiforovich is drafted into the army. But he will serve only one year. Being in the barracks position, he mastered a new profession of auto mechanic, which he needed after demobilization.

Having repaid the debt to the Motherland, the young man will go to the Kustanai region, where he worked as an instructor-mechanic in one of the training and experimental grain-farms.

Study in universities

After some time, Sergei Nikiforovich understands that he needs to get higher education, and in 1931 he became a student of the Industrial and Pedagogical Institute. Karla Liebknecht, who is in the capital. But soon he changed the university, and not one. Taking a great interest in party work in the student environment, he enters the Institute of Oriental Studies (Japanese sector) in parallel, and after a short time becomes a student at the Institute of the Red Professorship, who opened the prospect for Kruglov to become a teacher. But fate has made its own adjustments, and the graduate of this high school failed to the young man.

Party career

In 1937, an undergraduate of the Institute of Red Professors was sent to the party's disposal. Kruglov Sergey Nikiforovich, whose biography is of some interest to historians, falls into the department of leading party bodies, where he acts as the responsible organizer.

Having gained experience in the work of the bodies of the Central Committee of the CPSU (B.), The young man is transferred to the NKVD, where he will serve under the leadership of Lavrenty Pavlovich Beria himself. What sphere of activity should the curator of the new department, Sergei Nikiforovich Kruglov (People's Commissar), be in charge of?

Beria's "right hand"

He had to keep track of the cases, the defendants of which were "colleagues" in the work, who committed misdemeanors and offenses. Lavrenty Pavlovich was pleased with the choice of a new employee, and already two months later Kruglov became a direct assistant to Beria, headed the NKVD personnel department. Such a sharp career rise was one of extraordinary events. But in 1934 the Lavrenty Pavlovich department underwent reform: it was divided into NKVD and NKGB. Kruglov Sergey Nikiforovich, whose photo was already well known to the Soviet public, continued to be Beria's "right hand", which instructed him to deal with issues of the Gulag and production and construction departments. But the operational work was beyond the scope of Kruglov's official activities, which saved him in 1953.

Years of WWII

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the two "law enforcement agencies" were once again united into one. And although formally Sergei Nikiforovich Kruglov is assisted by Beria, he does not participate in the work of the NKVD, but goes to the front.

When the fascists came very close to Moscow, the Chekist took over the command of the 4th State Defense Establishment of the NKVD and the 4th Sapper Army. For the defense of the capital in 1942, he will receive the Order of the Red Star. Kruglov Sergey Nikiforovich (commissar) continued his service in the power department and in the winter of 1943 the authorities appropriated to him the high rank of the state security commissioner of the second rank. In the NKVD, he continued to remain deputy minister.

In 1944, for a massive deportation of Ingush, Chechens, Karachais, Kalmyks to the eastern regions of the country, the Chekist was awarded the Order of Suvorov , 1st Class. Then Kruglov initiated in Ukraine a fight against OUN people, for which he received the Order of Kutuzov , 1st degree. Then Sergey Nikiforovich goes to the Baltics. In Lithuania, it produces mass purges.

At the end of the war, he provided protection for foreign delegations arriving at the Yalta Conference.

After the war

In 1945 the Chekist, being a member of the Soviet delegation, will arrive in the American San Francisco where the UN Charter will be created. From the English he receives the highest noble title - "Knight of the British Empire".

In the same 1945, the Soviet public learns that Kruglov Sergei Nikiforovich - Minister of Internal Affairs of the USSR, he replaced Beria, who had a lot of work in the Politburo.

Death of the leader

In the spring of 1953, the "leader of the peoples" Joseph Stalin dies, and, of course, this fact caused significant changes in the apparatus of state administration. Once again, the departments of the NKVD and the NKGB were united, and the power structure was again taken over by Lavrenty Beria. Comrade Kruglov returned to the position of his first assistant. Soon a backstage struggle for power broke out, and the head of the NKVD had a good chance of assuming the post of head of state. But he had a serious competitor in the person of Nikita Khrushchev, who ultimately became the winner in this game. The latter, having taken the highest post in the country, began an active struggle with the old cadres, whom his confidants were supposed to replace. Naturally, not only Laurentia Beria, but also his deputy - Sergey Kruglov, who was transferred to work as an assistant to the head in the Ministry of Power Plant Construction, lost his privileged position. But in a new capacity, the Chekist did not work long.

Already in 1957 he was sent to provincial Kirov, where he was appointed assistant to the chairman in the regional council of the national economy. But in this status of Kruglov remained a short time.

The final stage of the career

In 1958, in connection with the deterioration of his health Sergei Nikiforovich was forced to register a disability and retire.

In 1960, the former Minister of the NKVD of the USSR was expelled from the ranks of the CPSU. He was charged with political repression. But Soviet officials believed that a person who was not connected with the party did not deserve the right to receive a "police" pension, so they deprived him of this social payment, and also took his office apartment from him. The former Chekist after some time tried to restore his membership in the CPSU, but this issue remained in limbo.

One way or another, but Kruglov did not finish his work after receiving the disability. For some time he worked in the Department of Finishing Works under the Ministry of Medium (Atomic) Engineering. Last years the official lived rather unpretentiously and unassumingly.

Family status

Sergei Nikiforovich Kruglov was an exemplary family man. With his only wife, Taisia Dmitrievna Ostapova, he legalized relations in 1934. They met when they were still students of the Industrial Pedagogical Institute, and lived in the same hostel. The history of one of the dates was the prerequisite for the marriage. It so happened that Taisia could not come on time on time. The reason was banal. Earlier, the girls in the room, including Taisia, made a pair of shoes for one pair of shoes at all, as students at the time felt the need for money. And one of the girlfriends who left in the "public" shoes, forgot that Taisia should go on a date and was late for as long as three hours. Naturally, there was a surge of emotions, and Taya thought that if a young man waited for her, she would become his wife. And Sergei waited for her, although very worried that she would not come. As a result, the wedding took place.

But she was very modest, because the financial condition of the newlyweds at that time left much to be desired. The first time after the wedding, they continued to live in a hostel, and separately from each other. Then they had a daughter, Irina and son Valery.

Sergei Kruglov tragically died in July 1977. He got under the train next to the platform "Pravda" (Yaroslavl direction of the Moscow railway). He was buried by a statesman at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.