Andrei Gromyko was a Russian statesman who worked as a Soviet Union diplomat for many years. He was a Soviet Union representative who held numerous posts in the Soviet Union over the years. He was the Soviet Ambassador to the United States and the United Kingdom in his early years. Later in his career, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and then Chairman of the Supreme Soviet’s Presidium. He was a key figure in negotiations with foreign powers at major international conferences. As Minister of Foreign Affairs, he distinguished himself by his ability to efficiently implement the Soviet leadership’s goals. In his political career, he interacted with nine US presidents and was an excellent diplomat who could accommodate any Soviet leader. He worked as a government official for the USSR for more than four decades and was regarded as a master negotiator both in the Soviet Union and in the West. He also increased the Soviet Union’s global influence, earning him the moniker of “Dean of World Diplomacy” for his decades of experience in international affairs. He was a bright politician and a skilled negotiator who was instrumental in the Soviet Union’s rise to global prominence and influence.
Childhood and Adolescence
Andrei Matveyevich, a seasonal worker at a local factory, and his wife, Olga Jevgenyevna, had him on July 18, 1909 in Staryya Hramyki, Russian Empire. They lived in Staryya Gramyki, a Belarusian village near Gomel.
Both of his parents had barely attended school for a short time. Despite the fact that his family and the most of the villagers were religious, he questioned the existence of God early in his life.
When he was thirteen, he joined the Komsomol, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union’s youth division, and gave anti-religious lectures around the hamlet with his friends while promoting Communist ideas.
In Gomel, he acquired his primary education and vocational training. On his mother’s recommendation, he went to Borisov technical school.
He was appointed principal of a secondary school in Dzerzhinsk after two years of study in Borisov, where he taught, managed the school, and pursued his studies.
In 1933, the ‘Communist Party of Byelorussia’ offered him the chance to continue his education in Minsk, which he eagerly embraced.
He became a researcher and lecturer at the Soviet Academy of Sciences in 1936, after studying economics for three years. He was thereafter assigned to the diplomatic service from the Academy of Sciences.
Career of Andrei Gromyko
He was named Soviet ambassador to the United States in 1943. He met notable figures such as Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, and John Maynard Keynes during his time as ambassador.
He was appointed as the Soviet Union’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in 1946. In 1946, he was elevated to deputy foreign minister, and in 1949, he was promoted to first deputy foreign minister.
He was appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom in 1952 after becoming a candidate member of the Communist Party’s Central Committee. His time as ambassador to the United Kingdom was brief, and in 1953 he returned to Moscow.
He resumed his position as first deputy foreign minister after returning to Moscow. In 1956, he was elected to the Central Committee as a full member.
In 1957, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. During his 28-year tenure, he was the principal Soviet negotiator with the US administration.
He was elected to the Politburo in 1973 and was named first deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers in 1983.
Mikhail Gorbachev appointed him President of the Soviet Union (formal title: Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet) in 1985.
He began writing his memoirs after leaving active politics in 1988, and they were published the same year and translated into English in 1990.
Major Projects of Andrei Gromyko
He gained a reputation for his wide understanding of world politics and negotiation abilities. Major diplomatic missions and policy pronouncements were entrusted to him. He took part in all of the main post-World War II negotiations that led to the establishment of the United Nations.
His bargaining technique as the Soviet Union’s Foreign Minister was renowned. He would wear down his negotiating partners by battling for hours over the tiniest of minutiae before moving on to the meat of the matter, eking out little triumphs that he would later trade for larger concessions.
Achievements and Awards
He was awarded the ‘Order of the Red Banner’ in 1948, the Soviet Union’s highest decoration until 1930.
He was named a “Hero of Socialist Labour” twice during his career, the first time in 1969 and the second time in 1979.
He was awarded the ‘Lenin Prize,’ one of the Soviet Union’s highest honors, in 1982.
He also won the Jubilee Medal “In Commemoration of Vladimir Il’ich Lenin’s Birth on the 100th Anniversary of His Birth.”
He was awarded the ‘Order of the Sun of Peru,’ Peru’s highest distinction for outstanding civic and military achievement.
Throughout his career, he received seven ‘Orders of Lenin.’
Personal History and Legacy
He married Lydia Dmitrievna Grinevich, a Byelorussian peasant girl whom he met in Minsk, in 1931. Anatoly, their son, and Emilia, their daughter, were born to them.
He died in Moscow, Soviet Union, on July 2, 1989, after being admitted to the hospital for a vascular condition. In the Novodevichy cemetery, he was laid to rest.
Estimated Net Worth
Andrei is one of the wealthiest politicians and one of the most popular. Andrei Gromyko’s net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.