Ministry of Communications (Soviet Union)

Ministry of Communications of the USSR
Министерство связи СССР
Official emblem of the Ministry of Communications of the USSR on a Soviet Union stamp (1972). The Ministry of Communications was responsible for issuing postage stamps in the USSR
Agency overview
Formed	15 March 1946
Preceding agencies	People's Commissariat for Post and Telegraph of the RSFSR (since 8 November 1917) People's Commissariat for Posts and Telegraphs of the USSR (since 17 January 1932)
Dissolved	26 December 1991
Superseding agency	Ministry of Communications of the Russian Federation
Jurisdiction	Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Headquarters	Moscow Kremlin in Moscow, RSFSR, Soviet Union
Annual budget	varied

The Ministry of Communications of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) (Russian: Министерство связи СССР) was the central state administration body on communications in the Soviet Union from 1946 to 1991. It had authority over the postal, telegraph and telephone communications as well as public radio, technical means of radio and television broadcasting, and the distribution of periodicals in the country.

History

The Ministry of Communications of the USSR was established on 15 March 1946, replacing the People's Commissariat of Communications of the USSR (formerly People's Commissariat for Post and Telegraph). It was originally set up as an all-Union ministry, and in December 1954 transformed into a Union-Republican one.^[1]

The Ministry of Communications of the USSR was responsible for the maintenance and further development of all types of communications in general use, and technical means of radio and television broadcasting. It was also in charge of the periodicals distribution as well as the provision of technological progress in the industry, the quality of communication services, and the most complete and continuous needs of the country media and communication services. Additionally, the Ministry was responsible for issuing postage stamps and postal stationery (envelopes, postcards, etc.), which were used in the postal system of the Soviet Union.

The Ministry was terminated on 26 December 1991 due to the abolition of the Soviet Union. All Ministry assets, premises and other facilities in the territory of the Russian Federation were delegated to the Ministry of Communications of the Russian Federation.

• Examples of postal and telegraph sendings at the time of the Ministry of Communications of the USSR
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  Address side of a 1956 illustrated stamped postcard marked with a surcharge of the new price in 1961

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  Official mail cover postmarked in Odessa on 12 April 1974. The auxiliary postal marking states: "Official / Ministry of Communications" (Russian: СЛУЖЕБНОЕ / МИН-ВО СВЯЗИ)

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  A blank telegram form (1988)

Departments

The Ministry included two major departments^[1][2]:

• General Directorate of Post, whose administrative tasks were organization and management of the postal system in the USSR, and
• General Directorate of Periodicals Distribution 'Soyuzpechat' (later, the Central Retail and Subscription Agency 'Soyuzpechat' and since 1994, JSC 'Agency Rospechat') that was also in charge of organizing trade of philatelic materials (through its unit, the Central Philatelic Agency 'Soyuzpechat').

Ministers

Over the years, the Ministry was headed by Ministers of Communications of the USSR as follows:

• Konstantin Yakovlevich Sergeichuk (19 March 1946 - 30 March 1948)
• Nikolai Dem'yanovich Psurtsev (March 30, 1948 - 3 September 1975)
• Nikolai Vladimirovich Talyzin (September 3, 1975 - October 24, 1980)
• Vasily A. Shamshin (24 November 1980 - 7 June 1989)
• Erlen Kirikovich Pervyshin (17 July 1989 - 26 December 1990)
• Gennady G. Kudryavtsev (2 March 1991 - 26 November 1991)

Publications

Under the auspices of the USSR Ministry of Communications and 'Soyuzpechat', the following periodicals and publications were issued:

• magazine 'Herald of Communications' (Russian: «Вестник связи»),^[3]
• magazine 'Philately of the USSR' (Russian: «Филателия СССР»), jointly with the All-Union Society of Philatelists,^[4]
• stamp catalogs, and price sheets of stamps of the USSR and other philatelic materials.

See also

• Ministries of the Soviet Union
• People's Commissariat for Post and Telegraph
• Soviet Union stamp catalogue

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Vladinets, N.I.; Yakobs, V.A., eds (1988). "Министерство связи СССР [Ministry of Communications of the USSR]" (in Russian). Большой филателистический словарь [Great Philatelic Dictionary]. Moscow: Radio i svyaz'. ISBN 5-256-00175-2. http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/dic_philately/1752/. Retrieved 25 September 2010. 
2. ^ "История Агентства [History of the Agency]" (in Russian). About Us. JSC 'Agency Rospechat'. http://www.rosp.ru/index.jsp?r0=0&r1=5. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 
3. ^ "«Вестник связи» ['Herald of Communications']" (in Russian). Большая советская энциклопедия [Great Soviet Encyclopedia]. Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969—1978. http://www.cultinfo.ru/fulltext/1/001/008/004/529.htm. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 
4. ^ "«Филателия СССР» ['Philately of the USSR']" (in Russian). Большая советская энциклопедия [Great Soviet Encyclopedia]. Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969—1978. http://www.cultinfo.ru/fulltext/1/001/008/116/185.htm. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 

References

• Davydov, G.B. (1969—1978). "СССР. Связь [USSR. Communications]" (in Russian). Большая советская энциклопедия [Great Soviet Encyclopedia]. Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia. http://www.cultinfo.ru/fulltext/1/001/008/106/988.htm. Retrieved 27 September 2010. 

External links

• Governments of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from 1917–1964 and 1964–1991