FINANCE MINISTERS OF THE MARI, MORDOVIAN AND CHUVASH ASSR DURING THE REFORMS OF 1953–1964

This article examines the biographies of finance ministers of three similar in their historical and socio-economic development of the autonomous republics of the Volga region – the Mari, the Mordovian and the Chuvash ASSR in 1953–1964. This chronological period is characterized by implementation of large-scale reforms of economic management, which affected, among other things, the regions of the country. In many ways, this determined instability in the composition of the Councils of Ministers of the ASSR, as well as the regional system of executive and administrative authorities in general. At the same time, the Ministries of Finance occupied a special position in the regional economic management system, and their role and importance remained virtually unchanged. The heads of these ministries were among the key members of the Councils of Ministers in the autonomous republics; a successful development of almost all areas of the national economy and the socio-cultural sphere of the regions depended on organization of the work in the departments subordinate to them. 
 
The purpose of the scientific work is to conduct a comparative analysis of the biographies of high-ranking regional leaders and identify a number of their inherent features. Based on the materials of the three regions, the article marks out some characteristic features related to the educational level, origin, and career development of Soviet-party managers who received the position of head of the financial department. The peculiarities of selecting candidates associated with the need to appoint highly qualified professionals to the post of Minister of Finance of the ASSR are noted. 
 
The results obtained will enable us to supplement the materials on the trends in transforming the composition of the Councils of Ministers of the RSFSR autonomous republics, as well as on the development of administrative, economic and political regional elites of the mid XX century.