# Stalin's second government

Stalin's second government was formally constituted on March 19, 1946, with Joseph Stalin at the helm as the head of government and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union, this cabinet was inaugurated through a decree of the second convocation of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union issued earlier on March 15, 1946. This decree also signified the renaming of the Council of People's Commissars to the Council of Ministers.

## Government policies

While the responsibilities and functions of the Council of Ministers' members remained unchanged from those of the Council of People's Commissars, the modification in nomenclature was aimed at aligning with international conventions. The second convocation of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, convened on February 10, 1946, played the pivotal role in approving the formation of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on March 19, 1946.
The Council of Ministers, under Stalin's leadership, spearheaded the implementation of the fourth five-year plan of economic development spanning 1946 to 1950. Stalin's directive on February 9, 1946, emphasized the restoration of war-affected regions, the resurgence of industry and agriculture to pre-war levels, and the subsequent transition to a more expansive or significantly reduced growth rate.
In a pivotal move in December 1947, the Council of Ministers of the USSR executed the second monetary reform in Soviet history, characterized by the redenomination of Soviet currency. Simultaneously, the reform dismantled rationing for food and consumer goods. This nationwide reform unfolded within a week, extending to two weeks in remote Northern areas.
In October 1948, the Council of Ministers and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union outlined a comprehensive plan for windbreak planting, crop rotation pastures, and the construction of ponds and lakes The plan, known as the Great Plan for the Transformation of Nature, also aimed at ensuring high crop yields in the steppe and forest-steppe regions of the European territories of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union successfully developed the atomic bomb on August 29, 1949, becoming the world's second nuclear-armed nation. This achievement brought an end to the American nuclear monopoly, marking a turning point in the global balance of power.

## Ministries

| Ministry | Minister | Party |
| Chairman of the Council of Ministers | Joseph Stalin | PCU (b) |
| First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers | Vyacheslav Molotov | PCU (b) |
| Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | Lavrenti Beria | PCU (b) |
| Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | Andrei Andreyev | PCU (b) |
| Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | Nikolai Bulganin | PCU (b) |
| Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | Nikolai Voznesensky | PCU (b) |
| Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | Kliment Voroshilov | PCU (b) |
| Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | Aleksandr Yefremov (politician) | PCU (b) |
| Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | Lazar Kaganovich | PCU (b) |
| Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | Alexei Kosygin | PCU (b) |
| Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | Alexei Krutikov | PCU (b) |
| Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | Georgy Malenkov | PCU (b) |
| Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | Vyacheslav Malyshev | PCU (b) |
| Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | Anastas Mikoyan | PCU (b) |
| Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | Maksim Saburov | PCU (b) |
| Deputy Chairmen of the Council of Ministers | Ivan Tevosian | PCU (b) |
| Administrator of Affairs | Yakov Chadeiev (1946–1949) | PCU (b) |
| Administrator of Affairs | Mikhail Pomaznev (1949–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Vyacheslav Molotov (1946–1949) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Andrey Vyshinsky (1949–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Defense | Joseph Stalin (1946–1947) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Defense | Nikolai Bulganin (1947–1949) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Defense | Alexander Vasilevsky (1949–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Foreign Trade | Anastas Mikoyan (1946–1949) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Foreign Trade | Mikhail Menshikov (1949–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Food Industry | Vasili Zotov (1949–1949) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Food Industry | Dmitri Pavlov (1949–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Trade | Alexander Liubimov (1946–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Trade | Vasily Zhavoronkov (1948–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Railways | Ivan Kovalev (1946–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Railways | Boris Beshev (1948–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Communications | Konstantin Sergeichuk (1946–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Communications | Nikolay Psurtsev (1948–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Timber Industry | Mikhail Saltikov (1946–1947) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Timber Industry | Georgi Orlov (1947–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Ministry of Timber and Paper Industry | Georgi Orlov (1946–1947) | PCU (b) |
| Ministry of Timber and Paper Industry | Sergei Komarov (1947–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Timber and Paper Industry | Georgi Orlov (1948–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Light Industry | Sergei Lukin (1946–1947) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Light Industry | Nikolai Ermolaevich (1947–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Light Industry | Alexei Kosygin (1948–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Aviation Industry | Mikhail Khrunichev | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Naval Industry | Alexei Goregliad (1946–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Naval Industry | Vyacheslav Malyshev (1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Armaments | Dmitri Ustinov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Agricultural Electrical Engineering | Boris Vannikov (1946) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Agricultural Electrical Engineering | Piotr Goremykin (1946–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Construction and Special Works | Nikolai Kazakov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Automotive Industry | Stepan Akopov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Agricultural and Automotive Machinery | Stepan Akopov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Mechanics and Tools | Pyotr Parshin | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Ferrous Metallurgy | Ivan Tevosian (1946–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Non-Ferrous Metallurgy | Pyotr Lomako (1948–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Metallurgical Industry | Ivan Tevosian (1948–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Eastern Petroleum Industry (1946–1948) | Mikhail Evseenko | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Western and Southern Petroleum Industry (1946–1948) | Nikolai Baibakov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Petroleum Industry | Nikolai Baibakov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Eastern Coal Industry | Vasily Vakhrushev (1946–1947) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Eastern Coal Industry | Dmitry Onika (1947–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Western Coal Industry | Dmitry Onika (1946–1947) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Western Coal Industry | Alexander Zasyadko (1947–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Coal Industry | Alexander Zasyadko | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Electrical Industry | Ivan Kabanov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Energy | Dmitri Zhimerin | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Chemical Industry | Mikhail Pervukhin (1946–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Chemical Industry | Sergei Tikhomirov (1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Rubber Industry | Tijon Mitrojin | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Building Materials Industry | Lazar Kaganovich (1946–1947) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Building Materials Industry | Simon Ginzburg (1947–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Transport Engineering | Vyacheslav Malyshev (1946–1947) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Transport Engineering | Ivan Nosenko (1947–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Transport Engineering | Yuri Maksarev (1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Construction and Mechanical Engineering | Konstantin Sokolov (1946–1949) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Construction and Mechanical Engineering | Semion Fomin (1949–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Finance | Arseny Zverev (1946–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Finance | Alexei Kosygin (1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Finance | Arseny Zverev (1948–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Agriculture | Ivan Benediktov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Maritime Transport | Piotr Shirshov (1946–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Maritime Transport | Alexandr Afanasiev (1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Maritime Transport | Nikolai Novikov (1948–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of River Transport | Zosima Shashkov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Internal Affairs | Sergey Kruglov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Health | Georgy Miterev (1946–1947) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Health | Yefim Smirnov (1947–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Justice | Nikolai Ryshkov (1946–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Justice | Konstantin Gorshenin (1948–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Supply | Boris Dvinski | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Industrial Plants | Nikolai Skvortsov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Textile Industry | Ivan Sedin | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Fishing Industry | Alexander Ishkov [ru] (1946, 1948–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Fishing Industry | Konstantin Rusakov (1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Eastern Fisheries Industry (1946–1948) | Andrei Semionovich | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Western Fisheries Industry (1946–1948) | Alexander Ishkov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Meat and Dairy Industry | Pavel Smirnov (1946) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Meat and Dairy Industry | Ivan Kuzminy (1946–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of State Security | Vsevolod Merkulov (1946) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of State Security | Viktor Abakumov (1946–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Military Construction and Naval Works | Simon Ginzburg (1946–1947) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Military Construction and Naval Works | Nikolai Dygai (1947–1949) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Construction Engineering | Nikolai Dygai (1949–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Fuel Industry | Alexander Zademidko | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Heavy Industry | Pavel Yudin | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Higher Education | Sergei Kaftanov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Construction Tools-Machines | Alexander Yefremov (1946–1949) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Construction Tools-Machines | Anatoly Kostounov (1949–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of State Control | Lev Mekhlis | PCU (b) |
| Minister of the State Committee on Cinematography | Ivan Bolshakov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Labor and Employment | Vasily Pronin | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Communication Equipment Industry | Ivan Zubovich (1946–1947) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Communication Equipment Industry | Alekseenko Gennady (1947–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Pharmaceutical Industry | Andrei Tretiakov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Consumer Goods | Nikolai Pronin | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Livestock Production | Alexei Kozlov | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Forestry | German Motovilov (1947–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Forestry | Alexander Bovin (1948–1953) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Geology | Ivan Malyshev (1946–1949) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Geology | Piotr Zajarov (1949–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Food and Material Reserves | Dmitri Fomin | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Urban Construction | Konstantin Sokolov (1949) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Urban Construction | George Popov (1949–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Gosbank | Yakov Golev (1946–1948) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of Gosbank | Vasily Popov (1948–1950) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of State Planning Committee | Nikolai Voznesensky (1946–1949) | PCU (b) |
| Minister of State Planning Committee | Maksim Saburov (1949–1950) | PCU (b) |