Who was Konstantin Kuzakov? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Konstantin Stepanovich Kuzakov

Died At Age: 85

Family:

father: Joseph Stalin

mother: Maria Kuzakova

siblings: Svetlana Alliluyeva

Family Members Russian Men

Died on: 1996

place of death: Moscow

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Childhood & Early Life

Konstantin Stepanovich Kuzakov was born in 1911. He was the illegitimate second child of Joseph Stalin. While in exile in Solvychegodsk, Stalin had a brief affair with his landlady, Maria Kuzakova. Maria became pregnant as a result of the affair. When Stalin was permitted to move to Vologda in June 1911, Maria was carrying Konstantin, who was born later that year.

Stalin had a son, Yakov Iosifovich Jugashvili, from his first wife, Kato Svanidze, and a son, Vasily, and a daughter, Svetlana, from his second wife, Nadezhda Alliluyeva. He also had an adopted son, Artyom Sergeev. He had at least one more illegitimate son apart from Konstantin, Alexander. However he never recognized the two boys as his children.

Stalin ruled the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953. He remained the general secretary of the ‘Communist Party of the Soviet Union’ for 3 decades, from 1922, and served as the nation's “Premier” from 1941 to 1953.

Konstantin never had the opportunity to meet his biological father. Neither did he share any relationship with him nor was he ever introduced to him officially. However, it was believed that Stalin had a hand in enrolling Konstantin at the ‘Leningrad University.’ Later, in 1932, Konstantin was compelled by the ‘NKVD’ to sign a statement giving his word that he would never reveal the truth about his “origin.” Alexander was also made to swear by the Soviet authorities that he would not disclose the fact that Stalin was his biological father.

British historian, academic, and author Robert Service, who wrote a biography on Stalin, mentioned that there was hardly any doubt about the identity of Konstantin’s father, as many who saw Konstantin in his adulthood recorded how he resembled his father not only in appearance but also in his gait.

Career

Konstantin was associated with the ‘Leningrad Military Mechanical Institute’ for a while and taught philosophy there. Later, he worked in the “apparat” of the ‘Central Committee’ in Moscow. At the time of the Second World War, he served as a colonel.

He worked with one of Stalin’s close allies, Andrei Zhdanov, a Soviet ‘Communist Party’ leader and cultural ideologist. However, while he was working for Zhdanov in 1947, Konstantin, along with his deputy, was charged of spying for America.

According to Konstantin, he had encountered Stalin once while he was working at the ‘Kremlin.’ He mentioned that Stalin had stopped in his tracks and given him a glance and that he had thought that Stalin wanted to say something to him. He said that he had felt like rushing to Stalin but something had restricted him from doing so. Meanwhile, Stalin had waved his pipe and had moved on. Konstantin’s arrest was prevented by Stalin. However, the ‘Communist Party’ dismissed him.

On March 5, 1953, Stalin died. Lavrentiy Beria, who was made the “First Deputy Premier,” was arrested on charges of treason in June that year. Following this, Konstantin was again included in the ‘Party’ and in the Soviet "apparat.” Konstantin held different positions associated with culture. He became a member of the collegium of ‘Gosteleradio.’ He also served as the chief of a department in the ministry of culture.

Family & Personal Life

Not much is known about Konstantin’s romantic associations or his marital status. He died in 1996, 5 years after the collapse of the communist system and the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Konstantin Kuzakov Biography