Twenty-Year Communist Programme
Presents a new party programme promising to build the material foundations of communism within twenty years.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1961 in Russia — Page 2
Explore 77 historical events and records for Russia in 1961.
Historical records for Russia in 1961
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 37 of 77 unique records.
77Unique records
2 of 2Page
33Named events on this page
11Named people on this page
5Places on this page
October
Tsar Bomba Test
The Soviet Union detonates the Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear device ever tested.
Tsar Bomba Test
The Soviet Union detonates Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear explosive ever tested.
Burial
Stalins body is removed from the Kremlin
Burial
Stalins body is removed from Lenins side in the Mausoleum on Red Square
New CPSU Programme Adopted
The Twenty-Second Party Congress adopts a new Communist Party programme replacing the 1919 programme.
Stalin Removed from Lenin Mausoleum
Stalin's body is removed from Lenin's Mausoleum following renewed condemnation at the Twenty-Second Party Congress.
Congress of Communist Party, 22nd
Congress votes to remove Stalins body from the mausoleum on Red Sqr
November
Stalingrad Renamed Volgograd
Stalingrad is renamed Volgograd as de-Stalinization reshapes Soviet public symbols.
December
McCloy-Zorin Accords
The United Nations General Assembly adopts the McCloy-Zorin Accords
UN Endorsement of McCloy-Zorin Principles
The United Nations endorses agreed United States-Soviet principles for future general and complete disarmament negotiations.
United Nations
The United Nations General Assembly adopts the McCloy-Zorin Accords
Comecon
A Comecon council session approved the Basic Principles of the International Socialist Division of Labour, which talked of closer coordination of plans and of "concentrating production of similar products in one or several socialist countries"
Comecon Socialist Division of Labour
Comecon adopts principles for closer coordination and specialization among member economies.
Economy of Russia
A Comecon council session approved the Basic Principles of the International Socialist Division of Labour, which talked of closer coordination of plans and of "concentrating production of similar products in one or several socialist countries"
International Socialism
A Comecon council session approved the Basic Principles of the International Socialist Division of Labour, which talked of closer coordination of plans and of "concentrating production of similar products in one or several socialist countries"
Other events (month unknown)
1st Man in Space
1st manned space flight
Belousov-Zhabotinsky Reaction
Systematically investigates and reproduces the oscillating reaction discovered by Belousov.
Berlin Refugee Crisis
The continuing flight from East Germany through Berlin intensifies pressure for a Soviet-backed border closure.
Berlin Wall
Overall operations for the construction of the Berlin Wall are directed by Marshal Ivan Konev, commander in chief of the GSFG
Central Committee
Appointed Member of Central Committee of the Communist Party
Commander in Chief
Appointed Commander in Chief of the USSR civil defence forces
Control Commission
Heads the newly formed Party-state control commission
Crisis
Overall operations for the construction of the Berlin Wall are directed by Marshal Ivan Konev, commander in chief of the GSFG. East German President Walter Ulbricht persuaded the Soviets that an immediate solution was necessary & that the only way to stop the exodus was to use force
Crisis
Refugees from east Berlin to west Berlin creates a shortage of labour & skills
Crisis
Overall operations for the construction of the Berlin Wall are directed by Marshal Ivan Konev, commander in chief of the GSFG
Declaration of War
Announces he intends to support "wars of national liberation"
Deputy Prime Minister
Appointed Deputy Prime Minister
Diplomatic Expulsion
Albania is expelled from the Comecon
Flint Poetry Collection
Shalamov's first poetry collection, Flint, appeared in print while his camp stories remained unpublished officially.
Hero of Socialist Labour
Receives the title Hero of Socialist Labour while serving as Soviet head of state.
Joins Communist Party
Joins the Communist Party of the Soviet Union while working in the Sverdlovsk construction sector.
Manuscript Submitted to Novy Mir
Solzhenitsyn's camp story was submitted to Novy Mir for possible publication.
Propaganda
Appointed Deputy Head of the Propoganda Dept of the Central Committee
Reaction-Diffusion Patterns
The achievement marks reaction-diffusion patterns as an important Russian scientific milestone.
Support for National Liberation Movements
Declares Soviet political support for anti-colonial and national liberation movements while advocating avoidance of direct superpower war.
Warsaw Pact Organisation
Albania leaves the Warsaw Pact Organisation
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.