General secretary

Ask a question about 'General secretary' Start a new discussion about 'General secretary' Answer questions from other users Full Discussion Forum

• The official title of the de-facto leader of the Soviet Union
  Soviet Union
  
  The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
   was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin
  Joseph Stalin
  
  Joseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953....
   is known to be the first to elevate the position from the former meaning to the latter. For a time the position was known as the First Secretary. See List of leaders of the Soviet Union
  List of leaders of the Soviet Union
  
  An approximately chronological list of leaders of the Soviet Union .The formal structure of power in the Soviet Union consisted of three main branches that gave rise to three top positions....
   for other bearers of these titles.

• The term General Secretary often refers to the Secretary-General of an organization such as the Secretary-General of the United Nations or Secretary-General of the League of Nations
  League of Nations
  
  The League of Nations was an inter-governmental organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919?1920. At its greatest extent from 28 September 1934 to 23 February 1935, it had 58 members....
  . Also called the Executive Secretary in the case of the Commonwealth of Independent States
  Commonwealth of Independent States
  
  The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics.The CIS is comparable to a confederation similar to the original European Community....
  .

• The General Secretary (or First Secretary) may also be the title used by the head of a political party or group such as the Labour Party (UK)
  Labour Party (UK)
  
  The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the Left-wing politics in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently organised again....
   but this usage is most often associated with the leadership of communist political organisations.

• The General Secretary may also be the head of a trade union
  Trade union
  
  A trade union or labor union is an organization run by and for workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages, hours, and working conditions....
  , particularly in the United Kingdom
  United Kingdom
  
  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
   or another association such as a federation of agriculture or farmer's union or a co-operative.

• The General Secretary may also be the head of a Church or a Church Organization, such as a National Council of Churches
  National Council of Churches
  
  The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is an ecumenical fellowship of 35 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its member communions -- also variously called denominations, churches, conventions, or archdioceses -- include a wide variety of Mainline Protestant, Eastern Orthodox Church, Black church, and historic P...
   or the World Council of Churches
  World Council of Churches
  
  The World Council of Churches is an international Christian ecumenism organization. Based in Geneva, Switzerland , it is a fellowship of about 340 churches of which 157 are members....
  .

See also

• Secretary General
  Secretary General
  
  A number of international organizations, communist parties, and other bodies use the title Secretary General or Secretary-General for their chief administrative officer....