Zhukov, Georgy Konstantinovich (1896-1974), Soviet
military officer, born near Moscow. He served in the Russian imperial army
during World War I, joined the Red Army in 1918, and fought as a cavalry
commander in the Russian Civil War. After the war, he studied armored warfare at
the Frunze Military Academy. In 1939, using tanks, he was victorious during the
Soviet-Japanese clashes on the Manchurian border; the following year, he was
made chief of staff while fighting in the Russo-Finnish War. During World War
II, Zhukov commanded the defense of Moscow; he was involved in most other
important Soviet battles and led the final attack on Berlin. A marshal since
1943, he remained in Germany to head the Soviet occupation forces. Shortly after
his triumphant return to Moscow in 1946, he was demoted to a regional post by
Premier Joseph Stalin, who resented the marshal's prestige. Following Stalin's
death in 1953, Zhukov became first deputy minister of defense in 1955 and a
member of the executive committee of the Communist Party in July 1957; three
months later he was dismissed from both offices for allegedly giving military
affairs priority over party concerns.
