Russia

Biographical dictionary of dissidents in the Soviet Union, 1956-1975, by S.P. de Boer, E.J. Driessen, and H.L. Verhaar. The Hague ; Boston, 1982, 679 p.
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  • Provides biographical sketches of nearly 3400 dissidents. Full text in World Biographical Information System

Soviet biographical service. Minneapolis, MN: J.L. Scherer, 1985-2002
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  • English-language biographies (paragraph-2 pp.) of political, military, academic, and cultural figures of former Soviet Union countries. Each quarterly issue includes new entries for emerging leaders and updates for subjects previously covered. References to English and Russian sources. Each updated biography lists previous SBS entries. Issue and annual indexes. Last issue (v. 18, no. 4, Sept. 2002) is cumulative index (1985-2002).

A biographical dictionary of the Soviet Union: prominent people in all fields from 1917-1988, by Jeanne Vronskaya.  1989 
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  • 2nd ed.: A biographical dictionary of the former Soviet Union: prominent people in all fields from 1917 to the present, by Jeanne Vronskaya. London: [New Providence], N.J.: Bowker-Saur, 1992.  Full text in World Biographical Information System.
  • Includes about 7,000 persons covering the full range of occupations, with emphasis on fine and performing arts, less on literary, academic and political figures. Includes émigrés.  Occupational index.

The Soviet Union: a biographical dictionary, ed.  by Archie Brown.  New York: Macmillan, 1991. 489 p.
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  • Covers 1400 individuals with good coverage of perestroika and glasnost-associated figures and list of biographees by subject/profession (full text in World Biographical Information System).

Biographic Directory of the USSR. Institut zur Erforschung der UdSSR. New York, Scarecrow Press, 1958, 782 p.
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Continued by:
Who’s Who in the USSR (1961/62, 1965/66 eds.)

  • Full text of 1958 and 1965/66 eds. in World Biographical Information System.
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Continued by:
Prominent personalities in the USSR. A biographic directory containing 6,015 biographies of prominent personalities in the Soviet Union. Comp. by the Institute for the Study of the USSR, Munich, Germany. Metuchen, N.J., Scarecrow Press, 1968. 792 p.
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  • Good representation of academic, cultural, and resistance figures.  Occupational index under broad categories.  Terminal section, “Key Personnel of Major Party, Government, Military, Scientific and other Organizations”, lists names under organization.  Full text in World Biographical Information System.

Continued by
Portraits of prominent USSR personalities. Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press, 1968-1972. 4 v.
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Who was who in the USSR; a biographic directory containing 5,015 biographies of prominent Soviet historical personalities. Compiled by the Institute for the Study of the USSR, Munich, Germany.
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  • Covers deceased persons active 1917-1967, including dissidents, with index by broad occupational categories and Party/governmental affiliation.   Full text in World Biographical Information System.

Who was who in the Soviet Union : a biographical dictionary of more than 4,600 leading officials from the central apparatus and the republics.
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  • Largely consists of lists of names of current and past officials arranged by agency, organization, or republic, with position, birth date, and start/end dates of employment/affiliation.  For some agencies, only current members are listed. Brief biographical data with detailed chronological career summary for current leaders of each agency (but not the republics). Name index. Full text in World Biographical Information System.

Who's who in the Socialist countries: a biographical encyclopedia of 10,000 leading personalities in 16 Communist countries, by Borys Lewytzkyj and Juliusz Stroynowski. New York : K. G. Saur Pub., 1978, 736 p.
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Who's who in the Socialist countries of Europe: a biographical encyclopedia of more than 12,600 leading personalities in Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia, ed. by Juliusz Stroynowski. NY: K. G. Saur, 1989. 3 v.
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