Hello dears.
Last night, while watching another episode of Parfenovsky (not to be confused with Parfyansky :-)))) “The Other Day”, I saw the awarding of “dear Leonid Ilyich” with the fourth star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. I immediately remembered numerous anecdotes regarding the number of awards of the elderly General Secretary. According to the overwhelming majority of residents former USSR, Comrade Brezhnev is the undisputed number 1 among the most awarded people on the planet, and at least 95% of these awards were received by him completely undeservedly. Is it really? Let's try to figure it out. In general, I really love faleristics (the science of rewards), I also have respect and deep sympathy for Leonid Ilyich (in particular for his love of life, positive outlook and lack of bloodthirstiness), so I will try to be impartial. How far I succeed is up to you to judge.
So, I propose to highlight two important aspects.
1) L.I. Brezhnev "the most awarded person on the planet."
2) He did not deserve the awards that the Secretary General was awarded.
L.I.Brezhnev with awards
Let's start with the main thing - the number of awards. To do this, we need to divide the awards into 2 groups - Domestic and Foreign. Accordingly, each of these groups can be formally divided into 3 subgroups: 1) Orders, 2) Medals 3) other awards (prizes, grants, etc.)
Let's start, perhaps, with domestic Orders. This is the easiest subsection to count and analyze.
Brezhnev's this moment 15 domestic Orders: 8 Orders of Lenin, 2 Orders of the October Revolution, 2 Orders of the Red Banner, Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky 2nd degree, Order of the Patriotic War 1st degree, Order of the Red Star. There was also 16 - the Order of Victory, but this award was canceled back in 1989 by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
If you look at the total number of Orders, then Brezhnev cannot possibly be a leader. Marshals of the Soviet Union Zakharov, Sokolov and Meretskov have 16, Rokossovsky, Budyonny, Kulikov and Konev have 17 orders each, Chuikov, Voroshilov and Sokolovsky have 18, and Moskalenko (by the way, it is not clear for what merits) has 20!!!
Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky II degree
Let's move on. Leonid Ilyich has as many as 8 Orders of Lenin. This is a lot, but by no means a record. 10 Orders of Lenin, for example, for such a controversial historical figure as the first secretary of the Uzbek USSR Rashidov Sh.R., 11 for Ustinov, and the absolute record holder is the minister foreign trade Nikolai Semenovich Patolichev, with 12 similar orders.
It is quite rare to be awarded the Order of the October Revolution twice. However, Leonid Ilyich is not alone here. In addition to him, there are 10 twice awarded this order, for example, tank designer Kotin and astronomer Severny.
I don’t even want to talk about other orders. As they say, "nothing". For example, more than 30 people (military leaders such as Rokossovsky or Army General Getman) had 6 Orders of the Red Banner.
So, both in terms of the number of Orders in general and the number of specific awards, Leonid Ilyich is not a record holder. I will say more - he is not even a leader.
Patolichev N.S.
Now that we have dealt with domestic orders, I think it would be appropriate to move on to domestic medals.
I counted 22 Soviet medals on him. First of all, it is necessary to highlight 4 “Gold Star” medals of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the “Hammer and Sickle” medal of the Hero of Socialist Labor. This is already a serious application for success :-))) There have been only two four heroes of the Soviet Union in history - G.K. Zhukov and L.I. Brezhnev.
There were many heroes of Socialist Labor. Three times there were 16 heroes, among them Kurchatov, Keldysh, Ilyushin, Sakharov and the same Khrushchev. 11 people bore the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union and Socialist Labor, but in terms of the total number of these medals (4+1), Brezhnev is unrivaled. The closest to him was “dear Nikita Sergeevich,” who has one Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union and as many as 3 Heroes of Socialist Labor.
In terms of the number of other medals, Brezhnev's result is not impressive. Great amount people have similar or much more similar awards.
Order of Karl Marx (GDR)
Now let's move on to more complex topic- foreign awards. If everything is more or less clear with domestic awards, then with insignia of foreign countries everything is much more complicated. Let's start with the Orders. I counted a total of 43 of them from Leonid Ilyich (there were 44, but the Poles in 1990 abolished the awarding of the Grand Cross of their Order of the Virtuti Militari). The Mongols especially distinguished themselves in the field of awarding, presenting the Soviet leader with the Order of Sukhbaatar as many as 4 times, and the Czechs - presenting the Order of Klement Gottwald the same number of times. The East Germans were a little behind them - 3 Orders of Karl Marx and the Bulgarians - 3 Orders of Georgiy Dimitrov. Among the Mongols, he is not a record holder, since the famous Marshal Khorlogiin Choibalsan had the same number of these Orders, and the former Secretary of the Central Committee of the Mongolian Communist Party Yumzhagiin Tsedenbal had as many as 5. But 4 Czech orders are a breakthrough! Even Gustav Husak and Ludwig Svoboda had only 3 copies of this award. The same applies to 3 Bulgarian ones - no one except Brezhnev had more than 3 Orders of G. Dimitrov.
Order of the Sun of Peru (Peru)
The most beautiful foreign award for the leader of the Soviet state, in my humble opinion, is the “Sun of Peru,” and the most exotic is the “Order of Independence” of the Republic of Guinea.
Many or few 43 foreign orders. It depends on what you compare it to. On the one hand, it seems like a lot, but on the other hand, if we consider the awards of any European monarch, then this list is much longer. Yes, even if you take Josip Broz Tito, he has no less than 53 foreign Orders.
Now let's move on to foreign medals. Leonid Ilyich has 36 of them. He is the only three times hero of the Republic of Bulgaria, and three times Hero of the GDR, as well as one of the three three times heroes of Czechoslovakia (along with G. Husak and L. Svoboda). 36 medals is very good. I would probably agree that he is the first in the world in terms of the total number of medals.
The most exotic medal he has, in my opinion, is this Golden Star Hero of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
Order of K. Gottwald (Czechoslovakia)
Let's look at other awards. Leonid Ilyich also has a lot of them and they cannot be accurately counted. Among the most famous, I would highlight 2 marshal stars - a small one (for the rank of Army General) and a large one (for, strictly speaking, the marshal rank itself). In addition, the Gold Medal of Peace named after F. Joliot-Curie, the UN Gold Medal of Peace named after O. Hahn, the gold medal of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the Lenin Prize, the Golden Mercury Prize for Peace, the G. Dimitrov Prize. Let's also add honorary weapons, honorary citizenship of such cities as Baku, Kyiv, Dnepropetrovsk and Tbilisi.
Order of Playa Giron (Cuba)
I still propose that these other awards and preferences should not be counted in our ranking. If only because it is impossible to take absolutely everything into account, and it makes no sense. Let's count only domestic and foreign Orders and medals. This is what I got:
Domestic awards - 15 orders and 22 medals, a total of 37 awards.
Foreign awards - 43 Orders and 36 medals, for a total of 79 awards.
In total, it turns out that Leonid Ilyich was awarded only 116 times. And this apparently really is a world record, since for the English Queen Elizabeth II, for example, I counted only 89 awards, for Broz Tito 82, for Ustinov -73.
Order "Star of Yugoslavia" 1st class (SFRY)
Now let’s consider such a sensitive topic as the deservedness of these very awards. It is truly difficult, due to the fact that the head of state is very often awarded foreign orders and medals not for any specific merits, but precisely for the fact that he is the head of state. I won’t give examples - because there are really a lot of them.
Let's look at the awards that Leonid Ilyich was awarded absolutely deservedly, since he really fought, raised the economy and led almost from the grassroots level. There aren't many of them. First of all, this is: the Order of the Red Star, the Order Patriotic War 1st class, Order October revolution(one), one or even 2 Orders of Lenin, possibly the Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky 2nd degree and even theoretically the Hero of Socialist Labor. Well, of course, all the medals are Soviet, because he deserved the combat medals for his cause, and the jubilee medals for his status. I would also be calm about foreign awards, if not for one BUT... there should be only one award, and not 2-3 as the Bulgarians or Mongols did.
Order "Banner of the Hungarian People's Republic" (Hungary People's Republic)
IMHO, the awarding of Brezhnev with the title of 4th Hero of the Soviet Union should be considered absolutely undeserved, since according to the statute of the award he could not even receive 1 Hero, not to mention 4. Then - at least 6 Orders of Lenin, off topic, the second Order of the October Revolution too does not fit, the stars of the Hero of the People's Republic of Belarus, the Hero of Labor of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Hero of Cuba, the Hero of the Lao PDR, the Hero of the GDR, one "Star of Indonesia", the stars of the Hero of the MPR and the Hero of Labor of the MPR, the Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. In addition, both Orders of the Banner of the Hungarian People's Republic, at least 2 of the 3 Orders of Georgiy Dimitrov, at least 2 of the 3 Orders of Karl Marx, at least 3 of the 4 Orders of Sukhbaatar and at least 3 of the 4 Orders of Kliment Gottwald.
What conclusions can we draw from all of the above, dear comrades and comrades? J The conclusions are simple - based on the total number of awards former manager Soviet state and General Secretary of the Central Committee Communist Party The Soviet Union Leonie Ilyich Brezhnev is indeed ONE of the record holders. One of them was two such wonderful dictators as Jean Bedel Bokassa and Idi Amin, who, according to some information, collected a collection of more than 200 orders and medals each. Many awards were received by Leonid Ilyich unfairly, but not 95%, as rumor insists, for a person is truly deserved and respected, and that is what he deserved honestly. And with other awards it’s also not easy. Can there be any doubt that the Mauser award Leonid Ilyich received in 1943 was received unfairly? I have no doubts - he deserved it for business and honor. So you need to be very careful in your assessments.
I hope I didn't bore you.
Sincerely
The Russian edition of the Guinness Book of Records (Moscow, Progress, 1991) states that the most awarded person not only in the USSR, but in the world is the former Soviet leader L.I. Brezhnev. According to the publishers of the book, he “had 15 orders of the USSR and 18 Soviet medals, and in total, together with foreign awards, Brezhnev’s ceremonial jacket was decorated with 42 orders and 47 medals.” In a number of other publications one can glean information that Brezhnev allegedly had more than two hundred orders and medals. But none of these figures are correct, and the number of Brezhnev's awards poses one of the mysteries.
Indeed, the passion for “collecting” by a secular leader of orders, medals and titles, especially in last years life was generally known. Former assistant to USSR President M. Gorbachev Boldin writes in the book “The Collapse of the Pedestal”: “... Brezhnev’s passion for having awards turned into a mania. People who knew him well told me that in the last months of his life he cried when he learned that he was going to be awarded not the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, since he had received such an award recently, but an order. And the tall men had to adapt on the fly.”
Meanwhile, during the Great Patriotic War, no “order rain” fell on Leonid Ilyich. When Major General L. Brezhnev (who started the war as a colonel) walked next to the front commander at the head of the combined front column at the Victory Parade on Red Square, there were much fewer orders and medals on his chest than other generals and even officers! In the post-war period, Brezhnev was also not particularly spoiled in terms of awards: two Orders of Lenin (in 1947 and 1956) and a couple of medals: “For the restoration of ferrous metallurgy enterprises in the south” and “For the development of virgin lands.” But after Brezhnev came to lead the country and the party, awards rained down on him like from a cornucopia.
It is clear that the overwhelming majority of L. Brezhnev’s awards of this period are of an “anniversary-political” nature, but from the point of view of history, he remains the most awarded person in the world. It is a fact. However, the question of how many official awards Brezhnev actually had and which ones he had is still actively debated. And different sources give different figures and describe regalia that Brezhnev did not possess. In short, there are a number of myths surrounding his awards, which we will try to understand.
However, before starting to count the official awards of L.I. Brezhnev needs to agree on the subject of the calculation. What awards are considered? Indeed, in addition to state orders and award medals, Brezhnev’s ceremonial jacket or military jacket was decorated with medals of the laureate of various international and union awards; he also wore various foreign honorary titles(for example, “Honorary metallurgist of the Guta-Warsaw plant”, “Honorary builder of the Katowice metallurgical plant”, etc.). Brezhnev was also awarded the Honorary Arms of the USSR, including the “Marshal’s” weapon, with the coat of arms of the USSR, and had a number of other “gifts” that could well be classified as official awards.
Since there are most ambiguities with orders and medals, we will count only Soviet and foreign state orders of Brezhnev, award medals of the USSR and foreign countries, as well as medals (badges) of international and union awards, leaving out of counting non-award badges, for example, “Member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR” or a party award - the badge “50 years in the CPSU”. We will also not include in this list honorary weapons and numerous honorary titles, some of which also had their own phaleronyms: “Honorary Citizen”, “Honorary Veteran”, etc.
Another question: at what point should L. Brezhnev’s awards be counted? At the time of death? Or at this moment? It is known that after his death, Brezhnev was officially deprived of two orders - the highest Soviet military order of Victory and the Polish Order of Virtutti Militari, 1st class. The decision to award the Order of Victory was made already in the post-war period in 1978, when laudatory words addressed to Brezhnev in the USSR reached their peak. This award, 33 years after the victory in the Great Patriotic War, did not correspond to the true merits of the marshal - he did not possess any military leadership talents. In 1989, seven years after Brezhnev passed away, then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev rescinded the decree awarding him the Order of Victory on the grounds that “the recipient did not comply with the statute of the award.” Brezhnev was deprived of the highest Polish order “Virtuti Militari”, 1st class, for the same reasons, also after his death, by decree of the President of the Republic of Poland of July 10, 1990. We will also take these facts into account.
The most real historical document (of the widely known ones) about the number of awards of L.I. Brezhnev - a certificate of transfer of his regalia to the Order Storehouse of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. As biographers write L.I. Brezhnev, after the death of the Secretary General, his widow Victoria Petrovna called the reception of the Presidium of the Supreme Light of the USSR and asked to take ALL his awards from Leonid Ilyich’s dacha. Then, according to the inventory, “114 orders and medals, including two marshal stars with diamonds, 34 units of Soviet orders and medals and 71 awards from other states” were received from the widow from the widow. This inventory has been published. But, as a careful study of it shows, it cannot serve as a basis for calculating Brezhnev’s official awards! Since, firstly, not all of Brezhnev’s awards were included in this list and were handed over, and secondly, among the regalia handed over there were duplicates and, let’s say, awards presented to Brezhnev by friends in an unofficial setting.
Let us also draw attention to the fact that this list of awards includes two marshal stars with diamonds. But this is illegal. The stars were not an independent award, but were attached to Brezhnev’s ranks: army general and marshal of the Soviet Union. We will not take them into account when calculating state awards.
As for duplicates or so-called. “doublets”, i.e. copies of awards, primarily the Gold Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the Hero of Socialist Labor, then Brezhnev had 21 medals of the Hero of the Soviet Union and 13 Hammer and Sickle medals. Each of his tunics or jackets had its own separate, non-removable “iconostasis”. All doublets were made of gold and, naturally, were deposited in the storeroom after death. And there is a possibility that they were also “counted” as rewards. This also makes it difficult to study Brezhnev's official regalia.
In addition, the list of L. Brezhnev’s awards put into storage includes the Soviet medals “For the Capture of Vienna” and “For Military Merit.” The author carefully read many biographical publications about L. Brezhnev, the memoirs of military leaders and did not find any mention there of Brezhnev being awarded the medals “For the Capture of Vienna” and “For Military Merit.” Most likely, these medals were awarded to Brezhnev after the war, unofficially, and their inclusion in the list of official awards is hardly legal.
This is confirmed by the very rare publication at the author’s disposal “Marshals and Admirals of the Fleet of the Soviet Union (uniform, awards, weapons)”, published in a limited edition by the Aspect Publishing House in 2001, edited by Art. n. With. State Historical Museum of the Russian Federation Yuri Smirnov. The author and consultants of this richly illustrated reference book had direct access to the inner sanctum of the Soviet awards department. In this unique publication, each award of Marshal of the Soviet Union L. Brezhnev is photographed and documented: with the date of issue and number. This is the most reliable source of all that has so far fallen into the hands of the author.
First, let's count the state orders and medals of the USSR and foreign countries of L. Brezhnev. From this publication it is clear that he had: five Soviet Gold Star Hero medals (four Hero of the Soviet Union medals and one Hero of Socialist Labor “Hammer and Sickle” medal); 16 Soviet orders (including the Order of Victory) and 17 Soviet award medals. The book also provides a detailed list of 81 (!) awards (gold medals Star of Hero or Hero of Labor, orders and award medals) of foreign countries.
Thus, if you count all the Gold Stars of the Hero, orders and award medals of L. Brezhnev at the time of death, you end up with 119 state awards! If we subtract two orders: “Victory” and “Virtuti Military”, which Brezhnev was deprived of after his death, 117 Soviet and foreign state awards remain.
Among the Soviet orders of Brezhnev are eight Orders of Lenin, two Orders of the October Revolution, two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class, the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd class, and the Order of the Red Star. It should be especially noted that five of these orders are military, i.e. received during the Great Patriotic War. These are two Orders of the Red Banner. The first, No. 23636, was awarded to Leonid Ilyich on March 27, 1942 “For exemplary performance of combat missions on the Southern Front during the Barvenkovo-Lozovsky operation.” And at that time they didn’t spoil us with awards at the front. Brezhnev received the second Order of the Red Banner for No. 8148 with the number 2 (re-award) already in 1944 (05/29/1944).
This is followed by the Order of the Red Star for No. 102567 dated 03/16/1943, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, for No. 11025, dated 09/18/1943 (according to other sources, it was awarded to Brezhnev after the war) and the Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, 2nd degree, for No. 1182, dated 05/23/1945. All other Brezhnev orders are mainly “anniversary” ones: these are 8 Orders of Lenin and 2 Orders of the October Revolution.
Of the 17 Soviet state award medals of the USSR L. Brezhnev - five are combat ones: “For the defense of Odessa”, “For the defense of the Caucasus”, “For the liberation of Warsaw”, “For the liberation of Prague” and “For the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” gg." However, not all of them were received by L. Brezhnev directly at the front. It is known for sure that during the war, Brezhnev was awarded only two medals: “For the Defense of Odessa” (December 22, 1942) and “For the Defense of the Caucasus” (May 1, 1944). It was with these two medals on his chest that he walked at the Victory Parade in Moscow on Red Square in 1945.
Other military medals: “For the liberation of Warsaw”, “For the liberation of Prague” were awarded to L. Brezhnev after the war. As well as the medal “For victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.” This was a common practice; many front-line soldiers received such awards at the military registration and enlistment offices at their place of residence. By the way, in the publication “Marshals and Admirals of the Fleet of the Soviet Union (uniform, awards, weapons)” published by the Aspect Publishing House in 2001, there is no data on the awarding of L. Brezhnev with medals “For the Capture of Vienna” and “For Military Merit”, about which are widely mentioned on the Internet and in a number of publications. But there is a medal that is not on any list - “For strengthening the military community.” It is a fact.
As for L. Brezhnev's foreign awards, their collection is simply amazing. Every leader of a socialist (and not only) state who came to Moscow considered it his duty to bring L. Brezhnev the highest awards of his country as a gift. And not only the highest ones - even ordinary medals were awarded to the Soviet leader, for example, the Cuban anniversary medal “20 years of the Revolutionary Armed Forces” or the Bulgarian “100 years of liberation from Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke.”
Of the foreign countries of that time, Czechoslovakia (Czechoslovakia) became the champion in presenting awards to L. Brezhnev - 18 awards. These include three medals: the Golden Star of the Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, four highest orders of Klement Gottwald, the Order of the White Lion “For Victory”, by the way, dated 1946 and the Order of the White Lion with a chain (1973 is already an anniversary award), as well as others regalia.
But among these awards there are also curious ones. This is the Czechoslovakian “Military Cross of 1939”, which Brezhnev, according to documents, was awarded twice in 1945 and 1947. and the medal “For courage before the enemy” from 1945. Why funny? The fact is that these award medals were established after the occupation of Czechoslovakia Nazi Germany Czech bourgeois government in exile. And only after 1948, when the Communist Party came to power in Prague, were they included in the list of official awards of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. And according to the data given in the publication, all these medals were awarded to Brezhnev in 1945 and 1947, i.e. practically on behalf of the Czech government in exile.
Brezhnev was also the owner of 11 state awards of Mongolia (MPR), including two Gold Stars (Hero of the MPR and Hero of Labor of the MPR) and four highest orders of Sukhbaatar. The leaders of Bulgaria (NBR) did not lag behind in the awards marathon - 10 awards. Among other Bulgarian regalia of Brezhnev, three Gold Star medals of the Hero of the NBR and three highest orders of Georgi Dimitrov stand out.
The next largest number of regalia awarded to the Soviet leader is the GDR. Eight times the Germans honored L. Brezhnev with their state awards. He was three times Hero of the GDR and a holder of the three highest orders of Karl Marx, as well as the owner of the Order of the Great Star of Friendship of Peoples (with diamonds). The leaders of the then Poland (Poland) and Cuba presented L. Brezhnev with their national orders and medals six times each. Among the Polish awards of the Soviet leader are the highest: the Order of the Renaissance of Poland, 1st class, and the Order of Merit of the People's Republic of Poland, 1st class. The Cuban leader elevated L. Brezhnev to Hero of Cuba with the presentation of the Gold Star medal and awarded, among others, Jose Marti and Playa Giron with the highest state orders.
Three times L. Brezhnev was awarded Vietnamese awards (Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Socialist Republic of Vietnam). He is a Hero of Labor of Vietnam, a holder of the Order of Ho Chi Minh, 1st degree, and the Order of the Golden Star. Brezhnev also had two awards each from Hungary, Romania, Laos (NDRL) and Finland. Among the Finnish regalia of L. Brezhnev is the highest award of this northern country - the Order of the White Rose with a gold chain, and the Laotians elevated him to the rank of Hero of the People's Democratic Republic of Laos.
They were clearly modest about awards for L.I. Brezhnev leaders North Korea(DPRK). They presented Leonid Ilyich with only one single, albeit highest, regalia - the Order of the State Banner, 1st degree. Even the Yugoslav leaders, who were on rather cool relations with the USSR, twice awarded Brezhnev with their highest orders: the “Star of Yugoslavia” of the first degree and the Order of Freedom with Diamonds. And finally, the collection of the Soviet leader includes quite exotic awards from Argentina (Order of the May Revolution), Afghanistan (Order of the Sun of Freedom), the Peruvian Order of the Sun of Peru, the Indonesian Order of the Star of Indonesia, 1st class (twice ), the highest Yemeni (NDRY) regalia “Order of the October 14 Revolution”, the Ethiopian Order of “Star of Honor” and the “Order of Independence” of the Republic of Guinea.
In total, at the time of his death, L. Brezhnev’s collection included state awards from 21 countries: 58 orders (16 Soviet and 42 foreign) and 42 award medals (17 Soviet and 25 foreign).
IN separate category We can highlight the Gold Star of Hero (Hero of Labor) medals. Brezhnev had 19 such stars (five USSR and 14 other states). Brezhnev also became a laureate of various union and international awards eight times, which had their own medals (badges). Publicly L.I. Brezhnev wore only four of them: the medal of the International Lenin Prize“For strengthening peace between peoples” (awarded in 1973), gold medal of Peace named after F. Julio-Curie (awarded in 1975), medal of the laureate of the prize named after. G. Dimitrov (awarded in 1978) and the Lenin Prize Laureate Medal (awarded in 1979). If we sum up all the regalia that fall under the “medal” category (including the Gold Stars of the Hero and laureate badges), then there will be 69 of them.
Thus, at the time of death, the former Soviet leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union L.I. Brezhnev was the owner of 127 official awards: 58 state orders and 61 state medals from twenty-one countries of the world, as well as eight medals (badges) of the laureate of union and international awards. This is an absolute record. If we take the current moment (minus two orders, “Victory” and “Virtuti Military”, which Brezhnev was deprived of after his death), then the marshal will have 56 orders. Thus, the total number of official orders, medals and badges will be 125 units!
This myth also needs to be refuted. At one time, portraits (not photographs!) of Brezhnev in a military marshal uniform with a full “iconostasis” were widely published in the press. Someone even started a rumor that this jacket weighed so much that, having put it on, the Secretary General could only move with outside help. But according to the recollections of his secretaries, L. Brezhnev never put on a military jacket or civilian jacket with ALL his orders and medals. This was simply impossible to do! Well, tell me, where to hang only 19 (!) Gold Hero Stars?!
The Soviet leader had several suits, on each of which were attached doublets of four medals of the Hero of the USSR, one medal of the Hero of Socialist Labor “Hammer and Sickle” and medals of the winner of the four most prestigious awards. On special occasions, L. Brezhnev wore the military uniform of a Marshal of the Soviet Union with order bars, five Hero stars and four laureate badges (medals).
Since the era of perestroika, about the “iconostasis” Secretary General during the period of “stagnation” they responded only mockingly. Comments and anecdotes were in the style of Fedot the Sagittarius: “On the back, and then there are six of them.”
At the same time, the jokers were absolutely sure that Leonid Ilyich was the absolute world leader in the number of awards, but they could not say exactly how many awards Brezhnev had. They were also completely unaware of exactly when and why specific orders and medals were awarded. Perhaps knowledge would have dampened their amusement somewhat. Why was Leonid Brezhnev awarded so many honors? We will consider the awards and titles of this significant personality in history in the article.
Problem with unknowns
Not only the writers of jokes, but also respected experts do not undertake to name the exact number of Brezhnev’s awards. The problem is the foreign orders and medals that the leaders of the Soviet bloc countries and other allied states generously bestowed on them. The full list has not been published anywhere; the available data has significant discrepancies. Therefore, there is no point in disassembling them - you cannot rely on unreliable information.
It’s easier with Soviet awards. Leonid Ilyich had 16 (one of them was noted posthumously) and 22 medals. By the way, a photo of Brezhnev with all the awards (or at least the ones that fit on the jacket) is posted in the article.
In labor and in battle
But not all Soviet awards can be classified as military. So, Brezhnev was a Hero of Socialist Labor - this, as they say, is from a different story. Leonid Ilyich also had several, including, for example, dedicated to the 1500th anniversary of Kyiv. But at that time they gave everyone more or less such significant people in the country, it was impossible to bypass the top leadership!
At the same time, it is simply unreasonable to claim that Brezhnev received his awards only because he had a weakness for them and, as General Secretary, could afford to satisfy this weakness. This is incorrect, if only because a considerable part of the orders and medals were received by him long before ascending to the highest post in the country, and Brezhnev’s career began from the very bottom. He really fought, and really worked hard.
Four star
Among the military awards of Leonid Ilyich, the 4 Stars of the Hero of the Soviet Union (and the Order of Lenin for them) first of all attract attention. But they can just be recognized as a manifestation of both a personal passion for “trinkets” and the fawning of subordinates. All the Stars were received by Brezhnev in the very post-war period (in 1966, 1976, 1978 and 1981, respectively) and already during his tenure Secretary General.
Yes, it happened that rewards found heroes a considerable period after they had accomplished a feat, and in peacetime one can also show heroism. But Leonid Ilyich was not noticed either in the cosmonaut corps or among the rescuers. According to the rules of the award, there was no reason to give him even a single copy.
Besides Brezhnev, there was another “four-star” Hero in the USSR. But it was “Marshal of Victory” G.K. Zhukov, and no questions arise about his awards.
For taking it all
Brezhnev's awards to Leonid Ilyich for the capture of Warsaw and Vienna (to which he had nothing to do), as well as “For the Defense of Odessa” (although he can be brought in here at least through his work in the political department of the Southern Front) also attract attention. But they cannot in any way be explained by the influence of the post of General Secretary, since they were received before 1964, therefore at a time when Brezhnev was a fairly prominent party and economic worker, but not an omnipotent leader of a huge country.
Probably the medals were received as almost commemorative ones. This practice existed in those years, and was issued to honored front-line soldiers (and Brezhnev was one!) in honor of anniversaries or in connection with important events in the life of the country.
Many anniversaries
Medals dedicated to the anniversaries of the Victory and the Armed Forces fall out of this category. Leonid Ilyich had every right to them as a front-line soldier, major general, and participant in the Victory Parade. Many war participants were celebrated in this way, and this is only fair.
Writer's paradox
Before moving on to Brezhnev’s military awards, which he received during the war years, it should be noted that he himself, in some way, contributed to the formation of a skeptical attitude towards them in society. The reason is the literary activity of the General Secretary.
From the memoirs of Brezhnev’s acquaintances, who knew him in his youth, it is known that he tried to compose, but did not like to read, did not suffer from the beauty of style, and even his grammar was noticeably lame. Of course, being in ideological positions along the military and party lines, he could not help but learn a little coherent presentation of thoughts, but it is clear that literature was not Leonid Ilyich’s element.
Nevertheless, several books were published under Brezhnev's name. Rumors immediately spread about who exactly and under what conditions worked for the General Secretary as a “literary black”, and the works were received with skepticism. But among them was “Malaya Zemlya” - a description of the heroic history of the unconquered bridgehead near Novorossiysk!
After the start of perestroika there was even talk that fighting near Novorossiysk were embellished to please Brezhnev, and Malaya Zemlya was actually worth little. Thus, the lowly desire to smear the name of someone who can no longer fight back led to an even worse result - a direct falsification of history.
1941-1945
Yes, Brezhnev did not go on dashing bayonet attacks, did not throw grenades at enemy pillboxes and did not personally capture particularly valuable prisoners. But he shouldn't have done that! During the war, he was a brigade commissar, then a colonel and major general, served in the political department of the Black Sea Group (North Caucasus Front), and then in the political department of the Southern Front.
Colonels and generals are not supposed to personally sit in the trenches and rush at the enemy shouting “Hurray!” Their task is to organize things so that the rank and file, who are supposed to go on attacks, do it effectively.
Brezhnev had been in the war since the fall of 1941, and performed his duties honestly. This is another perestroika injustice - the assertion that political workers only spied on the soldiers, handed over party cards and proclaimed inspired speeches away from the front line. Their task was to constantly be among the soldiers, explain to them, as far as possible, the military mission, improve their mood, and motivate them to perform excellent service. And Brezhnev did all this without shirking.
Brezhnev's awards: list (short)
Rather, during the war, Brezhnev was even given awards. At the Victory Parade he was one of the least decorated generals. He did not have high patrons in the army, and he himself did not show much careerism and did not climb to the forefront. Therefore, all his awards from the war period evoke exceptional respect.
Brezhnev had:
- 2 Orders of the Red Banner;
- Red Star;
- medal "For Military Merit";
- Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky (this award was customary to recognize high-ranking officers, and a major general is a suitable candidate for it).
The situation is more serious with the Caucasus and “Malaya Zemlya”. Leonid Ilyich had a medal “For the Defense of the Caucasus,” and who can say that the deputy head of the political unit of the Black Sea Military Group did not deserve it? And for the liberation of Novorossiysk, political instructor Brezhnev was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War (1st degree). And is it possible to object to anything here if he was transported dozens of times under shelling by sea to a bridgehead isolated from land in order to fulfill his duties as an ideological leader there! It is known that once his seiner even ran into a mine, and this cost the colonel-political instructor an unplanned swim. But even after this incident, he continued to regularly visit Malaya Zemlya.
Defeated Germany
Leonid Ilyich received another military award a significant period of time after the end of the war. This is the medal “For Victory over Germany.” But even here it is difficult to see subservience or injustice. Brezhnev had not yet become General Secretary by that time, and this medal was awarded to many front-line soldiers who went through the entire war some time after the Victory.
Brezhnev did not go to the front in the very first days of the war only because, as the third secretary of the regional committee in Dnepropetrovsk, he was involved in ensuring the mobilization and evacuation of strategic production - a more than valid reason! But already in the fall he was in the active army, and did not leave service until the end of the war. The medal was rightfully his.
Selected "Victory"
But with one military order there was an embarrassment. In 1978, Brezhnev was awarded the Order of Victory. In the USSR there were only a few of them; this award was given to outstanding commanders for the successful organization of several operations on a scale no smaller than the front. It is clear that there was no reason to hand it over to Brezhnev - it was a case of currying favor with the leader of the country.
In 1989, the Presidium of the Supreme Council canceled this award. Everything would be true if not for one “but” - it is very easy to take away awards from the dead... Brezhnev had been gone for almost 7 years by that time, and you could do anything with him.
Red Army soldier Brezhnev
You can award not only medals and orders. Among other things, Brezhnev was the owner of personalized weapons - a Mauser and a checker. Questions may arise about the second one (awarded in 1978). Although why not - a military man. The Mauser was received in 1943 and undoubtedly on merit.
Foreigners will figure it out themselves
As for the foreign awards of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, among them were those with military status. But these awards are on the conscience of the leaders of the respective states. They know better who has earned their state orders and medals and how many times. Only their own people can make claims against them for this.
For eternal storage
No one has been able to provide convincing evidence that 44 officers were carrying his awards during the ceremony - this is all newspaper gossip, television footage does not allow us to judge accurately. But it is certain that the widow of the General Secretary transferred all his awards for safekeeping to the Chamber of Order - the family considered them to be the property of the state.
Highest rank
And there are awards from Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev that neither the authorities, nor the ridicule of the ignorant, nor time can take away.
Marine Maria Aleksandrovna Galushkina, a volunteer sergeant, during the war performed the duties of not only a nurse, but also a messenger, and even a sniper. She is the owner of the Red Star and three medals “For Courage”. The word of such a person is valuable.
So, the “good, desperate man” Lenka Brezhnev remained in her memory. Exactly. And nothing else is needed.
Many different independent sources write about the awards of the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev. And, oddly enough, every source calls different quantities orders and medals. It just seems that periodicals set themselves the goal of denigrating and trampling this medal lover into the dirt, but do not set themselves the goal of counting how many awards there really were.
In some articles there were mentions of more than 200 awards of the Secretary General, someone wrote that he was awarded all the USSR awards, except for a set of Mother Heroine awards.
Conventionally, Leonid Ilyich’s awards would be better divided into 3 categories: received during the war, received in the period between the end of the war and his ascension to the post of General Secretary, and received while serving as General Secretary. So let's start counting.
Military awards of Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev:
1. Order of the Red Star
2. Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky 2nd degree.
3. Order of the Red Banner – 2 pcs.
4. Order of the Patriotic War, 1st class.
5. medal "For Military Merit"
6. medal “For the Defense of the Caucasus”
7. honorary weapon - personalized Mauser (awarded in 1943)
From the above list it is clear that the number of awards Leonid Brezhnev has is more than modest. Only 5 orders (of which 2 are Orders of the Red Banner) and 2 medals.
After L.I. Brezhnev took the post of First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee in 1964, the flow of awards to him increased significantly. From the end of the war until he took the post of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, Leonid Brezhnev earned the following awards:
1. Hero of Socialist Labor No. 9995 with the presentation of the Order of Lenin No. 344996 (Decree of the PVS of the USSR dated June 17, 1961)
2. Order of Lenin – 3 pcs.
3. medal “For the Defense of Odessa”
4. medal "For the capture of Warsaw"
5. medal "For the capture of Vienna"
6. medal “For valiant labor in the Second World War 1941-1945”
7. medal “For victory over Germany 1941-1945”
8. medal “For the restoration of iron and steel enterprises in the south” (1951)
9. medal “For the development of virgin lands” (1956)
10. medal “In memory of the 250th anniversary of Leningrad” (1957)
11. medal “40 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR” (1957)
So, it is clear that from the end of the war until the beginning of 1964, when L.I. Brezhnev took the highest post in the country and his awards increased significantly. The result is this:
Orders – 4 pcs. (4 Orders of Lenin)
Medals – 10 pcs. (including the medal of the Hero of Social Labor)
In 1964 L.I. Brezhnev takes an active part in the removal of N.S. Khrushchev, the then leader of the country and heads the secretariat of the CPSU Central Committee. During this period, and until his death in 1982, he received a real stream of awards.
1. medal “Twenty years of victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (1965)
2. medal “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 11230 with the award of the Order of Lenin No. 382246 (Decree of the PVS of the USSR dated December 18, 1966)
3. Order of the October Revolution – 2 pcs. (1967)
4. medal “50 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR” (1967)
5. medal “For valiant work. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" (1969)
6. medal “30 years of victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945” (1975)
7. medal “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 97 with the award of the Order of Lenin No. 425869 (Decree of the PVS of the USSR dated December 18, 1976)
8. honorary weapon - a personalized saber with a gold image of the State Emblem of the USSR (12/18/1976)
9. medal “60 years of the Armed Forces of the USSR” (1977)
10. Medal “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 5 with the presentation of the Order of Lenin No. 432408 (Decree of the USSR PVS dated 12/19/1978)
11. Order of “Victory” (Decree of the PVS of the USSR 02/20/1978).
12. Medal of the laureate of the All-Union Lenin Prize (04/20/1979)
13. medal “Gold Star” of the Hero of the Soviet Union No. 2 with the award of the Order of Lenin No. 458500 (Decree of the USSR PVS dated 12/18/1981)
14. medal “In memory of the 1500th anniversary of Kyiv” (1982)
In total, the Secretary General earned 6 orders and 11 medals during his reign (including 4 Hero of the Soviet Union medals)
As we can see, from the above calculation, the General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee has only 16 orders and 23 medals. Some sources call exactly this figure, with the difference that there are 22 medals in their list. Since the badge of the laureate of the All-Union Lenin Prize is also a prize medal, we will not include it. Let there be 22 medals.
The same “authoritative” sources claim that Brezhnev had 71 awards from foreign countries (42 orders and 29 medals). Let's try to calculate the actual number of his awards. For greater clarity, we will compile this list by country in alphabetical order.
Argentina:
Order of the May Revolution, 1st class (1974)
Democratic Republic Afghanistan (DRA):
Order of the Sun of Freedom (1981)
People's Republic Bulgaria (NRB):
Gold Star of the Hero of the People's Republic of Belarus - 3 awards (1973, 1976, 1981)
Order of Georgiy Dimitrov - 3 awards (1973, 1976, 1981)
medal "100 years of liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke" (1978)
medal "30 years Socialist Revolution in Bulgaria" (1974)
medal “90 years since the birth of G. Dimitrov” (1974)
medal "100 years since the birth of G. Dimitrov" (1982)
Hungarian People's Republic (HPR):
Order of the Banner of the Hungarian People's Republic with diamonds – 2 awards (1976, 1981)
honorary veteran of the Krasny Chepel plant
Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV):
Gold Medal of the Hero of Labor of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (1982)
Order of Ho Chi Minh, 1st class (1982)
Order of the Golden Star (1980)
Republic of Guinea:
Order of Independence (1961)
German Democratic Republic (GDR):
Gold Star of the Hero of the GDR - 3 awards (1976, 1979, 1981)
Order of Karl Marx – 3 awards (1974, 1979, 1981)
order " Big Star Friendship of Peoples" with diamonds (1976)
Medal "For Merit in Strengthening the GDR" (1979)
Indonesia:
star and badge of the Order "Star of Indonesia" 1st class - 2 awards (1961, 1976)
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (PRC):
Order of the State Banner, 1st class (1976)
Republic of Cuba:
Gold Star of the Hero of Cuba (1981)
Order of José Martí (1974)
Order of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes (1981)
Order of Playa Giron (1976)
medal "20 years of the assault on the Moncada barracks" (1973)
medal "20 years of the Revolutionary Armed Forces" (1976)
Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR):
Golden Star of the Hero of the Lao PDR (1981)
Gold Medal of the Nation (1982)
Mongolian People's Republic (MPR):
Golden Star of the Hero of the MPR (1976)
Golden Star of the Hero of Labor of the MPR (1981)
Order of Sukhbaatar – 4 awards (1966, 1971, 1976, 1981)
medal "30 years of Victory at Khalkhin Gol" (1969)
medal "40 years of Victory at Khalkhin Gol" (1979)
medal "50 years of the Mongolian People's Revolution" (1971)
medal "50 years of the Mongolian People's Army" (1971)
medal "30 years of Victory over Japan" (1975)
Republic of Peru:
Order of the Sun of Peru, 1st class (1978)
Polish People's Republic:
Grand Cross of the Order "Virtuti Militari" (21 July 1974)
Grand Cross of the Order of the Renaissance of Poland, 1st class (1976)
star and badge of the Order of Merit of the People's Republic of Poland, 1st class (1981)
Cross of Grunwald, 2nd class (1946)
medal "For the Oder, Neisse, Baltic" (1946)
medal "Victory and Freedom" (1946)
Honorary metallurgist of the Guta-Warsaw plant
Honorary builder of the Katowice Iron and Steel Works (1976)
Socialist Republic of Romania:
Order of the Star of Romania, 1st class (1976)
Order "Victory of Socialism" (1981)
Finland:
star and badge of the Order of the White Rose, 1st class (1976)
Order of the White Rose with chain (1976)
Czechoslovak People's Republic:
Golden Star of the Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic - 3 awards (05/5/1970, 10/26/1976, 12/16/1981)
Order of Klement Gottwald - 4 awards (1970, 1976, 1978, 1981)
Order of the White Lion "For Victory" 1st class (1946)
star and badge of the Order of the White Lion with chain (1973)
Military Cross 1939 – 2 awards (1945, 1947)
medal "For bravery in front of the enemy" (1945)
War Commemorative Medal (1946)
Dukela Commemorative Medal (1960)
medal "20 years of the Slovak National Uprising" (1964)
medal "50 years of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia" (1971)
medal "30 years of the Slovak National Uprising" (1975)
Medal "For Strengthening Friendship in Arms" 1st class (1980)
Socialist Ethiopia:
Order of the Star of Honor (1980)
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia:
Order of the Star of Yugoslavia, 1st class (1962)
Order of Liberty (1976)
The result is a picture like this. L.I. Brezhnev had 44 orders, 22 medals and 14 Gold Stars of foreign countries. The total amount is exactly 80 awards.
The following must be added to this list:
Marshal's star with the rank of Army General
Marshall star with the title of Marshal of the Soviet Union (05/07/1976)
Prizes and other awards L.I. Brezhnev:
medal of the laureate of the International Lenin Prize “For strengthening peace between nations” (06/12/1973)
Gold Peace Medal named after F. Joliot-Curie (11/14/1975, from the World Peace Council)
UN Gold Peace Medal named after O. Gan (1977)
medal of the laureate of the G. Dimitrov Prize (11/23/1978)
Medal of the All-Union Lenin Prize Laureate (04/20/1979)
Golden medal International Prize for the world "Golden Mercury"
Gold medal named after Karl Marx (1977, from the USSR Academy of Sciences)
badge “50 years in the CPSU” (from the CPSU Central Committee)
Gold medal of the World Federation of Trade Unions (02/15/1982)
Honorary titles:
Honorary citizen of Dnepropetrovsk (08/21/1979);
Honorary citizen of Tbilisi (05/21/1981);
Honorary cadet of the 1st tank company of the armored school of the Trans-Baikal Military District (12/17/1981);
Honorary citizen of Kyiv (04/26/1982);
Honorary citizen of Baku (09/24/1982);
After the death of the Secretary General, his awards were handed over to the order storehouse of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. According to the inventory, the following number of awards were handed over:
five Gold Hero Stars,
16 orders of the USSR
18 USSR medals,
two marshal stars with diamonds - an army general and a marshal of the Soviet Union, an honorary weapon with a gold image of the State Emblem of the USSR,
42 orders and 29 medals of foreign countries.
Now let's do the math.
5 Gold Stars of Hero were handed over (4 Stars of Hero of the USSR and 1 Hero of Social Labor). The quantity is the same.
16 orders of the USSR - coincides with the number of awards presented
18 USSR medals - Brezhnev had 22 medals in total. What 4 medals were not returned by relatives?
Two marshal stars - coincides (stars of an army general and a Marshal of the Soviet Union)
There is an honorary weapon - a personalized saber, but the award Mauser, which Leonid Ilyich received in 1943, is missing. Maybe he handed it over immediately after the war, or maybe his relatives left it as a souvenir. It's not clear yet.
42 orders and 29 medals of foreign countries. This results in a total of 71 awards handed in. I counted 80. Some things were taken away from Brezhnev after his death. Order of Victory 21.09.1989 and Grand Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari 10 July 1990
If we count all the awards that Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, had, we will get the following figure. USSR awards - 38 awards; awards of foreign countries – 80 awards; awards – 8 awards; badge “50 years in the CPSU” - 1 award; Marshall Stars – 2 awards; honorary weapon - 2 awards. The total number of awards is 131 units.
True, after his death, 2 awards were canceled, so at the moment the number of awards will be 129 units.
So the rumors about the supposedly 200 orders and medals have no basis in reality, although the true number of awards is very close to the indicated number.
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was born on December 19, 1906. In the 70s and 80s, the birthday of the General Secretary of the CPSU was very significant event, and Brezhnev himself was awarded orders, medals and other awards, the number of which became one of the most vivid stereotypes about Soviet leaders.
Today we would like to take a closer look at what awards Brezhnev was awarded, which items in his “collection” are the most interesting and exotic, and also give others Interesting Facts about the awards of the first person of the Soviet Union in 1964-1982.
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev. Photo: RIA Novosti www.ria.ru
1. Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev not only received a significant number of awards, but even managed to get into the Guinness Book of Records with them as “the most awarded person in the world.” In the 1991 edition, his list includes 15 orders and 18 medals of the USSR, as well as 29 medals and 49 orders of foreign countries. The accuracy of these figures is subject to some doubts (in Soviet years full lists were not published, hence possible inaccuracies), but the very fact of such a record is impressive.
2. It is curious that with all the abundance of awards during his lifetime, Brezhnev was no longer awarded posthumously. Moreover: during “perestroika” he posthumously lost some awards. This is the Order of Victory - the highest military award of the USSR, as well as the Polish Order of Military Valor (Virtuti Militari).
3. There is a popular story that, because of his awards, Brezhnev had to wear a jacket that weighed 6 kilograms. In fact, no one weighed his rewards. But such a jacket itself would really be more than weighty. It was physically impossible to wear it, so Leonid Ilyich did not wear all his medals at the same time. As a rule, it was limited to “Gold Stars”, “Hammer and Sickle”, Lenin Prize badges and sometimes order bars.
Brezhnev's awards presented at his funeral. Photo: Vladimir Akimov / RIA Novosti www.ria.ru
4. Brezhnev also had awards that were established specifically for him. In October 1981, to mark the 50th anniversary of Leonid Ilyich’s stay in the CPSU, a sign was introduced with the name, as you might guess, “50 years of stay in the CPSU.” The Central Committee solemnly presented the sign to the General Secretary, which he himself commented as follows: “As for me, receiving this badge of honor, I experience understandable excitement. And not just excitement, but a feeling of deep gratitude to great party Lenin".
5. Two months later, a kind of record happened. Brezhnev celebrated his 75th birthday, and for this holiday he received thirteen different awards from eight states.
6. In addition to state awards, Brezhnev received many departmental awards. In 1977, he received a membership card of the Union of Journalists of the USSR. Along with it, Brezhnev also received another badge: Leonid Ilyich received the right to wear a badge confirming his membership.
7. Leonid Ilyich received a number of awards more than once, and noticeably more often than others. For example, besides Brezhnev, only Marshal Zhukov became a Hero of the Soviet Union four times. And along with the award of Hero of Socialist Labor, he turned out to be the owner of five “Golden Stars” at once, and no one else received such an honor except him.
8. The number of Brezhnev's foreign awards, according to various estimates, ranges from five to seven dozen. Among them are orders and medals of Argentina, Afghanistan, Guinea, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, East Germany, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, Yemen, Mongolia, Peru, Poland, Yugoslavia, Ethiopia, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Romania. Some of them were established several centuries ago, many are still awarded today.
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