Bulganin, Nikolai Aleksandrovich, << bul GAH nihn, nih ko LY `ah` leh KSAHN drah vihch >> (1895-1975), was premier of the Soviet Union from 1955 to 1958, when Nikita S. Khrushchev replaced him. Bulganin was demoted to chairman of an economic council. As premier, Bulganin headed the Soviet government in name only. Khrushchev, secretary of the Communist Party, held real power. With Khrushchev, Bulganin made many trips to other countries between 1955 and 1957. He wrote to Western powers in December 1957, warning the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) conference against permitting missile bases in Western Europe.
Bulganin was born in Nizhniy Novgorod. He became a Bolshevik in 1917, and served in the secret police from 1918 to 1922. Bulganin later served as the mayor of Moscow. He organized civilians to defend Moscow during World War II. Although not a military man, Bulganin became a general and then a marshal.
