He was the 17th child of a peasant family, born in western Siberia.
The Russian government gave him a two-day state funeral, which President Vladimir Putin attended.
Kalashnikov had fought in World War II as a tank commander. He started developing his weapon designs while he was recovering from wounds in a military hospital.
Even though he had left school after the seventh grade, the Soviet army, recognizing his talent, trained and encouraged him to develop weapons that the Soviet soldier needed to fight effectively.
The AK-47, a simple and reliable automatic weapon, went into production in 1947. It was carried by the Vietnamese in their thirty-year war against the French and U.S. imperialists and made such an impact on liberation struggles in Africa that a number of newly independent states put its outline on their flag or coats of arms. To Russian communists, this gesture was the best reward Kalashnikov ever received.
Kalashnikov became a communist in 1952 and never wavered. He remained faithful to the ideals of socialism.
In a message to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, he said: “Under the leadership of the Communist Party, my generation won a terrible war, built a powerful state, opened the path to outer space, created major artistic works and technical models. Today, Russian communists are the creative force that aims to recreate a great and strong nation. I am sure that the communists will not disappoint us.” (solidarite-internationale-pcf.over-blog.net)
By Andrew Johnson An anti-imperialist Palestine Congress “against German complicity in the genocide in Gaza”…
The following article first appeared on the Resistance News Network, April 22. In two days,…
May Day is a day of solidarity with workers everywhere. This year’s priority is to…
Houston The prosecution, the defense and the judge all agree now that evidence hidden by…
The Supreme Court of the United States is set to begin hearings in April on…
Since October 7, the New York Times has had no trouble filling its pages with…