Former Finance Minister Alexander Livshits: biography, family, cause of death

The well-known economist, former finance minister Livshits Alexander Yakovlevich, whose biography has been linked to the work in the government for many years, remained in the memory of people as a man who tried to limit the power of the oligarchy. He did not succeed in everything, but he was honest and responsible in his activities and statements.

A family

Livshits Alexander Yakovlevich all his life very anxious about his father, and in every of his study there is always a portrait of the pope. Yakov Lazarevich graduated from the All-Union Communist Institute of Journalism named after Pravda, worked as an instructor in the Central Committee of the Komsomol. A convinced communist, Livshits went to the front in the early days of the outbreak of World War II. He went through the whole war, he was surrounded, he was a commissar of the regiment and reached Berlin as a lieutenant-colonel and as agitator of the political department of the 4th Panzer Army. After the victory, Yakov Lazarevich still worked for some time in Berlin. Later the father of Alexander Livshits was engaged in history and methodical work.

His brother Yakov Lazarevich, Uncle Alexander Eduard Lazarevich Livshits worked together with Likhachev in the Ministry of Automotive Industry, was deputy minister, then worked as the director of the experimental plant of loading machines. In 1950 he was accused of wrecking and shot. This event had a bad effect on his brother's biography, Alexander's father lost his job and struggled to get a school history teacher. The mother of the future Minister of Finance taught history in the technical school.

Childhood and Education

Alexander Livshits was born on September 6, 1946 in Berlin. The child years of the future Minister of Finance were held in Moscow. He was a good student at school, showing a penchant for history and mathematics. He received secondary education in the evening school, as he wanted to start working to gain independence and help the family. After school, Alexander Livshits enters the technical school of automation and telemechanics. A few years after graduating from the technical school, Livshits continued his studies at the Institute of National Economy named after M.Sh. GV Plekhanov. In 1971 he received a diploma of higher education in the specialty of "economic cybernetics". After graduating from the university, Alexander Yakovlevich entered the postgraduate course at the Moscow Machine Tool Institute.

Career of a scientist and teacher

In 1974, Livshits successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis on German expansion in the years of preparation for the Second World War. After receiving the degree, he starts working at the Stanko-Instrumental Institute. Starting from the post of associate professor, he grew up to the head of the department of political economy, for some time served as deputy dean of the faculty of automation of stamping production. In the late 80's he defended his doctoral dissertation on economic American theory. As a teacher Livshits very appreciated by colleagues and loved by students. Everyone who happened to study with him notes that he was not like the usual teacher. His lectures were very interesting, and Livshits himself was strict, but honest and fair. Lives in those days, Livshits very modestly, he did not have a car or dacha, only a small three-room apartment in Orekhovo-Zuevo, in which they lived the four of them. While working at the institute he was actively engaged in party work, he was deputy secretary of the party committee. He worked in the university until 1992.

Professional Expert Way

While still at the institute, Livshits Alexander Yakovlevich became friends with Anatoly Ilyich Rakitov, professor, philosopher. Together, they discussed the problems of the current economic situation in the country more than once. Rakitov in the times of Yeltsin headed the information and analytical center, where he invited Alexander. Since the beginning of perestroika Livshits began to write actively and reflect on the market economy, he gradually turned into an authoritative expert in this field. In April 1992, he became deputy head of the presidential information and analysis center. A year later, he was included in the commission for analytical support of the drafting of the constitutional reform. He is often invited to various conferences, seminars and meetings on economic issues. The authority of Livshits in this sphere is growing, he very quickly gets a lot of weight in the higher echelons of power.

Work in government

In 1994, Alexander Livshits became the head of the group of experts on economic issues under the President of the Russian Federation. He worked in a group that provided the economic component of annual presidential messages and various decrees. Within a few months he became an assistant to the president of Russia on economic issues. His duties included the economic justification for the instructions of the head of state. Experts say that during this period it was Livshits who determined the direction of development of Russia's economic system.

Since August 1996, A. Ya. Livshits - Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Russian Federation, Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation. He worked in this position for slightly less than a year, during this time managed to curb inflation, helped to overcome the great economic losses and saved the country from financial collapse. Honesty and adherence to principle Livshits interfered too much, and his resignation was inevitable. In March 1997, he was removed from the post of Minister of Finance and appointed deputy head of the presidential administration. Alexander Livshits represented the head of the country in the National Banking Council and established relations with foreign financial organizations. In 1999, he will once again return to the ministerial seat, will represent the president in the G-8.

The world of big finance and business

In 1998 Livshits became the head of the Fund "Economic Policy". Later, he will once again return to the government, but again for a little while. In 2000, the former deputy prime minister of the Russian government was elected chairman of the board of the Russian Credit Bank. In 2001, he received a new position: Livshits becomes deputy general director of the raw materials company "Russian Aluminum", and he also works as a director for international and special projects. For more than 10 years, he has been engaged in representing the company abroad. At this time, he finally becomes a wealthy man. Livshits acquire a house in the country. Alexander said that he finally recognized the joy of home ownership, he was very fond of his estate. In these years, the former minister travels a lot, both at work and with the family.

Public performance

Being a scientist, Livshits Alexander Yakovlevich, books for which were the usual way of presenting their thoughts, for many years expressed his ideas in many ways. In 1996 he published his textbook "Introduction to the market economy" - the first book of such subjects in Russia. This work was also translated into Georgian and published in Tbilisi. In 1998, he conducted the program "Ask Livshits" on the economic theme on the NTV channel. And later, for 10 years, he wrote a column on the same subject in the newspaper Izvestia. His public appearances were always distinguished by subtle humor and irony. Until now, the media often quoted his phrase "We need to be shared" about the need to take taxes from the country's richest people.

Personal life

All his life, Alexander Yakovlevich Livshits, whose family was extremely important, lived with his wife. Galina worked for 25 years at a military plant as an engineer. The couple had two daughters: Elena and Natalia, both went to work in the sphere of finance. Livshits was a very caring and anxious grandfather. In recent years, he lived alone with his wife outside the city, they traveled a lot.

Care and memory

On April 25, 2013, the media blew the news: Livshits Alexander Yakovlevich died. The cause of death is acute heart failure. The demise was completely sudden and from this even more tragic. He was still full of various plans, which were not destined to be realized. Livshits Alexander Yakovlevich, whose funeral took place at the Danilov cemetery with a large crowd of people, including the highest authorities of the country, lived a bright and significant life. According to the memoirs of friends and colleagues, he was always very worried about the fate of his homeland.