So most everyone agrees that Stalin massively mishandled the international situation in the lead up to the Great Patriotic War. We've discussed several times how other potential leaders who came to power instead of Stalin might have dealt with the tensions of the late '30s. I'm curious who might succeed Stalin if he died early - but not so early that the ugly edifice of Stalinism wasn't essentially complete and not so early that the Nazis aren't in place and committed to the path to war. How might any theoretical successors deal with the internal and external problems of the Soviet Union in those critical years?
What happens if Stalin dies right after the Sudeten crisis? Or how about if he dies right after the Nazi-Soviet pact is signed? Or how about if he dies after the Soviets have occupied their slice of Poland? Or what if he dies a month (or less) from Barberossa being launched?
How much chaos would a succession crisis cause in the Soviet Union in this period?
And does any successor continue Stalin's purges, or do they peter out?
fasquardon
What happens if Stalin dies right after the Sudeten crisis? Or how about if he dies right after the Nazi-Soviet pact is signed? Or how about if he dies after the Soviets have occupied their slice of Poland? Or what if he dies a month (or less) from Barberossa being launched?
How much chaos would a succession crisis cause in the Soviet Union in this period?
And does any successor continue Stalin's purges, or do they peter out?
fasquardon