Which Soviet official would have been the best leader?

[RMcD94]

Any Soviet official after 1938, so no Trotsky or longer living Lenin. Who would you want to win the power struggles? Best in this case mean strength of the USSR, so no leader who immediately breaks it up

Particularly looking for who could best compete with the USA, instead of being overshadowed more and more. Only during Stalin's reign did the distance between the USA and the USSR decrease but the USSR never surpassed the USA

I'm of the opinion that almost anyone could have led the soviet union, from generals to minor officials. Infighting between other competitors can lead to even a black sheep winning never mind an underdog. So assume a lucky pod, who's your bet?

 

[Tjakari]

The Party in Leningrad seemed to have had a more sensible (sustainable) approach to governance. Alexei Kosygin was one of them.

I don't know much, but maybe someone else on the board has a better idea of how the Leningrad branch of the Party would have governed if had gotten closer to power.

 

[Tjakari]

bump

 

[Masked Grizzly]

The Party in Leningrad seemed to have had a more sensible (sustainable) approach to governance. Alexei Kosygin was one of them.

I don't know much, but maybe someone else on the board has a better idea of how the Leningrad branch of the Party would have governed if had gotten closer to power.

Would he be the sort of person to ditch any OTL grand Soviet white elephant projects in favour of investing in Soviet industries such as the automotive / motorcycle industry that can be exported for cash, etc?

 

[Antiochus V]

Would he be the sort of person to ditch any OTL grand Soviet white elephant projects in favour of investing in Soviet industries such as the automotive / motorcycle industry that can be exported for cash, etc?

State run industries don’t have a great track record in those fields, but a heavy investment in raw material extraction might have been much easier to pull off.

 

[MickCz]

How about Beria? Obviously controversial, and an extremely unpleasant character but he wanted to allow a reunified, neutral Germany and raise living standards in the USSR. He scrapped some expensive grandiose state projects and halted Russification in some subject states.
Having overseen the Soviet atomic bomb programme, he was a capable administrator. Allegedly his liberalisation was intended to seek access to American capital in order to rebuild the USSR from the devastation of WW2.
So, the POD would be Beria realising the danger he faced, probably executing some of the rivals, consolidating his power and then enacting his reforms.
The likelihood of the USA going along with the programme may be a problem. After all, the Stalin Memorandum had been rejected. But that was possibly because Stalin was in control. A new leader, with new policies may be treated differently.

 

[Borya]

I like Kirov but he was killed before 1938.

 

[Johnrankins]

Would he be the sort of person to ditch any OTL grand Soviet white elephant projects in favour of investing in Soviet industries such as the automotive / motorcycle industry that can be exported for cash, etc?

Who in God's name is going to buy a Soviet car outside someone in their East European colonies or backward Third World nations? Increasing exports to either or both won't help much.

 

[HelloThere]

I would cast my vote for Alexei Kosygin or Nikolai Voznesensky. Both were pretty good in economics and Voznesensky was a crucial part in reorganizing Leningrad's economy after the war. If you avoid his purge he could have played a greater role.

 

[Masked Grizzly]

State run industries don’t have a great track record in those fields, but a heavy investment in raw material extraction might have been much easier to pull off.

Understand. Andy Thompson's Cars of the Soviet Union and other related books gives some idea as to how the Soviets could have improved its car industry to be comparatively more competitive against the West compared to OTL (including perhaps a Soviet Supermini equivalent like the Lada / VAZ 3E1101 prototype aka Ladoga).