A Bleeding Heart of Steel: Stalin Dies Early
- Thread starter Kerguelen
- Start date
I am dubious that Zhdanov would be such a factor so early. On the other hand, Zhdanov being really influential is pretty interesting and different. I am looking forward to more.
fasquardon
fasquardon
Day of the Ill
Day of the Ill
"I had heard from a Begleitkommando guard named Tornow that Hitler was later than most to hear the death of Stalin [1]. A few hours after reports came in from the Eastern Front, his guard attempted to inform him, but Hitler was in the process of training Blond to perform the Nazi salute on command. But after hearing of the heath of his old enemy, he was estatic, jumping with joy. Without hesitation, he ordered an emergency meeting of the cabinet and called Goebbels to publicize Stalin’s death as soon as possible. Tornow said that in all his years guarding the Führer, he had barely let anything interrupt Blondi’s training. Not the loss of Africa, not his defeat in Stalingrad, not the invasion of Italy, but his small victory over the Soviets had been the thing that finally kicked him out of his stupor.
The following meeting was less of a discussion and more of a celebration. Much champagne was to be had as Stalin’s death was hailed as the thing that would finally put an end to the war. Hitler never drank a sip of alcohol, but that didn't stop him from enjoying himself. “I believe Stalin said that only a fool would attack his armies," he joked "But I say, better to be a fool than to be a corpse!” [2]. The cabinet laughed and they sang praises to the Führer as he began to boast of his thousand-year Reich. Little did he know, it would not be more than a year before his reign came to an end
[…]
To my understanding, Hitler advised his generals to prioritize the situation on the Western Front after Stalin’s death more than anything else. He ordered his forces to push through Belgium until they reached the coast, encircling the Allies at lightning speed, an exact replica of his strategy during 1940. He believed that his enemies would be forced to retreat after being surrounded by German forces, just as they had during the Battle of France. But as any historian or veteran knows, this did not happen.
His officers pointed out how Germany lacked the resources for such a campaign, but Hitler said that pushing through the frontlines was the army’s top priority. His generals told him that the Soviets had begun preparing for a winter offensive, but he dismissed it as a bluff from a desperate nation divided amongst itself. “The Russians are lost without Stalin, but the Americans will not rest until they reach Berlin, we cannot let mere distractions be the downfall of the Reich.” Hitler had been relieved after hearing that his armies had managed to push through the Ardennes and boasted to us that this would prove to be the end of the western campaign [3].
"Look at this!" he exclaimed, "They say that our war cannot be won, but they have only underestimated Germany's might." The next day, we saw that his energetic glee was replaced by cold somberness. I found that his armies were caught in the rear and the Allies were in the process of encircling them. When his commanders suggested a retreat, Hitler reluctantly agreed to their plan. He had already learned his lesson from Stalingrad, knowing that soldiers would rather surrender than fight to the last man in the bitter cold. However, it was too little and too late as Patton surrounded his forces on all sides, leaving our Western front ripe for the taking.
[…]
As news of failure after failure reached Berlin, I saw Hitler recluse further into isolation. As a means to calm his stress, he began to take even more medication, but the pills ended up damaging his mind more than anything else. He had become irritable, distrustful, or downright hateful towards those around him, seeing traitors in every corner [4]. I began to avoid meetings with him as he lambasted us for not doing enough to purge Germany of her spies, before accusing us of treason himself. He refused to take responsibility for the failure at the Antwerp and outright ignored our lack of resources, believing such talk to be propaganda from traitors and spies.
"I am surrounded on all sides by enemies on the frontlines and in my cabinet! Is there no man loyal to the German Reich?" Other days, he was too tired to rant and scream at us, simply nodding as we made our suggestions. He began to look pale and weak, like a skeleton wrapped in skin, as if he were only kept alive by anger towards his enemies and himself. Needless to say, it seemed like we would lose Hitler before we would lose the war. Soon enough, his heart gave in on that fateful day on March 15th and we began peace talks with the Allies."
-Inside the Third Reich by Albert Speer, 1975
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American Troops carry the dead away while retreating from the Ardennes
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American Troops carry the dead away while retreating from the Ardennes
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“Men, women, soldiers of Germany, it is with a solemn heart that I announce the death of the Führer. This morning, our Führer was found dead, working until the very last seconds of his life working to preserve the unity and strength of the nation. The Furher has appointed me as his successor and it is my duty to serve you all as President of the German Reich.
While we mourn the passing of our Führer, we must remember the sacrifices he made for the future of Germany. Since the beginning, our Führer had dedicated his very life to the struggle for a greater nation. And it is our duty, as patriots of the German Reich, to remember his great deeds and the Germany that he died for. We must remain true to his memory to ensure the survival of our nation and our brothers and sisters.
We set out to fight this war to ensure that Fatherland’s heritage, strength, and future would be protected. It is only right that we continue to preserve our people from the oncoming tide. Our Führer has given his life for his nation and us, the people whom he protected for so long. He will be remembered as a hero to the German nation and his sacrifice will never be forgotten by us, the people.”
-Hermann Goering addresses the people of Germany on Hitler's death, Federal Communications Commission, 15/3/1945
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VICTORY IN EUROPE: GERMANY BEGINS NEGOTATIONS TO END THE WAR
-Associated Press headline, 31/3/1945
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German President Hermann Goering is photographed at the Allied Headquarters in Rennes, France
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"I would say that many of us Germans were very pleased by the end of the war. Yes, I will admit that I supported Hitler when he sent the French running, but most of us did. We didn’t see any of the war crimes, the murders, the concentration camps, all we saw was our country standing up for itself. However, we never believed everything that came from his mouth and most of us thought that he was a bit mad.
German President Hermann Goering is photographed at the Allied Headquarters in Rennes, France
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I mean, why get rid of the Jews? They were the best salesmen in Europe. Lots of us depended on Jewish goods before the economy turned around. Even my son thought Hitler was weird and he was a ten-year-old who joined the Hitler Youth! Of course, there weren’t many opportunities for us outside of the party. If you spoke up, you were either arrested or disappeared. My own brother-in-law was killed just for having long hair you know! Apparently, a few kids thought he was a homosexual and they reported him to the party, I never saw him after that.
We thought Hitler had gone insane when he invaded Russia and when the SS killed Stalin, we were less happy and more surprised. With all the radios fear-mongering about the advancing Bolsheviks, we were honestly shocked that Hitler managed to do something so brazen while the Russians were at Germany’s doorstep. Maybe Stalin should’ve gotten better security. But when Hitler died, oh how we rejoiced. No longer were we afraid of our town becoming the next Hamburg. Our sons and husbands would come back from the battlefield, it was a miracle!
Our mayor even put up a banner in front of the town square that said “Welcome Americans!” But the next day, he was shot by a bunch of thugs led by a man wearing a general’s uniform. Those fools! They didn’t even know Hitler was gone until we told them! Their leader was hardly old enough to shave, yet he lined us up and forced us to kiss his boots. He told us that his task force was ordered by Hitler to take control of the town and defend it against invaders. None of us believed him. When a man called him a liar, the “general” had him shot in front of all of us. "All disloyalty to the Reich will be punished accordingly," he said "The Führer may be dead, but we are still in command," [5]
Thankfully, the military police managed to put an end to it before the boy general shot everyone in town. They later put the mayor’s banner back up and celebrated with us when the Americans came marching through. It seemed that there was finally hope for Germany. During the last days of the war, we couldn’t buy fresh food or medicine, all our men were sent to the frontlines, and everyone knew we would lose again. Even Hitler knew that Germany was lost and he used drugs to take the easy way out. No matter what other countries might say, Germany doesn’t want another war. We’ve already learned our lesson a long time ago.”
- Emilia Keller, 1984 quoted in A Dream of Peace by Domesday Studios
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[1] Tornow was a member of Hitler's personal guard who was assigned to not only guard the Führer, but also his pet German Shepherd, Blondi
[2] A quote from Vyacheslav Molotov during the peace negotiations with Nazi Germany which Hitler misattributed to Josef Stalin
[3] In another world, the Nazis never managed to push through the Ardennes or reach Antwerp thanks to the timely arrival of General Patton
[4] By the end of the war, Hitler regularly took doses of cocaine and methamphetamines which would only be described as "copious" by future historians
[5] Inspired by the story of Willi Herold, an army deserter who found an abandoned captain's uniform and proceeded to commit several war crimes across Germany.
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It doesn’t say the peace was negotiated, just that there were negotiations. Based on the OTL end of war negotiations, they probably went like this:
“We’re here to negotiate.”
“Okay, sign this unconditional surrender document.”
“No.”
“Sign it or get the fuck out.”
“... Okay.”
*Eisenhower turns to reporters*
“Negotiations have been a great success.”
“We’re here to negotiate.”
“Okay, sign this unconditional surrender document.”
“No.”
“Sign it or get the fuck out.”
“... Okay.”
*Eisenhower turns to reporters*
“Negotiations have been a great success.”
The Great Patriots
The Great Patriots
"The only conflict that is possible in Soviet politics is the conflict between what is good and what is best" - Andrei Zhdanov
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“After the Victory Parade, the situation was undoubtedly jovial. We all met in Andrei [Zhdanov]’s dacha for a few drinks. After all of us had arrived, our Andrei stood up, his eyes watery and raised his glass. “A toast to our late Comrade Stalin!” All of us returned the toast, with the exception of Lavrentiy [Beria] who had already downed his glass. Our Chekist sensed the rising awkwardness and decided to give us a bit of good news. "The co-conspirators of the assassin Shilio have been revealed within the army. Soon the enemies of the people will be punished for their crimes against the people!""The only conflict that is possible in Soviet politics is the conflict between what is good and what is best" - Andrei Zhdanov
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Lavrentiy paused, looking at us with shifting eyes before smiling “It appears that their efforts to turn this war around have been for nothing. Only a fool would believe a man as weak as Hitler could defeat us.” We all laughed, but his words were less of a joke and more of a hidden threat. Andrei’s illness had continued to plague him, even after his attempts to give up drinking, and Beria would gloat about this behind his back. He would often call Andrei “our acting General Secretary” among other things. Just today, I learned from Andrey [Andreyev] that Andrei had hoped to turn the Army against Lavrentiy during the army investigations.
“The sooner we remove that snake, the better,” Andrei said to him “And what better way to kill a snake than to have him face a hawk?” However, Lavrentiy was wary enough not to overextend himself, picking off the more corrupt or unpopular officers, who sold rations and smuggled goods through the black market. The most corrupt of these men was the very person who guarded Stalin, Nikolai Vlasik. Not one of us was surprised to learn that he allied himself with fascist traitors in exchange for Nazi bribes. Everyone knew of the vizier’s greed and very few men enjoyed his tyrannical nature. However, it was truly shocking to learn how much corruption had taken place within the army.
Lavrentiy gave us a file on an Air Marshal named Golovanov who had torn apart Goering’s summer cottage piece by piece, only to have it rebuilt near his home as a strange trophy. [1] The NKVD claimed that he had been planning to use it as a home for escaped Nazi officials. Marshal Grigory Kulik was also arrested for protecting Polikov Shilio and for allowing Leningrad to be captured by invading forces. Strangely enough, it was Zhdanov himself who provided the evidence that implicated Marshal Kulik for his crimes.[2] I had also noticed that investigations on NKVD corruption were sorely lacking. Most of us became suspicious after Lavrentiy came into possession of fancy sports cars and enough speedboats to build a fleet, but for now, those suspicions will be reserved for later.
Eventually, the investigations had closed and Zhdanov had become even more suspicious of Lavrentiy’s meetings with Vyacheslav [Molotov]. Judging how Andrei and Vyacheslav were glaring at each other, I have a difficult time imagining how they could work together in front of the eyes of the world. During the celebration, Zhdanov, filled with vodka, made a few cracks about “German Jews flooding into Russia” and how “the Kremlin would become a synagogue in the next ten years”. I knew that Vyacheslav was a reserved man, but somehow, I had the feeling that he would punch Andrei in the face if he weren’t in a wheelchair. It was either that or the alcohol.”
-Excerpt from The Memoirs of Anastas Mikoyan, published 1999
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The crowd lifts a war veteran into the air during the Victory Day celebrations on April 1st, 1945
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Q: Now that we’ve discussed Teheran and Yalta, let’s talk about the Berlin Conference. You were there with Molotov, correct?
The crowd lifts a war veteran into the air during the Victory Day celebrations on April 1st, 1945
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Sergo: Yes, it was the conference after Roosevelt died. I learned English and dialects of German when I was a child, so they brought me along as a translator. I was there to record everything that happened around Truman and his aides. Unlike Yalta, things were a lot more secure so we had less information on what was going on. At least the place looked better than Crimea. Truman tried to convince us that the United States wouldn’t change their position from the other conferences, but we had the feeling that he was a lot more suspicious of us than Roosevelt was. This troubled Molotov, because he wanted to make sure that communism would survive in the countries that we occupied.
He also realized that the Soviet Army could not control Eastern Europe alone, so he began preparing for the creation of a communist alliance. Molotov eventually came up with two goals, a stronger Eastern Bloc that could allow communist nations to rebuild and a nuclear project that could prevent the West from taking advantage of us. However, it was difficult for us to complete the latter goal. Whenever Zhdanov asked why Soviet technology lagged behind America, my father only simply said that “we don’t have the R and D”. He had also been under a lot of pressure to complete the atomic bomb project, especially after Hiroshima and Kokura. [3] I remember Molotov was originally in charge before he tasked my father to complete the project and after that, Zhdanov seemed very eager for him to fail.
Q: Can you tell us your opinion of Andrei Zhdanov?
Sergo: Like my father, I can’t say that I had the best relationship with him. He was a very pretentious man and would often talk for hours. He used literary and historical references to impress other people, but I think that he used this to hide the fact that he understood very little about the issues in Soviet society. Despite this, he could be a lively person. During parties, he and Stalin tried to get me drunk a few times. They said to me that “the only time a man reveals his true self is when he’s drunk on vodka”. But after the war, Zhdanov began to drink less after his friend died of alcoholism. Shcherbakov was his name, I think. [4]
Even though he had given up the bottle, he was still the extravagant man that we all knew him to be. Yury however, was the complete opposite of his father, very polite, very quiet, a bit like Molotov, in my opinion. Most of the time, he hardly said anything unless someone spoke to him, but like his father, he could also be very fun. When we met in the Academy of Sciences, we began making jokes about Lysenko, the idiot that somehow managed to win the favor of Stalin. When Lysenko claimed that he could grow crops in cold weather by freezing seeds, we said that he should go to the tundra naked to test his theory. Thankfully, Yury managed to discredit Lysenko and we never saw him again. [5]
Q: Historians have described the relationship between General Secretary Andrei Zhdanov and your father as a “great vendetta”. What do you make of this assertion?
Sergo: My father was a very proud man, and his personality usually ended up clashing with Zhdanov’s ego when they worked together. Zhdanov was a close friend of Yezhov, who my father discredited and Zhdanov's fanaticism towards Stalin made my father uncomfortable. At first, my father saw Stalin as a god, like the rest of the country, but after seeing how his policies harmed the country, he became disaffected with Stalin. He would tell me how Stalin’s policies created hundreds of famines and how it would take another Great Depression for our economy to outcompete America’s. I believe that he genuinely wanted to improve things in the Union without being purged by his own Allies. Of course, he murdered millions of people to gain favor with Stalin, but even then, he tried to get him to stop the purges and the repressions.
This didn’t sit well with Zhdanov who was more concerned about “removing cosmopolitan aesthetics” than making sure that his people were fed. I suppose you could say that Molotov a fanatic as well, but at least he was realistic, that was what my father wanted. Whenever Zhdanov made some strange proposal to annex Finland or Poland, Molotov was always there to stop him. Of course, my father had to hide his views to make sure that Molotov was on his side, but that was only because he realized that Zhdanov and his cronies were the bigger threat. Even Svetlana didn’t like him very much, she always saw him as some arrogant bookworm who tried too hard to make himself sound smart.
Q: If you don’t mind, what was your father’s reaction to you marrying Svetlana Stalin?
Sergo: Well, Svetlana and I were friends for quite a while, and we wanted to get married back when we were students. When I asked my father, he became furious and demanded that I keep my distance from her. “Stalin will skin you alive if he sees you with Svetlana! I don’t want you anywhere near her ever again!” It was one of the few times when he became truly angry at me, but I knew he was only trying to protect me. Stalin never would've let his protégés gain power over his family, he was far too paranoid to allow such a thing. However, Svetlana never learned that and she still tried to contact me, even after she became engaged. [6]
But after Stalin died, Svetlana and her husband left each other. My father actually encouraged me to get closer to her around this time. A year later, she and I were married. Back then, life was happy for the two of us. My mother loved her like a daughter even before we were wed and I never saw a man happier than my father after he knew that he would be a grandfather. *laughs* Yury once told me that his father wanted to him marry Svetlana as well, but personally, I don’t think that such a match could’ve happened. Like many women, Svetlana could be rather… difficult at times. I can only imagine how a man as sincere as Yury would be with her.
-Transcript from Red Stars by Searchlight Films, 1995
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Molotov and Roosevelt meet at the Yalta Conference
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Molotov and Roosevelt meet at the Yalta Conference
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“The death of Stalin did not serve to weaken his cult of personality over the Soviet Union, it had only strengthened it. In the eyes of the deeply religious Soviet population, the Red Tsar was akin to Jesus, a man who protected his people from their enemies only to be slain by those enemies in an act of betrayal. During the last years of his reign, Stalin realized that he was no longer a person, he was a religious figure for the Soviet people. Stalin was the will of the workers, the man who saved the nation, the very personification of Soviet power.
In his victory speech, Zhdanov promised to rechristen the city of Moscow to “Stalinodar”, roughly translating to Stalinsgift in English. The reason behind this was that Stalin oversaw the creation of a “New Moscow” through massive reconstruction and modernization programs during the 1930s, making it the city that Stalin built. And it was Stalin’s wisdom and leadership that saved the city from the Hun, another one of his gifts to his people. Curiously enough, the suggestion was made by Beria, the most rebellious of Stalin’s minions. He had taken the idea from his NKVD predecessor, Nikolai Yezhov. Yezhov's proposal was less of a genuine suggestion and more of a desperate attempt to gain Stalin’s favor when his star began to wane.[7]
When Stalin heard Yezhov's idea, he simply shot it down. To rename a city as crucial as Moscow would’ve been an act of pure vanity. The first comrade had already named ten cities after himself across the Soviet Union. Putting his name on another city would have been far too excessive, even for the Vohdz himself. However, Stalin was no longer around and Zhdanov, the most loyal of Stalin’s pets agreed to Beria’s proposal. And so, on April 10th, 1945, the Soviet Presidium renamed their capital city after the great patriot who rescued the nation from its enemies."
-After Stalin and Before The Fall by Carmen Powell
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[1] In OTL, Golovanov dismantled Joeseph Goebbels' summer house instead
[2] Marshal Grigory Kulik was seen as a tyrannical, incompetent, and unpopular general who only survived military politics thanks to his friendship with Joseph Stalin.
[3] In OTL, Kokura was never bombed by the "Fat Man" nuclear bomb due to a thick haze of smog that obscured the pilot's vision.
[4] Aleksandr Shcherbakov was a protegee of Zhdanov who died of heart failure at age 43 due to excessive drinking.
[5] In OTL, Yury Zhdanov was discredited by Stalin due to his attacks on Lysenko's absurd theories
[6] When the elder Beria's crimes were exposed, Svetlana removed all mentions of Sergo from her memoirs. After the Cold War, Sergo and his wife said that Svetlana wanted to marry him, but historians disbelieved him.
[7] After the war, it was Kaganovich who proposed renaming Moscow, which was supported by the likes of Beria and Zhdanov
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Of course it does, it has just triumphed over the deadliest attack Russia, sorry, the Soviet Union has ever suffered. This is too early to realistically hope for de-Stalinisation...
We Call It Diplomacy
We Call It Diplomacy
“I do not like neutrals” - Vyacheslav Molotov to a Swedish diplomat, 1943
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“I do not like neutrals” - Vyacheslav Molotov to a Swedish diplomat, 1943
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“It wasn’t long before Goering realized that Reich had no chance of winning the war. The Red Army had been marching through German lands and we barely had enough soldiers to defend against their invasion. We later received news that Mussolini managed to flee to Spain to avoid being lynched to death by partisans. Many in the cabinet considered doing the same before Franco, sold him out to the Allies. Personally, I can’t say that I blame him for betraying Mussolini. After seeing how the Axis was crushed, it wasn’t surprising that the Spaniards would want to have friendly relations with the rest of the world. However, Spain was hardly our largest concern during those days of the war.
Back in Germany, we were assigned to slow down the invasion as much as possible by destroying vital infrastructure across the nation. This made my job as Minister of Armaments rather useless and I was mostly cast aside for the rest of the war, save for the occasional cabinet meeting. The generals tried to reorganize the army into a guerrilla force that would slow down the invasion, but their plans had failed. We had already destroyed most of our roads and factories, making it impossible for Germany to continue the fight its enemies. Morale was at an all-time low and partisan groups appeared all over the country. To win the war, Himmler suggested that we “defeat the Russians in the same manner they defeated Napoleon”.
Himmler’s plan was resolute as it was maniacal. According to him, if Germany’s infrastructure was destroyed, then the invaders would no longer be able to gain resources while occupying the countryside. Soon, the Reich would flee into the Bavarian Alps, while the Allies would be bogged down throughout Germany, attempting to rebuild what we had destroyed. From the Alps, our army would stage guerrilla attacks against our enemies until Germany was free from foreign occupation. Needless to say, many of us were horrified at such an idea. Our President soon decided that he would rather surrender than to allow his country to take up such desperate tactics.
Goering’s main goal was for the Allies to allow the Reich to survive in exchange for massive war reparations, the surrender of territory, and the possibility of future elections. Much to his disdain, Allies refused and demanded an unconditional surrender. Goering then offered the surrender of Germany in exchange for an amnesty deal. Still, the Allies refused. Back in Berlin, Himmler was horrified after he learned that the Allies would never give him a pardon for his crimes and decided to abandon us in Berlin [1]. We later found that he left behind a recording of his voice where he gave us a lengthy monologue, encouraging the cabinet to flee to the Alps where we would continue to fight the Bolshevik invaders.
Apparently, he had gone ahead with his plan for an Alpine resistance behind our backs. Less than a week later, I received news that Himmler’s plan had failed disastrously after Commander Dietrich ordered him shot before surrendering to the Allies. When we told Goering that the entire SS had either defected or became mountain bandits, it seemed like he would finally cave in. Personally, I believe that even if Himmler didn’t go ahead with that ill-advised plan, the Allies would still defeat the Reich, one way or another. We were all tired of the war, and it was only a matter of time before all of us defected.”
-Inside the Third Reich by Albert Speer, 1975
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The body of the self-declared Reichspräsident Heinrich Himmler, photographed April 10th, 1945
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The body of the self-declared Reichspräsident Heinrich Himmler, photographed April 10th, 1945
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“Churchill and I have discussed withdrawing troops from East Germany in exchange for control over Berlin. Molotov however, insists that he does not want gangs of rouge Nazis rioting in his territories. Generals report that the revolts are dying out, but Molotov still demanded all of Berlin. His people suggested dividing Germany alongside the Elbe River, but the Brits refused to give the Reds a naval port on the North Sea. At first, some of us wanted American troops to occupy a piece of Northern Germany, but we decided to give it to the Danes instead. Any part of Germany given away would make the French feel less sore about being left out of the conference. In exchange, we gave Saxony to the Reds, which seemed to please them.
Molotov is insistent that he wants Germany to reunite before 1955 as he believes that a single German confederation would serve the world far better than two divided centralized states. Marshall and I told him that we would look into that, but that Germany needed to remain neutral and that we couldn't afford a repeat of 1941. The Soviets agreed to our demands and said that we would look into it in the future. However, I think that I still need to remind Molotov to keep his end of the bargain. Knowing how he reacted before, I suspect that he does not want a repeat of his visit to the White House. [2] ”
- "Truman’s Diary on the Berlin Conference: May 12th, 1945," archived by Geoge Mason University
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“Something very interesting has happened as of late. The communists in Greece have risen up against their own monarch and war has broken out. While most of us are very eager to gain a larger foothold in the Mediterranean, funding a communist uprising in Greece would mean going back on our previous agreements with Churchill. [3] And until Beria finishes building his bomb, angering the West would be a very poor idea. I then drafted a plan with Molotov where we would use SMERSH to give arms to our allies in Eastern Europe, who in turn would help fund the Communist revolution in Greece. But for our plan to work, we would need to gain the approval of the Yugoslavs who, as of late, have been a bit of a wildcard.
SMERSH suggested putting a bullet in Tito’s head, but Beria insisted that their plan would be destined to fail. While I was tempted to remark that foreign policy wasn’t his territory anymore, I have to admit that we can’t afford to anger our allies anymore. It was eventually decided that I would travel to Belgrade with the hopes of building better relations with Tito. We had already convinced him to back off with his claim over Trieste, and I hope that he can prove himself to be a reasonable man. If not, then I suppose that our people at SMERSH can’t be wrong about everything. [4] ”
-Excerpt from The Memoirs of Anastas Mikoyan, published 1999
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"General Markos" (center) marches alongside a team of guerilla fighters
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Mr. and Mrs. Molotov Visit Israel
"General Markos" (center) marches alongside a team of guerilla fighters
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“Israel, the world's newest nation has received a visit from Soviet Premier Vyacheslav M. Molotov and his wife, Polina Zhemchuzhina. Upon landing in Tel Aviv, the couple was greeted by David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of the young nation. Later in the day, Premier Molotov would deliver a speech in front of thousands applauding the Jewish people for their struggle against tyranny and reassured the Israeli people that they had the unanimous support of the Soviet Union. And translating his words for the Yiddish speaking audience was none other than his own wife, standing right by his side. Polina Zhemchuzhina had been born to a family of Jewish tailors, learning Yiddish during her childhood, which certainly came in handy this afternoon. While the visit might appear rather sudden to many of our audiences, it’s no surprise that this couple would visit Israel during the 15th of Av, the Jewish holiday of love.”
- New York Post article, 25/7/1947
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Premier Molotov meets with the Israeli Ambassador, Golda Meir
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Premier Molotov meets with the Israeli Ambassador, Golda Meir
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This Day in History: December 20th, 1948Kingdom of Greece Moves Capital to Crete
"After losing ground to the People’s Republic of Greece under Markos Vafiadis, King George II fled to the island of Peloponnese alongside his cabinet. There, the royalist government would establish a temporary capital on the city of Tripoli, where they continued to suffer from attacks by communist guerrillas. Hostilities would later end when the two sides agreed to a stalemate, symbolling the creation of the “two Greeces” which vexed the Mediterranean for years to come. Hostilities began in 1946 when the Communist Party of Greece under Andreas Tsipas [5] boycotted elections and formed a provisional government with General Markos Vafiadis of the People’s Liberation Army.
Following the “Christmas Offensive”, the provisional government captured the city of Athens in the winter of 1949, signaling an end to royalist control over the mainland. Throughout the civil war, the Kingdom of Greece was mostly supported by the United Kingdom, later gaining the support of the United States during the summer of 1947. Critics often point to America’s reluctance to intervene in the Greek Civil War as one of the many failures of the Truman administration.
Meanwhile, the Soviet Union claimed that they would only support the People’s Republic of Greece diplomatically, denying claims that they had been funding the provisional government. However, recently declassified documents revealed that the Molotov had approved of smuggling foreign arms to Communist Greece, using Yugoslavia under Josip Broz Tito as a middleman. Officially speaking, the Greek Civil War is still ongoing as the two Greeces remain in a stalemate, refusing to recognize the legitimacy of one another.”
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[1] Declassified documents after the war show that Himmler considered personally surrendering to the Allies if Goering did not open up negotations
[2] During Truman's first days in office, he would crassly insult Mr. Molotov's after the latter had broken his promises regarding Poland from the Yalta Conferece
[3] The secret "percentages agreement" between Stalin and Churchill determined how Eastern Europe would be divided after WWII
[4] Plans to kill off Tito by the SMERSH were often discussed during the aftermath of WWII, but were never realized
[5] Following the death of Nikos Zachariadis at the Dachau prison camp and the ousting of Georgios Siantos, Andreas Tsipas returned to his position as General Secretary
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The Enemy Within
The Enemy Within
“Comrades, in the name of the Central Committee, I stand here today, to designate a new path for the Communist Party in its endless quest for justice and equity. During the days of the Tsar, the Imperial elite had grown wealthy from the suffering of the laborers, the peasants, the yeomen of the Empire. By exploiting the working class, the bourgeoisie were able to fulfill their own hedonist desires and create a society that valued the principles of avarice and greed. Only when the proletariat rose under the banner of Comrade Lenin, were the people were freed from the corruption of the bourgeoisie class, united by a dream of a classless society.
But despite Comrade Lenin’s best efforts, imperialists abroad used their traitors and fifth columnists to sabotage our people’s democracy from within. From this sabotage and corruption, a great web of malfeasant corruptors grew within the very heart of our nation. Our departed Comrade Stalin saw the rise of these corruptors, in the form of the traitors, Trotsky and Zinoviev, but his good work was still incomplete. If our recent investigations prove anything, a new class of bourgeoisie exists within our nation, profiting from the suffering of the proletariat.
This corrupter class, these “crypto-bourgeoisie” have made it their duty to enrich themselves at the cost of the very values our nation was build upon. As Bolsheviks, it is our duty to bring about a new revolution as Lenin did and expel members of the “crypto-bourgeoisie” within the party. Remember comrades, it must become our greatest duty to root out these weeds if we truly wish to build a democracy of the proletariat. May this revolution bring about a new nation, free from the parasitic cosmopolitans and imperialists. Long live Lenin. Long live Stalin. And long live the nation that they died for.”
- Andrei Zhdanov addresses the Central Committee of the Soviet Union, 19/2/1947
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General Secretary Zhdanov denounces the "Kriptoburzhua" in front of the Central Committee
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General Secretary Zhdanov denounces the "Kriptoburzhua" in front of the Central Committee
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“While Zhdanov’s position as General Secretary gave him considerable influence over the Soviet Union, his powers often paled in comparison to Molotov. Following Stalin’s ascension to power, the office of General Secretary had grown to the point where Stalin had become the master of the nation, despite neither serving as head of state or head of government. However, the power of the General Secretary would be weakened during the Second World War, when Stalin began delegating more power to the Council of Ministers.
Following the death of Stalin, it was Molotov who gained control over the government while Zhdanov led the party. It was only inevitable that a power struggle would occur, sooner or later. It is a common opinion that this rift began when Molotov removed Nikolai Voznesensky, a protégé of Zhdanov as the head of Gosplan. However, Voznesensky was disliked by his peers due to his rude and discrepant behavior, which was not appreciated by the calm and timid Molotov [1]. Most historians believe that Voznesensky’s personality may have been the reason why Molotov was chosen as Premier, despite the fact that the former had been First Deputy Chairman at the time of Stalin’s death.
This rift would only worsen after Zhdanov began his anti-corruption and cultural campaigns against the so-called “Kriptoburzhua”. These anti-corruption campaigns were notoriously uneven and were mainly used as a tool for Zhdanov to cement his rule over the party. Individualist artists, writers, and intellectuals were publicly discredited throughout the “Zhdanovchina” while Russian culture was promoted across the Soviet Republics. Meanwhile, Molotov and his allies would privately accuse their General Secretary of becoming a Russian chauvinist and an anti-Semite [2]. Through all the purges, there was one group that Zhdanov would target above all else, Georgians.
While Stalin was distracted by the war against Germany, Beria seemed to rule Georgia as his own petty kingdom, through his cronies and local party bosses. The Mingrelian ethnic group, which Beria was a member of, seemed to control the region thanks to the influence of the NKVD. However, the de jure head of Georgia, Kandid Charkviani opposed Beria’s influence and began working with Zhdanov to weaken the influence of the Mengrelians across the region [3]. The Georgian Affair served as a massive blow to Beria’s influence and it was believed to be the very incident that forced him to ally with Molotov.”
-In the Shadow of the Vohdz by Harland Bridges
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The First Secretary of Georgia, Kandid Charkvani cooperated with Zhdanov throughout the "Georgian Affair"
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The First Secretary of Georgia, Kandid Charkvani cooperated with Zhdanov throughout the "Georgian Affair"
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“Ever since my return to
Beria would usually try to take advantage of this rift, getting Malenkov to convince Stalin that Zhdanov’s ideas would be a disaster for the nation. And no matter how much I disagreed with Zhdanov's ideas, he would always be a better man than Beria could ever dream of becoming. I eventually managed to convince Molotov to send Malenkov to Greece by giving him a position that sounded important, while keeping him far away from the capital. The Head of Field Economic Advisors on Foreign Aid did have a nice ring to it. After our Chekist found out that Malenkov had been sent away, he was up in arms, insisting that Malenkov would be more useful in Stalindar than in Athens. When that didn’t convince Molotov, Beria began to argue that Malenkov wasn’t qualified at all to serve as a liaison to Greece.
Khrushchev, who happened to be standing nearby, delivered a particularly humorous response, “What do you mean he’s not suited to the task? I thought that Malenkov was Macedonian!”
“How about we send you to Athens instead, Nikita,” said Beria, “Maybe you can teach those Greeks how to dance.”
Despite their quarreling, Khrushchev seemed to replace Malenkov as Beria’s new crony within the party. After Beria convinced Molotov not to sack Khrushchev from his position in Ukraine, the two had become rather close after the war [4]. Lately, Khrushchev had also been taking over a good number of Kaganovich’s responsibilities after his resignation. This seemed to upset Nikolai Voznesensky, who just been appointed as the new Deputy General Secretary.
Despite Khrushchev’s hare-brained schemes to improve farming, I have to admit that our “country peasant” may be a far better politician than Voznesensky. And as much as I loathe Beria, not even he is as rude as our new Deputy Secretary. Earlier today, I approached Molotov with a plan to Latinize the Russian alphabet [5]. Voznesensky, then proceeded to call me an “eastern devil” who was “trying to corrupt the Russian language, like those gutless cosmopolitans”.
This quarrel eventually drew the attention of Zhdanov and I decided to apologize, rather than risk being accused of “anti-patriotism”. Molotov once joked that in a few years, this nation may become a Union of Russian Soviet Republics. However, Zhdanov has made it clear that a nation united by Russian culture, Russian language, and Russian people has become his ultimate plan for the Soviet Union. And in a nation ruled by Russians, there may be little room for “eastern devils” such as myself.”
-Excerpt from The Memoirs of Anastas Mikoyan, published 1999
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Khrushchev, Beria, and Malenkov, all captured in a single photograph
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Khrushchev, Beria, and Malenkov, all captured in a single photograph
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[1] It was often said throughout the war that "Voznessenky always thought himself the second smartest person in the room, after Stalin and before everyone else."
[2] Zhdanov's attacks on rootless cosmopolitanism seemed to disproportionately attack Jewish artists and intellectuals across the nation, earning him the ire of Molotov
[3] Alexei Kuznetsov served as Zhdanov's successor as First Secretary of Leningrad and was later appointed Secretary of the Central Committee for Personnel
[4] In another world, Stalin would put Khrushchev in charge of limiting the influence of the Mengrelians, earning the ire of his former ally
[5] During the 1930s, Stalin began plans to Latinize the Russian language, before abandoning the project
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i would normally ask why he planned such a thing, but we are talking about Stalin here so i doubt it is a particularly logical or rational reason.
Apparently the idea was discussed after some Politburo members began pushing for better relations with the West. However, plans were later dropped after Stalin believed that the Russian people wouldn't react kindly to a Georgian changing the way how they wrote.
I mainly wrote that detail in because I wanted the way that Stalin died to complement the title of the timeline. So basically, the "Man of Steel" ends up dying from a piece of shrapnel stuck in his chest.