People from Ukraine and South Russia (Breznev, Podgorny, Shelepin). And then there's Nikolay Mironov, a puppetmaster who supported both Brezhnev and Shelepin against each other. Very smart and ambitious, he was killed in a plane crash in 1964. If not for this, he most certainly gets appointed a KGB chief, not Andropov.Which potential opposition would the Romanov faction likely encounter ITTL's internal power struggle?
People from Ukraine and South Russia (Breznev, Podgorny, Shelepin). And then there's Nikolay Mironov, a puppetmaster who supported both Brezhnev and Shelepin against each other. Very smart and ambitious, he was killed in a plane crash in 1964. If not for this, he most certainly gets appointed a KGB chief, not Andropov.
I don't know. Shelepin is more hardline ideologically, Romanov is more hardline economically.Shelepin seems to be a possible hard-line challenger to the Romanov faction
I don't know. Shelepin is more hardline ideologically, Romanov is more hardline economically.
He wouldn't continue anything involving (1) owning means of production by a private person; (2) hiring workers by a private person (exploitation).In what respects would Romanov continue with Malenkov and Kosygin's reforms if he was more hardline economically?
You mean, like it was IOTL?perhaps there could be an unfortunate if comedic situation where the USSR manages to go through a quick succession of leaders dying in office after Kosygin before finally reaching Romanov?
More or less, though with the addition of Kosygin and Podgorny over a period of about 5 years if only to add to the instability and push some factions in the internal power struggles to consider younger candidates with some pushing for Romanov, others for Gorbachev and a few others who could similarly have been contenders ITTL.You mean, like it was IOTL?
Even if Beria somehow makes it to the top (which is unlikely in itself) his rule will be short. He's not a leader, he's a policeman with unusual managerial skills. He can handle big projects, but he can't handle people. He just yells at them and has fits of rage when contradicted.How bad would a Beria rule be?
Sounds like a number of CEOs I have known over the years.Even if Beria somehow makes it to the top (which is unlikely in itself) his rule will be short. He's not a leader, he's a policeman with unusual managerial skills. He can handle big projects, but he can't handle people. He just yells at them and has fits of rage when contradicted.