Soviet Military Coup 1945

So a while ago I posed a question about the best way to give more sway to globalism and the UN and it was suggested to me that was only possible if we somehow removed Russia / the Soviet Union. Now that I am on my laptop and not on my phone, I was able to do a little digging to make an OP. The first person I looked up is Zhukov, since I've seen all of you mention him a lot.

The idea came pretty quickly after that, as I saw Zhukov's good personal relationship with Eisenhower as something that could be a boon to international peace in the 1950s (butterflies notwithstanding). However, I did notice that Zhukov didn't really seem to have any political power in this particular era - 1945 which I am picking because the '45-'49 was when we really started to see an escalation from WWII to the Cold War.

Zhukov did eventually gain power as Khruschev recognized his political potential, but Khruschev himself isn't in Moscow politics until the early 1950s. Before Khruschev came back to Moscow, the two other power players were Beria and Malenkov - both of whom hated Zhukov. So herein lies the problem and indeed something of a challenge for the rest of you.

Of course, it doesn't have to be Zhukov. I see some inklings that Beria did try some reforms during his brief tenure as Premier. Not because he was a nice guy, mind you, but to pass off blame for his crimes onto the late Stalin. Khrushchev was apparently afraid that Beria was planning a military coup, which is where the title of this thread comes from.

All that is to say, the main goal here is a Soviet Union that is more amenable to the West. Not saying anything ASB like they should roll over and let the West run rampant, just less outright antagonism and maybe under someone like Zhukov a true development of the "World Policemen" idea that FDR had...

Some other points of interest: Beria apparently wanted to re-unite Germany in order to get concessions from the West. Could be interesting. Also a Marshall Plan extended as far east as Poland would be cool as well.

Have fun!
 
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If he follows Beria's advice on foregin policy, then he would repudiate the Soviet Union's internationalist foregin policy, withdraw from a neutralized Eastern Europe (allowing free elections there as well), and have normalized relations with the West. In other words, the Soviet Union would behave as a "normal" country on the world stage with a hard-line on domestic dissent (essentially like modern PRC.)
 
Henry Wallace could only have made it to the Presidency if he was Vice President when FDR died. He had too many enemies within the Democrat party to ever get the nomination and could be the first President to have been Impeached and convicted.
 
If he follows Beria's advice on foregin policy, then he would repudiate the Soviet Union's internationalist foregin policy, withdraw from a neutralized Eastern Europe (allowing free elections there as well), and have normalized relations with the West. In other words, the Soviet Union would behave as a "normal" country on the world stage with a hard-line on domestic dissent (essentially like modern PRC.)
I did find a TL on our wiki called "Beria's Russia" from 2002 but it seems a bit too optimistic for me and IMO a lot of the Soviet reforms ITTL are not very realistic. I don't want a Soviet wank, more of a globalism / global cooperation wank.

President Wallace IMO falls under the former.

I'd be interested to see US-Soviet relations in the 1950s if we had a President Ike and Premier Zhukov (maybe similar to Beria's Russia but Beria is himself purged in the 50s). Maybe they could jointly take the lead in anti-Imperialism? Probably a pipe dream but could be worth discussing.
 

Wallet

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Stalin greatly feared a coup by Zhukov in 1945. Zhukov was extremely popular in the Soviet Union and probably could have pulled it off successfully.

Stalin purposely put him in command of army groups loyal to Stalin and had him start rivalries with other generals, like the race to Berlin.

But Zhukov never had an interest in politics. Shame really
 
Stalin greatly feared a coup by Zhukov in 1945. Zhukov was extremely popular in the Soviet Union and probably could have pulled it off successfully.

Stalin purposely put him in command of army groups loyal to Stalin and had him start rivalries with other generals, like the race to Berlin.

But Zhukov never had an interest in politics. Shame really
He did seem to have some political ambitions, it's just that each successive leader (Stalin then Khrushchev) quickly came to fear his potential.

It strikes me that if anyone could transition the Soviet Union into something more democratic, it would have to be up to someone like Zhukov. He could be something of a George Washington figure, voluntarily stepping down in order to allow a free election and help the country learn how to move on.
 
I don't think the Soviet Union will become a democracy if Zhukov leads an army coup against Stalin in 1945. Zhukov had been a member of the Bolshevik party in 1917 and fought in the Red Army. Any coup would simply to end Stalin's terror, and likely he'd restore the tradition of collective rule among the Politburo. The Communists were very on guard against any Bonapartism, and I don't think Zhukov or anyone else would desire a military rule. I don't expect Beria to last too long either if Stalin goes. It's entirely possible Molotov goes too if the pretext used is the previous deal with Hitler.

With Stalin gone in 1945, we will likely see a Soviet Union more cooperative with the West. In order to keep some form of rebuilding aid, the new government is Moscow will probably join more postwar institutions and come to some kind of agreement in the Allied Control Commissions in the former Axis countries in Eastern Europe. I don't think there is much hope for Poland though. Poland was seen as an enemy by the Russians, there already was a Communist government implanted there, and the land route to supply the Soviet army of occupation must go through there.

I think there is much better chance of no 1948 Prague Coup, and some chance that Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria will be allowed to retain their autonomy provided they have friendly policies towards the Soviets.

We have to remember though that the Soviets had earned their victory at a huge cost, and they intended to keep their prizes. They needed something to make up for their sacrifices.
 
I think there was no chance at all of a military coup in 1945 (Zhukov leads it from Berlin?)... Stalin's demotion of Zhukov in 1946 is easily explainable without positing any such likelihood:

"Why did Stalin decide to use Novikov’s accusations to remove Zhukov from a post to which he had so recently appointed him? One possibility is that Stalin had his own sources of information on Zhukov that confirmed some of Novikov’s claims. At this time it was common for Soviet military and political leaders to be kept under close security surveillance, including bugging of their apartments and dachas. While it is hard to believe that Zhukov would have disparaged Stalin even in private, it is not difficult to imagine him making exaggerated claims of credit for wartime victories. Demoting Zhukov might seem an extreme response relative to the sin of boastfulness – a common trait of generals, after all – but Stalin was in a brittle mood after the war. An old man of nearly seventy by then, the war had taken its physical and emotional toll on the dictator. He was tetchy and disposed to upbraid or censure the members of his inner circle for even minor perceived transgression. Zhukov was only one of many to suffer such a fate in the 1940s...Stalin was also determined to bring the Soviet military to heel and to prevent the overlauding of its war record. Stalin’s demotion of Zhukov showed the Red Army he was still the boss and warned other generals that he would not tolerate any sign of disloyalty." https://books.google.com/books?id=OOxRrfalHJcC&pg=PT244

Stalin was indeed determined to cut the Soviet military leadership and especially Zhukov down to size, but that is part of a pattern of his of overreacting to any potential danger, however remote, rather than an indication that there was any real possibility of a coup in 1945. If Stalin had thought there had been any real and immediate danger, Zhukov would have suffered something considerably worse than demotion...
 
@David T Zhukov was in Moscow for two weeks in the June of 1945. Not a lot of time, but if Stalin dies on his own right before Zhukov arrives (not unreasonable for a 70 year old man) then we could see something.

Nothing is impossible, see November 9th of this year for the most recent example.

Now getting the USSR/Zhukov to the point of a military coup is a challenge though, which as I said was up to you guys to make it happen as I have relatively little knowledge in the subject.
 
I guess what I'm proposing is the following (from a TL on our wiki, but altering the final quoted point with Zhukov surviving.
17th January 1946: Joseph Stalin dies of a massive heart attack.

18th Jan 1946: The shocked Politburo agrees to the creation of a Collective and the (temporary) sharing of powers between the main players. Molotov, as Foreign Secretary, Zhdanov as leader of the party apparatus, Beria with the NKVD and Malenkov who controls the economy. Other players to think of is Zhukov, not disgraced yet and enormously popular among the people who could become a major threat to the Big Four.

24th Jan 1946: The State Funeral of Stalin occurs and thousands die after trying to get to Stalin’s body. He is put in a mausoleum, next to Lenin. The Big Four make their speeches, with Beria talking about reform, reconciliation and normality as his aims. Molotov mainly talks about Stalin’s achievements, Malenkov talks about the need for economic reconstruction while Zhdanov the Russian party hawk emphasises the importance of ‘building socialism and defending the Soviet State’.

Early 1946: People dependent on Stalin like Abukumov and others are replaced or transfer their loyalties to the new Pretenders to the Throne. Zhdanov and Malenkov detested each other while Beria hated Zhdanov. Although he had a political alliance with Malenkov, he didn’t really trust him but manipulated him for his own ends. Molotov wasn’t really seen as a real threat but his prestige (considerable at the time) could swing it either way. Molotov was friendly with Beria but as a conservative he would probably agree more with Zhdanov.

Mid to late 1946: The first clash occurs on Poland where the communists there are increasingly dictatorial towards their London Poles who were allowed token representation in the government. Beria is against this as he wants a Social Democratic Poland based on a proper ‘peoples democracy’ where the communists are in coalition with other parties and the economy are basically capitalist rather than socialist. Of course the Red army would be allowed free passage and Poland would be economically aligned with the USSR but the USSR would avoid forcing upon the people a communist dictatorship which was stupid in Berias opinion. Zhdanov and Molotov are against this and a ruthless battle occurs throughout 1946 while both sides try to show the advantages of their point of view to the top soviet elite. Much of the army support Zhdanov but importantly Zhukov supported Beria, as he doesn’t want the party to be more important than it already was. Zhukov hated the party and because Zhdanov was the parties spokesperson than he would support Beria. This is crucial and swings the argument to Beria’s side. (The polish position is contradictory. They want absolute power but don’t want to be a Russian puppet state as this is Zhdanovs well-known plan. Because of this they are hopelessly confused and are of little importance anyway).

In a stormy politburo meeting Beria and his allies force Zhdanov, Molotov and the bulk of the land army to accept a non-communist Poland. The Army is furious and although most accept the position because of Zhukov’s charisma and authority a minority starts talking of action to get a ‘real’ Russian policy imposed on its satellites. In disgust Molotov resigns but Zhdanov stays on (Beria wants to sack him but he knows a minority of the army would do a coup if that happened). Feelings are running high although for the public they know little. Basically it’s the division of the russophiles who dominate the Army and the Party who want an ‘imperial’ solution and the nationals like Beria who detests attempts to recreate the Russian Empire. This is the root of the problem.

In the West the leaders wait and see but are hoping that reasonable elements in the USSR take power and it gradually becomes clear throughout 1946 that Beria is pro-western. At that time the USSR wasn’t hated, that would only occur after 1947 when the Czech coup showed to the world how the soviets had disregarded the old treaties of democracy and free elections.

Jan-Feb 1947: Beria strengthens his position in the NKVD and puts 24 hour surveillance of his political enemies while putting on elert his NKVD armed regiments which could battle it out with the Army if things come to worse. Zhdanov continues to build alliances with Army generals and fights against Malenkov who is aiming to reduce the power on the economy by the party cadres.

7th Feb 1947: Beria takes his argument straight to the people at the Party Congress, which is heard, on radio across the Soviet Union. He calls on an ending of the ‘evil’ collective system, the truth about the purges, the freeing up of the workers, a true soviet commonwealth in its allies in Europe and more rights for the republics. Most importantly he demands a return to normality and putting the peoples needs first, not the armies. It is revolutionary and the whole Congress stands up to applaud him and he becomes a hero among the people. The NKVD tells him from his informers across the nation that the people are saying the Beria is their only hope for a better future.

8th Feb 1947: Zhdanov makes his speech, calling for a proper defence of Soviet interests against the West, and makes an appeal to Mother Russia with Russian chauvinism at the heart of his message. It wasn’t a very good speech as Zhdanov was a terrible speaker and he looked small, sinister and shifty. Still the appeal to Russian nationalism is popular to the masses and anti-Semitism also grows.

26th Fed 1947: Finally Zhdanov moves and along with sections of the army attempts a coup. He convenes the Central Committee but Beria knew the plans (thanks to the NKVD) and had taken precautions. He had made sure that he was in Georgia rather than Moscow (Zhdanov is planing to arrest Beria) and all the military commanders supporting Zhdanov were arrested just after Zhdanov speech in Moscow on a State of Emergency. Of course Beria could have pre-empted Zhdanov and his allies but he wanted to be seen as the defender fighting for his own survival and than taking completely justified revenge on Zhdanov once he’s destroyed the coup.

27th Feb 1947: Zhdanovs State of Emergency and his army-supported coup in Moscow shocks the people and more importantly the soviet elite. Unfortunately for Malenkov he is captured trying to flee Moscow and is ordered to be shot by Zhdanov.

28th Fed 1947: now the counterattack occurs. Beria, from Georgia calls the nation to stop Zhdanov and these rebels to be crushed ruthlessly. NKVD forces surround Moscow and Beria loyal army units also plan for the counterattack. Zhdanov is terrified. The military supported expected has not materialised after the majority of his commanders were arrested and shot by Beria’s secret police. The remainder had decided – in time honoured Russian fashion – to remain neutral until the winner is clear. Apart from the forces in Moscow under his command he has little military support elsewhere in the USSR.

3rd March 1947: Berias forces around Moscow attack and force themselves against fanatical resistance to near the heart of Moscow where Zhdanov and his allies were based.

5th March 1947: Beria’s promise of clemency for all men fighting for Zhdanov is brilliantly effective. It is by now clear that Zhdanov is doomed. Nobody wants to dies and nobody wants Moscow to the bombed do most the army defect to Beria’s forces.

10th March 1947: Beria and his army/NKVD troops are near to the Party headquarters in Moscow. Zhdanov and his top allies kill themselves and there is a final resistance by die-hard forces. Sadly there is a final casualty, Zhukov is killed while helping Beria (also in Moscow) in the battle against Zhdanovs forces.
 
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