I could see that the government would come under the control of the army, with General Georgy Zhukov, taking the position of Leader of the USSR.
Yes, but they also wouldn't have Stalin/Zhukov ordering insane offensives either.Wouldn't the initial phase of Barbarossa be even more confused and disastrous for the USSR? For example, if Beria finds out that Stalin is dead first, it would be in his interest to keep everyone else from finding out until he could consolidate authority. That could mean a protracted leadership crisis during which the military has few coherent orders from the top, and organized evacuations of industry cannot take place.
The army was so neutered at this point that I doubt it would have the initiative to launch a coup on its own.
Why wouldn't Beria make a play for power? He would be terrified he'd be purged (as he was IOTL later), but had less institutional impediments to taking power, because Stalin didn't really give his team room to breath and form power bases outside of him; the military was way too cowed by 1941 due to the ongoing purge (by Beria).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purge_of_the_Red_Army_in_1941
The Red Army was the LEAST likely to take power at this point. Zhukov was influential, but had Beria right there watching him, so he might get arrested straight away by Beria to make a point to the army.
Yes, but they also wouldn't have Stalin/Zhukov ordering insane offensives either.
He was part of the ruling Troika after Stalin's death until Zhukov and Kruschev's coup.The problem for Beria is that no one liked him. I think he would go up against the wall just like when Khrushchev took over.
He was part of the ruling Troika after Stalin's death until Zhukov and Kruschev's coup.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavrentiy_Beria#Head_of_the_NKVD
Right, but the people that couped him wouldn't really be as powerful as they were later and Zhukov is more likely to end up getting arrested as part of the 1941 coup, potentially blamed for Stalin's death, to solidify Beria's power and remove a critical rival; who steps up against Beria after Stalin dies and Beria takes out Zhukov in the midst of an ongoing purge of the military?Which lasted about 3 months.
The problem for Beria is that no one liked him. I think he would go up against the wall just like when Khrushchev took over.
No one likes him, but they don't need to like him if enough people don't think his opponents can protect them in any leadership contest. With Stalin dead, Beria has very little to check his authority, and abundant opportunity to take advantage of the leadership vacuum first.
Stalin's OTL death was more expected, and was not accompanied by a sudden massive crisis on the scale of Barbarossa, plus Zhukov has had more of an opportunity to build ties and capitalize on his wartime leadership.
ITTL; Zhukov, and other potential military leaders of any stature, might be killed or purged by Beria after the first couple weeks of Barbarossa as scapegoats for the utter surprise of the invasion and disastrous performance of the military in general.