Stalin was far from a physically healthy man by the late 1940s. Heavy drinking and smoking, combined with a sporadic sleeping pattern and the strains of the Second World War took a massive toll on Uncle Joe. In 1945, Stalin suffered several health scares, including a major heart attack in October of that year.
So what happens if the General-Secretary kicks the bucket eight years early? How will the chips of power fall? Kruschev is still overseeing farming quotas in Ukraine, the young Kosygin is still rising but hasn't suffered demotion either, Molotov has yet to see his wife dragged off by the NKVD, along with a lot of his political standing, Zhukov is still the people's hero, overseeing the Soviet Sector in Germany, while as ever Beria is by the sidelines.
Who will prove triumphant and how will it effect post-war relations?
EDIT: My bad, could a mod kindly move this thread over to post-1900 please?