WI Stalin was assassinated in 1944?

Politburo

Let us have a look at OTL Politburo members 1944-1953.

Andreyev - member 1932- Oct 1952. In OTL October 1952, removed by Stalin for being completely deaf, kept on as vicepremier till after removal of Beria. In 1944, Chairman of the Soviet of the Union from founding in 1938 till February 1946.

Beria - Candidate Member, NOT Full Member of Politburo till March 1946. Thus NOT Number 2 after Stalin in end 1944, and not in position to grab for the top as in 1953.

Bulganin - Deputy Comissar for Defence, not in Politburo till March 1946.

Kaganovich - member since 1930. In end 1944, Minister for Building Materials.

Kalinin. Member since 1926. Head of State.

Khruschchev. Member since 1939. Stuck in Ukraine, though, and not called to Secretariat and Orgburo till December 1949.

Kosygin. Candidate member from March 146. In late 1944, headed the government of Russia.

Etc. As you can see, 2 major contenders from the top in 1953 - Beria and Khruschchev - were second rank figures in 1944 and therefore neither of them in position to contend for top.

Who would be in position to fight for top in late 1944?
 
Let us have a look at OTL Politburo members 1944-1953.

Andreyev - member 1932- Oct 1952. In OTL October 1952, removed by Stalin for being completely deaf, kept on as vicepremier till after removal of Beria. In 1944, Chairman of the Soviet of the Union from founding in 1938 till February 1946.

Beria - Candidate Member, NOT Full Member of Politburo till March 1946. Thus NOT Number 2 after Stalin in end 1944, and not in position to grab for the top as in 1953.

Bulganin - Deputy Comissar for Defence, not in Politburo till March 1946.

Kaganovich - member since 1930. In end 1944, Minister for Building Materials.

Kalinin. Member since 1926. Head of State.

Khruschchev. Member since 1939. Stuck in Ukraine, though, and not called to Secretariat and Orgburo till December 1949.

Kosygin. Candidate member from March 146. In late 1944, headed the government of Russia.

Etc. As you can see, 2 major contenders from the top in 1953 - Beria and Khruschchev - were second rank figures in 1944 and therefore neither of them in position to contend for top.

Who would be in position to fight for top in late 1944?
Now that IS intersting, isn't it?

I did not know any of that.

I have no idea who would take control after Stalin gets capped.
 
Yeah, kind of creepy that the guy with an improvise alcohol based bottle bomb named after him is the most reasonable guy.
No this could work even as a pro tem leader, he wasnt liked ,but he was a known quantity and more important from the sovet point of view he was an experienced diplomat with a rare knowledge of the west.
 
No this could work even as a pro tem leader, he wasnt liked ,but he was a known quantity and more important from the sovet point of view he was an experienced diplomat with a rare knowledge of the west.

He might be knowledgable enough about us to realize that we are not the pushovers many SOviets thought we were.
 
Let us have a look at OTL Politburo members 1944-1953.

Andreyev - member 1932- Oct 1952. In OTL October 1952, removed by Stalin for being completely deaf, kept on as vicepremier till after removal of Beria. In 1944, Chairman of the Soviet of the Union from founding in 1938 till February 1946.

Beria - Candidate Member, NOT Full Member of Politburo till March 1946. Thus NOT Number 2 after Stalin in end 1944, and not in position to grab for the top as in 1953.

Bulganin - Deputy Comissar for Defence, not in Politburo till March 1946.

Kaganovich - member since 1930. In end 1944, Minister for Building Materials.

Kalinin. Member since 1926. Head of State.

Khruschchev. Member since 1939. Stuck in Ukraine, though, and not called to Secretariat and Orgburo till December 1949.

Kosygin. Candidate member from March 146. In late 1944, headed the government of Russia.

Etc. As you can see, 2 major contenders from the top in 1953 - Beria and Khruschchev - were second rank figures in 1944 and therefore neither of them in position to contend for top.

Who would be in position to fight for top in late 1944?

A 3-way battle between Kalinin, Kaganovich and Kosygin? I wonder if the Army had anything to say about that... Is there a possibility that the army could suggest one of their own as a candidate?
 
He might be knowledgable enough about us to realize that we are not the pushovers many SOviets thought we were.
The western powers no matter who is in charge are presented with a fait accompli in eastern europe and by 1944 Churchills 'naughty document' was an accepted fact ..De facto though never de jure. Now as to post war relationships maybe, just maybe you will get a softer attitude from the soviets ,but remember these are Stalinists to the core and though they have conveniently forgotten 1939 -1941 they have bitter memories of invasion and the effort involved to defeat it .In essence they are scared of a repeat [and they are aware of Operation Unthinkable] so they will be on the offence believing that this is the best defence.
Also Remember its not good versus evil here America and the UK had their hawks also.
 
The western powers no matter who is in charge are presented with a fait accompli in eastern europe and by 1944 Churchills 'naughty document' was an accepted fact ..De facto though never de jure. Now as to post war relationships maybe, just maybe you will get a softer attitude from the soviets ,but remember these are Stalinists to the core and though they have conveniently forgotten 1939 -1941 they have bitter memories of invasion and the effort involved to defeat it .In essence they are scared of a repeat [and they are aware of Operation Unthinkable] so they will be on the offence believing that this is the best defence.
Also Remember its not good versus evil here America and the UK had their hawks also.

That's true, McCarthy and Patton and Nixon and the other loons in the Red Scare/HUAC spring to mind.

I always thought it terribly ironic that a bunch of guys claiming to hate communism were aping Stalinist methods of political purdges, fear mongering, guilt by association, and unthinking crushing of dissent to fight communism.
 
A 3-way battle between Kalinin, Kaganovich and Kosygin? I wonder if the Army had anything to say about that... Is there a possibility that the army could suggest one of their own as a candidate?
Maybe not the kremlin feared the army and purged it often under Stalin. They thought of it as a neccersary evil to be followed everwhere by the NKVD .A military coup would be their only chance and a slim one at that.
 
Continuing the list

Malenkov - candidate member since February 1941, full member only March 1946. In late 1944, member of State Defence Committee.

Mikoyan - member since 1935. In State Defence Committee.

Molotov - member since 1926. Foreign Minister. His wife was not arrested till December 1948.

Shcherbakov - candidate member since 1941.

Shvernik - candidate member since 1939. Head of state of Russia.

Voroshilov - member since 1926.

Voznesensky - candidate member from February 1941 till February 1947. Head of State Planning Committee since December 1942.

Zhdanov - member since 1939. Headed Russian Supreme Soviet and Control Commission in Finland.

So... who would be players in end 1944?

Beria, Malenkov and Khruschev are clearly second-rank figures in 1944, promoted by Stalin only after war.

Molotov is not disgraced till 1948, and clear right hand man of Stalin - which he has been since 1917.

The other first rate figures would be:

Kaganovich
(Kalinin was always regarded as a bit of a simpleton in Party, good to appease peasants and workers and fit for PR figurehead. By 1944, he was declining, and would die in 1946).
Mikoyan
Voroshilov
Zhdanov.

That´s all.

Between Kaganovich, Mikoyan, Voroshilov and Zhdanov, who would be likely to challenge Molotov? Who would Molotov pick as his right hand man? How were these people getting along with each other?
 
Maybe not the kremlin feared the army and purged it often under Stalin. They thought of it as a neccersary evil to be followed everwhere by the NKVD .A military coup would be their only chance and a slim one at that.
Yeah ,that about matches up with what I know, say, did that ever change?
 
Molotov is the natural choice i believe... Unless the army thinks differently and attempts a coup but i highly doubt it... Not until WWII is officially over though...
 
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