With the death of Stalin - the "father of the peoples" and the "architect of communism" - in 1953, the struggle for power began, because the cult of personality established by him assumed that the same autocratic leader would be at the helm of the USSR, who would take over their hands the reins of state government.
The only difference was that the main contenders for power were all in favor of the abolition of this very cult and the liberalization of the country's political course.
Who ruled after Stalin?
A serious struggle unfolded between the three main contenders, who initially represented a triumvirate - Georgy Malenkov (chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR), Lavrenty Beria (minister of the united Ministry of Internal Affairs) and Nikita Khrushchev (secretary of the CPSU Central Committee). Each of them wanted to take a place at the head of the state, but victory could only go to the applicant whose candidacy was supported by the party whose membersenjoyed great prestige and had the necessary connections. In addition, all of them were united by the desire to achieve stability, end the era of repression and gain more freedom in their actions. That is why the question of who ruled after Stalin's death does not always have an unambiguous answer - after all, there were three people fighting for power at once.
The Triumvirate in power: the beginning of the split
The triumvirate created under Stalin divided power. Most of it was concentrated in the hands of Malenkov and Beria. Khrushchev was assigned the role of secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, which was not so significant in the eyes of his rivals. However, they underestimated the ambitious and assertive party member, who stood out for his extraordinary thinking and intuition.
For those who ruled the country after Stalin, it was important to understand who should be eliminated from the competition in the first place. The first target was Lavrenty Beria. Khrushchev and Malenkov were aware of the dossier on each of them that the Minister of the Interior, who was in charge of the entire system of repressive agencies, had. In this regard, in July 1953, Beria was arrested, accusing him of espionage and some other crimes, thereby eliminating such a dangerous enemy.
Malenkov and his politics
The authority of Khrushchev as the organizer of this conspiracy has increased significantly, and his influence on other members of the party has increased. However, while Malenkov was Chairman of the Council of Ministers, key decisions and policy directions depended on him. At the first meeting of the Presidium, a course was taken towards de-Stalinization and the establishment of a collective government of the country: it was planned to abolish the cultpersonality, but to do it in such a way as not to detract from the merits of the “father of nations”. The main task set by Malenkov was to develop the economy taking into account the interests of the population. He proposed a rather extensive program of changes, which was not adopted at a meeting of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Then Malenkov put forward the same proposals at the session of the Supreme Council, where they were approved. For the first time since Stalin's absolute rule, a decision was made not by the party, but by an official authority. The Central Committee of the CPSU and the Politburo were forced to agree to this.
Further history will show that among those who ruled after Stalin, Malenkov will be the most "effective" in his decisions. The set of measures he adopted to combat bureaucracy in the state and party apparatus, to develop the food and light industry, and to expand the independence of collective farms bore fruit: 1954-1956, for the first time after the end of the war, showed an increase in the rural population and an increase in agricultural production, which for many years decline and stagnation became profitable. The effect of these measures persisted until 1958. It is this five-year plan that is considered the most productive and productive after Stalin's death.
To those who ruled after Stalin, it was clear that such success could not be achieved in light industry, since Malenkov's proposals for its development contradicted the tasks of the next five-year plan, which emphasized the promotion of heavy industry.
Georgy Malenkov tried to approach solving problems withrational point of view, applying economic rather than ideological considerations. However, this order did not suit the party nomenklatura (headed by Khrushchev), which had practically lost its predominant role in the life of the state. This was a weighty argument against Malenkov, who, under pressure from the party, submitted his resignation in February 1955. His place was taken by Khrushchev's ally Nikolai Bulganin. Malenkov became one of his deputies, but after the dispersal of the anti-party group (of which he was a member) in 1957, together with his supporters, he was expelled from the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Khrushchev took advantage of this situation and in 1958 also removed Malenkov from the post of chairman of the Council of Ministers, taking his place and becoming the one who ruled after Stalin in the USSR.
Thus, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev concentrated almost complete power in his hands. He got rid of the two most powerful competitors and led the country.
Who ruled the country after the death of Stalin and the removal of Malenkov?
Those 11 years that Khrushchev ruled the USSR are rich in various events and reforms. There were many problems on the agenda that the state faced after industrialization, war and attempts to restore the economy. The main milestones that remember the era of Khrushchev's rule are as follows:
- Virgin lands development policy (not supported by scientific study) - increased the amount of sown area, but did not take into account the climatic features that hampered the development of agriculture in the developedterritories.
- "Corn Campaign", the purpose of which was to catch up and overtake the US, which received good harvests of this crop. The area under corn has doubled to the detriment of rye and wheat. But the result was sad - the climatic conditions did not allow for a high yield, and the reduction in areas for other crops provoked low rates for their collection. The campaign failed miserably in 1962, and the result was an increase in the price of butter and meat, which caused discontent among the population.
- Beginning of perestroika - mass construction of houses, which allowed many families to move from dormitories and communal apartments to apartments (the so-called "Khrushchev").
The results of Khrushchev's reign
Among those who ruled after Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev stood out for his non-standard and not always thoughtful approach to reforming within the state. Despite numerous projects that were put into practice, their inconsistency led to Khrushchev's removal from office in 1964.
