How Khrushchev Outplayed Malenkov and Beria to Rule the USSR

When Joseph Stalin died in 1953, there was no chosen successor. Instead, three powerful men began competing to control the Soviet Union: Georgy Malenkov, Lavrentiy Beria, and Nikita Khrushchev. Beria controlled the secret police. Malenkov controlled the government. Khrushchev seemed like the weakest of the three. Yet within four years, Beria had been executed, Malenkov had been pushed aside, and Khrushchev stood at the top of the Soviet system. This is the story of one of the most dramatic power struggles in Cold War history. #NikitaKhrushchev #JosephStalin #SovietUnion #Beria #Malenkov #ColdWar #USSRHistory