More than six decades have passed since the day when Stalin died, and the mystery of his death still haunts historians. Numerous publications and memoirs on this subject are so contradictory that they are more likely to be confusing than to clarify anything.
Despite the abundance of eyewitness accounts, the attitude towards them causes quite reasonable distrust. Conclusions made on the basis of political interests can also be correct or formed on the basis of carefully selected evidence, many of which are likely to be fictitious.
However, there is also documentary evidence of some events related to the day when Stalin died, and their veracity is beyond doubt.
On the last day of February, the "host" was visited by four members of the Politburo: Bulganin, Khrushchev, Malenkov and Beria. What the conversation was about is unknown, but, apparently, it was not a pleasant pastime for old Bolshevik friends over a cup of tea. The actions of the Secretary General during the 19th Congress, clearly aimed at ousting the "sitting up" members of the Politburo, the numerous arrests and the mysterious deaths of senior officials and the military, led to the most gloomy thoughts.
It is possible that the old party comrades tried to convince the leader of their personal devotion and usefulness. How they succeeded is unknown, but the fact is that the guard found Joseph Vissarionovich lying on the floor of the cottage the very next day. He showed no signs of life. All medical assistance consisted in transferring an insensitive body to a sofa, and even in a phone call to the Kremlin.
When, after decades, some historians tried to answer the question of what Stalin died from, the conclusion was obvious: the elderly person became ill, no one helped him. Whether there was a poisoning, whether it was a stroke, one can never find out, and the doctor who performed the autopsy died soon.
The Politburo, to put it mildly, knew that the father of all nations would no longer get up. On March 4, the Soviet people were informed of a serious illness that befell them. If the probability of recovery was not zero, no one would have dared to.
When Stalin died, a radio message was broadcast containing medical details, including a mention of the notorious Chain-Stokes breath. The goal was to convince the public of the proper care shown to the leader. In fact, the Kremlin doctors, capable of providing qualified assistance, were on a "business trip", they were traveling in freight cars to the northeast. By the way, they were released almost immediately, at the beginning of April, and found absolutely innocent.
After Stalin died, Soviet policy began to change dramatically. The Korean War was over , diplomatic relations with Israel were restored, the rehabilitation of political prisoners began, and amnesties passed. Of course, the nature of these metamorphoses did not mean that the nature of communism became different. The general idea has been preserved, just the methods have become more rational.
On the day Stalin died, the inevitable happened. Having got rid of the hated leader, the remaining members of the Politburo came close to the question of the next leader, and grappled in a merciless battle.