The great leader and teacher, iron man, despot, dictator, tyrant and oppressor ... These are far from all the epithets to which comrade Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin has been awarded to this day. But whether he is good or bad - the name of this outstanding politician who from the late 1920s until his death in 1953 led the Soviet state is known and remembered in the vast majority of countries. Over the years of his reign, many significant events have occurred that have influenced the course of history of both the USSR and the whole world. Industrialization, dispossession, mass repressions, great terror, famine, World War II - this is only a small part of what this person "had a hand" in. Therefore, the death of Stalin shocked the people, accustomed to the dictatorial regime: people did not know whether to rejoice or not, they were completely at a loss. However, the leader’s minions were not taken aback. Since Stalin, whose death came as a result of a sudden stroke, was not preparing for a replacement, there was no gradual transfer of power to one or another of his assistants, so everyone began to fight for it. The main rivals in this fight were three people: George Maximilianovich Malenkov, Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev and Lavrenty Pavlovich Beria.
As a compromise option of power at this stage, a course towards collective leadership was proclaimed. G.M. Malenkov, speaking at the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU in July 1953, noted that not a single person dares, does not want and should not be a contender for the role, since only a monolithic, united collective of party leaders can act as such. However, Malenkov, Khrushchev, and Beria belonged to the nomenclature generation, which was formed as a result of party purges and personnel shifts of the 1920s and 1930s. These were the conditions of the regime of Stalin's sole authority, and this situation instilled in them just such a model of organizing the country's leadership.
The death of Stalin made serious adjustments to the development of the USSR. At the end of World War II, reforms were needed, and they appeared. But despite the principle of collective leadership proclaimed by Malenkov, a certain priority of power nevertheless took place. Since G.M. Malenkov was the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, he was also the head of the state apparatus, and therefore was the first among equals. A less significant post in this hierarchy was occupied by N.S. Khrushchev: he headed the party apparatus as Secretary of the Central Committee.
As for L.P. Beria, he occupied a very complex and controversial position in this triumvirate: huge power was concentrated in his hands. He was at the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, combined with the Ministry of State Security. At the same time, he was the first deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers. Lavrenty Beria was one of the first who tried to present his own view of the change in many aspects of politics. He was a supporter of reconciliation with Yugoslavia, offered to contribute to the unification of Germany, even if on a bourgeois basis, advocated the expansion of the rights of the Soviet republics, etc. The death of Stalin and personal ambitions and opportunities allowed Beria to realize his ideas, however, the fear of senior officials before this figure led to a unanimous speech against him. In July 1953, Beria was arrested, accused of high treason and attempted conspiracy, aimed at seizing power. Declared an enemy of the people, Lavrenty Pavlovich was sentenced to death.
As a result, the death of Stalin and the struggle for power led to the fact that Malenkov was simply pushed aside due to his inability to hold the reins of government, which by that time had begun to "take over" the party. N.S. Khrushchev, who was appointed the party First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, proved to be a more influential, strong and charismatic leader, whose personal qualities, ability to express thoughts simply and intelligibly, as well as the proposed significant changes in the style of work of party bodies had a positive impact on the masses. In addition, the death of Stalin and the coming to power of Khrushchev led to reforms such as the gradual abolition of the personality cult, the transition to a more flexible policy of agreements and negotiations, the departure from economic isolation, the beginning of cooperation and peaceful coexistence with other states.