Stalin died. Who benefited from the leader's death? Participation in the revolutionary movement

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 rather confuse than clarify anything.

Despite the abundance of eyewitness accounts, the attitude towards them causes quite reasonable distrust. Inferences drawn from political interests may also be correct, or formed from 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 not in doubt.

On the last day of February, the "master" 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 over a mug of tea. The General Secretary's actions during the 19th Congress, which were clearly aimed at ousting the "sitting" members of the Politburo, the numerous arrests and mysterious deaths of high-ranking officials and the military, led to the most gloomy thoughts.

It is quite possible that the old party comrades tried to convince the leader of their personal loyalty and usefulness. It is not known how successful they were, but the fact is that the guards found Iosif Vissarionovich lying on the floor of the dacha the very next day. He showed no signs of life. All medical assistance consisted in transferring the unconscious body to the sofa, and even in a phone call to the Kremlin.

When, decades later, some historians tried to answer the question of what Stalin died from, the conclusion suggested itself: the elderly man became ill, no one helped him. Whether there was poisoning, whether it was a stroke, will never be known, and the doctor who performed the autopsy died soon after.

The Politburo, to put it mildly, guessed that the father of all nations would no longer rise. On March 4, the Soviet people were informed of a serious illness that had befallen them. If the probability of recovery was not equal to zero, no one would dare to do this.

When Stalin died, a message was broadcast over the radio containing medical details, including a mention of the notorious Cheyne-Stokes breath. The goal was to convince the public of the proper care shown towards 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, almost immediately, in early April, they were released and found absolutely innocent.

After Stalin died, the policy of the USSR began to change dramatically. Diplomatic relations with Israel were restored, the rehabilitation of political prisoners began, amnesties were passed. Of course, the nature of these metamorphoses did not mean that the nature of communism had changed. The general idea has been preserved, just the methods have become more rational.

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.

The comedy film "The Death of Stalin", banned from showing by the decision of the Ministry of Culture, gave rise to a whole storm of emotions. Although the film never claimed to be serious and historic, many took it very seriously - heated discussions flared up. Some believe that this is just a comedy that should be taken accordingly, others are sure that this film is intended to denigrate Soviet history.

The topic of Stalin's death has always aroused considerable interest in Russia, both among his supporters and ill-wishers. After the collapse of the USSR, when it became possible to discuss such issues without looking back at the opinion of the party, researchers put forward several versions of Stalin's death at once, in addition to the official one. And some of them are so incredible that they could really serve as the basis for a political comedy. Life figured out what really happened at the Middle Dacha in the last days of Stalin's life.

This day was the last day before the Soviet leader had a stroke. In the last months of his life, Stalin changed his routine. He practically stopped leaving the Near Dacha in the Kuntsevo area, making an exception mainly for watching a movie in the company of his inner circle.

On the evening of that day, Stalin invited people from his inner circle to watch the film: Malenkov, Beria, Bulganin and Khrushchev. They arrived at a specially equipped Kremlin cinema hall, where the leader liked to watch films. A little later, they were joined by Voroshilov, who in recent years had fallen out of the inner circle of the leader, but, according to old memory, sometimes joined friendly gatherings.

After watching the film, the leader invited everyone to the Near Dacha, where a modest banquet was arranged. It was also a tradition. In recent years, the leader was bored alone and often called someone from his inner circle to the dacha for gatherings. There were no plentiful libations on the last evening, Stalin drank only a little wine diluted with water.

According to the testimony of several people at once, on the last evening Stalin was cheerful and in excellent spirits. Closer to 5 o'clock in the morning on March 1, the guests began to disperse. The head of security, Khrustalev, escorted the guests, and then escorted Stalin himself into the room. According to the memoirs of the assistant commandant of the Kuntsevo dacha Lozgachev, Khrustalev told him that night about the strange behavior of the leader. Stalin was so benevolent that he even allowed Khrustalev and all the guards to go to bed, although he never gave such an order in all the years.

In the morning the guards changed. Around 11 o'clock, the servants and some of the guards began to get a little worried. Usually at this time, Stalin always woke up and called one of the servants or guards to issue orders. In addition, after waking up, tea was usually brought to him. Each room in the dacha had telephone sets for communication with the attendants, but the telephones were silent.

However, no one dared to disturb the leader, explaining the suspicious silence by the fact that today is Sunday, and the day before the owner of the dacha with the guests stayed up late. Until the evening, the servants did not take any steps to clarify the situation, which is very strange. Later, some researchers tried to explain this either by the fear of the guards to disturb the leader, or by the alleged instructions of Beria, who strictly forbade disturbing the leader. However, it should be noted that by that time Beria had not been responsible for the protection of the leader for a long time.

Moreover, in 1952, the long-term chief of the Stalinist guard Vlasik fell out of favor and was sent to prison. Since then, the chief of the MGB, Ignatiev, has been in charge of the security guards.

Around 18-19 o'clock in the dining room in the part of the building where Stalin slept, the light came on. Guards and servants prepared to receive orders from the leader. However, time passed, and the phones were still silent.

Finally, by 21 o'clock in the evening, Starostin and Lozgachev, the senior officer for assignments, began to decide which of them would enter Stalin's room in order to check what had happened. At this time, mail was brought to the dacha, and Lozgachev took advantage of this pretext to enter the leader's room and disturb his rest.

At eleven o'clock in the evening, Lozgachev entered the room and did not immediately notice the leader prostrated on the floor. Stalin was lying on his right hand, in wet pajama trousers. His watch lay on the floor nearby. There was a bottle of mineral water on the table. The chief had spent at least several hours on the floor and was very cold and shivering. According to Lozgachev, Stalin's eyes were open, but he could only answer all his questions with inarticulate sounds.

The guards who came running put Stalin on the sofa, but he turned out to be too small. Then he was transferred to a large hall, where he was changed, laid down and covered with a blanket. The Secretary General's health problems are a matter of national importance. Therefore, Starostin first of all informs not the doctors, but the Minister of State Security Ignatiev.

Semyon Ignatiev, who oversaw Stalin's security and state security for less than a year, refused to take responsibility and advised him to call Beria. However, Starostin failed to get through to him. Then he calls Malenkov, who at that time reached the highest position in Stalin's circle and de facto was the second person in the country. Malenkov, according to Starostin's memoirs, "mumbled something into the receiver" and put it down. A few minutes later he called back and said that he could not find Beria either.

But soon Beria calls himself. He categorically forbids Starostin to call anyone else and report something about Stalin's state of health. Meanwhile, Malenkov calls Khrushchev and Bulganin and reports health problems with the General Secretary. Khrushchev and Bulganin arrive at the Near Dacha, but do not go beyond the duty post at the gate. The guards briefly described the situation to them, and they left, assuming that nothing serious had happened. Khrushchev later explained this in his memoirs by saying that from the words of the guards it turned out that Stalin simply fell and wet himself, but then he fell asleep and everything seemed to be fine, and they were embarrassed to disturb the peace of the leader in such a situation.

However, the guards who were on duty at the bedside of the leader began to be perplexed. Why no one calls doctors, Comrade Stalin certainly needs help. Starostin calls Malenkov again, and he again calls Khrushchev and Bulganin and invites everyone to come to the dacha together and find out on the spot how serious the situation is.

Further evidence is somewhat divergent. Lozgachev claimed that at about three o'clock in the morning Malenkov and Beria arrived at the dacha. They entered the room where Stalin was sleeping, and the leader began to snore in his sleep. Beria began to scold the guards, they say, the Secretary General is already an elderly man, he waved too much at dinner and was embarrassed, and they raise a panic. After that, they left without calling the doctors. However, the worried servants and guards continued to worry, and closer to the morning Starostin again began to call Malenkov. After that, he again called the inner circle and they, together with the doctors, went to the dacha. As a result, the doctors arrived at Stalin's at least a dozen and a half hours after the blow.

In Khrushchev's memoirs, things look somewhat different. In general, they do not contradict Lozgachev's version. Khrushchev recalls that Malenkov really called him a second time - now they have already raised the doctors, as well as Kaganovich and Voroshilov, and they all went to the dacha together. The difference lies in the fact that according to Khrushchev, "very little time" passed between his first visit to the dacha and Malenkov's second call, while according to Lozgachev, there was almost a whole night between them.

Malenkov calls Minister of Health Tretyakov, who sends a team of the best doctors to the dacha, headed by Lukomsky, the chief physician of the Ministry of Health. They arrive in Kuntsevo around 9 o'clock in the morning. After examination, Stalin revealed very high blood pressure and complete paralysis of the right side of the body (only the left hand moved a little), as well as loss of speech. The diagnosis was not in doubt - a stroke.

Stalin's inner circle at this moment completely takes control over the body of the still living leader. Right at the sofa, it was decided that members of the inner circle would be on duty in pairs at Stalin's bedside, replacing each other every few hours. In October 1952, Stalin introduced 16 (!) New members to the Presidium of the Central Committee (as the Politburo was renamed as such). Not one of them was allowed to see the body of the leader and was not even informed about the health problems of the Secretary General. Malenkov, Beria, Khrushchev, Kaganovich, Voroshilov, Mikoyan and Molotov completely control access to the body of the helpless general secretary. They even control doctors, who are obliged to explain every medical manipulation with Stalin's body to the members of the Presidium on duty by the bed and receive their permission for these manipulations.

On the morning of March 2, Stalin's children are informed about what happened. Vasily screams in hysterics: "They ruined their father, you bastards!" Voroshilov advises him to choose his words more carefully.

Around 11 am, the inner circle was already in Stalin's Kremlin office, where they redistributed posts in the country in a narrow circle. Shvernik and Shkiryatov were invited to the secret meeting, in addition to those who had already been to the dacha. Naturally, no transcripts were kept, so one can only guess about its content. They spent about half an hour in the Kremlin, after which they parted.

At about 20:30, the politicians again return to the Kremlin for a meeting in narrow format. This time, the head of the Kremlin's Lechsanupra Kuperin and Minister of Health Tretyakov are added to those who were at the morning meeting. They inform politicians that the prognosis is unfavorable and it is virtually impossible to save Stalin.

Stalin's condition remains unchanged. Doctors assure the inner circle that Stalin is unlikely to live more than a few days. On behalf of the Presidium of the Central Committee, an emergency meeting is convened with the participation of all members of the Central Committee, the Council of Ministers and the Presidium of the Supreme Council.

While Khrushchev and Bulganin were on duty at the bedside of the dying Stalin, Khrushchev instigated a partner into an alliance against Beria, which looked like the most dangerous of all. Bulganin agreed. It was also decided to win over Malenkov, who was very powerful in the last years of Stalin's life.

Soviet citizens are finally informed of the General Secretary's illness. Newspapers and radio reports about his state of health. Meanwhile, Stalin is getting worse. Doctors lose hope even for a miracle. The country is beginning to prepare for the death of the general secretary. The health bulletins regularly broadcast every few hours do not hide the extremely difficult and practically hopeless position of the leader of the peoples. The inner circle continues to be on duty in pairs at Stalin's bed, at the same time developing the contours of future alliances.

Stalin is diagnosed with pre-agonal Cheyne-Stokes breathing. An emergency plenum opens at 20 pm. Doctors are the first to speak. Minister of Health Tretyakov explains to the nomenklatura that there is no chance of recovery and the death of the leader is a matter of a few days.

Further, Khrushchev, presiding at the plenum, gives the floor to Malenkov, who speaks of the need for a cohesive and collective leadership of the country. Next comes Beria, who proposes to appoint Malenkov as Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Without any vote, his candidacy is approved.

Then Malenkov, already as a formal head of state, dumbfounds the plenum with innovations: the composition of the Presidium, exorbitantly expanded by Stalin in October, is being reduced. Almost all of its 16 new members are excluded from the body, with the exception of Pervukhin and Saburov.

Malenkov's first deputies are Kaganovich, Molotov, Beria and Bulganin. The Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Internal Affairs are united into one department under the leadership of Beria. Voroshilov receives the post of chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. Molotov becomes Minister of Foreign Affairs, Khrushchev remains in the secretariat of the Central Committee.

The entire session lasted no more than 40 minutes. It is not difficult to guess that all decisions on personnel changes were made at two more Kremlin meetings on March 2, in a narrow circle. No one at the plenum tried to intervene in the party struggle, being stunned by the news of Stalin's illness. Since the leader was still alive, the inner circle considered it tactless to forget about him and defiantly included him in the Presidium.

At 21:50, one hour and ten minutes after the closing of the plenum, Stalin died. By this time, the inner circle was already in Kuntsevo. According to the recollections of the daughter of the leader Svetlana Alilluyeva, Stalin tried to raise his left hand, looked around at all those gathered, and then expired.

Beria was the first to jump up and shouting "Khrustalev, the car!" left the dacha and sped off to Moscow. Housekeeper Valentina Istomina, who had lived with Stalin for the past 18 years (many researchers consider her to be Stalin's last, unmarried and secret wife), sobbed inconsolably over his body. At this time, nearby Khrushchev was already inciting Malenkov to join the conspiracy against Beria. However, Malenkov, apparently, was under the strong impression that the death of the general secretary made on him. He reacted indifferently to Khrushchev's attempts to establish contact, from which the latter concluded that he had already conspired with Beria. Along the way, Khrushchev and Malenkov managed to cry, having caught the eye of the daughter of the late Svetlana.

After that, high party officials again hurried to the Kremlin in order to finally sort out all the formalities that they had not managed to complete at the previous short meetings. The first meeting after Stalin's death dragged on until morning. They discussed the appeal to the Soviet people on the occasion of Stalin's death, the order of his funeral and the appointment of those responsible for the ceremony.

Unofficial versions

This is the official version of Stalin's death. With the collapse of the USSR, when researchers got rid of party instructions, many new versions appeared, with a touch of conspiracy theories. Two of them are the most popular. The first says that Stalin was killed by his own associates. And the second sounds like a comedy plot: in fact, Stalin died immediately, and all these days his double played the role of the dying leader in order to give the inner circle time to strengthen their positions in the struggle for power.

The version of the murder, in turn, is divided into two more versions. According to the first, Stalin felt great, was healthy, and that night he was poisoned. Probably with the help of Khrustalev. And supporters of this version consider Beria to be the organizer. He was the only person who could do it.

However, the version is somewhat doubtful. Since 1946, Beria had nothing to do with the Stalinist guards, and it is highly doubtful that he would have been able to organize such an assassination attempt. Moreover, absolutely all the food and drinks that Stalin consumed were carefully checked. In the USSR, there simply did not exist a more exemplary and ideally functioning service than the personal guard of the leader. The security measures at the Near Dacha were such that Comrade Stalin was not at all a favorite of the working people, but some kind of treacherous villain, who was expecting an entire division to storm the dacha from minute to minute.

Therefore, the second version is closer to reality. Stalin was not killed, but rather helped to die. All of Stalin's entourage, from personal guards to the highest nomenklatura, showed amazing sluggishness. At first, the guards did not dare to disturb the leader all day, losing valuable time. Then, for more than 10 hours, doctors were not called to Stalin. As a result, medical assistance began to be provided to him when she could no longer help him.

Supporters of this version point to an unusual fact: all of Stalin's servants were sent away from Moscow just a few weeks after his death. And Khrustalev, who was the last to see the leader alive, was arrested. After some time he was released, but at the end of 1954 he died under vague circumstances.

However, there is another version, according to which Stalin died immediately after a stroke. Already on the evening of March 1, when he was discovered, he was dead. However, the inner circle needed time to strengthen its position and seize power. So they went on stage. A double of Stalin was brought to Kuntsevo. Several guards and doctors were brought up to date. While Stalin's double wheezed on the bed, the inner circle of associates decided all matters. And immediately after they held a victorious plenum, distributing posts in their favor, everyone returned to the dacha and allowed the false leader to "die".

This version sounds more like the plot of a comedy movie. However, it has several arguments in its favor. First of all, it explains well the strange behavior of Stalin's entourage. It is hard to believe that the guards, who watched over Stalin every second, could wait all day and all evening, afraid to disturb the boss. It sounds somehow unconvincing, especially considering the history of the bathhouse. Stalin from time to time liked to take a steam bath in the bath, and his trips to the bath were always strictly limited. Every guard knew that the chief took a steam bath for no more than an hour. As soon as Stalin once dozed off in the dressing room and lingered for a few minutes, the guards were already breaking down the doors. And here they calmly waited for more than ten hours, when there were all signs that something had happened to the leader.

The behavior of the inner circle looks just as strange. Neither Beria, nor Malenkov, nor Khrushchev were in a hurry to call doctors. But they did not know the exact diagnosis and they had no confidence that everything would end the way it ended. Stalin could recover, and then almost all of his entourage would face very serious troubles, and some could even say goodbye to life. Moreover, for some time after the stroke, Stalin was still conscious. What if he was on the mend? In 1945, he already had a stroke, from which he recovered, and, having no accurate data from the doctors, the inner circle took a very big risk by not calling him for help.

But all actions and deeds are easily explained if the real leader was already dead by that time. Stalin's daughter wrote in her memoirs that after the stroke, her father's face changed beyond recognition. But after death, it acquired familiar features. For all the comedy of this version, it is worth noting that the story with the double does not fit into it so badly.

Well, having done the job, the inner circle got rid of Khrustalev, who knew a lot, who could well help them in this special operation. He died unexpectedly under cloudy circumstances. Either from a heart attack, or he committed suicide. Despite all the fantasticness of this version, it has the right to life. But the official version still looks the most adequate. Stalin's death was the result of old age and his illnesses. And there are no guarantees that even timely assistance could save the head of the Soviet state.

The fact that Stalin was killed (on purpose or by accident) is doubted by a rare historian. Over the more than 60 years that separate us from the turning point in Russian history in 1953, the number of versions of the leader's murder is not decreasing, with references to declassified documents, but is steadily growing. Perhaps just because of the lack of those same declassified documents. It is possible that Stalin's death will remain one of the insoluble mysteries of history.

Date of grief, date of deliverance

The bloody years of the reign of the “leader of all peoples” left their mark on many Soviet families. Night arrests, repressions, murders, conspiracies, camps where thousands of innocent "enemies of the people" died - all this is Stalin. The victory in the war, which also stands next to his name in a meager list of merits, is a rather controversial argument. Stalin did not fight at the front, victory was forged not at his headquarters, but at the front line, and the merit that the red banner crowned the spire of the Reichstag belongs to the ordinary Soviet soldier.

But until the time when in the Soviet Union they decided to debunk the cult of the leader, they almost prayed for him, for many, the unexpected death of Stalin became a personal grief. The cause of his death was announced on March 6, 1953. The official version is a brain hemorrhage. The country is plunged into mourning, but it struck far from every heart. On March 9, on the day of the leader’s funeral, suffocating in a crowd of thousands, only those who, during the years of the reign of the deceased, did not survive the arrests of their loved ones, or repressions, or exiles, were shedding tears and fainting - naive Russians who believed every line in Pravda ". Those for whom the death of the leader was a deliverance, who clearly realized how much the people were dependent on the power of this man, could not help but rejoice that the terrible years of enslavement were now behind them.

Had Stalin lived a little longer, famous military leaders, war heroes, marshals Konev, Govorov, Vasilevsky, slandered doctors who were involved in the high-profile "doctors' case" just in 1953, might soon have been ranked among the "enemies of the people" cohort, shot or sent to numerous camps that covered all of Russia. Another reprisal against them was prevented by the death of Stalin. The year 1953 put an end to more than 30 years of tyranny of the "leader of the peoples."

Official version

What kind of death a man died, who kept in fear not only his inner circle, but the whole country, only those who were with him in those March days in Kuntsevo, at the leader's dacha, know for sure. According to the official version, Stalin's death occurred as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage, provoked by a stroke that paralyzed the right side of the body. The doctors diagnosed the stroke on the night of March 1-2, and four days later, on March 5, 1953, at 21:50. the leader was gone. At the time of his death, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (Dzhugashvili) was 73 years old.

The medical history says that the leader suffered several ischemic strokes. This led to vascular cognitive impairment in the body, but the president of the World Federation of Neurologists, V. Khachinsky, admitted that it also led to a progressive mental disorder. Ischemic (lacunar, as well as atherothrombotic) strokes that Stalin suffered, as stated in the medical history, and then confirmed at autopsy, in most cases end in mental disorders.

How true what is stated in the case history remained on the conscience of those who wrote it, but it is likely that in a particular case, little depended on them - what they had to write, they wrote. One can only hope that someday the world will know what really caused Stalin's death. The date of his death - and that, according to some historians, is in doubt, to say nothing of the reasons.

The leader was buried in the Mausoleum next to Lenin. From 1953 to 1961 it was called the "Mausoleum of V.I. Lenin and I.V. Stalin." But at the XXII Congress of the CPSU, which was held on October 30, 1961, it was decided that Stalin had grossly violated Lenin's precepts and was not worthy to lie next to him. And the very next night, from October 31 to November 1, the body of the leader was taken out of the Mausoleum and buried near the Kremlin wall.

speculation-facts

While those in power were dividing positions in the new government, and the people wondered what awaited the country without Stalin, timid rumors began to appear that not everything was so simple in his death. The names of N.S. Khrushchev and L.P. Beria were pronounced with reservations, that on purpose or on purpose, but it was they who were to blame for what happened. Some said that, having seen the critical condition of the leader on the fateful evening of March 1, they were in no hurry to call the doctors, and precious time was lost. Others, more courageous or more knowledgeable, argued that the death of Joseph Stalin was the result of poisoning. And it was Beria who put the poison in his drink.

Among the assumptions put forward by historians were those that did not exclude the very real conspiracy, which was organized by the closest associates of the leader in order to remove him from power. The names of Koganovich, Malenkov, Bulganin were called. The fact that the conspiracy could actually be confirmed by many facts. A few weeks before the incident, in an incomprehensible way, Stalin's reliable and loyal guards were eliminated for various reasons, the main of which was their unreliability. The medical team has also changed. All these “personnel changes” quite eloquently indicate that Stalin’s death did not come by chance, it was carefully prepared, and it was prepared not by ordinary employees of the leader, but by the top of the party elite, only they had powers and opportunities. And who led the party in the days of Stalin's illness, if not Khrushchev and Beria.

Versions worthy of attention

Every historian who has studied the last days of the leader's life has his own version of the events that took place in March 1953 at Stalin's dacha. Radzinsky, Drozhzhin, Ehrenburg, who was a longtime associate of the leader, Barsukov in different years tried to uncover the secret of his death, conducting their evidence. The most controversial, and this is recognized by many researchers, is Radzinsky's version. In his theory, he refers to the testimony of witnesses, which are almost never mentioned anywhere. The only reliable person in his version is Stalin's guard Khrustalev, but his role, according to Radzinsky, is by no means a key one in those events. Then who killed Stalin?

The version of the historian and publicist Sergei Drozhzhin looks more reliable against the backdrop of Radzinsky's incoherent and unlikely "evidence". According to his theory, on the night of March 1, Stalin and his closest associates, whom the leader himself invited to dinner, arrived at the dacha in Kuntsevo. In addition to the leader himself, there were Beria, Malenkov, Bulganiy and Khrushchev. Stalin's mood and state of health did not cause any concern, he was cheerful and cheerful.

But after dinner and the departure of the companions, the leader lost consciousness and fell down. The servant was afraid to approach him, the incident was reported to the Kremlin. Only 12 hours later (some sources say 14 hours) doctors were allowed to see him. Those recognized his condition as hopeless, and the first bulletin on the leader's state of health was published in the press. All the days near his bed was the Kremlin team of doctors, which ascertained the evening of March 5, his death. In conclusion, it was recorded that shortly before his death, Stalin had hematemesis. Its cause could be vascular-trophic damage to the gastric mucosa, and such symptoms are caused only by poisoning, which led to the death of Stalin. In what year Drozhzhin could see this document and whether it exists now, it is not known for certain, as well as the fact that it ever existed at all. But the version is quite convincing. In any case, it is difficult to refute it. How to prove.

Transformation of the same dacha

Quite strange events began to occur at the dacha even after Stalin's death. After the body of the leader was taken away for an autopsy, by order of Beria, all servants were fired, all things, furniture, books, utensils, and even elements of wall decor were taken out in an unknown direction. Trucks for transporting Stalin's belongings left overloaded. According to Stalin's daughter, Svetlana, at the dacha, as they explained to her, they were supposed to arrange a museum of the leader. Then why take everything out?

Three years later, after the elimination of Beria, everything that was taken out was returned back. They invited people who worked under Stalin to help recreate the former interior, and again they started talking about the museum. What happened in the country during these three years is also shrouded in the darkness of conjecture. Allegedly, the house was transferred to a children's sanatorium, but there were never any children there. The fact that the death of Stalin, the date of which and its causes were announced immediately, occurred precisely at the dacha, was again questioned by many historians. As well as poisoning.

That dacha was finished with mahogany and some other types of valuable species. There is a version that the finish was badly damaged either by bullets, or shrapnel, or by fire, which is why everyone had to be fired, dispersed, and things taken out. If they really thought to arrange a museum at the dacha, then the decoration had to be replaced, and this took time. Of course, the version is rather ephemeral, but it exists! But what if it was precisely as a result of a simple murder with the use of weapons that Stalin's death occurred? A year in order to pick up an identical finish for the one that was in the country is an insignificant period. It was necessary to remove the damaged one, putty possible traces of bullets or fragments ... There is something to think about here.

Connection with the "case of doctors"

Strange coincidences link Stalin's death with the so-called "doctors' case." At the beginning of 1953, the country was shocked by the news that a criminal conspiracy was uncovered, which was aimed at eliminating prominent Kremlin figures through deliberately improper treatment, and that among the conspirators, and there were 39 of them, the majority of Jewish nationality. Stalin took the investigation of this crime under his personal control.

The intercession of the longtime approximate leader Ilya Ehrenburg did not help either, the doctors were practically sentenced. But, strange to say, after the publication of the communiqué about the “doctors' case”, Stalin lived only 51 days. The version that Ehrenburg could also be involved in the death of the leader looks quite plausible. He had the ability to slowly kill his recent ally with poison. These assumptions of historians are not confirmed by any evidence.

The year 1953 became a series of fatal mistakes for the leader. Stalin's death after these 51 days, the trial of doctors, which was supposed to begin just on March 5 - all these circumstances line up a completely logical chain of arguments that are disappointing for the leader. And one more touch: immediately after Stalin's death, the case was terminated, the doctors were rehabilitated. Ryumin's group, which was investigating the case of the killers in white coats, was shot without trial or investigation.

Trail of the "fifth column"

Along with the above, the version that for the past few years the role of Stalin was portrayed by his double, and he himself died back in 1948 after one of the assassination attempts, looks plausible. Historians who are inclined to this particular version give quite convincing arguments and confirm their words with numerous photographs, where Stalin is depicted in unusual foreshortenings, behind or away from his many associates during public events, which is also rather strange. Even the leader's daughter, Svetlana, admitted that she did not always recognize him. The mysteries that shrouded the death of Stalin must someday be revealed, it is possible that historians will find in it a trace of the "fifth column" - recruited agents of the West.

The mention of the participation in the elimination of Stalin of the British special services and members of the World Zionist Organization (WZO) is reflected in the published materials of the historian Sergei Drozhzhin, who suggested that Stalin's death was due to poisoning. Briefly this version is stated above. The involvement in the poisoning of agents recruited by the WZO is also quite logical - it is enough to recall the key dates of the "case of doctors", who mainly belonged to the Jewish nationality. The trace of the "fifth column" can be traced in Soviet history since the assassination of Trotsky, but this is a separate story. Now almost all historians are sure that the revolution in Russia was prepared from Germany, and the post-war years, the triumph of communism throughout Europe, could not but frighten Western politicians. No, the possibility of participation in the elimination of Stalin of the Soviets of imperialists hostile to the country cannot be ruled out.

Following Stalin

Many participants in the events that can be safely associated with those related to the death of Stalin, soon after the leader left this world. The same Khrustalev, who was in the dacha in Kuntsevo in the first days of March, died quite unexpectedly. Investigators who were directly subordinate to the leader in the "case of doctors" were shot. Against this background, the version that the deaths of Beria and Stalin are also tied up looks logical. The cunning Khrushchev did not need such an opponent as Lavrenty Pavlovich at all. And there are quite a few mysteries here, since there are three main versions of Beria's death. According to one of them, he died, according to another, he was executed in December 1953, and the third, on which the son of Lavrenty Pavlovich, Sergo, insisted, says that Beria was executed in the summer of 53rd, immediately after his arrest. Whose trace will historians eventually find in this mysterious death?

Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is that Beria was killed on the orders of Khrushchev. His power manifested itself a few months before the March events of 1953, even during the life of the leader. Insidious party comrades - the first to get rid of in such an unreliable situation, and Khrushchev understood that only the death of Stalin could give him a wide road to power. In what year the documents capable of shedding light on the secrets of the death of him and Lavrenty Pavlovich will be declassified, one can only guess.

Who benefited from the leader's death?

Almost everyone benefited from the elimination of the leader. This is explained not so much by a thirst for power, but by a natural desire to stay alive. Often, yesterday's associates, having received the stigma of "pests" and "enemies of the people," suddenly disappeared forever. To do this, it was enough for someone all-powerful to decide that someone objectionable was seen in “violating the Leninist principle of personnel selection,” in other words, he arranged his relatives or relatives for enviable positions, as cruel punishment followed. The “mistakes and excesses” made are also a rather slippery wording, since such “excesses” could be imputed to anyone who had, albeit small (by the standards of the Secretary General), but power. In this vein, Stalin's death is not much different from those who were executed, eliminated, exiled at his personal will. Just as a leader, maniacally afraid of losing his power, removed from himself away (and in most cases forever) everyone who could become his personal competitor, so a more thoughtful rival removed him himself.

What Beria hoped for, if he really gave Joseph Vissarionovich poison, is completely incomprehensible - he would hardly have been able to take the highest post in the government, he practically already belonged to Khrushchev. Perhaps Beria already felt that a noose was being tightened around his neck, but did not understand who put it on, so he removed the wrong competitor? No matter how you make assumptions, but the death of Stalin is a struggle for power. If not one, then another.

Changes in the government

There are suggestions that the members of the government did not start talking about the successor of the suddenly ill leader after his death, but as soon as it became known about his hopeless condition.

Other than Beria, Malenkov, Molotov, and Bulganin could aspire to the post of head of government, but none of them enjoyed the unconditional support of the majority of members of the government. The downside for them was that the leader himself did not see any of them as his successor, if at all he saw someone in his place. Everyone understood that Stalin's death was the end of an era, and they tried not to miss their chance to take a more advantageous position for themselves (in some cases, simply safe), since not the well-being of the people, but their own own.

Of course, the insidious and cruel Beria did not suit anyone from the top - he was too bloodthirsty. The most promising figure was Khrushchev, many believed that he would be a worthy successor to Stalin. At the very first formal meeting of the Central Committee of the CPSU, where Nikita Sergeevich presided, it became clear to everyone who in the near future would take control of the party, and with it the whole country. And so it happened - he got the post of first secretary.

A multi-volume book could be written about the process of succession to the throne after Stalin's death. Just listing all the prominent people of that time, a list of their merits and brief personality characteristics would take a lot of time. But the most prominent party leaders of the Stalin era and after him are already listed in this article, and there are not so many of them.

Even decades after death Joseph Stalin his last days and hours are surrounded by an aura of mystery. Could the doctors help the dying? Was his inner circle involved in the death of the Soviet leader? Were the events of the first days of March 1953 a conspiracy? AiF.ru cites several facts related to the death of a person who forever left a mark on world history.

The fatal stroke was not caused by alcohol abuse.

There is an erroneous opinion that a fatal stroke overtook Stalin after a hearty dinner, where the wine flowed like water. In fact, on the evening of February 28, Stalin in the company Malenkov, Beria, Bulganin and Khrushchev watched a film in the Kremlin cinema hall, and then invited them to the Middle Dacha, where a very modest banquet took place. Eyewitnesses claim that Stalin drank only a little wine diluted with water on it.

Stalin's guests departed on the morning of March 1, but for the leader it was the usual daily routine - for many years he worked at night, going to bed only at dawn. According to the security guards, Stalin went to rest in a good mood. Moreover, he ordered the guards to go to bed too, which had not been noticed before by the leader.

The building of the near dacha of Joseph Stalin in Kuntsevo in Moscow. Photo: RIA Novosti / Press service of the FSO of Russia

Stalin did not call for help, the guards did not show initiative

Stalin rarely slept for a long time, and, as a rule, by 11 o'clock the first orders of the new day for the guards and servants were already coming from him. But on March 1, there were no signals from the leader. The pause lasted until the very evening, and at about 18 o'clock in the rooms occupied by Stalin, the light came on. But the leader still did not call anyone, which was, of course, an extraordinary event.

Only after 22:00 on March 1, 1953 did the security officer Lozgachev, taking advantage of the fact that the mail was brought, he decided to go into Stalin's chambers. He found the leader on the floor, his pajama pants were wet. Stalin was shaking with chills, he made inarticulate sounds. Judging by the lights on and the clock found on the floor, Stalin, despite his worsening condition, could still move for some time, until he collapsed to the floor exhausted. In this position, he spent several hours. It remains a mystery why the leader did not attempt to call the guards and ask for help.

The leader's entourage pretended that nothing serious was happening.

What happened next allows a number of researchers to accuse Stalin's entourage of a conspiracy. The first reports of the guards on the leader's condition stumbled upon a very strange reaction. Khrushchev and Bulganin, having arrived at the Near Dacha, left it, confining themselves to a conversation with the guards. Beria and Malenkov, who arrived at three o'clock in the morning, declared that Stalin simply took too much at the banquet. At the same time, Lavrenty Pavlovich could not help but know that the leader did not consume a significant amount of alcohol, which means that his condition could not be the result of intoxication. There is reason to believe that all members of Stalin's entourage were well aware that something serious was happening. However, shortly before this, the leader began to renew the composition of the Soviet leadership, directly making it clear to the "old guard" that he intended to replace them. Khrushchev, Beria and others did not kill Stalin directly, but they did not leave him a chance of salvation, delaying the arrival of doctors as much as possible.

Doctors were allowed to see Stalin when he had no chance to survive

Only by 9 a.m. on March 2 did a team of doctors appear at the Near Dacha, headed by one of the best Soviet general practitioners. Pavel Lukomsky. Doctors diagnose - a stroke, ascertain paralysis of the right side of the body and loss of speech.

Later Vasily Stalin will shock those around him with cries: “They killed their father!” The leader's son was not far from the truth - it is known that the so-called "gold watch" is important to save the life of a stroke survivor. As a rule, doctors mean providing first aid within an hour, as well as delivering a patient to a hospital within four hours.

But Stalin was found no earlier than three to four hours after the attack, and he received medical help after another 11 hours. It is not a fact that the 74-year-old leader could have been saved even if immediate assistance was provided, but the delay of half a day left him no chance of surviving.

Already during March 2, 1953, Beria, Malenkov, Bulganin, Khrushchev and other members of the "old guard" were holding meetings at which the top posts were redistributed. A decision is made that the new cadres nominated by Stalin will be removed from the main posts in the country. Doctors report that the Stalinist entourage understands perfectly well even without this - the leader has no more than a few days to live.

President of the USSR Academy of Sciences Alexander Nikolayevich Nesmeyanov read out the appeal of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to all members of the party in connection with the death of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin. Photo: RIA Novosti / Boris Ryabinin

The people were informed about the serious illness of the leader on March 4

On March 4, 1953, Stalin's illness was officially announced. Twice a day bulletins about the state of health of the Soviet leader begin to be issued. Here is the text of the bulletin published in the Pravda newspaper on March 4, 1953: “On the night of March 2, 1953, I.V. Stalin, there was a sudden cerebral hemorrhage that captured vital areas of the brain, resulting in paralysis of the right leg and right arm with loss of consciousness and speech. On March 2 and 3, appropriate therapeutic measures were taken to improve the impaired functions of respiration and circulation, which have not yet resulted in a significant change in the course of the disease.

By two o'clock in the morning on March 4, the state of health of I.V. Stalin continues to be heavy. Significant respiratory disorders are observed: the respiratory rate is up to 36 per minute, the breathing rhythm is incorrect with periodic long pauses. There is an increase in heart rate up to 120 beats per minute, complete arrhythmia; blood pressure - maximum 220, minimum 120. Temperature 38.2. In connection with the violation of breathing and blood circulation, oxygen deficiency is observed. The degree of brain dysfunction increased slightly. Currently, a number of therapeutic measures are being carried out aimed at restoring the vital functions of the body. The last bulletin - on Stalin's condition at 4 pm on March 5 - will be published in the newspapers on March 6, when the leader will no longer be alive.

Photo: RIA Novosti / Dmitry Chernov

Stalin was stripped of power 1 hour 10 minutes before his death

Joseph Stalin lost even formal power during his lifetime. On March 5, 1953, at 20:00, a joint meeting of the Plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Council of Ministers of the USSR and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR began. After the report of the Minister of Health of the USSR Andrey Tretyakov about the state of Stalin, the redistribution of posts began in order to "ensure uninterrupted and correct leadership of the entire life of the country." Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, that is, the actual head of the country, was appointed Georgy Malenkov.Lavrenty Beria became the head of the united department, which included the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of State Security. Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR Klim Voroshilov. At the same time, they did not dare to completely withdraw Stalin from the leadership - he was included in the Presidium of the Central Committee of the CPSU

The meeting ended at 20:40, that is, a little over an hour before the death of the leader. Information about it in the Soviet media appeared on March 7, but without specifying the time of its holding. The message did not mention that by the time these decisions were made, Stalin was alive.

The secrets of the last hours of the leader died with Colonel Khrustalev

From the moment the doctors appeared at the Near Dacha on March 2 until the last minutes of Stalin's life, one of the members of his inner circle was on duty next to his bed. During the meeting, at which the posts in the country's leadership were redistributed, next to Stalin was on duty Nikolay Bulganin. However, at about half past nine in the evening of March 5, almost all members of the "old guard" gathered at the Near Dacha. At 21:50 Joseph Stalin died. Chief's daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva recalled: “Beria was the first to jump out into the corridor, and in the silence of the hall, where everyone stood silently, his loud voice was heard, not hiding the triumph: “Khrustalev, the car!”

The phrase "Khrustalev, the car!" became historical. Colonel of State Security Ivan Vasilievich Khrustalev since May 1952 he was the head of the bodyguard of unit No. 1 of the 1st department of the UO of the MGB of the USSR. Khrustalev replaced in this post Nicholas Vlasik, who headed the Stalinist guard for half a century. Many historians associate the passivity of the guards in the first hours after the stroke with the personality of Khrustalev, who is considered "Beria's man." Even before the removal and arrest of Beria, on May 29, 1953, Khrustalev was transferred to the reserve due to age. In December 1954, Stalin's last head of security died at the age of 47. All the secrets associated with the last hours of the leader's life, he took with him to the grave.

Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin (real name: Dzhugashvili) - an active revolutionary, leader of the Soviet state from 1920 to 1953, Marshal and Generalissimo of the USSR.

The period of his reign, called the "era of Stalinism", was marked by the victory in World War II, the amazing successes of the USSR in the economy, in eradicating the illiteracy of the population, in creating the world image of the country as a superpower. At the same time, his name is associated with the horrific facts of the mass extermination of millions of Soviet people through the organization of artificial famine, forced deportations, repressions directed against opponents of the regime, internal party "purges".

Regardless of the crimes committed, he remains popular among Russians: a 2017 Levada Center poll showed that most citizens consider him an outstanding head of state. In addition, he unexpectedly took a leading position according to the results of the audience voting during the 2008 TV project for the choice of the greatest hero of Russian history "Name of Russia".

Childhood and youth

The future "father of nations" was born on December 18, 1878 (according to another version - December 21, 1879) in the east of Georgia. His ancestors belonged to the lower strata of the population. Father Vissarion Ivanovich was a shoemaker, earned little, drank a lot and often beat his wife. Little Soso got it from him, as his mother Ekaterina Georgievna Geladze called her son.

The two oldest children in their family died shortly after birth. And the surviving Soso had physical disabilities: two fingers fused on his leg, damage to the skin of his face, an arm that did not fully unbend due to an injury received at the age of 6 when he was hit by a car.

Joseph's mother worked hard. She wanted her beloved son to achieve “the best” in life, namely, to become a priest. At an early age, he spent a lot of time among street brawlers, but in 1889 he was admitted to a local Orthodox school, where he demonstrated extraordinary talent: he wrote poetry, received high marks in theology, mathematics, Russian and Greek.

In 1890, the head of the family died from a knife wound in a drunken brawl. True, some historians argue that the boy’s father was in fact not the official husband of his mother, but her distant relative, Prince Maminoshvili, a confidant and friend of Nikolai Przhevalsky. Others even attribute paternity to this famous traveler, outwardly very similar to Stalin. These assumptions are confirmed by the fact that the boy was accepted into a very respectable theological educational institution, where the path was ordered for people from poor families, as well as the periodic transfer of funds by Prince Maminoshvili to Soso's mother to raise her son.

After graduating from college at the age of 15, the young man continued his education at the theological seminary of Tiflis (now Tbilisi), where he made friends among the Marxists. In parallel with his main studies, he began to engage in self-education, studying underground literature. In 1898, he became a member of the first social democratic organization in Georgia, showed himself as a brilliant orator and began to propagate the ideas of Marxism among the workers.

Participation in the revolutionary movement

In the last year of study, Joseph was expelled from the seminary with the issuance of a document on the right to work as a teacher in institutions that provided primary education.

Since 1899, he began to professionally engage in revolutionary work, in particular, he became a member of the party committees of Tiflis and Batumi, participated in attacks on banking institutions to obtain funds for the needs of the RSDLP.

In the period 1902-1913. he was arrested eight times and sent into exile seven times as a criminal punishment. But between arrests, while at large, he continued to be active. For example, in 1904, he organized a grandiose Baku strike, which ended with the conclusion of an agreement between workers and oil owners.

Out of necessity, the young revolutionary then had many party pseudonyms - Nizheradze, Soselo, Chizhikov, Ivanovich, Koba. Their total number exceeded 30 names.

In 1905, at the first party conference in Finland, he first met Vladimir Ulyanov-Lenin. Then he was a delegate at the IV and V congresses of the party in Sweden and in the UK. In 1912, at a party plenum in Baku, he was included in absentia into the Central Committee. In the same year, he decided to finally change his surname to the party nickname "Stalin", consonant with the established pseudonym of the leader of the world proletariat.

In 1913, the “fiery Colchian,” as Lenin sometimes called him, once again went into exile. Released in 1917, together with Lev Kamenev (real surname Rosenfeld), he headed the Bolshevik newspaper Pravda, worked to prepare an armed uprising.

How did Stalin come to power?

After the October Revolution, Stalin became a member of the Council of People's Commissars, the Bureau of the Central Committee of the Party. During the Civil War, he also held a number of responsible posts and gained tremendous experience in political and military leadership. In 1922, he took the post of general secretary, but the general secretary in those years was not yet the head of the party.

When Lenin died in 1924, Stalin led the country, defeating the opposition, and embarked on industrialization, collectivization, and a cultural revolution. The success of Stalin's policy consisted in a competent personnel policy. “Cadres decide everything,” is a quote from Joseph Vissarionovich in a speech to graduates of the military academy in 1935. During the first years in power, he appointed more than 4 thousand party functionaries to responsible posts, thereby forming the backbone of the Soviet nomenklatura.

Joseph Stalin. How to become a leader

But above all, he eliminated competitors in the political struggle, not forgetting to take advantage of their developments. Nikolai Bukharin became the author of the concept of the national question, which the General Secretary took as the basis of his course. Grigory Lev Kamenev owned the slogan "Stalin is Lenin today", and Stalin actively promoted the idea that he was the successor of Vladimir Ilyich and literally planted the cult of Lenin's personality, strengthened the leader's moods in society. Well, Leon Trotsky, with the support of economists close to him ideologically, developed a plan for forced industrialization.

It was the latter who became the main opponent of Stalin. Disagreements between them began long before that - back in 1918, Joseph was indignant that Trotsky, a newcomer to the party, was trying to teach him the right course. Immediately after the death of Lenin, Lev Davidovich fell into disgrace. In 1925, the plenum of the Central Committee summed up the "harm" that Trotsky's speeches had inflicted on the party. The figure was removed from the post of head of the Revolutionary Military Council, Mikhail Frunze was appointed in his place. Trotsky was expelled from the USSR, a struggle began in the country against manifestations of "Trotskyism". The fugitive settled in Mexico, but was killed in 1940 by an NKVD agent.

After Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev fell under Stalin's sights, and were finally eliminated in the course of the apparatus war.

Stalinist repressions

Stalin's methods of achieving impressive success in turning an agrarian country into a superpower - violence, terror, repression with the use of torture - cost millions of human lives.

The victims of dispossession (eviction, confiscation of property, executions), along with the kulaks, became the innocent rural population of average income, which led to the actual destruction of the village. When the situation reached critical proportions, the Father of Nations issued a statement about "excesses on the ground."

Forced collectivization (unification of peasants into collective farms), the concept of which was adopted in November 1929, destroyed traditional agriculture and led to terrible consequences. In 1932, mass famine struck Ukraine, Belarus, Kuban, the Volga region, the Southern Urals, Kazakhstan, and Western Siberia.

Researchers agree that the state was also harmed by the political repressions of the dictator-“the architect of communism” against the command staff of the Red Army, the persecution of scientists, cultural figures, doctors, engineers, the mass closing of churches, the deportation of many peoples, including the Crimean Tatars, Germans, Chechens, Balkars, Ingrian Finns.

In 1941, after Hitler's attack on the USSR, the Supreme Commander made many erroneous decisions in the art of warfare. In particular, his refusal to promptly withdraw military formations from Kyiv led to the unjustified death of a significant mass of the armed forces - five armies. But later, when organizing various military operations, he already showed himself to be a very competent strategist.

The significant contribution of the USSR to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 contributed to the formation of the world socialist system, as well as to the growth of the authority of the country and its leader. The "Great Pilot" contributed to the creation of a powerful domestic military-industrial complex, the transformation of the Soviet Union into a nuclear superpower, one of the founders of the UN and a permanent member of its Security Council with veto power.

Personal life of Joseph Stalin

"Uncle Joe", as Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill called Stalin among themselves, was married twice. His first chosen one was Ekaterina Svanidze, the sister of his friend who studied at the Tiflis Theological Seminary. Their wedding took place in the church of St. David in July 1906.

A year later, Kato gave her husband the firstborn Jacob. When the boy was only 8 months old, she died (according to some sources from tuberculosis, others from typhoid fever). She was 22 years old. As the English historian Simon Montefiore noted, during the funeral, 28-year-old Stalin did not want to say goodbye to his beloved wife and jumped into her grave, from where he was taken out with great difficulty.

After the death of his mother, Jacob met his father only at the age of 14. After school, without his permission, he got married, then because of a conflict with his father, he tried to commit suicide. During the Second World War, he died in German captivity. According to one of the legends, the Nazis offered to exchange Jacob for Friedrich Paulus, but Stalin did not take the opportunity to save his son, saying that he would not change the field marshal for a soldier.

The second time the "Locomotive of the Revolution" tied the bonds of Hymen at the age of 39, in 1918. His affair with 16-year-old Nadezhda, the daughter of one of the revolutionary workers Sergei Alliluyev, began a year earlier. Then he returned from Siberian exile and lived in their apartment. In 1920, the couple had a son, Vasily, the future lieutenant general of aviation, in 1926, a daughter, Svetlana, who emigrated to the United States in 1966. She married an American and took the surname Peters. Stalin's main hobby was reading.

The leader's main hobby was reading. He loved Maupassant, Dostoyevsky, Wilde, Gogol, Chekhov, Zola, Goethe, without hesitation he quoted the Bible and Bismarck.

Death of Stalin

At the end of his life, the Soviet dictator was praised as a professional in all fields of knowledge. One word of his could decide the fate of any scientific discipline. A struggle was waged against "servile worship of the West", against "cosmopolitanism", and the exposure of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee.

Stalin's last speech (Speech at the 19th Congress of the CPSU, 1952)

In his personal life, he was lonely, rarely talked with children - he did not approve of his daughter's endless novels and his son's spree. At the dacha in Kuntsevo, he remained alone at night with the guards, who usually could enter him only after a call.

Svetlana, who came on December 21 to congratulate her father on his 73rd birthday, later noted that he did not look well and, apparently, did not feel well, as he suddenly quit smoking.

On the evening of Sunday, March 1, 1953, the assistant commandant entered the leader with mail received at 22 o'clock, and saw him lying on the floor. Transferring him, along with the guards who came running to help, to the sofa, he informed the top leadership of the party about what had happened. At 9 am on March 2, a group of doctors diagnosed the patient with paralysis on the right side of the body. The time for his possible rescue was lost, and on March 5 he died of a cerebral hemorrhage.