Early one morning in 1953, the fortunes of the Soviet Union took a sudden turn. Joseph Stalin, the leader of the iron-blooded Soviet Union for many years, suddenly announced his death. Official statements say he died of a cerebral hemorrhage, but in an era of suspicion and power struggles, the truth is often hidden beneath the surface. The news of Stalin's death was like a bomb that exploded in the icy Moscow morning breeze and shocked the whole world. However, as the dust settles on the shock, a series of questions begin to emerge: Was Stalin's death really a simple natural phenomenon, or was it a more complex machinations of humanity and power?
A morning that shocked the world
In the early morning of March 6, 1953, the sky in Moscow had not yet fully lit up, and the whole city seemed to be immersed in the silence of the night. The streets were empty, and the cold wind whimpered through the wide streets and tall buildings of the Soviet era. On this seemingly ordinary morning, the silence was broken by the Soviet radio station, and Levitan's voice slowly came out, bringing news that shocked the Soviet Union and the world—the death of the supreme leader of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin.
The news exploded like a bombshell in the cold early morning and shocked the entire Soviet Union. Levitan's voice on the radio was calm and solemn, and every word clearly crossed the air and reached thousands of homes. During the years of Stalin's rule, his image was everywhere – from the walls of his offices to the classrooms of schools, from the statues in the squares to the walls of pictures of his families, Stalin was molded as a symbol of the state and the nation. And now, the strongman leader, who plays an extremely important role on the world political stage, is suddenly a thing of the past.
Soon after the news broke, there was some movement in the streets of Moscow. People walked out of their homes, exchanging surprised and uncertain glances with each other. At the bazaar, people gathered in small circles to discuss the news, and some people still had the breakfast they had just bought, but forgot to continue eating. In factories, schools, and offices, the normal order of work and study is interrupted, and people come together to try to find more information and comfort from each other's words. This news not only means the departure of a strongman, but also indicates a possible great change in the political situation in the Soviet Union, affecting the fate of every Soviet person.
As the news spread, the whole world was quick to react to the incident. From Washington to London, from Paris to Beijing, the world's major news organizations urgently interrupted their routines to report on Stalin's death. In the context of the Cold War, Stalin's death was not only the death of a country's leader, but also an event that could trigger major changes in the international political landscape. Governments and intelligence agencies convened an urgent meeting to analyse the possible implications and variables of the incident.
The origin of the murder theory
The Soviet Union, after Stalin's death, was a time of uncertainty and suspicion. Especially in Stalin's native Georgia, all sorts of rumors and speculations began to emerge about the truth about the death of the iron-fisted leader. An important voice in the public discussion came from Stalin's son Vasily. Vasily was convinced that his father did not die of natural causes of disease, but was murdered. This belief was not only based on personal feelings, but also reflected the observation and understanding of many people at the time of the fierce power struggle within the Soviet Union at the end of Stalin's rule.
In 1976, Avtorkhanov, a Soviet scholar in exile in the West, brought the debate over Stalin's death to a new climax. His book, The Mystery of Stalin's Death, systematically sorts through the evidence and arguments surrounding Stalin's murder, and although these so-called evidences often do not stand up to rigorous fact-checking, the ideas in the book undoubtedly deepen public interest and interest in the subject. The publication of the book, which caused widespread discussion and controversy around the world, brought the question of the cause of Stalin's death into the spotlight again.
Within the Soviet Union, the power vacuum and political struggles that followed Stalin's death provided a plausible backdrop to this murder narrative.
The background of the power struggle
In the last two years of Joseph Stalin's reign, the political struggle within the USSR reached unprecedented heights. During this period, a series of chaotic and inexplicable events continued one after another, which brought great unease and tension to Soviet society. A series of events, such as the events in Georgia, the Mingliel case, and the murder of doctors, all became a reflection of the intensity of the political struggle during this period.
The events in Georgia referred to a series of severe attacks by Stalin on his native Georgia, which at the time were interpreted as Stalin's purge of political opponents and destabilizing factors. At the same time, the Mingliel case reveals deep-seated contradictions and divisions within the government. Mingliel, a high-ranking official, was accused of involvement in an anti-Stalin conspiracy, and while he was ultimately proven innocent, the incident exposed distrust and strife within the Soviet power apparatus.
The doctor's murder was Stalin's most famous attempt at political persecution in his later years. In 1952, the Soviet government announced the discovery of a group of doctors, mainly Jewish, attempting to assassinate a senior Soviet leader. This accusation sparked widespread panic and distrust of the profession of doctors, and was also considered a manifestation of Stalin's paranoid thinking in his later years. Shortly after Stalin's death, however, the case was revealed to be a complete fabrication, and the wronged doctors were rehabilitated, reinforcing the impression that Stalin's political struggles in his later years were unusually fierce.
Against this background, Stalin's sudden death was undoubtedly a political relief for many. Especially for such high-ranking leaders as Lavrenti Beria, Stalin's death meant that they were spared from the impending possible political purge. Beria, as the head of the NKVD of the USSR, had long been a faithful executor of Stalin. During Stalin's rule, Beria was responsible for carrying out many political purges, and his hands were stained with the blood of countless political prisoners.
However, Stalin's actions in his later years showed his deep distrust of anyone, including his closest comrades. In this political environment of high tension and mistrust, Beria and other Soviet leaders had every reason to fear that they would be the target of the next round of purges.
Beria's suspicious behavior
In her memoirs, Svetlana mentions that after the death of her father, there was a noticeable shift in Beria's attitude. If Beria always showed extreme respect and loyalty while Stalin was alive, then after Stalin's death, he suddenly behaved more confidently and proactively. Beria, once regarded as the strongman of the Soviet Union's state security apparatus, did not seem as shocked or saddened by Stalin's death as anyone else, but instead appeared unusually active, as if preparing for the coming political changes.
Similarly, Nikita Khrushchev described Beria's actions in her memoirs. Khrushchev noted that Beria, after the death of Stalin, seemed to be trying to use this opportunity to consolidate his power. Beria began to appear more frequently at important meetings, actively participating in discussions, presenting his own views and proposals. According to Khrushchev, this shift in behavior reflected Beria's attempt to gain a greater voice and influence for himself in the face of the uncertain political situation in the Soviet Union.
This change in Beria's behavior, especially at the sensitive moment of Stalin's death, caused widespread concern. Stalin, as the supreme leader of the Soviet Union, had a profound influence on the political and social life of the Soviet Union for a long time. His death undoubtedly brought unprecedented opportunities and challenges to a senior leader like Beria. During Stalin's rule, Beria, as head of the state security service, carried out many of Stalin's directives, including the repression and purges of political opponents. After Stalin's death, Beria seemed to see an opportunity to change his political destiny.
However, Beria's ambitions and actions did not win him more support. Shortly after Stalin's death, the political situation in the USSR changed rapidly, and a new leadership began to form. In the process, Beria's political future also underwent a radical transformation. Although he tried to use his position and resources to gain more power for himself after Stalin's death, in the end his actions and ambitions aroused alarm and opposition from other senior Soviet leaders.
Mystery of Death: Unsolved Mystery
Ever since Stalin's death in 1953, the debate and speculation surrounding his death has never stopped. On the one hand, there are those who insist that Stalin's death was not natural, but a conspiracy to murder, and they put forward various hypotheses and theories in an attempt to reveal the "truth" behind Stalin's death. These speculations stemmed from the complexity of the political environment in the Soviet Union at the end of Stalin's reign and the fact that Stalin had many personal enemies. A series of political events, such as the events in Georgia, the Minglier case, and the murder of doctors, as well as the power struggle between Stalin and the top leaders of the Soviet Union, provide a rich imagination for this theory of unnatural death.
However, on the other hand, there is still a considerable part of the population who are skeptical, believing that Stalin's death was due to a natural death caused by a cerebral hemorrhage. This opinion was supported by information published by some Soviet officials at the time, which stated that Stalin showed signs of a sharp deterioration in health in the last days of his life, including paralysis and speech difficulties, which were typical symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage. Moreover, given Stalin's age, as well as his long period of work stress and lifestyle, the explanation for the death of natural causes seems plausible.
In this debate over the cause of Stalin's death, the lack of direct, conclusive evidence has become a key issue. Despite the detailed medical reports on Stalin's final moments, due to the high level of secrecy of the Soviet authorities, these documents were not made public for a long time, making it difficult for the outside world to independently and objectively verify the true cause of Stalin's death. At the same time, due to the political environment and historical background at the time, the truth about the cause of Stalin's death was influenced by various political factors, which made the real situation even more confusing.
Reference: The Mystery of Stalin's Death