Could it be possible that Stalin died of poison?

Discussions on other historical eras.
Post Reply
User avatar
Gott
Member
Posts: 1162
Joined: 10 Jul 2002, 22:49
Location: Asia

Could it be possible that Stalin died of poison?

#1

Post by Gott » 11 Aug 2003, 17:39

In official records, Stalin died in 1953 of cerebral hemorrhage, and prior to his death, he had dinner with Beria, Malenkov, Khrushchev, and Bulganin. Molotov wrote in his memoirs that, Beria had told him that he had Stalin poisoned. Beria was thought to be a successor to Stalin after his death, and the Soviet complicity of power struggles seemed to me, that the case of poisoning could be possible. Yet, as an indirect denounciation against Beria, it could also be possible that Molotov fabricated the story.

One question remains in my mind, Khrushchev. Could he be involved in poisoning Stalin? He succeeded in the power struggles after Stalin's death, and through this he ordered the execution of Beria under true accounts of innocent tortures and rapes. Molotov was demoted in an 'exile' to Mongolia. Could it also be that Khrushchev assassinated Stalin and put Beria on trial as an efficient way to outmaneuver him, and had Molotov make claims of Beria's role in the foul playing of Stalin's death?

It would be great to hear your views and opinions regarding how did Stalin really died.

michael mills
Member
Posts: 8999
Joined: 11 Mar 2002, 13:42
Location: Sydney, Australia

#2

Post by michael mills » 16 Aug 2003, 04:48

We will never know the truth.

Obviously Beria wanted to succeed Stalin as supreme leader, which frightened the other members of Stalin's coterie, and inspired them to work together to overthrow him.

Interestingly, one of the charges made by the Khrushchev-Malenkov-Molotov troika against Beria was that he planned to withdraw the Soviet Army from East Germany and allow it to reunite with West Germany on the proviso that the latter left NATO and became neutral, as happened with Austria. That was portrayed as Beria "betraying" Socialism and plotting with the enemies of the Soviet Union.

it would interesting to know whether that charge was entirely fictional, or whether Beria was in fact making such a plan. The fact that in 1955 the Soviet Union evacuated Austria and permitted it to unite as an independent, neutral state suggests that a similar plan in relation to Germany was being prepared.


Post Reply

Return to “Other eras”