Stalin Assassinated

If Otto Skorsany, or some other enterprizing assassin or team of assassins could have been secreted into Moscow and taken out Uncle Joe Stalin, could the SU have been thrown into chaos and disarray? Considering the power structure that Russia had at that time, there would have been an absolute frenzy of political hacks vying to fill the political vacuum. This would have been particularily effective at a critical time, like the fall of '41 or the Summer of '42. Also, how might this effected the struggles going on at Stalingrad and Leningrad?

The Blue Max

 

To my knowledge Canaris was planning the murder of Russian High Command but Hitler somehow prevented this. There seems to be some kinda "agreement" at top level that no-one tries to kill the enemy nation´s boss, I think.Yamamoto being the exception(?).

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/prs-for/japan/japrs-xz/i-yamto.htm

If this had happened there would have been a huge chaos as Stalin had made himself so huge that no-one dared to think about taking over-those who had thought of such possibility were buried...

I think it would have been a great possibility that the Russian government would have broken to pieces if Stalin had been murdered. But that´s my view. I´m sure there´ll be different views as well.

The possible leaders to take over if Stalin had died:

1.Andrei Zhdanov

2.Georgi Malenkov

3. Vyacheslav Molotov

or Berija...

 

I think Zhdanov or Malenkov would have taken over as leader of the USSR.

The Soviet "Power Structure" is like a three legged stool. The Red Army, NKVD, and the Communist Party were each one leg of the stool, with the Politiburo as the seat. If one leg were to become larger than the other the seat would fall off.

The most likely scenario would have been the Red Army, and Communist Party ganging together to ensure that the NKVD did not take power. Thus ensuring political balance (The reason why Breznevh lasted so long was because he maintained political balance) There's no way the Army or Party would have allowed the NKVD to rule the country.

 

My guess is Beria would have taken over.

[ 12. October 2003, 12:13 AM: Message edited by: Ahab ]

 

The most likely scenario would have been the Red Army, and Communist Party ganging together to ensure that the NKVD did not take power. Thus ensuring political balance (The reason why Breznevh lasted so long was because he maintained political balance) There's no way the Army or Party would have allowed the NKVD to rule the country. [/QB][/QUOTE]


--------------As stalin was in power for over 20 years at this point, would a purge of Stalinists have taken place to rid the government of his influence? Would this have effected the performance of the Red Army enough tio make a difference at the front?

The Blue Max

 

Immediately after Stalins death Stalins son who was a Major General in the Red Army was relieved of his command and was deemed "physically incapable". This is despite the fact he was the only general in the Red Army who actually flew his own plane. By all indications the man was as strong as a Bull and he wasn't a psyco like his dad.

After Stalin's death most political prisoners were released. Some people were shot(including Beriya), but there were no widespread purges after Stalin's death.

It really is hard to say how Stalin's death would affect the performance of the Red Army. In my opinion the Red Army would have had a drop in morale had Stalin died. Whoever took over the government would want to keep Stalins death a secret for as long as possible.

 

If they would have assasinated Stalin - of kidnapped - then the Red Army would have collapsed.

Off course, you can never predict it entirely.

 

First of all, a commando raid that would get into the Kremlin is really absurd... You couldn't do that in a totalitarian state like the Soviet Union and even less against a leader as paranoid and ruthless as Stalin.

I can think maybe of glidders landing on the Kremlin and shooting Soviet guards... but reaching Stalin? The man was almost untouchable. The commando raid is even more plausible than a conspiration from within. How possible is it to assassinate a leader who has already executed millions of people he was suspicious of?

But let's say that Skorzény achieves it. Then the whole Soviet Union collapses. There was no man at the time but Stalin, ruthless enough to unite it by force, leting aside thousands of ambitious individuals. And in a time when the Germans were knocking on Moscow's gates, the morale of the people would have collapsed as well as the structure of the government. You well said this; the goverment of the USSR was a tripod and the communist party was Stalin (as the NSDAP was Hitler) and the NKVD depended exclusively of Stalin.