POST-WAR PURGES & CONTROL OF ELITES

What happened to Zhukov after the war?

Zhukov (formerly Deputy Supreme Commander of the Soviet Armed Forces) was banished to an obscure command and his name disappeared from the press.

What happened to senior commanders between 1946 and 1948?

Between 1946 and 1948 senior commanders were executed on trumped up treason charges.

What happened in the Leningrad affair of 1949?

There followed a savage purge of the Leningrad Party organisation engineered by Beria and Malenkov, probably to gain influence and deal with potential rivals. Leading Leningrad Party and government officials, including Voznesensky and Kuznetsov, were arrested, forced to confess, 'tried' in secret and executed.

Why were Voznesensky and Kuznetsov seen as threats?

Voznesensky and Kuznetsov were widely tipped as Stalin's successors. Voznesensky, a member of the Politburo, was responsible for planning the Soviet war economy which was so successful after 1942, and by 1948 was second only to Stalin in the Council of Ministers.

What happened in Georgia in 1951?

In Georgia in 1951 Stalin ordered the arrest of a number of Mingrelian Party and governmental officials who were accused of being involved in a Mingrelian nationalist plot. Beria was a Mingrelian and the victims were all close to him. Beria was compelled to carry out the purge.