Dossier 1. Nikita Khrushchev a. Khrushchev is an active member of the Communist Party since joining in 1918. After Stalin took power in 1924, Khrushchev remains a loyal and benevolent servant to the Soviet Ruler. Being an Old Boshevik and surviving Stalin’s death puts Khrushchev in the perfect position to be leader, however, he is being overlooked for Malenkov. 2. Georgi Malenkov a. Like Khrushchev, Malenkov is a surviving Old Bolshevik who rose through the ranks by staying loyal to Stalin. Malenkov works quietly and subtly, sticking to what he was told. While not taken always seriously by his party peers, Malenkov is in line for being named premier and first secretary of the communist party. 3. Vyacheslav Molotov a. Molotov is a member and organizer of the Bolshevik party who backed Stalin after Lenin’s death. He is a statesman, diplomat, and was a foreign minister at multiple points. He frequently keeps up with foreign affairs and understands the global power that the Union has. Due to this, he often bumps heads with Khrushchev on foreign policies. 4. Lazar Kaganovich a. An Old Bolshevik, Kaganovich is a member of the Politburo and is nicknamed the “Iron Lazar” for sending tens of thousands peasants and political members to their deaths. He works alongside the Oil Industry and Railway companies to export prisoners and “traitors”. He is a staunch supporter of Stalin and his policies, especially if he remains in power making money. 1 5. Kliment Voroshilov a. Voroshilov is an early member of the Bolsheviks who served as a prominent Soviet Military Officer. He became a full member of the Politburo in 1935 and was not afraid to denounce his own subordinates during the Great Purge. Voroshilov also supervised the establishment of the socialist republic in postwar Hungary, as he failed multiple times to lead and command troops during WWII. 6. Lavrentiy Beria a. Beria is the chief of the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD) and organized multiple purges such as the Katyn Massacre. He also was behind the vast expansion of the Gulag labour camps and organized the communist takeover of state institutions in easter Europe. Stalin also worked with Beria on the Soviet Atomic Bomb Project which was completed under five years. 7. Vasily Stalin a. Vasily Stalin is the son of Joseph Stalin and Nadezhda Alliluyeva. Unfortunately, Vasily rarely saw his father after his mother committed suicide, as Stalin ceased to visit his children, which may have aided to Vasily’s strong drinking habits. He was also active in the air force during WWII and rose to the rank of general afterwards, though rarely saw combat. 8. Svetlana Alliluyeva a. Svetlana is the only daughter of Joseph Stalin and Nadezhda Alliluyeva. She married multiple times and attracted many influential figures, which her father usually disapproved of and had them sent to labor camps. During the 1950s, she worked as a lecturer and translator in Moscow, while her training was in History and Political Thought. She was close with members of the politburo and cared deeply for Vasily. 2 9. Artyom Sergeyev1 a. Artyom is the adopted son of Joseph Stalin. His biological father, Fyodor Sergeyev, was a close friend of Stalin whose life was brought short due to a train crash in 1921. At 17, Artyom began military service and fought against German troops during WWII, which he was later appointed to lieutenant colonel at 23. In addition to his militaristic accomplishments, Seregetev was venerated as a saint by the Russian orthodox church. He continues his service by writing political novels, frequently denouncing anti-stalinist beliefs. 10. Alexey Stakhanov2 a. Alexey is a Russian Soviet Miner, member of the Communist Party, and the leader of the Stakhanovite movement. He believes in Stalin’s machiavellian politics and is an avid supporter of Stalin’s top-down management system. He works to increase worker productivity and demonstrate the superiority of the socialist economic system within the USSR. He has worked in the Ministry of Coal Industry since 1943 and is an globally-renowned innovator. During his travels, he consistently befriends women and commits adultery against his loving wife, Galina. 11. Mikhail Gorbachev3 a. Gorbachev grew up under Stalin leadership and worked on a collective farm before joining the Communist Party. He studied law at the 1 David, Hearst. “Obituary: Major General Artyom Sergeyev.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, January 24, 2008. 2 Dina, Newman. “Alexei Stakhanov: The USSR's Superstar Miner.” BBC News. BBC, December 30, 2015. 3 “The International Non-Govermental Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Studies (The Gorbachev Foundation) - Mikhail Gorbachev - Biography.” Горбачев Фонд. 3 Moscow State University, and during the Doctor’s Plot, and even defended a Jewish student who was accused of disloyalty. Rarely sharing his views, he is committed to preserving socialist ideas, but disagrees with many of Stalin’s policies regarding imprisonment, cultural expression, and relationships with satellite states. 12. Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko4 a. Gromyko was a Soviet ambassador to multiple key nations, such as the United States in 1943, then the United Nations in 1946, and later the United Kingdom in 1952. He was responsible for many top decisions on Soviet Policy and frequently used the Soviet veto in the United Nations Security Council. He is known for his cold demeanor and often starts controversy, especially in his claims of admiration for the film, Gone with the Wind. He has many foreign contacts, being known as “The Czar of Foreign Policy”. 13. Georgy Zhukov5 a. Zhukov is a general and Marshal of the Soviet Union who oversaw some of the Red Army’s most important victories. He is extremely popular with the military, and Stalin saw him as a potential threat. To limit his power, Stalin often overruled Zhukov’s recommendations, creating tension between Zhukov, his soldiers, and the Politburo. During the mid 1940s, Beria repeatedly tried to sabotage Zhukov’s life and ruin his career by getting subordinates to “confess” to fake crimes and have him killed. 14. Leonid Brezhnev6 a. Brezhnev joined the Communist youth league in 1923 and later became a commissar in the Red Army during WWII. After being appointed party political chief at Dnepropetrovsk, he often met with Nikita Kruschev and shared many common beliefs regarding Stalinist policy. Brezhnev impressed 4 David, Remnick. “Gromyko: The Man Behind the Mask.” The Washington Post. WP Company, J 5 Chen, C. Peter. “Georgy Zhukov.” WW2DB, 2006. 6 John, Simkin. “Spartacus Educational: Leonid Brezhnev.” Spartacus Educational 4 Stalin and gained his admiration after becoming the Communist Party Boss in Moldavia. He later rose to major general and was promoted to the Central Committee in 1952. Brezhnev currently holds legislative positions in the Politburo and several other Soviet bodies. 15. Trofim Lysenko7 a. Lysenko is a Soviet agronomist and biologist who argues against genetics and science based agriculture. Since many farmers left their collective farms, Lysenko advocated radical and unproven agricultural methods that encouraged farmers to return. Stalin, impressed by his success, promoted him to director of Genetics for the Academy of Sciences and kept him close with Khrushchev. Because of his unfounded beliefs, he is extremely sensitive to criticism. Many of his critics have been mysteriously sent to labor camps. 16. Anastas Mikoyan8 a. Anastas is a Soviet statesman and Old Bolshevik who held the position of Minister of Foreign Trade. Towards the end of Stalin’s life, Anastas lost favor with his men and was even criticized by Stalin before his death, despite being decorated with a Hero of Socialist Labor in 1943. He focuses all of his actions around diplomacy, often acting as a mediator between parties. He is commonly used by the Soviet Union to negotiate sensitive topics with foreign powers, most importantly with the United States and Cuba. 17. Nikolai Bulganin9 7 Carey, Goldberg. “Lysenko: Cautionary Soviet-Era Tale Of How Tragically Politics Can Pervert Science.” Lysenko: Cautionary Soviet-Era Tale Of How Tragically Politics Can Pervert Science | CommonHealth. WBUR, April 7, 2017. 8 Svetlana, Savranskaya. “Anastas Mikoyan: Soviet First Responder and Smiling Diplomat.” National Security Archive, December 18, 2020. 9 “Nikolai Aleksandrovich Bulganin.” Oxford Reference. Oxford University Press. 5 a. Bulganin is a Soviet politician who served as Minister of Defense under Stalin and was given the rank of Colonel-General during WWII. He served as the chairman of the Moscow City Soviet from 1931 to 1937. He later became Deputy Defense Minister of the Soviet Union and Deputy Prime Minister, creating close ties with Soviet armed forces. He maintains a close allyship with Nikita Khrushchev. 18. Andrei Zhdanov *Resurrected10 a. Zhdanov is the Ukranian-born head of the Leningrad party organization. In 1924, he became the helmsman of the Guberniia Party and also had major roles in the Communist Youth League (Komsomol). He served as the chief of the Central Committee’s Propaganda Department in 1944 and distributed marxiast propaganda to encourage violent Bolshevik support- a wave of propaganda distribution known as the Zhdanovshcina. He is known for closely following and advocating for Stalin’s brutal policies regarding conspirators, prisoners, and the use of spies.11 10 Kees, Boterbloem. Life and Times of Andrei Zhdanov, 1896-1948. McGill-Queen's University Press 11 Although Zhandov died in 1948, for the purposes of our committee, we will ignore his heart failure and assume he is still alive and healthy 6 7.