HISTORY This Week Stalin Is Dead! | Сталин мертв!
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Mar 2, 2026 
Sheila Fitzpatrick, historian of Soviet Russia and author of The Death of Stalin, guides listeners through Stalin’s collapsing final days. She recounts late-night dacha intrigues, the discovery of his unconscious body, the Politburo’s secret plotting, and the swift power plays that followed. Short, vivid scenes paint the chaos and rapid unmaking of a dictatorship.
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Dacha Night That Preceded Stalin's Collapse
- Four senior Politburo members spent a drunken night at Stalin's dacha on February 28, 1953, dancing and joking into the early morning.
- The group included Lavrentiy Beria, Nikita Khrushchev, Georgi Malenkov, and Nikolai Bulganin, who left separately around 5 a.m. after Stalin playfully poked Khrushchev.
Comrades Hesitated Before Finding Stalin Unconscious
- Stalin was found unconscious on the dacha floor after 18 hours of silence and moved to a sofa while terrified aides hovered.
- The comrades hesitated to enter his room, fearing his anger if awakened, and initially went back to Moscow hoping he'd wake.
Beria Seized Operational Control During Stalin's Last Hours
- Beria rapidly alternated between anxious bedside devotion and decisive orders, taking operational lead during Stalin's final days.
- Multiple accounts highlight Beria giving orders and orchestrating actions while others stood in grief.
