Sebag-Montefiore does not dispute the possibility of an assassination by poison masterminded by Beria, whose hatred for Stalin was palpable by this point, but also notes that Beria never made mention of poison or confessed to using it, even during his later interrogations, and was never alone with Stalin during the period prior to his stroke ( he always went with Malenkov to defer suspicion ).

This event also illustrated the new nature of Soviet politics — the most decisive attack on the Stalinists was delivered by defense minister Georgy Zhukov, and the implied threat to the plotters was clear ; however, none of the " anti − party group " were killed or even arrested, and Khrushchev disposed of them quite cleverly: Georgy Malenkov was sent to manage a power station in Kazakhstan, and Vyacheslav Molotov, one of the most die-hard Stalinists, was made ambassador to Mongolia and later the Soviet representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

" Malenkov also opposed promotions of younger generations of politicians which soon led to his decline.

When Stalin died on 5 March 1953, Malenkov was the most important member of the Secretariat, which also included Nikita Khrushchev among others.

Together with Stalin, the responsibility for the abuse of law, mass unwarranted repressions and death of many thousands of wholly innocent people also lies on Molotov, Kaganovich, Malenkov ..."

This was the beginning of Beria's alliance with Malenkov, which later became of central importance.

Around this time, Malenkov forged a close friendship with Vyacheslav Malyshev, who later became chief of the Soviet nuclear program alongside Kurchatov.

In this work Malenkov became closely associated with Stalin and was later heavily involved in the treason trials during the purging of the party.

In 1939 Malenkov became the head of the Communist party's Cadres Directorate, which gave him control over personnel matters of party bureaucracy.

In February 1941 Malenkov became a candidate member of the Politburo.

Malenkov was appointed Chief of the Soviet Missile program, his first deputy was Dmitri Ustinov, a 33 year-old rocket scientist who later became one of the most powerful Soviet Defense Ministers.

Malenkov supported and executed Stalin's orders to destroy the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee which was formed during World War II and became involved in documenting the Holocaust.

After the ruthless attack on Georgy Zhukov, Malenkov gained strength and became closer with Stalin and several other top communists.

That same year, Malenkov became a Secretary of the Central Committee.

He was the top member of the Secretariat and, with Beria's support, Malenkov became Premier of the Soviet Union.

Malenkov in his later years became a devout Russian Orthodox Christian, as did his daughter, who has since spent part of her personal wealth building two churches in rural locations.

Malenkov became Chairman of the Council of Ministers but was forced to resign from the Secretariat on 14 March 1953, leaving Khrushchev in effective control of the body.

In 1949 Suslov became a member, along with Georgy Malenkov, Lavrentiy Beria, and Lazar Kaganovich, of a commission created to investigate charges levied against Moscow's local Communist Party First Secretary, Georgy Popov.

* Malenkov became director of a hydroelectric plant in Kazakhstan

Khrushchev and Malenkov became leaders of the Soviet Communist Party.

The struggle for succession became a contest between Beria ( the feared leader of the NKVD ), Malenkov and Khrushcev.

Khrushchev became First Secretary in September, 1953 ushering in a period in which Malenkov and Khrushchev shared power.

Stalin's death on 5 March 1953 prompted major changes in the Soviet leadership and in March 1953, Voroshilov was approved as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet ( i. e., the head of state ) with Nikita Khrushchev as First Secretary of the Communist Party and Georgy Malenkov as Premier of the Soviet Union.

* 1953 – Georgy Malenkov succeeds Joseph Stalin as Premier of the Soviet Union and First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

* March 6 – Georgy Maksimilianovich Malenkov succeeds Joseph Stalin as Premier and First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

After Stalin died in March 1953, he was succeeded by Nikita Khrushchev as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union ( CPSU ) and Georgi Malenkov as Premier of the Soviet Union.

While Malenkov headed the government, Nikita Khrushchev eventually assumed supreme leadership of the party as First Secretary of the CPSU in September 1953, ushering in a period of a Malenkov-Khrushchev duumvirate.

Vyacheslav Molotov, Lazar Kaganovich, Georgy Malenkov and joined by Dmitri Shepilov at the last minute after Kaganovich convinced him the group had a majority, attempted to depose Khrushchev as First Secretary of the Party in May 1957.

The central Soviet strongmen at the time were Lavrentiy Beria, head of the Ministry of the Interior ; Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union ( CPSU ); and Georgi Malenkov, Premier of the Soviet Union.

The official explanation for his resignation was " to grant the request of Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers G. M. Malenkov to be released from the duties of the Party Central Committee ".

Khrushchev was able to consolidate his powers within the party machine after Malenkov's resignation, but Malenkov remained the de facto leading figure of the Party.

Within days of the events in Germany, Khrushchev persuaded the other leaders to support a Party coup against Beria ; Beria's principal ally Malenkov abandoned him.

Pravda did not announce Beria's arrest until 10 July, crediting it to Malenkov and referring to Beria's " criminal activities against the Party and the State.

Similarly, after the death of Stalin in 1953 and the ensuing power vacuum, Communist Party leader Nikita Khrushchev used his alliance with Dmitry Shepilov, Pravdas editor-in-chief, to gain the upper hand in his struggle with Prime Minister Georgy Malenkov.

Georgy Maximilianovich Malenkov (, Georgij Maksimilianovič Malenkov ; 8 January 1902 – 14 January 1988 ) was a Soviet politician, Communist Party leader and close collaborator of Joseph Stalin.

In 1924, Stalin noticed Malenkov and assigned him to Orgburo of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party.

In 1961 the Central Committee fired Malenkov from the Communist Party of USSR, as people throughout USSR demanded punishment for organizers of Stalin's Purge, and Malenkov was one of them.

In September 1937 Stalin dispatched Anastas Mikoyan, along with Georgy Malenkov and Lavrentiy Beria, with a list of 300 names to Yerevan to oversee the liquidation of the Communist Party of Armenia ( CPA ), which was largely made up of Old Bolsheviks.

In September 1937 Stalin dispatched Mikoyan, along with Georgy Malenkov and Lavrentiy Beria, with a list of 300 names to Yerevan, the capital of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic ( ASSR ), to oversee the liquidation of the Communist Party of Armenia ( CPA ), which was largely made up of Old Bolsheviks.

* on June 28, 1948, the Cominform published, on the initiative of its Soviet delegates Zhdanov, Malenkov and Suslov, in a " Resolution on the State of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia " their condemnation of the Yugoslavian communist leaders-this happening is seen as the date that marks the final split between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.

Then he expelled Molotov, Kaganovich and Malenkov from the Secretariat and ultimately from the Communist Party itself.

Then formal accusations were formulated by the Communist Party and signed by Malenkov, Nikolai Khrushchev, and Lavrentiy Beria.