Последние дни Сталина

The book by Joshua Rubinstein, an outstanding American specialist in Russian and Eurasian studies, is a fascinating account of the months before and after Stalin's death and how they changed the course of 20th-century history.
The sudden illness and death of Stalin in March 1953 came as a complete surprise to many. The tyrant was full of grand plans, preparing to launch an armed challenge to the newly elected President of the United States, Dwight Eisenhower, and at home, he initiated a brutal campaign against Soviet Jews, after which he intended to carry out a purge within the ranks of the Communist Party's leadership. Now, Stalin's long-time associates faced numerous difficult dilemmas, including in the socialist bloc countries, where protest sentiments were being felt. Vivid pages of the book are devoted to the confrontation between Beriya, Malenkov, and Khrushchev, comparing eyewitness accounts of the events with the officially published versions. Documents related to international relations, particularly the reaction of the Eisenhower administration and his closest aides to Kremlin initiatives after Stalin's death, are of particular interest.