Georgy Malenkov

Together with Molotov and Kaganovich, Malenkov secured a majority in the Presidium in June 1957 to remove Khrushchev. Khrushchev reversed the situation before the Central Committee; Malenkov lost his positions, was sent to manage power stations in Kazakhstan and was then expelled from the Party in 1961.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Responsible for agriculture towards the end of the Stalinist era and then head of government after Stalin's death, Malenkov was criticised for his inability to revive the severely weakened Soviet agricultural sector and had to acknowledge this failure publicly.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Malenkov was forced to resign as head of government following criticism of his economic management, particularly in agriculture, and amid his growing rivalry with Khrushchev.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Under the post-Stalin leadership, in which Malenkov headed the government, the so-called 'Doctors' Plot' was repudiated, the accusations acknowledged as fabricated and the surviving doctors released.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Shared responsibility

Malenkov allied with Khrushchev and other leaders to neutralise Lavrentiy Beria. Beria was arrested during a Presidium meeting, secretly tried and executed in December 1953.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Shared responsibility

Person targeted by the proceedings

Lavrentiy Beria

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

In the final phase of Stalinism, Malenkov played a leading role in renewed purges targeting, in particular, the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee. Several members were arrested, tortured, secretly tried and executed.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Malenkov was one of the principal participants in the 'Leningrad Affair', a politically orchestrated purge against rival officials. Hundreds of people were convicted or removed from office, and several senior leaders were executed.

State of the evidence

Well documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Following revelations of serious problems in the aviation industry, Malenkov temporarily lost his positions as deputy head of government and party secretary responsible for personnel. However, he returned to prominence a few months later with Beria's support.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

As head of the Central Committee's personnel apparatus, Malenkov participated in the selection, investigation and purging mechanisms that accompanied the Great Terror. Authoritative studies describe him as an active participant in the Stalinist purges.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Malenkov was sent to several republics to supervise or accelerate local purges, particularly in Belarus and Armenia, during the 1937 campaigns.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility