Stalin: Life and Death of a Dictator

28 February 1953. Joseph Stalin is not in the Kremlin but in his dacha, 15 km from the centre of Moscow. This is where he has been spending most of his time for many years now. His days are routine and paranoid. The soldiers protecting hm are always ready to intervene. That evening, as is often the case, he gathers his four trusted comrades around him, none of them suspecting that it will be the last time.

1 March 1953. In Kuntsevo, Stalin has not given any sign of life for several hours. Despite their surprise, his guards do not dare enter his quarters uninvited. If you make a mistake, you can pay with your life.

Stalin’s health is getting worse and the doctors are finally called, 13 hours after his stroke. A traditional treatment with leeches is applied. But will it work? The citizens of the Soviet Union believe that Stalin is in the Kremlin, a building that represents the strength of the nation, steadfast against foreign invasion, most recently against Hitler.

Two days after Stalin’s stroke, the public is informed that their leader is gravely ill. Doctors can do nothing for him. Lavrenti Beria, the secret police chief, positions himself to become Stalin’s successor, but he is not the only pretender to the throne.

As it becomes clear that Stalin’s hours are numbered, various factions mobilise to take power. Beria and Malenkov face off against Khrushchev and Bulganin.