Who could have been in Brezhnev's place, or why Khrushchev's unofficial successor Frol Kozlov fell into disgrace

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In February 1964, Frol Kozlov, the unofficial successor of Nikita Khrushchev, found himself in disgrace. Frol Romanovich, to his career heyday, was the second person in the Khrushchev party. He managed to be noted in his rejection of the rehabilitation of Stalin's victims. He inherited in the frames of a series of trials of the so-called "Leningrad case". And, they say, he initiated the shooting of the mutinous workers during the Novocherkassk riot. Nikita Sergeevich largely listened to the opinion of his ubiquitous companion. But everything turned out so that ill-wishers deprived Kozlov of the chair of the first person in the USSR.

Dissatisfaction with Khrushchev and the "Kislovodsk conspiracy"

By 1962, Nikita Khrushchev had ceased to arrange the nomenclature. The military did not forgive him for the reduction of the army, agricultural representatives - for corn, his image was falling due to the rise in prices, and in the circle of liberals, the secretary general was known as an unintelligent rude. For the first time, the conspiratorial ground was sounded at the Kislovodsk meeting of the capital's ministers with the first local party members. With the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which Khrushchev first almost unleashed a nuclear war and then yielded to the Americans, dissatisfaction with the Secretary General increased. The participants in the pilot conspiracy in compliance with the conspiracy identified the circle of necessary allies, the key of which were the Supreme Presidium Brezhnev and the first KGBist Semichastny.

But supporters of Khrushchev's departure were in no hurry to act with lightning speed. Nikita Sergeevich impeded the process with his rancor, cunning and cruelty. The memories of the shot Beria were too fresh. It has not been forgotten how coolly Khrushchev stood in 1957, when the entire Central Committee Presidium fell on him. First, the heads of the main defendants with the loudest names flew, and then their assistants answered for everything.

The face of the emerging satrap

Khrushchev's favorite Frol Romanovich Kozlov grew up in a Ryazan peasant family. He began his career at a textile factory, and by the end of the 20s he entered the Komsomol path. Stubborn career growth was facilitated by the loyalty of a party member, unyielding conservatism, practical peasant thinking, and even outright undisguised flattery to his superiors. Frol Romanovich was not shy of internal party intrigues, spontaneously making competent bets. Later, A. I. Mikoyan would speak dismissively about Kozlov, calling him a stupid, pro-Stalinist, sycophant and intriguer. In 1950, Kozlov was already the first secretary of the Leningrad City Committee, and since 1952 - the second person in the regional committee. Such a dizzying growth was anticipated by the harsh purges of unwanted party cadres in Leningrad. Khrushchev, seeing Kozlov as a good business executive, prepared him as a successor. Frol Romanovich copied the mentor in the smallest detail, competing with the likely candidates for the role of the Soviet leader. Moreover, Kozlov acted at times insidiously and harshly, and Nikita Sergeevich traditionally listened to his opinion.

In 1962, Kozlov took bloody footprints across Novocherkassk. During the riots, he took a hard line of decisions. After the collapse of the Union, the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation established the fact of Kozlov's personal order to open fire to kill. There was no particular need for that, the protesters did not storm the city committee. Then about 70 people were injured, 16 of whom died. The criminal case against Kozlov was dropped due to the death of the accused.

How Kozlov "cleaned" Leningrad

In 1948, the so-called "Leningrad affair" was launched. The goal was to prove to Stalin that an organized gang of leaders had unfolded in the city, developing behind-the-scenes plans against the Moscow leadership. First, key leaders were removed from their posts, and by 1951, at least two thousand responsible Leningrad workers were subjected to repression. They were accused of the intention to create the Communist Party of Russia with a separate headquarters in Leningrad and the transfer of the government of the RSFSR to the city on the Neva.

The "Leningrad affair" did not spare not only party functionaries, but also members of their families. A number of eminent scientists have lost their jobs in universities. A huge list of books and brochures was banned, libraries were empty. Frol Kozlov shone brightly in the purges of the regional party organization. And when immediately after the death of the leader of the "Leningraders" they rehabilitated, the most ardent participants in those purges were expelled from the party in shame. And only Kozlov, who bore considerable responsibility for what happened, was not just not touched. He became the sovereign master of Leningrad - the first secretary of the city regional committee. And already in 1957, Frol Romanovich successfully moved to Moscow in the chair of the second secretary of the Central Committee and the first deputy head of the government.

The decisive puncture and Brezhnev in power

The nomenclature tensed - and they began to dig under Kozlov. By joint efforts, a criminal case was initiated against the head of the first trading base of Leningrad, Zuikov, who got his place with the light hand of Kozlov.

The deputy head of the investigation in the Prosecutor's Office was listed in his notebook as "Volodya", and there were a myriad of productive acquaintances at the level of the regional committee, city committee, and executive committee.

When Zuikov was arrested, law enforcement officers found a cache of looted valuables in the grave of his own daughter. While yesterday's trade baron was amassing capital (cans of gold, ingots, gold dollar coins, diamonds and precious jewelry were kept in the cemetery), Smolny was led by Frol Kozlov. Zuikov was shot. A chain of similar revelations followed. By the spring of 1964, Leningrad appeared as a city ruled for many years by plunderers of socialist property and their patrons. They put all the material collected by the Chekists on the table for Khrushchev, he just had to familiarize himself.

There could be no mistake: Leningrad bribe-takers appeared and strengthened with the support of Frol Kozlov. Nikita Sergeevich's anger did not bode well. Kozlov appeared before yesterday's patron, who not only did not choose expressions, but even launched something heavy on his successor. Kozlov suffered a stroke. And L. I. Brezhnev.

There was also a lot of fuss after Stalin's death. Exactly this is the leader left behind.