Lavrenty Beria

[Ptarmigan]

The head of the much dreaded NKVD, which became the KGB, which killed tens of millions of Soviet citizens in the Purge under Joseph Stalin. He was also a member of the Communist Party and very loyal to Stalin, which made him First Lieutanant. He was one of Stalin's henchmen. He was also born in Georgia, like Stalin. He was the one who actually carried out the Purge, by detaining, torturing, and executing untold tens of millions of people that Stalin hated. When Stalin died in 1953, he saw himself as a successor, but was thrown out by Nikita Khrushchev who became the new premier of the Soviet Union. Beria was thrown out because he was seen as a traitor and trying to subvert the Soviet Union. He was tried for numerous murder, torture, treason, and rape, then found guilty in a six day trial. Then Beria was executed secretly in a Soviet priosn in December 25, 1953.

[rmlew]

He died Christmas day, just like the USSR.

[Ptarmigan]

That's the best Christmas gift for humanity. Laverenty Beria is executed and Soviet Union collapses.

[dfwgator]

There has been a rumor that suggests Beria, knowing he was about to become the victim of Stalin's next purge, was the one that poisoned Stalin, reportedly telling the remaining Politburo members, who themselves were about to be killed, "I just saved all of you."

[Ptarmigan]

There are lots of rumors in the Soviet Union. Stalin was a very paranoid man. Stalin died a slow and painful death, which does justice. I know Stalin wanted to deport every Jews in the Soviet Union to Siberia. It started with the Doctor's Plot and some Jews spoke out against Nazis in Soviet Union and how they were covering up the Nazis's crimes.

[SunkenCiv]

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Beria by Amy Knight	Who Killed Kirov? The Kremlin's Greatest Mystery by Amy Knight

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