A little history

In response to my post on a comment thread over at jabberwocking.com about the fact that Stalin, the longest ruler of the USSR, died of a stroke at the age of 74:

"That’s the point. Alive, he held everything together through fear (in no small part fear of Beria, whom everyone, including Stalin, feared). But it was a combination of their powers that was important.

"Stalin’s death created openings and a structure for power, which Beria lost. But apart from the pent up resentment and hatred of Beria, two things were clear to the Russian elites who’d served Stalin: Beria couldn’t simply be allowed to walk away. There was a moment of weakness and a power vacuum which created a very small window of opportunity to kill him before he could regain his footing and reassert his power. Beria alive and taking revenge was unthinkable so everyone who mattered set aside their differences and claims to power to kill him.

"The second thing everyone one understood was that once the deed was done, there’d be no blowback. Beria wasn’t the kind to have any friends once he’s gone. And neither is Putin."