Voronezh Regional Party Committee, internal affairs bodies and the "Beria case" (March-July 1953)

the article provides an analysis of the activities of the Voronezh Regional Committee of the CPSU related to the relationship between the party and security forces during the transition period that followed Stalin's death. Particular attention is paid to the response of local party bodies to the so-called "Beria case". The removal from office and arrest of one of Stalin's main heirs required the manifestation of complete loyalty of the leaders of the party organization and local security forces, as well as work to explain the situation to the party masses and the population of the region. On the example of public activity of the regional party committee leaders, the peculiarity of interaction between the central and local authorities is traced, on the one hand, and between the regional leadership and Soviet citizens, on the other hand. The novelty of this study lies in the fact that the authors partially reveal the mechanisms of ensuring loyalty of the vertical power structures on the example of the Voronezh region, and try to analyze the peculiarities of the regional leadership's reaction to the turning points of the first half of 1953.

political leaders, society, elite, history of the CPSU, Ministry of Internal Affairs, "Beria case"