June 18, 2020

The Anti-Party Almost Coup


The Anti-Party Almost Coup
Khrushchev, TIME's Man of the Year for 1957.

They had the votes. But they did not have Marshal Georgy Zhukov. And they could not have predicted that Khrushchev would flank them.

On June 18, 1957, a group of seven Presidium members – Malenkov, Molotov, Kaganovich, Bulganin, Voroshilov, Pervukhin and Saburov – voted to oust Nikita Khrushchev as First Secretary, replacing him with Bulganin. Four voted against, and thus it would seem that Khrushchev's fate was sealed.

But then the wily Nikita argued that, since he was empowered by the Central Committee of the Communist Party, not the Presidium, only the CC could vote him out. He demanded a vote, and an extraordinary session was called.

Problem was, the session was called on short notice and Khrushchev's supporters might not be able to get to Moscow in time. Zhukov mobilized military flights to make it happen and, even more importantly, the war hero himself made an impassioned speech to the assembled delegates.

Accusing the plotters (which were skillfully dubbed the "Anti-Party Group") of having blood on their hands over Stalin's atrocities (Khrushchev's Secret Speech before this body had taken place just a year before), he said his military had the power to crush them even if they voted for the plotters.

Khrushchev won the vote and the plotters were demoted (Molotov, for instance, was appointed ambassador to Mongolia). Interestingly, Zhukhov was also ousted by Khrushchev a short-time later, allegedly for harboring "Bonapartist tendencies."

Chastened, the anti-Khrushchev forces retreated to re-gather their forces. Then, seven years later, in October 1964, a group led by Leonid Brezhnev properly whipped their votes to ensure a successful ouster.

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955