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

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Moscow and Muscovites

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. 
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
White Magic

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.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, 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