Cold War

At the same time, Krushchev's power was on the rise. Consolidating a pact with Malenkov and Molotov, Khrushchev arranged for the arrest of Beria. Krushchev accused Beria of crimes against the state because he had signed the authorization for the hydrogen bomb without permission from Malenkov. Beria had also made some liberalizing policy changes in East Germany which had backfired.

A staged trial found Beria guilty and sentenced him to death. On December 23rd, 1953, Beria was shot in his cell and his body was burned where it lay.

Work on improving the Soviet nuclear arsenal continued under the new troika of Khrushchev, Malenkov, and Molotov. The arms race was in full swing.