<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-january-12-josef-stalin-gives-himself-nickname/5870e311-93e4-404b-b7c6-b774fee1872a" rel="" target="" title="Joseph Stalin"><span>Joseph Stalin</span></a><span>, the murderous dictator of the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/russia" rel="" target="" title="Soviet Union"><span>Soviet Union</span></a><span>, died on </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/today-in-history" rel="" target="" title="March 5, 1953"><span>March 5, 1953</span></a><span>, after suffering a massive stroke.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Stalin had given strict orders not to be woken up after a big night of drinking with his inner circle several days earlier.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A housekeeper did not enter his room until 11pm the following night, to find him unconscious and unresponsive.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-march-4-what-happened-on-this-day-nosferatu/8fe0b05e-517d-461d-bdb3-3f847f1dff1b"><strong><span>Judge orders destruction of one of the best horror films ever made</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Despite this, he was not examined by doctors until 7am the next morning.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He was treated for two days, including with leeches to decrease his blood pressure.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But he died after never regaining consciousness.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-march-5-what-happened-on-this-day-death-of-stalin/6ec00e40-78d8-401c-b600-2947e48ded39" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Doctors' notes kept secret for decades showed he had suffered symptoms that indicated possible warfarin poisoning.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A large dose of the tasteless and colourless blood thinner may have been slipped into his drink the night he suffered the stroke.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Suspicions have fallen on the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-june-26-what-happened-on-this-day/c84227a4-9798-4aef-9927-ddd07bc02def" rel="" target="" title="USSR's spymaster Lavrenti Beria"><span>USSR's spymaster Lavrenti Beria</span></a><span>, the ruthless right-hand-man of Stalin.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-february-21-what-happened-on-this-day/46577e25-d624-4baa-9930-cae7637a36f4"><strong><span>President told 'under no circumstances' to drink from third glass</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Beria reportedly told </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/russia-ukraine-update-biden-military-lend-lease-military-aid-package/4d7c781e-d76e-40d0-8dd6-b98b9e6e4f62" rel="" target="" title="Foreign Secretary Vyacheslav Molotov"><span>Foreign Secretary Vyacheslav Molotov</span></a><span> of the poisoning two months after Stalin's death, in a bid to avert a war with the United States.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Beria was part of the jostle among Stalin's inner circle to rise to the top job.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But other members of the Politburo conspired against him, and </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-june-26-what-happened-on-this-day/c84227a4-9798-4aef-9927-ddd07bc02def" rel="" target="" title="he was arrested and executed later that year"><span>he was arrested and executed later that year</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It was later revealed Beria was a serial rapist who had likely murdered a number of his victims.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Beria would pick up women on the </span><a href="https://travel.nine.com.au/destinations/moscow-beautiful-subways/a7c9df12-c4b0-4f08-8629-30c3c0299566" rel="" target="" title="streets of Moscow"><span>streets of Moscow</span></a><span>, before taking them to his dacha to rape them.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The next morning they would be handed a bunch of flowers as they left. If they refused the flowers, Beria would have them arrested.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-june-26-what-happened-on-this-day/c84227a4-9798-4aef-9927-ddd07bc02def" rel="" target="" title="Superpower's leader toppled with the press of a button"><strong><span>Superpower's leader toppled with the press of a button</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His sex crimes were suspected to be well-known among senior Soviets. When Stalin himself learned his teenage daughter was at Beria's home, he called and demanded she leave immediately.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The first American to find out of </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/stalin-s-grandson-defends-tyrant-s-reputation-to-european-court-of-human-rights/75bc955b-f5f1-4584-88b8-9b57acffc1b5" rel="" target="" title="Stalin's death"><span>Stalin's death</span></a><span> was purportedly </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-january-13-johnny-cash-folsom-prison-live-performance/3204c8db-c7cd-41e2-bfbc-a8b90785a045" rel="" target="" title="country singer Johnny Cash"><span>country singer Johnny Cash</span></a><span>, then a Morse code operator on a West German military base.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Cash would often detail how he received the news, though doubts have been cast as to the veracity of his story.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Nikita Khrushchev would take power after Stalin's death.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-january-29-what-happened-on-this-day/69d68b09-4491-4679-9c8e-cf7111c2e1d2"><strong><span>Teen girl's chilling reason for gunning down eight schoolchildren</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/today-in-history" target="" title="For more from our Today in History archive, click here."><strong><span>For more from our Today in History archive, click here</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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