Lavrenti Beria was appointed head of the NKVD over this man upon the death of Yezhov Nikolai.  
Lavrenti Beria was appointed head of the NKVD over this man upon the death of Yezhov Nikolai.  An original member of the Presidium, he eventually joined forces with Beria and feuded with Communist Party rival Andrei Zhdanov, who had this man relieved from one of his posts in 1946.  Later, this man formed the "Antiparty Party" with Bulganin in an attempt to oust Khrushchev, but was unsuccessful and permanently banned from Soviet politics.  FTP, identify this early statesman most famous for succeeding Stalin as leader of the Soviet Union.
Lavrenti Beria was appointed head of the NKVD over this man upon the death of Yezhov Nikolai.  
Georgy Maksimilianovich Malenkov