Vladimir Putin was born on October 7, 1952. And less than a year later, the leader of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin died at a dacha near Moscow.

Stalin’s death caused a split and a struggle for power among the USSR party elite. The party leaders at the time split power between them. Not surprisingly, disagreements began to pop up. Party and state leaders feared Beria, the head of the powerful state security service. They believed that he would declare himself the heir to Stalin and continue his policies of repression.

As a result, in June 1953, the other party leaders staged a coup, with the support of senior officers of the Red Army…. So who became the head of the Soviet Union? How many different leaders did the USSR have since Stalin? Did the Soviet Union have Presidents? Let’s find out in today’s Explaining Russia-History Edition episode!