Lavrentiy Beria

Lavrentiy Beria was a prominent Soviet politician and the head of the secret police under Joseph Stalin. Born in 1899, he played a key role in enforcing Stalin's policies, including purges and mass arrests. Beria oversaw the Soviet nuclear program, helping to develop atomic weapons. After Stalin's death in 1953, he briefly held power but was soon arrested and executed by his rivals. Beria is often remembered as a symbol of the oppressive Stalinist regime, embodying the brutal tactics of state control and political repression during that era of Soviet history.