1954 ⟶ KGB Created as Successor to NKVD

The KGB is created as the successor agency of the NKVD.

Year

1945

1953

1954

1967

1988

🕵️ Gouzenko Defection Exposes Soviet Spying

Igor Gouzenko, a Soviet agent working in the Soviet embassy in Canada, defects and provides proof to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of a Soviet spy ring operating in Canada and the U.S. The revelations help change perceptions of the Soviet Union from an ally to a foe.⟶

Gouzenko Defection Exposes Soviet Spying (1945)

USSRSoviet UnionSpyingCanadaUnited StatesCold WarIntelligenceEspionageDefection

⚰️ Stalin Dies; Power Struggle Begins

Stalin dies, setting off a power struggle to succeed him. NATO debates possibility of a fresh start.⟶

Stalin Dies; Power Struggle Begins (1953)

Soviet UnionJoseph StalinDeathSuccessionCold WarUSSRPoliticsLeadership

🇷🇺 Khrushchev Ascends to Power in USSR

Nikita Khrushchev becomes leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. His main rival, Lavrentiy Beria, is executed in December.⟶

Khrushchev Ascends to Power in USSR (1953)

USSRSoviet UnionKhrushchevLeadershipCommunist PartyPoliticsCold WarBeria

🕵️ KGB Created as Successor to NKVD

The KGB is created as the successor agency of the NKVD.⟶

KGB Created as Successor to NKVD (1954)

KGBNKVDSoviet UnionIntelligenceSecret PoliceCold WarUSSRSecurity

👮 Andropov Appointed KGB Chairman

Yuri Andropov becomes chairman of the KGB.⟶

Andropov Appointed KGB Chairman (1967)

USSRKGBIntelligenceCold WarPoliticsSecuritySoviet UnionAndropov

🪦 Kim Philby's Death in Moscow

Kim Philby (Harold Adrian Russell Philby), the high-ranking UK intelligence officer who defected to the Soviet Union, dies in Moscow.⟶

Kim Philby's Death in Moscow (1988)

espionageintelligencedefectionSoviet UnionCold WarUKMI6KGB