Orgies in the USSR
Topic
Sexual scandals in the USSR
Author
Alina Ustyuzhanina
Alternative titles
«The case of gladiators and other skeletons in the closet»
«Soviet orgies: how high-ranking officials abused their power»
«Debauchery behind closed doors: sex scandals in the Soviet Union »
Reading time
3.5 min
Contents
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
«The case of gladiators» ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2
References ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
There were many secrets and mysteries hidden from the public eye in the USSR, and one of these dark sides were orgies where high-ranking officials and cultural figures participated. The orgies, surrounded by an atmosphere of debauchery and abuse of power, became known to the public mainly due to the scandalous “case of gladiators”. This sex scandal, which broke out in the 1950s, involved many influential individuals, including the Minister of Culture Georgy Alexandrov and other high-ranking officials who used their positions to organize secret brothels.
Exploring such aspects of the lives of the Soviet elite not only reveals the hidden pages of history, but also helps us to understand the broader social and political processes that took place in the USSR. Orgies and related scandals demonstrate how power and privilege can lead to moral decay and permissiveness, which ultimately undermines trust in the system as a whole.
«The case of gladiators»
After Stalin’s death, his cronies began to fight for power. The main contenders were Georgy Malenkov and Nikita Khrushchev. The first of them, Stalin’s closest associate, was characterized by executive efficiency and modesty, following all the instructions of the leader. Khrushchev, despite his difficult background, showed political cunningness and perseverance.
Together they eliminated another candidate, Lavrentiy Beria, after which the struggle for leadership continued. This was accompanied by huge risks on the part of Khrushchev, so in gratitude he asked Malenkov to approve a new position: First Secretary, which was soon fulfilled. At that time, no one suspected that Nikita Khrushchev would take this position on his own, displacing the main heir of Stalin in the struggle for power.
By February 1955, it was clear that neither side had been able to fully seize power. At this point a scandal erupted, which proved to be to Khrushchev’s advantage. Malenkov, despite his loyalty and lack of political acumen, had the support of influential people such as the Minister of Culture Georgy Alexandrov and Alexander Egolin, a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. These officials, once finding themselves in the cultural sphere, could not resist temptation and became involved with young actresses and students, using their power to their advantage.
From left to right: Nikita Khrushchev, Lavrentiy Beria, and Georgy Malenkov next to the deceased Stalin
The scandal began with an anonymous letter to the Central Committee addressed to Khrushchev from a mother whose daughter, according to her, had ended up in a brothel for important figures of the USSR:
«Dear Nikita Sergeyevich! For reasons which you will certainly understand when you read this letter, I cannot identify myself, but believe me, what I am writing is pure truth. My daughter, a girl of 18, is in big trouble. A friend introduced her to one elderly, about 60 years old, man who introduced himself to her as a writer Konstantin Krivoshein Konstantin Kirillovich. Meetings began – first at the movies, then in restaurants, and then he persuaded her to go to him, he “will read her a play.” She naively agreed. The rest is clear to you. Noticing that my daughter had abandoned her studies and was disappearing somewhere unknown, I began to question her and found out everything. I immediately went to him, stayed in his luxurious apartment for about half an hour and realized everything. Listening to his cynical reasoning, I was horrified. And all this is happening in our capital. He’s not a writer at all. He has, I think, two or three dramatizations which are not staged anywhere. But he has a lot of money, he lives richly. In addition to his apartment, he has a dacha (countryhouse – note by a translator) near Moscow. Obviously, the apartment is the main source of his livelihood. According to his daughter, he constantly has some couples. Among them is the Minister of Culture Alexandrov with film artist Larionova, Academician Egolin with some “Ella” from the theater Vakhtangov, Prof. Petrov with “Anya” and many others whose names my daughter did not know. The apartment was a real brothel. Debauchery, drunkenness, seduction of girls. I immediately demanded from my daughter to stop all relations – she did it. We do not want anything from him, but I feel it is my moral duty to inform you in order to stop this outrage. I am very ashamed of myself and my daughter, and I want other mothers not to feel this way. What is especially terrible is that this apartment, as it turns out, is widely known among artists and writers. It is used, as I was told, many people and, obviously, somehow pay for the labor and hospitality of the owner. Having such a circle of acquaintances, Mr. Krivoshein evidently feels himself quite safe. Is that so? I ask you, Nikita Sergeyevich, to make sure that these deeds of these people do not go unpunished»
Were these allegations substantiated? Yes. The investigation revealed that this was not the first complaint. Earlier, Zinaida Petrovna Lobzikova, a cultural instructor of the executive committee of the Proletarsky district of Moscow, submitted an official letter to the prosecutor’s office. She wanted a better life and an elitist education for her daughter Alina, and the girl was able to enter the ballet school at the Bolshoi Theater. There she met the charming literary man Krivoshein, who prophesied her future as a star and invited her to restaurants and movies. The relationship soon became intimate, and Krivoshein became her pimp, using many such girls to satisfy the desires of high-ranking officials.
Upon learning of this, Khrushchev took action. At a party meeting, he emotionally accused the participants of the scandal, and the culprits were removed to low positions far from the capital. With their departure, Malenkov’s support weakened. In January 1955, Khrushchev finally ended his opponent’s political career by sending him to Altai, where he worked as a director of power plants until his death. At the same time, Khrushchev became the First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, and his years of rule would be called the Thaw.
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References:
- https://www.mk.ru/social/2019/05/29/svergnutyy-naslednik-stalina-malenkov-uvyal-v-polchasa.html
- https://postila.ru/post/72163152
- https://proza.ru/2017/06/19/366
- https://ruposters.ru/news/23-10-2019/hrushev-zagnal-malenkova-ugol
- https://back-in-ussr.com/2022/08/seksualnyy-skandal-aleksandrova.html
- https://life.ru/p/1334912
- https://spletnik.ru/192312-delo-gladiatorov-1955-god-seks-kino-balet-i-partbilet-297189
- https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%94%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%BE_%D0%B3%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2
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