Answer
Joseph Stalin died in 1953 and was succeeded by Nikita Khrushchev, who led a political reshuffling that ended the power of Stalin's inner circle. Mikhail Suslov was a major player in this reshuffling and helped to consolidate Khrushchev's power. Suslov later became a leading figure in the Soviet Communist Party and was responsible for the implementation of Khrushchev's reforms.