Jules Mazarin vs Lavrentiy Beria

Upon the death of Cardinal Richelieu, Mazarin was appointed as his successor as chief minister to King Louis XIII. He inherited the ongoing Thirty Years' War and the complex web of French domestic and foreign policy, becoming the de facto ruler of France.

The Parlement of Paris and nobles rebelled against Mazarin's centralizing policies and tax increases, sparking the Fronde civil wars. Mazarin was forced to flee Paris twice (1651 and 1652) as the revolt threatened the monarchy's authority.

Mazarin oversaw French participation in the Peace of Westphalia negotiations that ended the Thirty Years' War. France gained territories including Alsace and confirmed its dominance in European affairs, though Mazarin's diplomatic maneuvering was criticized for not securing more gains.

Mazarin negotiated the Treaty of the Pyrenees with Spain, ending the Franco-Spanish War (1635

Mazarin died at Vincennes, leaving Louis XIV to assume personal rule. His death marked the end of the era of cardinal-ministers and the beginning of Louis XIV's absolute monarchy. Mazarin's vast art collection was bequeathed to the king.

Beria was appointed People's Commissar for Internal Affairs (NKVD) in November 1938, replacing Nikolai Yezhov. He reorganized the security apparatus, ending the Great Purge's mass executions while expanding the Gulag system and intensifying political surveillance.

Beria was appointed to oversee the Soviet atomic bomb project in 1945, using NKVD resources to accelerate development. He managed espionage networks that obtained Western nuclear secrets and directed the construction of facilities, leading to the first Soviet atomic test in 1949.

After Stalin's death in March 1953, Beria was arrested in June 1953 by his Politburo colleagues, including Khrushchev and Malenkov, who feared his power. He was tried secretly, found guilty of treason and other crimes, and executed on December 23, 1953.