This chapter surveys the experiences of the three principal leaders following Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev and Gorbachev. Stalin’s death brought about a reaffirmation of the collective nature of the oligarch code of practice that had emerged earlier, including rejection of a dominant leader. But there was no real agreement about the sort of leadership style that was acceptable. Initially Khrushchev relied heavily on institutional control, alliances and transactional activity, mobilisation and policy, and was victorious when challenged. But then he largely eschewed all the strategies, leaving him vulnerable to overthrow. In contrast Brezhnev relied heavily on his personal authority and performance, alliances, transactional activity and policy, and created a solid basis upon which his leadership could rest. In practice, Gorbachev failed to implement most of the strategies effectively, leaving him vulnerable to overthrow and helpless to prevent the system from spinning out of control.