From 1939 to 1953 Kaganovich's influence in policy making declined dramatically, although for periods he remained a member of Stalin's leading group. These momentous years of war and postwar reconstruction, therefore, will be more cursorily examined than the preceding hectic decade. The Stalinist developmental programme became transformed with the priority of rearmament, the management of the war and the tasks of postwar reconstruction. The Stalinist regime was shaped by these changing priorities. Kaganovich's career in this period sheds light on these shifting priorities. It also illustrates his role under Stalin's personalized rule. It illustrates the survival strategies adopted by the leader's deputies, the impact that the stress of operating under these conditions of intense personal insecurity had on individuals and the way it influenced intergroup dynamics with the shift from dictatorial to despotic rule. The Terror transformed the lieutenants' relations with the vozhd' and their relations with one another. Terror became a central instrument of rule, but after1939 was more carefully managed so as not to endanger the regime and to foster a sense of dependency on the leader who alone could offer protection.

In the Shadow of War, 1939–1941

Kaganovich weathered the Terror and retained his post as head of NKTyazhprom and NKPS. On 16 June 1938 Kaganovich was appointed deputy chair of Sovnarkom in place of Vlas Chubar', who had been arrested and thereafter executed. This placed him among the top four leading figures.