Great Terror

Question 1

Who was Nadezda Allilueva

Answer 1

Stalin’s wife who shot herself November 1932

Question 2

What was the name of the 200 page hit-piece that called for Stalin’s removal

Answer 2

Ryutin Platform

Question 3

Why couldn’t Stalin have Ryutin shot

Answer 3

He only had the support of two other politburo members (Molotov & Kaganovich)

Question 4

When was Ryutin and his family eventually killed

Answer 4

1937

Question 5

When was the Congress of Victors (or victims as it was later known)

Answer 5

1934 - 17th party congress

Question 6

Who did Stalin lose a leadership vote to (and covered up to result)

Answer 6

Kirov

Question 7

When was Kirov assasinated

Answer 7

1st December 1934

Question 8

Who was blamed for the murder of Kirov

Answer 8

Zinoviev & Kamenev

Question 9

How many were expelled from the party

Answer 9

250,000

Question 10

When was the first show trial and who was it aimed at

Answer 10

August 1936
Zinoviev, Kamenev and 14 others

Question 11

When was the second show trial and who was it aimed at

Answer 11

January 1937
Karl Radek (Trotskyite) and Pyatakov (deputy commissar for heavy industry)

Question 12

When was the third show trial and who was it aimed at

Answer 12

March 1938
Bukharin, Rykov and 20 others

Question 13

When was the third show trial and who was it aimed at

Answer 13

March 1938
Bukharin, Rykov and 20 others

Question 14

What was significant about Tukhachevsky’s confession

Answer 14

It had his blood on it

Question 15

When was Tukhachevsky arrested

Answer 15

June 1937

Question 16

What was the Officer Corps

Answer 16

A mass culling of the Russia’s most senior military commanders

Question 17

How many of the 767 members of the Russian high command were shot

Answer 17

512

Question 18

In the army and navy how many officers were arrested and dismissed

Answer 18

10,000 arrested
23,000 dismissed

Question 19

When did the denunciation of loyal Stalinists begin

Answer 19

Summer 1937

Question 20

By 1939 what percentage of party members had been in the party since before 1920

Answer 20

8.3%

Question 21

What was party membership in 1939

Answer 21

1,589,000

Question 22

Of the 1996 delegates of the 17th party congress, how many were arrested and killed

Answer 22

1108 arrested of which 848 killed

Question 23

How many of the Central Committee were shot

Answer 23

98/139

Question 24

When was NKVD order 00447

Answer 24

30 July 1937

Question 25

What was NKVD Order 00447

Answer 25

An order sent by Stalin to Yezhov to destroy all anti-soviet elements

Question 26

Under 00447 what were the two types of anti-soviets and how were they punished

Answer 26

Active threats - immediate arrest and trial over execution
Less active threats - arrested and sentenced to camps for 8-10 years

Question 27

How many of the 35,000 arrested in Moscow were killed

Answer 27

1/7

Question 28

How many are estimated to have been killed under 00447

Answer 28

600-800,000

Question 29

In August 1937 what did local leaders begin requesting from the central government

Answer 29

Increases to quotas

Question 30

Who was the ‘Bloodthirsty dwarf’

Answer 30

Yezhov - leader of the NKVD

Question 31

When did National Sweeps begin

Answer 31

August 1937

Question 32

How many were arrested in the Polish operation of which how many were killed

Answer 32

140,000 - 80% killed

Question 33

How many died in the National Sweeps

Answer 33

250,000

Question 34

What are the NKVD figures for 1937-38

Answer 34

1.5 million arrested
1.3 million sentenced
681,692 shot

Question 35

What is the actual death toll of the terror estimated at

Answer 35

950,000 - 1,200,000 deaths

Question 36

When did the Terror end

Answer 36

November 1938

Question 37

Who replaced Yezhov as head of the NKVD

Answer 37

Beria

Question 38

What are the reasons for the terror

Answer 38

Death of Stalin’s wife
Ryutin platform
Kirov - 17th party congress
Rise of Fascism