nkvd responsibility for purges

Question 1

NKVD ORDER 00447 -

Answer 1

July 30th 1937 - signed by Yezhov

Order: classify kulaks / anti-Soviet elements into 2 categories:
Category I - shot
Category II - gulags

Question 2

Order set up QUOTAS PER TERRITORY

-CATEGORY OF SOCIAL CLASSES (proletariat / peasant / kulak / bourgeois etc)

Answer 2

E.G. Belorussia: 2,000 Category I prisoners / 10,000 Category II

Question 3

Officials stressed that quotas were estimates, couldn’t be exceeded without personal approval of Yezhov…

Answer 3

But: approval easy to obtain, eventually initial quotas exceeded significantly.
E.g. Omsk NKVD chief Gorbach requested increased quota of thousands more executions. Request approved by Stalin personally, promoted Gorbach to larger district.

( SHOWS THAT THE NKVD HAVE A MASSIVE RESPONSIBILITY FOR PURGES - NKVD = STRUCTURE / STALIN = IDEOLOGICAL FORCE )

Question 4

troika stuff

Answer 4

NKVD troikas created at regional levels (krai & oblast) to execute order. Investigation, arrested, delivered to troikas for trial

Troika: prosecutor / chief / communist party secretary of regional level