The Great Terror Flashcards
when was the cleansing of the party
1932 - 35
what did the show trials do
removed the old bolsheviks from the party as they were publicly tried and executed
what did the mass period of terror from 1937-38 do
saw thousands of party members, state officials, members of the armed forces etc arrested and imprisoned - many executed or sent to soviet labour camps
when was the murder of Kirov
1st December 1934
what did the murder of Kirov mean
engineered by Stalin so he could introduce the decree against terrorist acts - this gave the NKVD limitless power in pursuing the enemies of the state and party
who were put through the show trials
anyone deemed to be a trotskyite as they were said to be involve in the murder of Kirov
who were trialled in January 1935
kamenev and zinoviev even though there was no physical evidence against them
physical and mental torture by the NKVD
pleaded guilty ad given prison sentences
what was the issue with show trials
pre-determined fixed outcomes
mainly used on innocent but powerful people who, in his state of paranoia, Stalin believed might challenge his leadership
what did show trials allow him to do
remove anyone powerful that could either challenge him directly or see through his later plans such as the cult of personality
created an atmosphere of intimidation and danger and that enemies and spies were all around - no one spoke a word against Stalin or the state
how many members of the central committee were shot
70%
how many arrests were made
7-8 million
how many executions were made
1-1.5 million
how many were put into labour camps
7 million
total deaths between 1929 and 1953
20 million
what was stalins personality like
very suspicious of others
very vindictive ad vengeful - took revenge on those who had belittled him in the past
cruel and brutal even for a bolshevik
unlimited ambitions
