The Purges Flashcards
Why did Stalin begin the purges?
Policies of forced indusrealization led to increased opposition against him
Stalin was worried that enemies were trying to plot against him
He wanted “to destroy the men who might form an alternative government”
Criticisms from Trotsky in exile angered Stalin
Early 1930s Stalin began a series of purges v
He was able to create a new class of leaders loyal to him and terrorise the general public
Early purges were aimed at those who criticised the 5 year plans or blamed the famine of 1931-1932 on these policies
Wrecker and saboutors in factories accused of destroying 5 year plans, kulaks imprisoned or killed
Why was Kirov assassinated?
Kirov had opposed Stalin policies in the politiburo and had won votes against Stalin
Stalin may have ordered the assassination of Kirov in December 1934
Stalin claimed it was evidence of a “trotskyite” plot and used it as an excuse to purge the party
He wanted to get rid of all “old Bolsheviks” who’s membership went back to Lenin time and leave only those who owed their position to him
How was the communist party purged?
NKVD rounded up thousands of party members, along with relatives, neighbours and acquaintances. Some were tortured and shot and sent to slave Labour camps
State propaganda insisted that all those arrested were “enemies of the people” who were plotting with exiled Trotsky and Hitler to kill Stalin and destroy Soviet union
What were the Moscow show trials?
Stalin’s political enemies and rivals were accused of treason, spying for Germany and Japan and for having links with Trotsky
Three political show trials take place in 1936, 1937 and 1938
A military show trial takes place in 1937, 25 out of top 29 army and navy commanders were executed, half of the 35,000 red army officers were shot or imprisoned
The majority of those were sent to the gulags (Prison camps)
The first show trial: August 1936
The purpose of these trials was no to see if the accused were guilty or innocent, but to show their guilt to the world
August 1936 16 senior party members including zinoviev and kamenev went o trial
State prosecutor vyshinsky accused them of killing Kirov, plotting to kill Stalin and Lenin and conspiring with Trotsky and foreign governments against Soviet union
Months before accused were subject to physical and physiological torture and their families were threatened
They all pleaded guilty and were executed within 24 hours
The second show trial 1937
In January 1937 another 17 old Bolsheviks were put on trial. they included men who supported Trotsky in leadership struggle, like Karl radek
Principle defendants were Pyatakov and radek
Accused of working with Trotsky to wreck the Soviet in union and restore capitalism in Russia
All 13 confessed and executed on the day of their conviction
The remaining four including radek were given lengthy prison sentences after implicating others in the conspiracy, radek died 2 years later in gulag
The third show trial 1938
Took place in March 1938
Among the 21 accused were Bukharin, one of Lenin close assossiates who criticised collectivisation, and yagada who as head of the NKVD had been responsible for earlier purges
They were charged with spying sabotage and attempting to murder Stalin
All crimes were committed on the instructions of Trotsky
Bukharin innitialy pleaded innocent until his wife and baby were threatened. In return for Stalin’s promise they would be safe, Stalin later sent his wife e to a Labour camp
As with all other trials the defendants were tortured and forced to make prepared confessions
All of the accused were execurpted immediately
Bukharins wife spent 20 years in a gulag. She wrote a powerful and moving account o the show trials that was published in 1988
What were the results of the purges and show trials
The terror of the trials spread throughout the country
54 men were brought up before the show trial, of which 47 were executed
But at the same time 5 million were arrested . Nearly a million were sentenced to death with Stalin personally signing thousands of death warrants
The rest were sent to slave Labour camps were around 7 million died
After the military show trial the army was unprepared for war with Germany due to the loss of its military commanders
Further 10 million died from famine or forced collectivisation
After ww2 slave Labour camps were reopened and he continued his purges, by the time of his death he was responsible for the deaths of 20 million Soviet citizens
