The Yezhovshchina: Purge Of Ordinary Citizens 1937-38: Terror Flashcards
Who was this purge named after
-named after Yezhov the head of NKVD as terror spread down from party hierarchy into Soviet institutions + into every town
What happened to society
-thousands fro all sections of society were terrorised, executed or sent to lab camps
When did persecution of citizens reach peak
-reached its peak mid 1937 + lasted until dec 1938 when Yezhov replaced by Beria
What did a politburo resolution condemn
-politburo resolution 1937 July condemned ‘anti Soviet elements’ in Rus society + arrest of over 250k drawn up incl artists, musicians, scientists + writers
What was established follows this resolution
-quite a system est with each region being expected to find a proportion of oppositionists
What was the surveillance like on ordinary citizens
-surveillance everywhere with citizens being encouraged to root out ‘hidden enemies’, check up on fellow workers + watch friends + family for signs of ‘oppositional thoughts’
What did the NKVD do to enforce this terror
-NKVD maintained strict vigilance by employing ‘reliables’ in offices, unis + factories
What was life now like for citizens
-everyone lived in fear of a knock at door since arrests continuous + random
-many died in prison
What happened to minority nationalities
-leaders national republics charged with treason + removed
-in Georgia two state PMs, 4/5 regional party secretaries + thousands of lesser officials lost posts
-around 350k from minority groups put on trial - 140k poles
What happened to managers, engineers + scientists
-high proportion managers, leading physicists + biologists lost positions + some executed
What happened to peasants + Ind workers
-kulaks represented 50% of all arrests + over half the total number of executions
What happened to the relatives of those purged
-colleagues, subordinates, wives, children + friends of the purged also liable to be arrested, deported or shot
