Yezhovshchina Flashcards
1
Q
Who replaced Yagoda as head of NKVD after Trial of the 16?
A
Nicolai Yezhov
2
Q
What was the Yezhovshchina?
A
period in Russia in which Yezhov took the Great Terror to a whole new level, reforming nKVD and extending terror in all areas of the country
3
Q
How did Stalin justify the terror?
A
- new doctrine - closer Russia came to communism, harder capitalists would fight
4
Q
When did the Doctrine become official Communist Party policy?
A
- at Central Committee meeting in March 1937
5
Q
What was ironic about the new Doctrine justifying terror?
A
within 3 months 70% of those present at meeting fallen victim to terror
6
Q
How did Yezhov make the NKVD more efficient?
A
- purged NKVD itself - agents loyal to Communist Party replaced with ones willing to torture Communist P. members
- 23,000 NKVD members executed
- Introduced conveyer belt system where agents worked in teams to torture suspects periodically until they confessed
- Collaboration with Stalin - set targets for number of arrests and executions to speed up terror
7
Q
In what ways was there terror outside Moscow?
A
- Workers imprisoned managers, put them on trial before factory, found them guilty before entire factory workforce
- NKVD targeted industrial managers & gov. administrators
- some apartment blocks became deserted - all arrested
- Kazan - local people put communist officials on trial for living luxurious lifestyles on public funds
- between 34-38 - 330,000 communist party members arrested and convicted
8
Q
When did the Great Terror come to an end?
A
middle of 1938
9
Q
What were the final 2 victims of terror?
A
- end of 1938 Yezhov himself arrested - executed 1940
- replaced as head of NKVD by Beria - masterminded murder of Trotsky
