The Purges of the 1930s

The Purges under Stalin - 1930s

Purges describe the mass arrests, imprisonment and execution of political prisoners, dissidents or threats to Stalin in the USSR. By 1933, 18% of Communist party members had been expelled for disloyalty. The Great Purge (or Great Terror) was between 1936 and 1938.

The purges

The purges were used as a way to distract people from economic issues and challenges and to secure Stalin's position.
Executions were used to set an example to other potential dissenters (opponents of the regime) or threats to Stalin.
Purges helped to control communist party bosses in small towns, and to prevent corruption and disloyalty to the Party leadership (Stalin).
Explosions in the Keremovo mines in 1936 were blamed on enemies, rather than unsafe conditions.

Reason for the purges

Stalin wanted to deal with any potential internal opposition and strengthen his position.
Stalin was concerned about Hitler and Nazi Germany rearming in the second half of the 1930s.
The purges were a way for the Communists to forcibly take control across Russia. They did not have full control over all areas.
Thousands of powerful people in the Communist party and army were killed in the purges.

Show trials

'Show trials’ were an important part of the purges. They made examples of people who Stalin disapproved of.
Factory managers who were accused of 'wrecking' (acts against the state e.g giving wrong commands) were often put through show trials.
Factory managers resented extremely productive workers known as Stakhanovites, and were blamed alongside supposed ‘experts’ for economic failures.
Any people who were potential threats to Stalin's political power, like the 'Old Bolsheviks' were tried and executed.

The end of the ‘Old Bolsheviks’

The purges killed many of the 'Old Bolsheviks' like Kamenev and Zinoviev. These were the communists who had been in the party in the early days of the Russian revolution of 1917.
Executing or discrediting any rivals allowed Stalin to consolidate his position fully at the top of the Communist party.
Stalin was suspicious of the army's power so he tried to weaken it. There is no evidence of any plots against Stalin within the army, but 35,000 officers were still arrested between 1937 and 1938.

Kamenev and Zinoviev

Zinoviev and Kamenev were candidates to lead the Communist party after Lenin's death.
Kamenev and Zinoviev were executed in August 1936 after a show trial during the Great Purges. They were blamed for killing a Communist party official, Kirov and for attempting to kill Stalin. They reportedly pled guilty to avoid execution, but were executed anyway.
Kamenev's sons were executed in 1938 and 1939 and his wife was executed in 1941.
Kamenev & Zinoviev were cleared by the Soviet government in 1988.

The Great Terror, 1937-38

As many ‘experts’ were arrested and removed during the purges, the development of the Soviet Union was stunted.
As many as 8 million people were arrested during the Great Terror (1937-38). 1 million were shot. 2 million died in the labour camps. The numbers are still disputed by historians.
- The vast majority were, however, innocent of any crimes.

Kirov and Yagoda

Sergei Kirov, a Bolshevik party leader in Leningrad was killed in December 1934. This sparked mass arrests and repression increased after this. Some historians suggest that the murder was planned by Stalin/the state and was an excuse for the Great Purge.
Genrikh Yagoda, the head of the NKVD (Soviet intelligence agency), was executed in March 1938 for 'wrecking', Trotskyism and for failing to arrest enough ‘enemies of the people’. Yagoda had overseen the show trials and execution of Kamenev and Zinoviev.

Historical assessment

Sheila Fitzpatrick (1999) Terror was a 'systematic characterisation of Stalinism in the 1930s.'

The 'Show Trials' of 1936–1938

‘Show trials’ were used for high profile prisoners.

Public nature of the 'Show Trials'

Most ordinary people were not given the right to a trial. Show trials were for high profile Russians.
The script was written in advance for show trials and everyone knew what the outcome would be.
Films of the 1936-38 show trials were released around the world.

The most high-profile trials

Zinoviev and Kamenev’s trial took place in 1936.
They were made to confess to aiding the now-exiled Trotsky in terrorist activities.
Bukharin then received his show trial in 1938.
Stalin had fully eliminated all of his former rivals.

The outcome

People often confessed to crimes they had not committed in the hope of mercy, in an attempt to protect their loved ones and because of their fear of torture.
The show trials created the impression of the existence of a real threat to the USSR from internal enemies.
Many workers actually supported the show trials, because it gave them a way to denounce their bosses for personal reasons, and to get them fired or arrested as a result.

1Communist Government in the USSR, 1917-85

1.1Establishing Communist Party Control, 1917-24

1.1.1The Creation of a One-Party State

1.1.2Government under Lenin

1.1.3Centralisation of Power

1.1.4End of Topic Test - Establishing Control

1.1.5A-A* (AO3/4) - Establishing Control

1.2Stalin in Power, 1928-53

1.2.1The Elimination of Opponents

1.2.2The Purges of the 1930s

1.2.3End of Topic Test - The Elimination of Opponents

1.2.4Stalin's Power Over the Communist Party

1.2.5Stalin's Power During & After the Communist Party

1.2.6End of Topic Test - Power Over the Communist Party

1.2.7A-A* (AO3/4) - Stalin in Power

1.3Government, 1953-85

1.3.1Changes in Leaders' Control of the State

1.3.2Khrushchev's Attempts to Reform Government

1.3.3End of Topic Test - Government 1953-85

1.3.4Stability & Stagnation, 1964-85

1.3.5End of Topic Test - Stability & Stagnation

1.3.6A-A* (AO3/4) - Government 1953 - 85

2Industrial & Agricultural Changes

2.1Towards a Command Economy

2.1.1Nationalisation of Industry, Communism & the NEP

2.1.2End of Topic Test - Towards a Command Economy

2.2Industry & Agriculture in the Stalin Era

2.2.1Five Year Plans & Industrial Change

2.2.2Five Year Plans & Industrial Change 2

2.2.3End of Topic Test - Five Year Plans

2.2.4Agricultural Collectivisation & its Impact

2.2.5Recovery from War after 1945

2.2.6End of Topic Test - Collectivisation & Recovery

2.3Changes in Industry & Agriculture, 1953-85

2.3.1Light Industry, Chemicals & Consumer Goods

2.3.2Investment in Agriculture & Virgin Lands

2.3.3Attempts at Reform after 1964

2.3.4End of Topic Test - Industry & Agriculture

2.3.5A-A* (AO3/4) - Industry & Agriculture

3Control of the People, 1917-85

3.1Media, Propaganda & Religion

3.1.1State Control of Mass Media & Propaganda

3.1.2Attacks on Religious Beliefs & Practices

3.1.3Attacks on Religious Beliefs & Practices 2

3.1.4End of Topic Test - Media, Propaganda & Religion

3.1.5Cults: Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev

3.1.6A-A*/ - Media, Propaganda & Religion

3.2The Secret Police

3.2.1Attacks on Opponents of the Government

3.2.2The Roles of Yagoda, Yezhov & Beria

3.2.3Andropov & Late Opposition to Soviet Rule

3.2.4End of Topic Test - Secret Police

3.3The State & Cultural Change

3.3.1Proletkult, Avant-Garde & Socialist Realism

3.3.2Nonconformity from the 1950s

3.3.3End of Topic Test - State & Cultural Change

3.3.4A-A* (AO3/4) - Control of the People

4Social Developments, 1917-35

4.1Social Security

4.1.1Full Employment Benefits

4.1.2Housing & Social Benefits

4.1.3Khrushchev, Brezhnev & Stable Society

4.1.4End of Topic Test - Social Security

4.2Women & Family

4.2.1Changing Status of Different Groups

4.2.2Changing Attitudes to Family

4.2.3Changing Attitudes to Family 2

4.2.4End of Topic Test - Women & Family

4.3Education & Young People

4.3.1Growth of Primary, Secondary & Higher Education

4.3.2Reduction of Illiteracy

4.3.3State Control of the Curriculum

4.3.4End of Topic Test - Education & Young People

4.3.5A-A* (AO3/4) - Social Developments

5Historical Interpretations

5.1What Explains the Fall of the USSR, 1985-91?

5.1.1Economic Weakness

5.1.2Attempts at Economic Reform

5.1.3Failure To Reform The Communist Party & Soviet Gov

5.1.4Impact of Reforms

5.1.5End of Topic Test - Economic Reform

5.1.6Impact of the Nationalist Resurgence

5.1.7Impact of the Nationalist Resurgence 2

5.1.8End of the USSR

5.1.9Gorbachev & Yeltsin's Responsibility

5.1.10End of Topic Test - Nationalist Resurgence

5.1.11A-A* (AO3/4) - Explaining the Fall of the USSR

Jump to other topics