3.1.2
NKVD
Test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
The NKVD (Secret Police)
In 1934, the OGPU was reorganized to create a new secret police force known as the NKVD. The job of the NKVD was to continue to stamp out any opposition to communist rule.
Enemies of the people
- A common crime pursued by the NKVD was being an ‘enemy of the people’.
- Such crimes were tried by 3-person troikas of NKVD officers, often on the basis of minimal evidence.
- People were tried for contact with foreigners, not cutting pictures of Trotsky from textbooks.
Techniques
- The NKVD used extreme techniques, including mass arrests, forced confessions, and informants. Many political prisoners were executed.
- From 1935, the NKVD had quotas for how many arrests it needed to make.
- This meant that citizens were often arrested for no crime at all.
The GULAGS
- A system of camps, known as ‘GULAGS’ were set up. They housed 8 million prisoners by 1941.
- Many were political prisoners, but there were also peasants, workers convicted of wrecking (disrupting factory work) and those who had been arrested just to meet quotas.
- The GULAGS provided huge amounts of slave labour for industry and the railroads. They were particularly prevalent in the east, particularly in Siberia.
1The Leadership Struggle, 1924-1929
1.1Struggle for Power 1924-28
2Five Year Plans & Collectivisation
2.1Changes in Industry
2.2Agriculture & Collectivisation
3Purges, Show Trials & The Cult of Stalin
3.1The Use of Terror in the 1930s
3.2Propaganda & Censorship
4Life in the Soviet Union, 1924-1941
4.1Life in the Soviet Union
5The Second World War, 1941-1953
5.1USSR in the War
5.2Stalin & WW2
5.3Post-War Recovery
Jump to other topics
1The Leadership Struggle, 1924-1929
1.1Struggle for Power 1924-28
2Five Year Plans & Collectivisation
2.1Changes in Industry
2.2Agriculture & Collectivisation
3Purges, Show Trials & The Cult of Stalin
3.1The Use of Terror in the 1930s
3.2Propaganda & Censorship
4Life in the Soviet Union, 1924-1941
4.1Life in the Soviet Union
5The Second World War, 1941-1953
5.1USSR in the War
5.2Stalin & WW2
5.3Post-War Recovery
Practice questions on NKVD
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1What was the name of the secret police in Russia after 1934?Multiple choice
- 2
- 3What was 'wrecking'?Multiple choice
Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium
Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions
Mini-mock exams based on your study history
Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books