{"id":2170,"date":"2013-02-04T17:06:15","date_gmt":"2013-02-04T21:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/guidedhistory\/?page_id=2170"},"modified":"2013-05-02T16:37:58","modified_gmt":"2013-05-02T20:37:58","slug":"laura-hill","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/guidedhistory\/moderneurope\/laura-hill\/","title":{"rendered":"The Great Purge of Stalinist Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Compiled by Laura Hill
\nHI102 The Emergence of Modern Europe
\nSpring ’13<\/p>\n

<\/a>

Stalin and Yezhov<\/p><\/div>\n

picture via Wikipedia<\/h6>\n

 <\/p>\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n

The Great Purge, also known as the Great Terror, marks a period of extreme persecution and oppression in the Soviet Union during the late 1930s.\u00a0 While previous purges under Stalin involved the persecutions of kulaks (wealthy peasants), Nepmen (people who engaged in private enterprise during the New Economic Policy of the 1920s), clergymen, and former oppositionists, the Great Purge is characterized by imprisonments and executions not only of these usual suspects but of Communists leaders and party members, members of the Red Army, and the Intelligentsia in great numbers.\u00a0 The Great Purge instituted a new type of terror in which the boundaries of those oppressed were practically nonexistent \u2013 any stain on the record, including mere association with a perceived enemy, brought one under suspicion of the NKVD, the Soviet secret police.\u00a0 So-called enemies of the people were charged with treason, wrecking, espionage and more.\u00a0 There were strong anti-elitist attitudes and persecution against those who practiced favoritism, bullied subordinates, developed their own \u201ccults of personality,\u201d and inappropriately used state funds.<\/p>\n

The Great Purge began with the assassination of Sergei Kirov, whose 1935 murder by Leonid Nikolayev is suspected to have been ordered by Stalin.\u00a0 Kirov, though a faithful Communist, had a certain popularity in the party that threatened Stalin\u2019s consolidation of power.\u00a0 Kirov\u2019s death triggered three important, widely publicized\u00a0show trials of prominent former\u00a0 Bolsheviks in Moscow and ultimately fostered the climate of terror during the Great Purge.\u00a0 The party began purging itself of undesirables as tension and suspicion mounted rapidly.\u00a0 It has since been determined that Denunciation of enemies was encouraged and surveillance was tightened.\u00a0 Hundreds of thousands were executed or died in Gulag during this period of oppression.\u00a0 In the summer of 1938 Nikoli Yezhov was released as head of the NKVD as the excesses of the Purge were being realized and coming to an end, but many in Gulag were not released until the end of Stalin\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

Historical Context<\/h2>\n

Robert, Conquest. The Great Terror: A Reassessment<\/em>. New York City: Oxford University Press, 2007.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This book updates the information supplied by Conquest’s previous The Great Terror: Stalin’s Purge of the Thirties<\/em>, which first made comprehensive information about the\u00a0 Purge accessible to the public due, to new information being provided Glasnost policy in the 1980s which allowed greater freedom of information and the opening of\u00a0 the Soviet archives. There exists some discrepancy among historians as to the exact death toll (Conquest puts it at 20 million, which some claim is much higher than the actual number), but his work remains the most comprehensive assessment of the Great Purge to date.<\/p>\n

Hiroaki, Kuromiya. The Voices of the Dead: Stalin’s Great Terror in the 1930s<\/em>. New Haven: Tale University Press, 2007.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This book reconstructs the lives of some of the hundreds of thousands who were killed during Stalin’s Purge through information provided by the declassified Soviet archives. It details the lives of Vera Emel’ianovna Goroshko, who was executed for her romantic involvement with a Polish diplomat; Sigizmund Karlovich Kvasnevskii, who despite his efforts to elude arrest by cooperating as a police informant, was tried for espionage and executed; Marina Vladislvovna Al’bova who was shot without any evidence presented against her; and many more haunting tales. Kuromiya gives faces and names to statistics, humanizing those who were tragically affected by the Purge.\u00a0 She opens her work with “The dead cannot speak. Can one retrieve their voices?”<\/p>\n

Fitzpatrick, Sheila. Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s<\/i>. New York City: Oxford University Press, 2000.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fitzpatrick\u2019s book outlines the impact that Stalinism imposed on everyday life throughout the 1930s.\u00a0\u00a0 The final chapter deals specifically with the Great Purge and the unique effects this oppression had on Soviet society in everyday dealings.\u00a0 She describes how everyday behaviors came under suspect, fostering a climate of suspicion and fear.\u00a0 The book is filled with excerpts from memoirs and diaries that provide a base for further research on the topic.<\/div>\n
<\/strong><\/div>\n
Charter of the Cyber-USSR, “Flattering Soviet Cartoon of N.I. Yezhov.” Accessed May 2, 2013. http:\/\/www.cyberussr.com\/rus\/ye-ctn.html. <\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The following picture shows Nikolai Ivanovich Yezhov, head of the NKVD during much of the Great Purge, crushing a reptilian creature with three humand heads and a Swastika tail, “enemies” of the Soviet Union.\u00a0 His period as head of the NKVD is sometimes called “Yezhovshchina,” or “the Yezhov era.”<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/a>

"Yezhov, Gloves of Steel"<\/p><\/div>\n

Lebedev-Kumach, Vas. Music Index for the Cyber-USSR, “Pesnya Bojcov NKVD (Song of the NKVD Fighting-men).” Accessed May 2, 2013. http:\/\/www.cyberussr.com\/rus\/sg-dir.html<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The following lyrics from an issue of Pravda<\/em> in 1937 is an example of the propaganda the Communist party employed during the Great Purge.\u00a0 It glorifies the “fighting men” of the NKVD in their heroic journey to “defend our Soviet country in the Yezhov manner.”<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n<\/tr>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
PESNYA BOJCOV NKVD<\/td>\nSONG OF THE NKVD FIGHTING-MEN<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
—<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nam respublika velela<\/td>\nThe republic told us<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ne smykat’ orlinyx glaz.<\/td>\nNot to close our eagle eyes.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
My — bojcy Narkomvnudela<\/td>\nWe are the fighting men of the NKVD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pomnim rodiny prikaz.<\/td>\nWe remember the Motherland’s command.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
My ot chernoj sily vrazh’ej<\/td>\nWe defend our country<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Berezhem stranu svoyu.<\/td>\nfrom the dark power of the enemy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dnem i noch’yu — my na strazhe,<\/td>\nDay and night, we are on guard,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dnem i noch’yu — my v boyu.<\/td>\nDay and night, we are in battle.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pripev:<\/i><\/td>\nRefrain:<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vrag — umen, my umnej,<\/td>\nThe enemy is smart, we are smarter,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vrag — silen, my sil’nej,–<\/td>\nThe enemy is strong, we are stronger,–<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ves’ sovetskij narod nam pomozhet<\/td>\nThe entire Soviet people helps us<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vrazh’i kogti srubit’,<\/td>\nTo chop the enemy’s claws,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vrazh’i zuby spilit’,<\/td>\nTo cut down the enemy’s teeth,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vrazh’i gnezda ognem unichtozhit’!<\/td>\nTo destroy the nests of the enemy with fire!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
–<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Budut slavoyu svetit’sya<\/td>\nThe firm letters Ch.K.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bukvy tverdye CheKa.<\/td>\nwill shine with glory.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Znamya gordoe chekistov<\/td>\nA strong hand will hold<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Derzhit krepkaya ruka.<\/td>\nThe proud banner of the Chekists.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
My Dzerzhinskogo zavety<\/td>\nWe will hold Dzerzhinsky’s precepts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
V serdce plamennom xranim,<\/td>\nin our flaming heart,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
My svoyu stranu Sovetov<\/td>\nWe will defend our Soviet country<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Po-ezhovski storozhim.<\/td>\nIn the Yezhov manner.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
[Pripev]<\/i><\/td>\n[Refrain]<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
–<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
E^j,
\nvragi! V lichinax novyx<\/td>\n		Hey, enemies! You can’t hide<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vam ne spryatat’ zlobnyx lic,<\/td>\nYour malicious faces in new masks,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ne ujti vam ot surovyx<\/td>\nYou cannot escape from our stern<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ot ezhovyx rukavic!<\/td>\nEzhov grip of steel!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ne prolezt’ polzuchim gadam<\/td>\nCrawling reptiles cannot slither<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
K serdcu rodiny tajkom, —<\/td>\nStealthily to the heart of the Motherland, —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vsex otkroet zorkim vzglyadom<\/td>\nOur untiring people’s commissar<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nash nedremlyushchij narkom.<\/td>\ndiscovers all with a sharp-eyed glance.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
[Pripev]<\/i><\/td>\n[Refrain]<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
–<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
My — zashchita millionov,<\/td>\nWe are the defense of millions,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
My — zashchita vsej strany<\/td>\nWe are the defense of the whole country<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ot predatelej, shpionov,<\/td>\nFrom traitors, spies,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Podzhigatelej voiny.<\/td>\nInciters of war.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Diversantam — net poshchady!<\/td>\nTo saboteurs, no mercy!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nash otryad — nepobedim, —<\/td>\nOur unit is unconquerable, —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Krov’ po
\nkaple, esli nado,<\/td>\n		If necessary, we will give our blood<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
My narodu otdadim!<\/td>\nDrop by drop to the people!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
[Pripev]<\/i><\/td>\n[Refrain]<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
–<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
[Povtorenie nachala]<\/i><\/td>\n[Repetition of the beginning]<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nam respublika velela<\/td>\nThe republic told us<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ne smykat’ orlinyx glaz.<\/td>\nNot to close our eagle eyes.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
My — bojcy Narkomvnudela<\/td>\nWe are the fighting men of the NKVD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pomnim rodiny prikaz.<\/td>\nWe remember the Motherland’s command.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
My ot chernoj sily vrazh’ej<\/td>\nWe defend our country<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Berezhem stranu svoyu.<\/td>\nfrom the dark power of the enemy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dnem i noch’yu — my na strazhe,<\/td>\nDay and night, we are on guard,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dnem i noch’yu — my v boyu.<\/td>\nDay and night, we are in battle.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pripev:<\/i><\/td>\nRefrain:<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vrag — umen, my umnej,<\/td>\nThe enemy is smart, we are smarter,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vrag — silen, my sil’nej,–<\/td>\nThe enemy is strong, we are stronger,–<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ves’ sovetskij narod nam pomozhet<\/td>\nThe entire Soviet people helps us<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vrazh’i kogti srubit’,<\/td>\nTo chop the enemy’s claws,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vrazh’i zuby spilit’,<\/td>\nTo cut down the enemy’s teeth,<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Vrazh’i gnezda ognem unichtozhit’!<\/td>\nTo destroy the nests of the enemy with fire!<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
— Vas. LEBEDEV-KUMACH.<\/b><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Kirov Murder and the Moscow Show Trials<\/h2>\n

Lenoe, Matthew E. The Kirov Murder and Soviet History<\/em>. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010. <\/strong><\/p>\n

This book by historian Matthew Lenoe assembles multiple investigations and official documents of the Kirov murder, which set the Great Purge in motion.\u00a0 This massive assemblage reexamines Stalin’s role in the famous assassination.<\/p>\n

Conquest, Robert. Stalin and the Kirov Murder<\/em>. New York City: Oxford University Press, 2010. <\/strong><\/p>\n

This book also by Robert Conquest, author of The Great Terror: A Reassessment<\/em>, was the first comprehensive examination of the role Stalin played in the Kirov murder.\u00a0 It not nearly as extensive as Lenoe’s work on the subject, but it provides clear and concise information about the case and Stalin’s part in the matter.\u00a0 It is an excellent source for basic background information on the subject.<\/p>\n

Library of Congress, “Revelations from the Russian Archives: Repression and Terror: Kirov Murder and Purges.” Last modified July 22, 2010. Accessed May 2, 2013. http:\/\/www.loc.gov\/exhibits\/archives\/repk.html<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Nikolai Bukharin, member of the Soviet politburo and Central Commitee and editor-in-chief of Pravda <\/em>newspaper was the central victim of the Moscow show trials.\u00a0 A former supporter of Stalin’s Bukharin came to oppose the excesses of his leadership and was arrested for the murder of Kirov.\u00a0 The following transcript involves Bukharin defending his allegiance to the Soviet cause and his condemnation of terror.<\/p>\n

GRIGOR’EVA-KHATUNTSEV, Nikitina<\/em>
\n[stenographer]<\/em>
\n …<\/em>
\n BUKHARIN.\u00a0 Let me relate to you how I explained this matter.<\/em>
\nComrade Mikoian says the following:\u00a0 On the most basic question,<\/em>
\nhe, Bukharin, has differences of opinion with the party: In<\/em>
\nessence, he stuck to his old positions.\u00a0 This is untrue.\u00a0 In no way<\/em>
\nhave I stuck to my previous positions — not on industrialization,<\/em>
\nnot on collectivization, [and] not on village restructuring in<\/em>
\ngeneral.\u00a0 But with regards to stimuli in agriculture, this question<\/em>
\nwas not clear to me until the matter came round to the legislation<\/em>
\non Soviet trade.\u00a0 I consider the entire problem, as a whole, was<\/em>
\nresolved after the introduction of laws on Soviet trade.\u00a0 Prior to<\/em>
\nthis, this problem, very important but not all-embracing, was not<\/em>
\nclear to me.\u00a0 When this matter became pertinent to product turnover<\/em>
\nin [illegible] and Soviet….<\/em><\/p>\n

[intervening pages of transcript missing]<\/em><\/p>\n

KHATUNTSEV-VASIL’EVA, F-va<\/em>
\n[stenographer]<\/em><\/p>\n

I would like to make one more remark.\u00a0 Apparently Mikoian has<\/em>
\nsaid: How, then, are you not responsible, as you say, for<\/em>
\n[illegible] this whole “school” sits?\u00a0 I do bear responsibility for<\/em>
\nthis.\u00a0 But the question involves the degree of responsibility; it<\/em>
\nis a matter of the quality of this responsibility.\u00a0 During the<\/em>
\nprocess of confrontation [and cross-examination], I told Kaganovich<\/em>
\nthat I am responsible for the death of Tomskii because, in 1928-29,<\/em>
\nhad I not headed up groups of rightists, it is possible that<\/em>
\nTomskii’s fate might also have been different.\u00a0 I bear<\/em>
\nresponsibility for this fact.\u00a0 However, it is necessary to<\/em>
\nestablish the degree and nature of this responsibility. <\/em>
\nResponsibility for what transpired with these youth over an<\/em>
\nindefinite number of years qualitatively and quantitatively differs<\/em>
\nfrom, let’s say, the responsibility of a person who orders another<\/em>
\nperson to do something and that person carries out the order.\u00a0 I am<\/em>
\nnot shifting responsibility from myself; more than anyone else, I<\/em>
\naccept the gravity of this responsibility.\u00a0 However, I would like<\/em>
\nto say that the measure of responsibility, the characterization of<\/em>
\nthis responsibility, is absolutely specific in nature, and it<\/em>
\nshould be expressed as I have expressed it here.<\/em>
\n [intervening pages of transcript missing]<\/em><\/p>\n

[…] two people?\u00a0 This is an obvious lie.\u00a0 How could Kulikov offer<\/em>
\ntwo versions in answer to this absolutely and exceptionally<\/em>
\nterrible question?\u00a0 How could Sokol’nikov advance two ideas at the<\/em>
\nsame time?<\/em><\/p>\n

(VOICE:\u00a0 Rozit, Slepkov, and others mention this). <\/em><\/p>\n

BUKHARIN:\u00a0 In what regard about this?\u00a0 If one speaks<\/em>
\n“generally” in this way, nothing at all is said: It is the same as<\/em>
\nwhen a student is asked where Moscow is on the map, and he<\/em>
\nimmediately covers the whole map with the palm of his hand.<\/em><\/p>\n

Regarding the Riutinskii platform.\u00a0 It was presented by Ezhov<\/em>
\nas one of the top-priority issues requiring deliberation.\u00a0 This is<\/em>
\nvery understandable from the point of view of constructing an<\/em>
\nindictment.\u00a0 The Riutinskii platform (if you could prove that I<\/em>
\nhave any connection to it) would be a real treasure, because of its<\/em>
\nconcern with the most crucial moments in the struggle with Soviet<\/em>
\npower, its concern with terror, and [illegible], etc., etc.\u00a0 I<\/em>
\nstudied the vast number of pages of [material?] especially from the<\/em>
\nangle of the Riutinskii platform.\u00a0 Nonetheless, I feel that it is<\/em>
\nnecessary here to look closely at this matter which, after all, is<\/em>
\nin testimony.\u00a0 Astrov testifies that the authors were Rykov […]<\/em><\/p>\n

[intervening pages of transcript missing]<\/em><\/p>\n

[…] Errio did not see; it is even there, they say, that I<\/em>
\nmaintained contact with Skrypnik (for a right-wing deviation, I<\/em>
\nwould have to be linked to the positions of Skrypnik); it has been<\/em>
\nestablished, they say, that I stand for a democratic republic and,<\/em>
\nat the same time, it is known that I spoke about it, let’s say, at<\/em>
\nan assembly, and a whole series of other things.\u00a0 I cannot answer<\/em>
\nall these questions separately, since it would require too much<\/em>
\ntime, so I’ll take only the fundamental ones.<\/em><\/p>\n

I’d like to say a few words about terror.\u00a0 Comrades, the<\/em><\/strong>
\n question of membership in the party seems to me simply to be naive: <\/em><\/strong>
\n if a person takes the terrorist point of view against the<\/em><\/strong>
\n leadership of the party, then the question as to whether he may be<\/em><\/strong>
\n a party member is a naive question.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I have absolutely no relationship with terror, not by a single<\/em><\/strong>
\n word or thought.\u00a0 When I hear these things, it seems to me that the<\/em><\/strong>
\n conversation concerns other people; perhaps I am sitting here and<\/em><\/strong>
\n hearing about another person.\u00a0 I do not understand how I can be<\/em><\/strong>
\n charged with such an accusation; to me this is absolutely<\/em><\/strong>
\n incomprehensible [and] I look on this as “a sheep looking at new<\/em><\/strong>
\n gates” [i.e., I feel totally lost in foreign territory].<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

POZERN:\u00a0 These are not “new gates”–that’s the problem.<\/em><\/p>\n

BUKHARIN:\u00a0 To your way of thinking, perhaps they are not new<\/em>
\ngates, but then I’m not a sheep either.[intervening pages of transcript missing]<\/em><\/p>\n

ALTAEVA-PRIGORNAIA, Petrakova.<\/em>
\n[stenographer]<\/em><\/p>\n

STALIN:\u00a0 You should not and do not have the right to slander<\/em>
\nyourself. This is a most criminal thing.<\/em><\/p>\n

MOLOTOV:\u00a0 That which you have stated concerning the famine is<\/em>
\nsimply an anti-Soviet thing.<\/em><\/p>\n

VOICES FROM THE ROOM:\u00a0 A counterrevolutionary thing!<\/em><\/p>\n

STALIN:\u00a0 You must come around to our position.\u00a0 Trotskii with<\/em>
\nhis disciples, Zinov’ev and Kamenev, at one time worked with Lenin,<\/em>
\nand now these people have negotiated an agreement with Hitler.<\/em>
\nAfter this, can we label such things as shocking?\u00a0 Absolutely not. <\/em>
\nAfter everything that has happened to these gentlemen, former<\/em>
\ncomrades, who have negotiated an agreement with Hitler, a sellout<\/em>
\nof the USSR, there is nothing surprising in human affairs. <\/em>
\nEverything has to be proven and not [just] replied to using<\/em>
\nexclamation points and question marks.<\/em><\/p>\n

MOLOTOV: And anti-Soviet matters should not be engaged in.<\/em><\/p>\n

MOLOTOV: Let us call a recess, comrades.<\/em><\/p>\n

“Footage from Infamous Moscow show trial ”\u00a0Posted June 28 2009. Web, http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nFB9G1HINXI&feature=player_detailpage<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The following clip shows footage from one of the Moscow trials, including the indictment and public reaction to the convictions.\u00a0 Head prosecutor Andrey Vyshinsky\u00a0references a “fifth column” of enemies, traitors, and spies that seek to undermine the Soviet Union and that must be crushed.\u00a0 He says,
\n“let the verdict be heard like thunder, like a fresh, purifying thunder storm of Soviet justice.”<\/p>\n