How Stalin Gained Control of the Party and USSR The Great Purges 1934-1938

What does it mean to ‘purge’ something? To remove an undesirable group of people (from an organisation or place) in an abrupt or violent way

Why did Stalin feel he needed to purge the Party? In the 1930’s discontent with the way in which the policies of collectivisation and industrialisation was increasing Many of the older Bolsheviks were horrified at the treatment of the peasants There were rumours of replacing Stalin with another member of the party Kirov was a popular alternative Some Party members were calling for Trotsky to be reinstated Stalin was becoming ever more paranoid and believed that a conspiracy to murder him was developing He also believed that he was the only one who could modernise the USSR

Kirov’s murder At the Seventeenth Party Congress (1934), Kirov received more applause than Stalin He had spoken in favour of the peasants and suggested that the modernisation of the USSR should be slowed down A few days after the Congress, Kirov was murdered outside of his office in Leningrad Stalin used Kirov’s murder to launch a campaign against, what he believed to be, a conspiracy to murder him and bring down the party No-one knows the real circumstances surrounding Kirov’s murder

Who did Stalin Purge? Members of the Party, who had actively involved in the November Revolution Bukharin, Zinoviev, Rykov, Kamenev and Trotsky (assassinated in 1940, whilst he was living in Mexico) The NKVD (Secret Police) The Armed Forces Especially the ‘Heroes of the Civil War’ Why, in hindsight, was this a foolish idea? Anyone else who opposed his rule

Timeline 1924: Lenin Died 1929: Stalin becomes undisputed leader 1930: Collectivisation 1928: First Five-Year Plan 1934: Murder of Kirov 1934: Beginning of the Purges 1936: First Show Trial 1937: Second Show Trial 1938: Third Show Trial 1937: Purge of the Army 1938: End of the Purges 1941: Entry into WWII

The Show Trials During the Purges, there were three show trials These were trials which were broadcasted over radio and it was often leading members of the Party on trial, accused of treason against the state and plotting to kill Stalin All those on trial confessed to the crimes The first to go on trial were Kamenev and Zinoviev, accused of Kirov’s murder and conspiring to remove Stalin Stalin had previously allied himself with them to remove Trotsky from the leadership contest The second involved senior party members who were accused of trying to sabotage industrialisation

The third was the final, great show trial Bukharin, Rykov and Yagoda (head of the secret police) were placed on trial Stalin believed that it was too dangerous to have Bukharin around because he had been with the party throughout the revolutionary days and therefore he knew the truth

Human cost and consequences Families were torn apart as they were encouraged to denounce each other One boy, aged 14, turned his father over to the NKVD The rest of his family stabbed him to death later Ordinary people lived in constant fear Some had bags packed just in case the NKVD came to pick them up at night None of the original Bolsheviks who participated in the Revolution were alive by 1938 Save Stalin

The Russian Army was devastated 90% of the generals had been purged Stalin now had complete control of the Party and the State He was the undisputed leader Soviet historians estimate that 20 million Russians were transported to labour camps by 1939 This figure includes those deported as a result of collectivisation

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