The Purges Flashcards
What were the purges?
The continuation of bolshevik use of violence to eliminate opposition
What happened in 1931?
Ex Mensheviks shot as ‘wreckers
What happened in 1933?
18% of party members expelled as unsuitable or disloyal
What happened in 1934
Kirov murdered
What happened in 1936
First show trials:16 senior party members, including Kamanev and Zinoviev
What happened in 1937
Show trial of 17 more senior party members: all were found guilty and the NKVD began mass arrests
Kirov’s assassination
By the 1930s, the party started to criticise stalin even his closest ally Kirov, called for a policy change
Stalin suspected Kirov wanted to take leadership from him so he was assassinated in december 1934.
Stalin blamed the death on Trotsky
What were the economic reasons for the purges
Accidents and economic underperformance blamed on imaginary workers
What were the reasons for the purges
STalins fear of Kirov
What were the reasons for the purges
Following lenins exaple
The red terror
What were the reasons for the purges
Stalin’s paranoia
He made it to the top but then became paranoid about any possible rivals
What were the nature of the purges
Attack on the party and government-After the purge of Kirov, arrests focused on party members and government staff accused of not following orders
Forced confessions-They were beaten until they wrongly confessed to a crime
Use of gulags:It was a state system of labour camps by 1941 there were 8 million in the camp
What were the consequences of the purges?
Stalin’s dominance=the purges terrified everyone into obediance
Old Leninist’s destroyed-The bolsheviks who built the communist party with Lenin had all died.no one now could challenge stalin
Chaosin government and ecobomy:The loss os many experienced managers,admin and specialists left the country with serious shoated=ges of skill
Weakened armed forces-The purges killed most of stalins experienced soldiers
