1 / 13

STALIN’S POLITICAL POLICIES

STALIN’S POLITICAL POLICIES. PURGES AND SHOW TRIALS 1934-1938. 1932 - signs of opposition 1932-34 – 22% party expelled (low level) 1934 – 17 th Party Congress NKVD replaces OGPU Kirov murdered 1935-36 – purges: 500,000 members expelled. 1936 – 1 st show trial Yezhov heads NKVD

kent
Télécharger la présentation

STALIN’S POLITICAL POLICIES

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. STALIN’S POLITICAL POLICIES PURGES AND SHOW TRIALS 1934-1938

  2. 1932- signs of opposition 1932-34 – 22% party expelled (low level) 1934 – 17th Party Congress NKVD replaces OGPU Kirov murdered 1935-36 – purges: 500,000 members expelled 1936 – 1st show trial Yezhov heads NKVD New Constitution! 1937 – 2nd Show Trial Purge of Red Army 1938 – 3rd Show Trial Beria heads NKVD 1939 – 18th Party Congress: purges over TIMELINE OF THE PURGES

  3. WHY DID HE CARRY OUT THE PURGES? • After an economic transformation of the Soviet Union, he now sought to transform the Communist Party • Purges were common: • During Lenin’s time • 1929 116,000 expelled for passivity • 1933 800,000 expelled • Shakhty Trial 1928 during FYP (engineers in coal mining town accused of sabotaging Soviet economy) • THEREFORE: the “Great Purge” was an extreme example BUT there were precedents.

  4. POSSIBLE MOTIVES • To rid party of “Trotskyites” “Zinovievites” am “Bukharinites” as agents of international capitalism (Official Party line) • Scapegoats for domestic problems (does NOT explain scale) • Growth of opposition with in the party to Stalin’s policies – protect own security and supremacy (Khrushchev)

  5. SERGEI KIROV • Head of Leningrad Communist Party • 17th Party Congress – emerges as a rival in power to Stalin • Opposed Stalin’s pace of industrialization, terror of the peasantry • Murdered Dec 1, 1934: shot in the neck in the corridor of his office • Murderer (Nikolayev) was caught, but many still debate Stalin’s role in the murder

  6. THE STAGES The Beginning 1934 • December 1934 assassination of Sergei Kirov (did Stalin order it?) Officially blamed on capitalists, rightists and Trotskyites (Deutscher claims Stalin was surprised) • Senior ranks mainly untouched, but thousands arrested • 14 men executed for the murder (minor figures) • New political org: Zhdanov replaces Kirov, Khrushchev head of Party in Moscow

  7. 1936-1937Trials of the 16 and 17 • August 1936: arrest and execution of Kamenev and Zinoviev and 14 others for plotting terrorist activities • January 1937: second trial of 17 communist leaders • Many Confessed (why??) • Tortured • Evidence faked • Confessed to protect family • Service to the Communist Party?

  8. 1937-1938: Yezhovshchina • September 1936: Greatest wave, triggered by acquittal of Bukharin and Ryokov • Trial of the 21 1938 (with Bukharin) • The “Great Terror” • Yagoda had been replaced by Yezhov as head of NKVD for not being active enough • Yezhov widened the terror: arrest list of 250,000 including musicians, writers, scientists, administrators, army, etc • As each were arrested, they would confess, implicating others, who would then be arrested.

  9. STRENGTHEN OR WEAKEN STALIN’S REGIME? • Stalin’s political position beyond challenge: no more venue of opposition • Soviet Communist Party was transformed – destroyed the revolutionary generation of Russian communists • 139 Central Committee members - 90 shot • 1,961 delegates – 1,108 arrested

  10. “a generation of officials replaced a generation of revolutionaries”

  11. Beyond the Party • Red Army purged • 3 out of 5 marshals died • 13 out of 15 commanders died • All 8 admirals executed • 90% generals, 80% colonels, 30,000 officers lost their posts (and often, lives) • Foreign relations: viewed as either a state full of treason, or a state led by a madman • Led to a siege mentality in Soviet society

  12. VICTIM #S • ARRESTS 7-8million • EXECUTIONS 1-1.5 million • CAMP POP. 7-8 million • DIED IN CAMPS 2 million • FAMINE (1932-33) 7 million • DEATHS (total 1929-1953) 20 million • Robert Conquest

  13. HISTORIANS DISAGREE • TOTALITARIAN VIEW (Top Down & intended): • Stalin as architect • Weapon to control party • Control populace • Stalin’s personality • Rid of old Bolsheviks • NKVD carried out orders • REVISIONIST VIEW: • Personality alone not enough (scale) • Stalin not have personal control • Soviet state was in chaos • Stalin did not have a masterplan • Not well organized • NKVD divided, some acted on own

More Related