Kirov's Murder

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  • Kirov's Murder
    • Circumstance of the murder
      • 1st December 1934
      • Just after 4pm
      • In the party headquarters, Leningrad
      • Passed murderer in corridor...
        • ...emerged from shadow...
          • ...shot him in the neck
    • Murderer
      • Leonid Nikolayev
      • Aged 30
      • Member of communist party from 1920-1934
    • Coincidences?
      • Kirov went to office alone, left bodyguard downstairs
      • Guards absent from corridors
      • Murderer
        • hated party bureaucracy, didn't recognise him
        • Diary in briefcase sowed murder was planned
        • expelled from party March 1934, later reinstated
        • Prior to murder arrested twice in Kirov's neighbourhood
    • Evidence Stalin Linked
      • Kirov received support at 17th party congress
      • More people voted for him than Stalin
      • He opposed Stalin over the Ryutin affair (1932) and pace of industrialization
      • By summer 1934 Kirov and Stalin fell out over number of issues
      • Stalin refused to remove personnel
      • Stalin interrogated Nikolayev
      • First arrests by Stalin's instruction
    • Evidence NKVD linked
      • Zaporozhets brought personnel in key positions without Medved's permission
      • Medved and Kirov wanted them removed, Kirov asked Stalin
      • Zaporozhets previously worked with Yagoda
      • Zaporozhets released him after being arrested
      • Nikolayev pointed to them
      • Key witness, Borisov, bodyguard killed on the way to be questioned
        • In truck with NKVD men
      • Kirov wanted to reduce their power
        • Less terror

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