THE GREAT TERROR (1936-1938)

• Yagoda was replaced as head of NKVD by Yezhov.
• He was tried alongside Buckharin and Rykov in the final Moscow show Trial. 
• Stalin had never really truseted Yagoda, he thought his handling of the Kirov affair and the Trail of the Sixteen had not been handled firm enough. 
• He was sentenced to death following trial of the Twenty One. 

A NEW NKVD

• 1937 Stalin purged the NKVD itself. 
• Period of the purges were also known as YEZOVSHCHINA.
• Between 1934 and 1938 333,000 party members were being convicted as being enemies of the people. 
• 34,000 soldiers were purged from the army. 
• Many Russians would denounce their friends and neighbours to the NKVD.
• Yezhov resigned as head of NKVD in NOV 1938 and then two years laterwas arrested in April.
• Feb 1940 he was executed and replaced by BERIA. 
• An NKVD agent broke into Trotsky's house and killed him with an icepick.