Stalin's Dictatorship - The Purges and Show Trials

Stalin's Dictatorship - The Purges and Show Trials

Purges

Murder of Kirov:

• In December 1934 Sergei Kirov, the leader of the Leningrad Communist Party, was murdered
• This was probably on Stalin's orders - he was popular and could've possibly been a future leader
• Government newspapers announced murder as part of a conspiracy to kill Stalin
• Stalin used this as an excuse to organise massive purges in which anyone who was suspected of disloyalty was murdered.

Other reasons:

• Stalin never felt secure
• He was aware that some Bolsheviks were cleverer than him
• Convenient way of excusing failure and setbacks
• Targets not met
• He was paranoid?/a sadist?/weak and influenced?/mad?
• It unified the country by appealing to nationalism and loyalty so people are behind government for when Russia is under threat
• Provides workforce for labour camps

Political purges:

• Communist leadership  - 93/139 of the central committee were killed
• Armed forces - 81/103 generals and admirals were executed
• Communist Party - about 1/3 of it's 3 million members were killed
• Photographs and history books were altered to eliminate the memory of people who'd been arrested

Armed forces purges:

• 1937 - Stalin turned his attention to the armed forces, he was scared because the leading officers could end his dictatorship
• Marshal Tukhachevsky and 7 other generals (experienced Red Army leaders) were secretly tried and executed
• 75/80 men on the supreme military council were executed
• All the ranks of the army were purged - 35000/70000 officers were shotor…