What was The Great Purge?

The Great Purge, also known as the Great Terror or the Yezhovshchina, was a campaign of political repression and persecution which occurred in the Soviet Union 1936-1938, during the era of Joseph Stalin's rule. It was characterized by the widespread killing of the purported "enemies of the state" and resulted in the deaths of over 700,000 people. The Great Purge was carried out by the state-controlled secret police, the NKVD (People's Comissariat for Internal Affairs), and sanctioned by Stalin and other top leaders of the Soviet Union. Here is an overview of the key aspects of the Great Purge:

- Beginning: The Great Purge gained momentum in 1936 and intensified in 1937. It marked a significant escalation in Stalin's policies of political repression, which had already been underway in the Soviet Union.

- Objectives: Stalin's primary objective was to eliminate perceived threats to his power and consolidate control within the Communist Party and the country. He sought to purge the party and the government of political rivals, potential opposition, and anyone deemed a threat to his authority.

- Mass Arrests: The NKVD carried out mass arrests of suspected "enemies of the state." Arrests were made based on denunciations, fabricated evidence, and guilt by association. Individuals from various social backgrounds and professions were targeted, including party officials, government officials, military leaders, intellectuals, workers, and peasants.

- Show Trials: The Great Purge was marked by a series of public show trials, the most famous of which was the Moscow Trials. These trials were staged by the Soviet authorities to publicly denounce, discredit, and sentence prominent figures who had fallen out of Stalin's favor. Notable victims of these trials included Nikolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov, and Genrikh Yagoda, among others.

- Extrajudicial Executions and Prison Camps: Many of those arrested during the Great Purge were executed without fair trial. Others were sent to prison camps, most infamously the Gulag system. Labor camps were used as a tool of punishment and exploitation, where prisoners faced harsh conditions, overwork, malnutrition, and disease.

- Terror and Fear: The Great Purge created an atmosphere of pervasive fear and paranoia throughout the Soviet Union. People were terrified to speak out against the regime or to express views that might be interpreted as dissent. The mass arrests, show trials, and executions instilled a deep sense of insecurity and made it difficult for individuals to trust or confide in others.

- Ending: The Great Purge began to subside by the end of 1938, primarily as a result of the sheer depletion of the target population and the disruption caused by the massive repressions. However, it did not formally end until Stalin's death in 1953.

The Great Purge had a devastating impact on the lives and livelihoods of millions of Soviet citizens. It left a lasting legacy of trauma, mistrust, and oppression, shaping the course of Soviet history and society for generations.