Transcript Political Purges

Political Purges
Totalitarian State
In the 1930s the Soviet Union had many features
in common with Nazi Germany:
• Control through terror
• Secret police
• Labour camps
• Cult of the leader
• Education controlled by the state
• Propaganda and censorship
• State control of arts and sciences
• Only one political party.
Stalin maintained his powerful
position by:
• Control by Terror
• Control of Ideas.
The “Great Purges”, 1934-1938.
• During this period millions of Russians – in the
Communist party, the army, the arts and
sciences, and many other walks of life – were
arrested and either sent to Labour Camps, or
shot.
• A feature of the Purges was the Public Show
Trials, where old Bolsheviks confessed to crime
against the Soviet Union.
• Between 1936 and 1953 over 40,000,000
people were arrested.
• 24,000,000 were executed or died in
labour camps.
• By 1938 25,000 army officers had been
purged.
• Many of those “purged” were loyal
Communists with years of service to the
Party.
• Most were ordinary people
Effect of Purges
• By 1938, when Stalin relaxed his purges, there
were few people brave enough to speak against
him.
• He had stamped out opposition very effectively.
• He had also damaged Soviet industry and the
army.
• Scientists, politicians, administrators, engineers
and about two thirds of the Red Army’s officers
had been executed or sent to labour camps.