Timetable of Stalin's Purges

1932

Ryutin criticised Stalin - he issued a document to members of the Central Committee criticising Stalin for building a personal dictatorship and called him to be removed from power. Ryutin was sentenced to ten years hard labour.

1932-35

The Chistka - a new purge of Party Membership to speed up the economic policies (5 year plan and collectivisation) - by 1935 22% of party officials ignoring the same policies had been removed from their posts. It was essentially a non-violent process.

Jan-Feb 1934

17th Party Congress - (the congress of victors) met to celebrate success of the 5 year plans but instead Kirov (Leningrad Party Secretary) presented criticisms of the 5 years plans - he was greeted with a wave of enthusiasm. Delegates urge him to stand as General Secretary replacing Stalin. Kirov declined and reported the conversation to Stalin. The 17th congress has also been given the name The Congress of the Condemned because of 1996 party members present, 1108 were arrested and about 2/3 of them executed within 3 years.

1934

Murder of Kirov - assasinated by Nikolayev (after rumours of an affair with his wife). The murder was suspicious - why did the NKVD train nikolayev to fire a pistol? It is possible the murder was carried out under Stalin's orders.

Official explanation was that Kirov was murdered by Nikolayev - part of an opposition group led by Zinoviev and Kamenev. Both arrested and sent to trial.

1935-36

Impact of Kirov's murder - Kirov's murder set off a wave of denunciations and arrest of members and the Left Opposition. This led to a series of show trials.

August 1936

The Trial of the Sixteen - first show trial - purge of the Left, including Zinoviev and Kamenev - accused of working for Trotsky - confessed to crimes, including the murder of Kirov (despite their innocence). Both were executed. They were labelled the 'Trotskyite - Zinovievite - Leftist Counter Revolutionary Bloc'

1937

The Trial of the Seventeen - purge of Party Officials ex. Karl Radek and Georgy Pyatakov. Their real crime was tp criticise the 5 year plans but they were accused of working for Trotsky and foreign governments (ex. Nazi Germany) to undermine Soviet economy through sabotage. They were labelled the 'Anti-Soviet Trotskyite Centre'.

1937-38

The Purge of the Army - it was essential that the army remained loyal. They had been critical of collectivisation as peasantry made up the bulk of the armed forces.

May 1937 - it was stated that a gigantic conspiracy had been uncovered in the Red Army. The Chief of General Staff was arrested along with seven other generals. A major urge of the armed forces followed. 14 out of 16 army commanders and 35,000 officers shot or imprisoned. The navy lost all its admirals. The men accused of having spied for Germany and Japan were tried in secret. All were shot.

1938

The Trial of the Twenty one - purge of the Right. Bukharin and Rykov and 18 others were accused of forming a Trotskyite-Rightist Bloc involving sabotage, spying and conspiracy to murder Stalin. They confessed and were sentenced to be shot.

1936-38

The purge of the secret police - To ensure that the Secret Police posed no threat to Stalin, the purgers were themselves purged. 1936 - Yagoda (head of NKVD) replaced by Nikola Yezhov known as the Bloody Dwarf.

Yezhov purged 3000 of his own personnel in 6 months as head of the Secret Police - this was called Yezhovschina. It came to an end when he was dismissed in 1938 - Stalin needed a scapegoat for the excesses of the purges.

1939

Stalin declares end to mass purges.

1940

Trotsky murdered with an ice pick in Mexico.