Great Purges and Show Trials
Notes
-Stalin feared being overthrown or having a counter-revolution
-He formed a secret police called the NKVD to remove threats -Old heroes of the revolution or anyone with popular support charged with treason (seen as threats) - 1 in 5 officers of the army were executed -Often put on show trials, force(had to admit they had done it) |
Quote
‘A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic’.
-Stalin
-Stalin
Political Cartoon
Subjunctive Question
What would have happened had Stalin not killed the big threats? Would there have been an uprising (successful).
Interesting fact
At the end of Stalin’s purges some 20 million ordinary Russians were sentenced to the Gulag’s where many died in the extreme conditions.
Summary
Stalin feared being overthrown and would therefore kill anyone who would get in his way of ruling. Often, the people would have to be put on show trials, meaning that they had to admit they had committed the crime.