What Was Joseph Stalin's Purge

Genocide is defined as the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation. By definition, Joseph Stalin accomplished this goal. Stalin led a period of extreme persecution and oppression in the 1930s. This period of time became known as the Great Purge. The purge “officially” lasted between 1936 and 1938. By examining the casualties, motive, and consequences, it is clear that he committed this act under fear of opposition. The purge began with the assassination of Sergei Kirov, which was believed to be an attack ordered by Stalin himself. Kirov was a faithful communist, but his popularity posed as a threat to Stalin’s consolidation of power. ( Hill, Laura. “Guided History.” The Great

The five year plan involved collectivization of wealthy peasant (Kulaks) and their land into collective farms. Many of the Kulaks were placed in labor camps or executed. Their farms were called “Kolkhoz” and functioned as a communes for peasants. Another purge emerged from the conflict, the purge within the red army. The red army was an army created by the Communist party after the Bolshevik revolution, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. Between twenty five and fifty percent of the Red Army Officer Corps. Were purged and stripped of their duties and expelled from the Party. Although, thirty percent of people expelled were allowed to return during World War II (Budanovic, Nikola. “Stalin 's Great Purge.” War History Online, 8 June 2017). In addition to the Red Army Purge, the purge of Intelligentsia also took place. In the 1920s and 30s, roughly two-thousand writers, intellectuals, and artists were imprisoned. Fifteen hundred died in prison and concentration

He appointed Lavrenti Beria as the head of the NKVD, who executed the previous members and claimed they were fascists responsible for the deaths of innocent civilians (Liao, Jim. “Revisiting Stalin 's Great Purge.” The Epoch Times, 14 Feb. 2017). The Great Purge had lasting effects on its victims. “Its psychic consequences among the survivors were long-lasting and incalculable” (“The Great Terror.” Seventeen Moments in Soviet History, 17 June 2017). According to History.com, Stalin persisted with his reign with a strong sense of paranoia. He died from a stroke in March of 1953. After his death, Russia went through a period of de-Stalinization. This period in the Soviet Union was carried out by Stalin’s successor, Nikita Khrushchev. These purges were responsible for the deaths of millions of Stalin’s