Stalin and Purges

A: Plan of the Investigation

How were the Purges of 1934-1938 successful in helping Stalin maintain his autocratic power?
The aim of this investigation is to assess how the purges of 1934-38 helped Stalin preserve his power in the Soviet Union. In order to evaluate this, the investigation assesses Stalin’s role in relation to the purges, as well as their purpose. An analysis of this should indicate the extent to which the purges were successful, and their contribution to Stalin’s power. In the section entitled Evaluation of Sources, two sources used for this investigation (The Great Terror: A Reassessment, and Origins of the great purges: the Soviet Communist Party reconsidered, 1933-1938) are evaluated according to their values, limitations, origins, and purposes.
The investigation does not assess other tools Stalin used to maintain power, such as the Constitution of 1936, nor does it centre on the time period before 1934, but is focused to only the purges.

B: Summary of Evidence

Although Stalin had been able to defeat the Left, the United, and the Right Opposition by 1929 and become sole leader; dissent still existed in the Communist Party[1]. Despite the fact that any opposition was not open, Stalin feared losing power, and felt drastic action was required to maintain power (the purges)[2]. Up until 1934, Stalin was mainly in a state of unrest, and hints of what would later be the purges began. December 1st 1934 marked the assassination of S. M. Kirov outside of his office in the Smolny Institute[3]. Although Nikolaev, a party member shot Kirov, it is believed that Stalin was behind the murder. Nevertheless, the death of Kirov proved to be Stalin’s scapegoat for rushing out a new (unsigned) decree ordering the death sentence on anyone accused of a terrorist act (specifically involved in the alleged plot to overthrow Stalin and the rule of the Communist Party, which had links with Trotsky)[4]. Through the decree, the NKVD (communist

Bibliography: Conquest Robert. The Great Terror: a reassessment. Edmonton: The University of Alberta Press, 1990. DeJonge Alex. Stalin and the shaping of the Soviet Union. Glasgow: William Collins Sons and Co. Ltd., 1984. McNeal Robert. Stalin: Man and Ruler. New York: New York University Press, 1988. Payne Robert. The Rise and Fall of Stalin. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1965. Shukman, Harold. Stalin. Gloucestershire: Suttons Publishing Ltd., 1999. Todd Allan. The European Dictatorships: Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002. [3] DeJonge Alex. Stalin and the shaping of the Soviet Union. (Glasgow: William Collins Sons and Co. Ltd., 1984). Pp 315. [4] Shukman, Harold. Stalin. Gloucestershire: Suttons Publishing Ltd., 1999). Pp81. [7] Shukman, Harold. Stalin. Gloucestershire: Suttons Publishing Ltd., 1999). Pp81 [8] IBID [9] DeJonge Alex. Stalin and the shaping of the Soviet Union. (Glasgow: William Collins Sons and Co. Ltd., 1984). Pp 333. [10] Todd Allan. The European Dictatorships: Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002). Pp 87. [13] Todd Allan. The European Dictatorships: Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002). Pp 88. [14] Conquest Robert. The Great Terror: a reassessment. (Edmonton: The University of Alberta Press, 1990). Pp 195. [15] Todd Allan. The European Dictatorships: Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002). Pp 89. [16] Shukman, Harold. Stalin. Gloucestershire: Suttons Publishing Ltd., 1999). Pp84 [17] http://www.plp.org/pl_magazine/purges.html