1.What is the significance of Kirov's murder? (This is what I went over in class.)
The significance of Kirov's murder is that Stalin used it as an excuse to start the Great Purge and purge the USSR of any potential opposition.
2. According to Stalin, who had Nikolayev been working for when he assassinated Kirov? Why is this significant?
According to Stalin, Nikolayev acted under orders of a "Leningrad Opposition Centre." This is significant because it justified Stalin's arrests and purging of old enemies and supporters of the left, including Zinoviev and Kamanev.
3. What is a Trotskyite?
A "Trotskyite" is an enemy of Stalin, and therefore the Communist Party. These, among "Zinovievotes" and "counter-revolutionaries," were the people Stalin made the party oppose so he could purge them from the party.
4. There are three major "show trials." List them and a brief description of their significance.
1. "Trial of the Sixteen" - A trial against Zinoviev, Kamanev, and 14 others accusing them of conspiring against the government. They were all shot, eliminating 2 of the Politburo, who could have opposed Stalin.
2. "Trial of the Seventeen" - 17 people were accused of having links with Trotsky and setting up terrorist organizations. All were found guilty and 14 were shot. Made Trotsky an enemy and accused him of being behind terrorist organizations.
3. "Trial of the Twenty-One" - Bukharin, Rykov, and 19 others were accused of and confessed to being in a "Trotskyist-Rightist bloc," wrecking industry, and helping foreign spies. Eliminated Bukharin and Rykov while making Trotsy an enemy.
5. During the Great Terror, there were three stages to the purges, staring with members of the Communist party. What were the next two stages and what type of people were purged?
The purges went second to the armed forces, and many Red Army generals were killed, along with many of the other high ranking soldiers. Finally it spread to everyday citizens, and anyone denounced by another or overheard criticizing Stalin was considered a "Trotskyite" and arrested.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Kirov Murder Mystery
1. In what circumstances did the assassin carry out the murder?
The cirumstances in which the assassin carried out the murder were perfectly convenient for an assassin. Kirov left his personal bodyguard downstairs, and also didn't notice the absence of the usual guards around him.
2. What strange coincidences surround the murder?
The strange coincidences surrounding the murder include the accident that killed Bosirov on his way to be questioned, yet no one else was hurt. However the NKVD men that were with him were killed later. Also, the accused NKVD men that were involved were sent to the GULAG, but given short sentences and higher privileges than other prisoners.
3. Is there any evidence to link Stalin to the murder?
When the Zaporozhets were doing suspicious things, like having Nikolayev released twice when he was arrested with evidence suggesting his intentions and recruiting new personnel without permission, Medved got Kirov's support and asked Stalin to remove them, but he refused. This suggests he wanted the Zaporozhets to remain there and keep aiding Nikolayev in murdering Kirov.
4. Is there any evidence to suggest that the NKVD was involved in the murder?
When asked why he killed Kirov, Nikolayev suggested Stalin asked "them," and pointed to the NKVD men. Also, when Yagoda was tried and accused of making it easy for Nikolayev to get to Kirov, he pleaded guilty.
5. Who had the best motive for the murder?
Stalin had the best motive for the murder, because Kirov was growing and gaining power, and of he continued he could pose a great threat to Stalin and possibly take power from him. Nikolayev just hated that he didn't get enough credit, and there was suspicion that his wife was having an affair with Kirov.
6. What theories can you suggest about who was responsible - was it the assassin alone or were others involved?
It is possible that Nikolayev had hated Kirov and wanted to do something about him, but hadn't had plans to kill him. He fainted by Kirov's body, so it doesn't seem that he had the stomach for murder. It seems like Stalin and the NKVD took his intentions further and had him murder Kirov and set everything up for him to do so.
2. What strange coincidences surround the murder?
The strange coincidences surrounding the murder include the accident that killed Bosirov on his way to be questioned, yet no one else was hurt. However the NKVD men that were with him were killed later. Also, the accused NKVD men that were involved were sent to the GULAG, but given short sentences and higher privileges than other prisoners.
3. Is there any evidence to link Stalin to the murder?
When the Zaporozhets were doing suspicious things, like having Nikolayev released twice when he was arrested with evidence suggesting his intentions and recruiting new personnel without permission, Medved got Kirov's support and asked Stalin to remove them, but he refused. This suggests he wanted the Zaporozhets to remain there and keep aiding Nikolayev in murdering Kirov.
4. Is there any evidence to suggest that the NKVD was involved in the murder?
When asked why he killed Kirov, Nikolayev suggested Stalin asked "them," and pointed to the NKVD men. Also, when Yagoda was tried and accused of making it easy for Nikolayev to get to Kirov, he pleaded guilty.
5. Who had the best motive for the murder?
Stalin had the best motive for the murder, because Kirov was growing and gaining power, and of he continued he could pose a great threat to Stalin and possibly take power from him. Nikolayev just hated that he didn't get enough credit, and there was suspicion that his wife was having an affair with Kirov.
6. What theories can you suggest about who was responsible - was it the assassin alone or were others involved?
It is possible that Nikolayev had hated Kirov and wanted to do something about him, but hadn't had plans to kill him. He fainted by Kirov's body, so it doesn't seem that he had the stomach for murder. It seems like Stalin and the NKVD took his intentions further and had him murder Kirov and set everything up for him to do so.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Gulags and the Purges
Read pages 14 - 17 in "Stalin & the Soviet Union - III," which is in your shared file folder. Answer the following seven questions and place them in your blog. These are due Wednesday prior to class.
1. What type of construction projects were built using the Gulag system?
3. Why do you think slave labor was used in the projects rather than paid laborers?
6. What was the purpose of the Show Trials?
The Gulag System
1. What type of construction projects were built using the Gulag system?
The Gulag system built projects like the canal between the White Sea and the Baltic Sea. This project was done entirely by hand; no machinery was used.
2. What were the conditions of the work camps?
The conditions of the work camps varied, but they were all bad. The prisoners who worked harder were given more food, and those who didn't work as had got less food. So the prisoners, who were hungry and tired, were not in the condition to be doing the work that was asked of them, and therefore they could not work efficiently enough to earn sufficient food. This, of course, only made them hungrier, and created a vicious circle from which they couldn't escape. Conditions were especially bad in the Kolyma region, where it sometimes got so cold that the mercury in thermometers would freeze.
2. What were the conditions of the work camps?
The conditions of the work camps varied, but they were all bad. The prisoners who worked harder were given more food, and those who didn't work as had got less food. So the prisoners, who were hungry and tired, were not in the condition to be doing the work that was asked of them, and therefore they could not work efficiently enough to earn sufficient food. This, of course, only made them hungrier, and created a vicious circle from which they couldn't escape. Conditions were especially bad in the Kolyma region, where it sometimes got so cold that the mercury in thermometers would freeze.
3. Why do you think slave labor was used in the projects rather than paid laborers?
Slave labor was used in the projects because the state could not afford to pay such a massive amount of workers to do the tasks, so they took the class enemies and forced them to work for free.
4. What were the issues surrounding Kirov's murder? Why do you think he had been murdered?
Purges, Show Trails and Terror
4. What were the issues surrounding Kirov's murder? Why do you think he had been murdered?
The issues surrounding Kirov's murder were that Nikolayev, the murderer, was stopped a few days before near Kirov's office. He had on him a revolver and a plan of Kirov's movements, however the guards released him and returned his gun. Also, Kirov's bodyguard, Borisov, was not present at the time of the murder. He usually went with Kirov everywhere he went. Then, the next day, Bosirov died in a car crash, the only casualty in a car containing several passengers.
5. What was the Great Purge? What specific group did it target?
The Great Purge was the period of massive arrests and murders that Stalin used to purge the Communist Party of his opposers and those who were unreliable.
5. What was the Great Purge? What specific group did it target?
The Great Purge was the period of massive arrests and murders that Stalin used to purge the Communist Party of his opposers and those who were unreliable.
6. What was the purpose of the Show Trials?
The purpose of the Show Trials was just for show. The trials were not at all fair, but they were largely publicized, and the press was invited. The many confessions made were not genuine, as they were often forced with torture and promises of survival.
7. What was the Great Terror?
7. What was the Great Terror?
The Great Terror was the state of fear that the whole nation fell into. Nobody knew who it was safe to talk to, because anyone could turn anyone in with false accusations, and get them shot or thrown in the gulags.
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