Why did Stalin purge the Communist Party?

He feared rivals and criticism of the pace of change, and terror let him destroy anyone who might challenge him while blaming others for shortages and failures.

Who was caught up in the purges?

Old Bolsheviks and party officials first, then managers, engineers, teachers and priests, and finally ordinary people denounced by neighbours or workmates.

What happened to the armed forces in the purges?

Most senior commanders were arrested and shot, among them Marshal Tukhachevsky, along with thousands of officers of every rank.

What did purging the armed forces cost the country?

It left the army short of experienced commanders and afraid to show any initiative, which told badly against it when Germany invaded in 1941.

What were the wider consequences of the purges?

Millions were shot or sent to camps, skilled people were lost to industry and government, and everyone learned to keep silent for fear of denunciation.

Edexcel GCSE History 1HI0

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Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917–41

The use of terror in the 1930s

3 things to know
Paper 3

Overview

The murder of Kirov in 1934, why Stalin purged the party and who was caught up, the purge of the armed forces and its cost, the wider consequences, the NKVD and night-time arrests, the gulags and their conditions, and the show trials of 1936–1938 and why they were held in public.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

How did Stalin's purges reach the armed forces, and how did the secret police and the camps work?

Key term

Which murder in 1934 was used to justify the purges?

Key term

Who was caught up in Stalin's purges?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
Which murder in 1934 was used to justify the purges?
Model answer
The killing of Kirov, the popular Leningrad party leader, which Stalin blamed on a hidden conspiracy against the leadership.
2
Why did Stalin purge the Communist Party?
Model answer
He feared rivals and criticism of the pace of change, and terror let him destroy anyone who might challenge him while blaming others for shortages and failures.
3
Who was caught up in the purges?
Model answer
Old Bolsheviks and party officials first, then managers, engineers, teachers and priests, and finally ordinary people denounced by neighbours or workmates.
4
What happened to the armed forces in the purges?
Model answer
Most senior commanders were arrested and shot, among them Marshal Tukhachevsky, along with thousands of officers of every rank.
5
What did purging the armed forces cost the country?
Model answer
It left the army short of experienced commanders and afraid to show any initiative, which told badly against it when Germany invaded in 1941.
6
What were the wider consequences of the purges?
Model answer
Millions were shot or sent to camps, skilled people were lost to industry and government, and everyone learned to keep silent for fear of denunciation.

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