Political repression. Victims of political repression in the USSR

Political repression is a fairly brutal and bloody period in the history of the fatherland. It falls at the time when Joseph Stalin was at the head of the country. Victims of political repression in the USSR are millions of people convicted and sentenced to imprisonment or executed. Researchers note the extremely negative consequences that the events of the 1920s-1950s had. First of all, during the years of political repression, the integrity of Soviet society, its demographic structure, was violated.

The essence of terror

Mass political repression took place between 1937 and 1938. This period is also called "Great Terror." According to Medushevsky, these measures can be called the main social tool for establishing the Stalin regime. The researcher believes that there are several different approaches to explaining and understanding the essence of the "Great Terror," the impact of various factors, the institutional base, the origins of his design. The decisive role, undoubtedly, belongs to the main punitive organ of the country - the GUGB of the NKVD and Stalin.

Features of the mode

Political repression, as noted by many Russian modern historians, for the most part violated not only the current legislation, but also the Basic Law - the Constitution. In particular, the contradiction was the creation of extrajudicial bodies in large numbers. It can also be considered characteristic that when the archives were opened a considerable number of documents were signed by Stalin himself. This shows that almost all political repressions were sanctioned by him.

Strengthening Stalin's Power

Political repression of the 1930s began to take on a broad scale with the beginning of industrialization and collectivization of the economy. Great importance was attached to the strengthening of Stalin's personal power. Political repression has affected scientists. Thus, dozens of them were convicted in the case of the Academy of Sciences. In 1932, four writers were sent into exile for their participation in the Siberian Brigade. Hundreds of officers who served in the Red Army were arrested. All of them passed on the case "Spring". During the same period, political repression was conducted against "national deviators."

The situation in the republics

In the Tatar and Crimean ASSR, some leading workers were arrested. They took place in the case of the "Sultan-Galiev group of counter-revolutionaries", the main one in which was announced Sultan-Galiev, a Tatar communist. Private traders were sentenced to be shot, which was later replaced for 10 years in custody. In Byelorussia in the 30-31 gg. Representatives of the leading apparatus of the republic were convicted. They were accused of dealing with the "Union of Liberation", which also included 86 scientific and cultural figures. In the spring of the 30th year an open trial was held in Ukraine. In the case of the "Union of Liberation of the Republic" was held more than 40 people. At the head of the accused was Efremov, the vice-president of the VUAN. As stated in the accusations, the Union of Liberation of the Republic pursued the goal of overthrowing the Soviet government and turning Ukraine into a country controlled and dependent on one of the neighboring bourgeois foreign states. All those who took part in the case pleaded guilty. Taking into account the confession and repentance of the defendants, they were replaced by a death sentence of 8-10 years in custody. Nine people received a suspended sentence. 148 participants took part in Kharkov on the case of the "military organization of Ukraine". In connection with this process in Moscow was arrested in 1934, the year of Poloz. He served as deputy chairman of the budget commission from the CEC of the USSR. In the 1920s, Poloz worked as an ambassador of Ukraine in Moscow, the People's Commissar for Finance of the Ukrainian SSR and the chairman of the State Planning Committee. He was sentenced to ten years in prison.

"General cleaning" of the CPSU (b)

It was held in 33-34 years, and then resumed in May 35th. During the purge of the party, which included 1916.5 thousand members, 18.3% were excluded. At the end of the process, they began to conduct "verification of party documents." It lasted until December 35th year. In the course of this work, another 10-20 thousand arrested persons were added. From January to September of the year 36, the "replacement of documents" was carried out. In fact, it was a continuation of the "cleansing" begun 33-35 years ago. First of all, those expelled from the party were brought to trial. The peak of arrests fell on 37-38 years. The victims of political repression in the USSR in these two years were very numerous. During this period, more than 1.5 million people were brought to trial, 681,692 convicts were sentenced to be shot.

Moscow Processes

Between 1936 and 1938, three large cases were considered. The activity of the participants of the CPSU (B), associated in the 1920s and 1930s with the right or Trotskyist opposition, was considered. Abroad, these cases were called "Moscow Processes." The arrested were charged with cooperation with Western intelligence services to organize the assassination of Stalin and other Soviet leaders, the destruction of the USSR, the restoration of the capitalist system and the harm to various sectors of the economy. The first process took place in 1926, in August. Participants of the "Trotskyite-Zinoviev center" were accused. The main convicts were Kamenev and Zinoviev. In addition to the rest of the charges, they were charged with killing Kirov and plotting against Stalin. The second case of the "parallel Trotskyite anti-Soviet center" concerned 17 smaller leaders in 1937. The main defendants were then Sokolnikov, Pyatakov and Radek. 13 people were sentenced to be shot, the rest were sent to torture camps, which soon died. The third process took place in 1938, from the 2nd to the 13th of March. Twenty-one participants in the "right-wing Trotskyite bloc" were accused. The main convicts were Rykov and Bukharin. In 1928-29, they headed the "right-wing opposition".

"Tukhachevsky's case"

This process took place in 1937, in June. A group of RKKA officers was convicted, including Tukhachevsky. They were charged with organizing preparations for a military coup. After some time, the Soviet leadership conducted mass purges in the command staff of the Red Army. It should be noted here that five of the eight members of the Special Judicial Commission, sentenced to death by convicted persons in the Tukhachevsky case, were subsequently also arrested. This, in particular, Kashirin, Alksnis, Dybenko, Belov, Blucher.

Torture

To obtain confessions, rather brutal measures were used. Almost all of them were authorized by Stalin personally. During the Khrushchev thaw, the Soviet prosecutor's office checked certain political cases and group processes. In the course of it, cases of gross falsification were revealed, when "necessary" indications were obtained using torture. Illegal repression, torture of prisoners were very common. So, for example, there is information that the candidate for members of the Politburo Eik during the interrogations was broken spine, and Blucher died of the consequences of systematic beatings. Stalin himself (this is evidenced by archival records) strongly recommended the use of beatings to obtain testimony.

The law "On Victims of Political Repression"

It was adopted in 1991, on October 18. Since its entry into force and until 2004, more than 630,000 people have been rehabilitated. Some convicts, for example, many occupying leading posts in the NKVD, persons who participated in or were involved in terror and who committed non-political crimes were recognized as "not subject to rehabilitation." In general, more than 970 thousand applications were considered.

Memory

In Russia and other former republics that were once part of the USSR, the Day of Victims of Political Repression is held every year. On October 30, rallies, various cultural and educational events are organized. On the Day of Victims of Political Repressions, the country remembers the victims, tortured and executed people, many of whom at one time brought enormous benefits to the fatherlands and could bring it further. In particular, it concerns the command structure of the country's army, scientific and cultural figures. Many schools organize "living lessons" of history. Until recently, there were frequent meetings with survivors of these events, their children, in whose memory this terrible time remained. The main events are held at the Solovki Stone (Lubyanka Square) and at the Butovo Test Site. Pass meetings and processions in St. Petersburg. The main events are held on Troitskaya Square and Levashovskaya Wasteland.