[xoxAshaxox]

I don't understand why he did them? Or what he did Can someone help me understand this please?

[Mrs Faithorn]

See this link and then post again if you have any further questions:
http://www.johndclare.net/Russ12.htm

... and note that there are further, well-chosen links to explore from the right hand side of that page if you want to delve a bit deeper.

[MrJohnDClare]

try also http://www.johndclar...t/R_Diary31.htm from my revision diaries for a quick 'hit' of info as you revise for the exam.

Stalin was mad.
If he wasn't when he started, he certainly was by the time he died.
One of the symptoms of paranoia is that you suspect that everyone is trying to kill you - that describes Stalin perfectly. So he killed first, anyone he slightly suspected.

It is arguable that the purges started off with a better intent.
Stalin believed that Russia needed to be united (under him) it is was to survive.
He also believed that Russia only prospered when its people were ruled HARD (cf Peter the Great).

But the first victim (Kirov) was a rival of Stalin's, and the general feeling was that Stalin had ordered his death.
Yet then Stalin went on to use it as an excuse to clear out all the ministers, generals, party leaders, admirals etc. he suspected of not being 100% Stalinist.

The word 'purge' can be used of the body - when you 'purge' yourself, you give yourself diarrhoea to empty your bowels of some impurity.
That's a picture for what Stalin did to Russia - MILLIONS of lives 'flushed away' to get rid of even the slightest disloyalty.

[xoxAshaxox]

So, Stalin had the purges because he was parranoid that someone else would try and take over power, so he got rid of everyone who could use anything against him? He also purged his army's generals and replaced them with unexperienced new generals, so when Germany invaded in 1941, Russia had a poor army.

Thanks teachers

[Mrs Faithorn]

You've got it!

However, do note that there's an argument for saying that, initially at least, Stalin's intentions were not solely paranoid, but rather that there was an ideological and real political purpose for his actions ..... as Mr Clare pointed out in his message.

[xoxAshaxox]

You teachers are brilliant thanks!