THE GREAT PURGE: REASONS AND RESULTS

The full and frank exposure of Stalin's crimes, coming as it does from inside the Soviet Union, is valuable corroboration of what, outside it, can be found in a host of publications.

Medveder's position is limited, however, by his failure to explain in Marxist terms the social sources of Stalin's power and the cult with which it was surrounded.

He dismisses implicitly the theory that it was an inevitable outcome of Leninism or Bolshevism. Lenin would never have permitted such a cult of his own person as grew up posthumously under Stalin's direction.

In fact, Stalinism was the direct antithesis of Leninism and could arise only by destroying the Bolshevik party and physically liquidating Opposition which continued its traditions.

But what of the Communist Party, ot which Medvedev, to all intents and purposes, remains a loyal member? He has to admit: "The Party directly or indirectly participated in these events, and for many of its members it was hard to abstract Stalin's crimes flow mistakes from the general It is probable, as Medvedev suggests, that a considerable number of Party leaders at the 17th Congress in 1934 were prepared to depose Stalin and replace him by Sergei Kirov. This would explain the assassination of Kirov on Stalin's orders, as hinted at by Khrushchev at the 22nd Congress, as well as the high mortality rate among the delegates in the following From 1934 the purges began in earnest, starting with Stalin's former political opponents and critics, even those who had recanted. A series of show trials was held Moscow, starting with former Trotskyists and Zinovievists. The sinister Yagoda who had organized the first show trial was himself arrested head of the NKVD, Yezhor as Longtime supporters