398. Stalin: The Great Terror (Part 4)
Summary
Hosts Anita Rand and William Durmple, joined by historian Giles Milton, explore how Stalin transformed the 1934 murder of Sergei Kirov into the Great Terror. The episode details the show trials, the brutal purging of the Red Army, and the signing of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, which ultimately left the USSR vulnerable to Hitler’s invasion. The narrative concludes with the German advance on Moscow and Stalin’s decision to remain in the Kremlin as winter approached.
Topics discussed
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Introduction: The Great Terror and Stalin's power
The murder of Sergei Kirov and its mystery
Stalin's inspiration from the Reichstag fire
The execution of the Kirov murder suspect
The first show trials: Zinoviev and Kamenev
Andrei Vyshinsky and the mechanics of false confessions
Nazi observers and the fate of the accused
The British trade delegation espionage trial
The subsequent show trials and execution quotas
Purging the military leadership and generals
Foreign victims of the Great Terror
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Stalin's historical inspirations: Ivan and Genghis Khan
Vasily Blokhin: The most prolific executioner
The American Ambassador's party at the embassy
Life in the Kremlin and Stalin's drinking habits
Lavrentiy Beria and the NKVD's criminal nature
The Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact and the invasion of Poland
Operation Barbarossa: Stalin's denial of the invasion
Stalin's breakdown and Churchill's reaction
The fate of captured Soviet commanders
The fall of Moscow and the winter defense
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