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Period: to
Party purge expels thousands of lower ranking party members
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16th Party Congress
Signs of some opposition to Stalin -
Ryutin Affair
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Smirnov’s ‘anti-party group’
Charged with attempting to replace Stalin -
17th Party Congress
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Kirov affair
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1st show trial of the 16 + Great Purge starts
September: Ezhov replaces Yagoda as head of NKVD (secret police) -
2nd show trial 17
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3rd show trial of the 21
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18th Party Congress
Official end of the Great Purge