In the USSR in the 30s of the 20th century, there was one person who was second only to Stalin in power, and he was Nikolai Yezhov, the head of the NKVD. This man of small stature, once Stalin's most trusted aide, became synonymous with iron-fisted tactics in the Great Purge. However, when Yezhov's power swelled to the point that even Stalin began to fear, where would his fate go? What will morbidity and madness lead this "capable official" to?
1. Yezhov's rise to prominence
Nikolai Yezhov was born in St. Petersburg in 1895 into a poor working family. Fate seems to have played a cruel joke on the skinny boy from the start. His father was an alcoholic carpenter, and he often beat his wife and children because he was drunk, and his mother was so sick that she spent her days in tears. Yezhov was bullied from an early age, and his diminutive stature was often the object of ridicule from his peers. However, it was these unfortunate encounters that planted the seeds of Yezhov's violent and cruel personality in the future.
In order to escape poverty, Yezhov, who was only 7 years old, began to beg on the streets and even steal. However, fate did not turn his side on him. After a theft, Yezhov was arrested at the police station, where he tasted the whip for the first time. After coming out of the police station, Yezhov became more irritable, and he began to take pleasure in torturing small animals, as if only the sight of a life weaker than himself struggling in his own hands could make him feel a twisted pleasure.
In 1914, World War I broke out, and the trumpet of conscription in Tsarist Russia also sounded a turning point in Yezhov's fate. Despite his small stature, Yezhov passed the medical examination with tenacious perseverance and became an infantryman. In the barracks, Yezhov felt the warmth of the collective for the first time. Although the training was hard, the encouragement of his comrades kept him going. In 1915, Yezhov went to the front with his troops. In the midst of a hail of bullets, this diminutive soldier showed amazing courage and made several charges. However, the brutality of the war soon took Yezhov's toll. During one of the charges, Yezhov was shot in the leg and was taken to the rear hospital.
After recovering from his injuries, Yezhov was assigned to work as a tailor in a military factory in the rear because of his short stature. Here, with a third-grade primary school degree, he soon became a clerk in the factory. When the February Revolution broke out in 1917, Yezhov became active and joined the Bolshevik Party. On the eve of the October Revolution, Yezhov took a leave of absence due to illness and returned home and missed this great event that changed the world.
During the Civil War, Yezhov was again drafted into the army and became a soldier of the Red Army. With his excellent cultural qualities, he soon became a clerk in the company. After the war was subdued, Yezhov successively served in several local party organizations, but he remained unknown.
In 1925, the god of fate finally favored this little man who had suffered so much. At the 14th Congress of the Communist Party of the CPSU, Yezhov became acquainted with Moskvin, Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the CPSU. Moskvin admired Yezhov's talent and loyalty, and strongly recommended him to work in the central organs. In this way, Yezhov embarked on the journey to the pinnacle of power.
Under Moskvin's support, Yezhov quickly made a name for himself in the party. In 1927, he was appointed deputy secretary of the party group of the Central Control Committee, responsible for reviewing the loyalty of party members. With the power in his hands, Yezhov launched a purge of dissidents in the party. Many old Bolsheviks became the targets of his purges.
In December 1934, Kirov, the first secretary of the Leningrad Oblast Party Committee, was assassinated. This case allowed Yezhov's talent to be appreciated by Stalin. Stalin sent Yezhov to Leningrad to direct the investigation, and Yezhov lived up to his trust and soon found out that the murderer was a young man named Nikolaev. Under Yezhov's interrogation, Nikolaev confessed that he had been instructed by Trotsky. This result satisfied Stalin, and Yezhov was promoted to deputy NKVD and became Stalin's right-hand man in the eradication of dissidents.
From a poor man to a prominent figure in Soviet politics, Yezhov took 30 years to make this almost impossible leap. However, the taste of power is sweet and dangerous. When he stood at the pinnacle of power, a bloody storm was brewing. The prelude to the Great Purge has begun.
2. Yezhov became the executor of the Great Purge
On December 1, 1934, on an ordinary winter day, a shocking news suddenly came from Leningrad: Sergei Kirov, the first secretary of the Leningrad Oblast Party Committee, was assassinated in Smolny Palace. The news soon reached Moscow, and Stalin was furious, and he immediately rushed to Leningrad to personally conduct the investigation.
Stalin did not trust the local police in Leningrad, and he needed someone who was completely loyal to him and knew everything about the party situation to lead the investigation. Yezhov, this then obscure party cadre, came into Stalin's field of vision.
As soon as Yezhov received the order, he threw himself into the investigation. Under his interrogation, Nikolaev quickly confessed that he had been instructed by Trotsky. This result pleased Stalin so much that he decided to reuse Yezhov, promoting him to the rank of deputy head of the NKVD.
Immediately after Yezhov took office, he carried out a major purge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The then Minister of Internal Affairs, Yagoda, had long since lost Stalin's trust because of corruption and incompetence. Yezhov seized the opportunity to publicly accuse Yagoda at a meeting of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, saying that the Ministry of Internal Affairs was already corrupt under his leadership and urgently needed an upright and reliable person to oversee it.
Yezhov's reputation for "integrity" can be described as thunderous in the party. Even opposition leader Bukharin has openly stated that Yezhov is an honest man and will not fake. Under Yezhov's all-out attack, Yagoda's reputation plummeted.
In September 1936, Yezhov submitted a fatal report to Stalin that Yagoda was a supporter of Trotsky. The next day, Stalin secretly met with Yezhov. Immediately after the talks, the Ministry of Internal Affairs received a telegram from Stalin relieving Yagoda of his post and appointing Yezhov as the new minister. At this point, Yezhov completely took control of the huge political machine of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the prelude to the Great Purge officially began.
Yezhov resorted to extremely cruel means against the "enemy". At his behest, the Ministry of Internal Affairs began to use torture on a large scale. Interrogators found that under torture, the interrogated not only confessed to all the charges, but also confessed to a large number of "complicies". Yezhov presented these lists to Stalin in a steady stream, and Stalin's already suspicious character was thoroughly aroused.
In March 1937, Yezhov organized a major trial in Moscow. Yagoda, Bukharin and other former party leaders were all put in the dock, and Yezhov declared in court that they were German spies. At the same time, Yezhov began to arrest foreign communists who had taken refuge in the Soviet Union, brutally purging them. In Yezhov's eyes, the greatest spy was hidden inside the Comintern.
Yezhov reported to Stalin that he had discovered a huge underground organization that had encompassed various opposition forces, including Trotskyists, leftists, and rightists, whose spies had infiltrated various departments of the Soviet government, and the situation was extremely critical.
Despite the exaggerations of Yezhov's report, the "ironclad evidence" he provided made Stalin restless. With Stalin's acquiescence, Yezhov brought the purge to a climax. In May 1937, Marshal of the Soviet Union Tukhachevsky and a group of other high-ranking generals were arrested on charges of treason, and the whole world was shaken. But Stalin still supported Yezhov and called for a national war against the "anti-Soviets".
Yezhov's power was at its peak. In October 1937, the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, huge portraits of Yezhov were hung everywhere, placing him alongside Stalin. Soviet Propaganda Minister Mikoyan praised Yezhov for his "tireless work" and called on all Soviet people to learn from him and become the "eyes and ears" of the secret police.
However, Yezhov's madness has been difficult to hide. Under his command, the Ministry of Internal Affairs arrested almost 1.5 million people, more than half of whom were executed. Such a large-scale political persecution plunged the entire Soviet society into a panic. Coupled with the increasingly tense international situation, Stalin realized that the Great Purge had to end as soon as possible in order to restore national defense and economic construction.
At the beginning of 1938, Stalin decided to cool down for the Great Purge. But Yezhov did not seem to perceive Stalin's intentions, and he organized another high-profile Moscow trial, indicting more than 20 high-ranking government officials. This time, even Stalin had doubts about Yezhov's accusations.
The downfall of Yezhov has entered the countdown.
3. Yezhov's madness
As Yezhov's power swelled, his actions became more and more frantic and uncontrollable. Under his command, the Ministry of Internal Affairs began to massively abuse lynchings, creating unjust cases. Yezhov seems to believe that only through brutal means can the "enemy" in the party be completely eradicated.
In January 1937, Yezhov organized a grand trial and put 17 former leftist leaders Pidakov and Radek in the dock. Most of these people were sentenced to death and were carried out quickly. During the trial, Yezhov went so far as to insult the defendants in court, calling them "pigs" who must be hanged. This kind of vulgar words and deeds shocked everyone present.
Yezhov's iron-fisted tactics soon extended to all areas of the Soviet Union. He began a purge of foreign Communists who had taken refuge in the Soviet Union, believing that the greatest spies were hiding inside the Comintern. In the summer of 1937, Yezhov arrested hundreds of foreign Communists, brutally interrogated and tortured them. Many innocent people have been tortured to confess to trumped-up charges.
Yezhov's madness even spread to the Soviet military system. In May 1937, Marshal of the Soviet Union Tukhachevsky and a group of other high-ranking generals were arrested on charges of treason. Yezhov claimed that these generals were spies for Germany and Japan, in a vain attempt to cooperate with the outside world in the Soviet-German war and subvert the Soviet regime. This news shocked the whole world, and Western countries questioned the combat effectiveness of the Soviet army. However, Stalin still trusted Yezhov and called for a national war against the "anti-Soviets".
Yezhov's abuse of power intensified. He was a frequent alcoholic, and when drunk, he openly slandered the Soviet government and Stalin, even threatening to replace Stalin. Some attentive officials secretly reported Yezhov's words and deeds to Stalin, but Stalin did not care at first, believing that Yezhov was just venting his emotions.
However, Yezhov's arrogance has reached the point of no return. At the beginning of 1938, he went so far as to put Stalin's name on the purge list in a vain attempt to remove Stalin from his horse. The list was soon leaked to Stalin by Yezhov's henchmen, who woke up from a dream and realized that Yezhov had become an uncontrolled monster with terrible consequences if he did not take any further action.
Stalin made a quick decision to remove Yezhov's power. He first appointed Beria as Yezhov's assistant and secretly monitored Yezhov's every move. Then, Stalin began to take the initiative to correct the wrongful convictions created by Yezhov and rehabilitate some innocent victims. Yezhov, sensing that power was being lost, became even more hysterical. He intensified his efforts to collect black material from Beria and Stalin, in an attempt to die with Stalin.
Yezhov's madness eventually set him on fire. On April 10, 1939, he was arrested and imprisoned for a year-long interrogation. While in prison, Yezhov got a taste of being interrogated. He initially pleaded not guilty, but then succumbed to torture and confessed to all charges, including homosexuality, espionage, and more.
Yezhov was once Stalin's most trusted assistant, but he eventually embarked on the path of destruction. His madness brought great disasters to the Soviet Union, with millions of innocent people being persecuted and the Soviet Union's national defense and economic construction also suffering heavy losses. Yezhov proved with his own behavior that if a person loses his rationality and is carried away by power, he can only end up in disrepute.
Fourth, the fall of Yezhov
At the beginning of 1938, as the international situation became increasingly tense, Stalin realized that the Great Purge had to end as soon as possible in order to restore national defense and economic construction. Yezhov, however, did not seem to notice the change, and he went his own way, continuing to organize the massive Moscow trial, indicting more than 20 high-ranking government officials. This time, even Stalin had doubts about Yezhov's accusations.
The countdown to Yezhov's downfall has begun. In May 1938, Yezhov's confidant and first secretary of the Moscow Oblast Party Committee, Yevdokimov, was removed from his post and investigated. Yezhov felt that the tide was over, and he even put Stalin's name on the purge list for a time, in a vain attempt to die with Stalin.
In August, Malenkov, head of the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the CPSU, submitted a report to Stalin exposing the fact that Yezhov had abused his power during the purge and created unjust, false and wrongful convictions, resulting in the execution of thousands of innocent party members. At the same time, local party organizations also wrote letters to the Central Committee complaining about Yezhov's atrocities. Only then did Stalin wake up from a dream and realize that Yezhov was completely out of control.
What made Stalin even more angry was that Yezhov's confidant, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Mikhail Lyushkov, had defected to Japan. This undoubtedly exposes the existence of serious security vulnerabilities in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Stalin made a quick decision to remove Yezhov's power.
On August 22, Stalin appointed his confidant Lavrenty Beria as Yezhov's assistant, in effect monitoring Yezhov's every move. At the same time, the Supreme Court of the Soviet Union began to review Yezhov's unjust cases, and some innocent victims were rehabilitated. Yezhov, sensing that power was being lost, became even more hysterical. He intensified his efforts to collect black material from Beria and Stalin, in an attempt to die with Stalin.
However, Yezhov's madness eventually set him on fire. On April 10, 1939, he was arrested and imprisoned for a year-long interrogation. While in prison, Yezhov got a taste of being interrogated. Interrogators brutally tortured him to extract a confession, forcing him to confess that he was a German and Polish spy, a homosexual, and even fabricated that his father was a brothel owner and his mother was a dancer. This is the complete negation and obliteration of Yezhov.
At first, Yezhov refused to admit his guilt, but in the face of torture, he finally gave in. He pleaded guilty to all charges and confessed to a large number of "complicies". However, these confessions were not exchanged for forgiveness. On February 2, 1940, the Supreme Court of the USSR sentenced Yezhov to death for treason. Two days later, the "bloody dwarf", who had once covered the sky with one hand, was secretly shot.
The fall of Yezhov marked the end of the Great Purge. This movement brought great disaster to the Soviet Union, with millions of innocent people being persecuted and national defense and the economy suffering heavy losses. However, in Stalin's opinion, Yezhov was just a scapegoat. After the war, Stalin often spoke of those executed at banquets with a relaxed face, as if it was none of his business. Sometimes, he would say that he had killed the wrong person, but never thought there was anything wrong with the purge itself.
Yezhov's tragedy is a microcosm of a crazy era. In this era, reason and humanity are abandoned, and power becomes the only truth. Yezhov thought he was in control of power, but he did not know that he was only a slave to power. When he tries to break free from the shackles, nothing but destruction awaits him.
Yezhov's life was destined to be a tragedy. He went from humble to prominent, and from illustrious to hell. He was Stalin's most trusted aide, but he died at Stalin's hands. He created countless unjust cases, and finally became a victim of unjust cases himself. This short man did not escape the mockery of fate after all.