Great Purge

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/great-purge

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary period of intensity?1936-1938
2. What is the geographic scope?Soviet Union
3. Why did Joseph Stalin start the Great Purge?Stalin started the Great Purge because he feared that other people, both inside and outside the Soviet Union, were plotting against him. He believed there were many conspirators and wanted to make sure no one could challenge his power.
4. Who was arrested during the Great Purge?During the Great Purge, many different people were arrested. This included political opponents, military leaders, intellectuals, ethnic minorities, and ordinary citizens who were accused of being enemies of the state.

NKVD: The Soviet secret police force responsible for carrying out many of the Great Purge's operations.
Old Bolsheviks: Members of the Bolshevik Party who participated in the 1917 Russian Revolution.
De-Stalinization: The process of denouncing and dismantling the cult of personality and policies associated with Joseph Stalin.
Samizdat: Self-published, often underground, literature circulated in the Soviet Union to bypass official censorship.