The murder was pivotal in Soviet history: It created a martyr whose death Stalin would use to justify the waves of mass arrests that dominated the rest of the decade, signaling a turn to brutally repressive times in which critical speech was seen as tantamount to terrorism. So Stalin had plenty reason to be jealous of his young protege and would have been happy at his removal. Get the latest news, events and more from the Los Angeles Times Book Club, and help us get L.A. reading and talking. An honest history of the Stalin period would certainly increase enormously the psychological danger of people--not ceasing to believe in communism because most people dont care about that--but people seeing the regime as something preposterous and ridiculous and asking themselves, Why should we have it in the first place? . Sergey Kirov began his political activity in 1904 when he joined the Bolsheviks, a faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP) founded by Vladimir Lenin. In these hungry years, many people couldnt help but notice how well-fed Kirov appeared. In 1953, after Stalin's death, he became First Secretary of the Communist-Social Democratic Party of the Soviet Union. Last week's events are still a puzzle, so we looked at what participants had to say. In the first days when Leningrad was orphaned, Stalin rushed there. On the afternoon of Saturday, 1 December 1934, Kirov's assassin, Leonid Nikolayev, arrived at the Smolny Institute offices and made his way to the third floor unopposed, waiting in a hallway until Kirov and his bodyguard Borisov stepped into the corridor. In one internal monologue in Children of the Arbat Stalin muses, It is not for Russia to reject the role of the individual in history. The killer, Leonid Nikolaev, was executed several weeks later. Russia is used to having a czar, a grand prince, an emperor or a supreme leader, whatever he is called.. Of the three books, the biggest splash is likely to be made by Children of the Arbat, a 685-page novel being released in translation here by Little, Brown next month. This extraordinary and surreal interaction reveals just how chaotic the aftermath of the assassination was. At the time the revolutionary movement in Russia was in rapid development despite constant suppression by the Tsarist authorities. According to Barmine, none of the NKVD officers were executed in the aftermath, and none actually served time in prison. When Sergey was seven years old his father left the family and his mother died soon afterwards. Instead, they were transferred to executive posts in Stalin's Gulag labour camps for a period of timein effect, a demotion. . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. By at least one account, the last year of Kirovs life was marked by increasing acrimony toward Kirov from a jealous and wary Stalin. Good luck, 10 books to add to your reading list this July, Whats a Latino? A Soviet Day of the Dead seemed to be underway. A few months later Kirov was killed. After two years of investigations, the working team of the Yakovlev Commission concluded that: in this affair no materials objectively support Stalin's participation or NKVD participation in the organization and carrying out of Kirov's murder.[34]. Battle of the Somme: World War Ones Bloodiest Battle, The Savage Years: Tales From the 20th Century, The Cruellest Years: The Black Maria, Anastasia and My Brother the Enemy, The Searight Saga: This Time Tomorrow, The Unforgiving Sea and The Red Oak, The Lost Daughter (The Love and War Series, 1), The White Venus (The Love and War Series, 2), Song of Sorrow (The Love and War Series, 3), The Woman on the Train (The Love and War Series, 4), The Black Maria (The Love and War Series, 5), My Brother the Enemy (The Love and War Series, 6), The Mist Before Our Eyes (The Love and War Series, 9), The Darkness We Leave Behind (The Love and War Series, 10), This Time Tomorrow (The Searight Saga, 1), The Unforgiving Sea (The Searight Saga, 2), The Montgomery Bus Boycott a brief history. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Column: Huntington Beach wants to keep obscene books away from children. On August 5, 1963, the Treaty banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Underwater, often abbreviated as the Partial Test Ban Treaty, was signed between the Soviet Union, the United States, and Great Britain. In order to escape pursuit by the police, in 1909 Sergey Kirov moved to the Northern Caucasus, to the city of Vladikavkaz, where he headed the local branch of the RSDLP. Now, almost 54 years after he was gunned down in suspicious circumstances at the citys party headquarters, Kirov is a particularly compelling ghost. The United States used the opportunity to start exporting and producing and had unprecedented heights when it came to their GDP. The Kremlin's Greatest Mystery. 164 pp. Even a Party member like a certain Yakovlev found himself in trouble for hosting a party at his home with drinking and dancing on the official day of mourning. Encyclopedia of Modern Europe: Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction. Autonomous Nonprofit Organization TV-Novosti, 20052021. Biggart, John. 231-FZ of the Russian Federation of December 18, 2006 (the Implementation Act for Book IV of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation).. Georgiv was amongst the first to fall; pulled down from his horse whilst trying to restore order, a workers spade slicing through his neck. [3], Miron, an alcoholic, abandoned the family around 1890, and Yekaterina died of tuberculosis in 1893. Soon after his release, Kirov again took part in revolutionary activity, once again being arrested for printing illegal literature. He says steps were taken to avoid major bloodshed during the rebellion, but it took time . [32], Furthermore, according to Lenoe, "if we follow accepted rules of historical evidenceprivileging, for example, archival documentation over third-hand transmitted by word of mouth then almost all of the conventional narrative disappears". The two novels and one historical account will be appearing here just as the question of who killed Kirov is being acrimoniously debated in the Soviet Union, where the past is once again up for an official rewrite. Its like saying Hitler built the Autobahn and told people to become part of the cult of physical exercise and fitness, he asserted. Most historians state that this assassination, whether or not ordered by Stalin, was used as an excuse to arrest and execute many unwanted Party members and executives. Kirov was a participant in the 1905 Russian Revolution and was arrested, joining with the Bolsheviks soon after being released from prison. [12], At the end of the Communist Party's Seventeenth Congress, in February 1934, there is reputed to have been a scandal, when Kirov topped the poll in elections to the Central Committee, and Stalin's acolyte, Lazar Kaganovich ordered a number of ballots be destroyed so that Stalin and Kirov could share top billing. When a bourgeois was caught hiding his own furniture, Kirov ordered him shot. Born in 1886 as Sergei Mironovich Kostrikov in Urzhum, in the n, What is Stalinism? If Kirovs murder would soon allow Stalin carte blanche to initiate a program of mass repressions, for these few days ordinary Soviet people gave themselves a chance to break exuberantly free. "Who Killed Kirov" by Amy Knight is a superbly researched biography and study of the 1934 murder of Leningrad's Party Leader and Stalin's "right-hand" man , Sergei Kirov. On This Day in 1934 Sergei Kirov Was Killed. Sergei Kirov, a leader of the Russian Revolution and a high-ranking member of the Politburo, is shot to death at his Leningrad office by Communist Party member Leonid Nikolayev, likely at the. History is now the key to the political struggle., British historian Paul Johnson, who has written about that era in his book Modern Times and who keeps an eye on developments in the Soviet Union, said the Kirov murder was the great watershed at which the regime, which had always been violent, toppled over into mass murder.. The Hoover Institutions Conquest, author of a book about the Stalin purges called The Great Terror as well as his new book about the Kirov killing, noted that the Soviet Union has been trying to come to terms with its Stalin period since the 1950s. Bukharin and Rykov were later tried in the show trial called The Trial of the Twenty-One accused of Kirov's death, while Tomsky committed suicide expecting his arrest by the NKVD. In his 1973 biography of the dictator I indicate that probably it was a case of assassination by Nikolaev and that we really dont have enough evidence, except from rather biased sources, that it was done by Stalin, he said. Soviet leader whose murder inaugurated the Stalinist purges of the 1930s. Aside from this version, there were also suggestions that Sergey Kirov was killed either per Stalins order or as a result of a domestic crime: Kirov was rumored to have had an affair with Leonid Nikolaevs wife, Milda Draule, who was executed three months after her husband. The murder of Sergei Kirov--as the event that set off the purges in the Soviet Union--set the stage for Stalin's dictatorship and had a tremendous impact on the entire twentieth century, said Amy Knight, Visiting Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Carleton University, and former Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Center, at a Kennan Institute lectur. Moscow, 1996. [19], According to Barmine's account, with Stalin's approval, the NKVD had previously withdrawn all but four police bodyguards assigned to Kirov. Why was Nikolayev able to kill Kirov? General Sergei Surovikin was brought in to help turn Russia's fortune's in Ukraine around, but now he's caught up in allegations over the Wagner Group rebellion. Khrushchev, who was deposed in 1964, also said it was suspicious that Kirovs bodyguard was killed the day after the assassination in a car accident in which no other occupants of the car were harmed. Khrushchevs attempts at de-Stalinization died after he was removed from power and his successors reinstated Stalin to most of his former glory. [40] The Kirov name was again used for the battlecruiser Kirov and the Kirov-class battlecruiser. Millions would die as a direct consequence of that single bullet as Stalin sought to unmask the perpetrators. Sergeant Thomas Hickey Court-Martial: 1776, Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/kirov-sergei-mironovich, https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/kirov-sergei-mironovich, Zemlyachka (Zalkind), Rozaliya Samoylovna. Kirov was brought up in an orphanage and then studied at a technical school Kazan. Soviet leader whose murder inaugurated the Stalinist purges of the 1930s. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Three years after the publication of Orlov's memoirs, Nikita Khrushchev, Stalin's successor as head of the Soviet Communist Party, went public with his destalinization program. [36], The S. M. Kirov Forestry Academy in Leningrad was named after him, but renamed the Saint Petersburg State Forest Technical University. From Leningrad, the net soon spread wider, across the whole country, and eventually millions were caught in Stalins mass purge. Sergeant-at-Arms Humphreys, Colonelanthony Arthur, C.D. During this period he became a Marxist and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1904. Sergei Mironovich Kirov (Russian: ; 27 March [O.S. Humour, Trust and Everyday Life under Stalin, available here. In the 1990s the Russian historian Oleg Khlevnyuk found no evidence in Central Committee documents that Kirov was a moderate. Olsky also told Kirchakov that Medved had been barred from the NKVD Kirov assassination investigation. Kirov spoke gushingly of the partys achievements: Our successes are truly tremendous. "Kirov, Sergei (18861934) Sergei Kirov was a Soviet politician whose assassination led to the Great Purge, in which Joseph Stalin 's regime carried out mass arrests and executions. Although accounts of and suspicions about the assassination of Kirov vary, there is general agreement that Kirov died instantly from one gunshot wound to the back of the head. After the October Revolution the Bolsheviks came to power and founded the Soviet Union. Kirovs death is commonly thought to be the precondition for the Great Purge (1937-1938), in which over half a million people were executed with even more dying in labor camps. At a closed Central Committee session in 1957, Khrushchev supporters hinted broadly that Molotov had ordered Kirov's murder. Facts Did You Know? A few hours after Kirovs murder an official statement was released claiming hed become victim of the plotters and enemies of the Soviet Union, particularly the heads of the United Opposition, Kamenev and Zinoviev. However, the date of retrieval is often important. The shot was fired by Leonid Nikolaev, an unsuccessful party member and job-seeker. Again, when Stalin wanted Filipp Medved moved from the Leningrad NKVD to Minsk, Kirov refused to agree and, rarely for Stalin, he had to accept defeat.[9]. The Lermolos and their ilk paid no heed to the shifting plates of early twentieth-century Russian history, for soon after the blissful consummation of their marriage, the curtain fell on their dandy and frivolous lives. Their first four children had died young, while Anna (born 1883), Sergei (1886), and Yelizaveta (1889) survived. This was reported to be the first public hint that a Stalin crony was involved in the slaying and was contained in an article about Nikolai Bukharin, executed by Stalin after a 1938 show trial. Moscow, Russia Encyclopedia of Modern Europe: Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction. In Astrakhan he enforced Bolshevik power in March 1919 with liberal bloodletting; more than 4,000 were killed. But they feel exploited too, Lakers free agency: Heres the latest about how their plans are shaping up, UCLA to expand in downtown L.A. with purchase of historic building for satellite classes, Unionized hotel workers reach deal with biggest employer on eve of July 4 weekend and planned strike, This nun defends migrants. Lenoe, Matthew. Within weeks of the murder Stalin had used Kirovs death as a pretext for arresting other high party officials, who were made to confess to conspiracies later aired in carefully contrived show trials. The Soviet Navy cruiser Kirov was named after him, and by extension the Kirov-class cruiser. Sergei Kirov, Sergei also spelled Sergey, original name Sergey Mironovich Kostrikov, also called Sergey Mironovich Kirov, (born March 27 [March 15, Old Style], 1886, Urzhum, Vyatka province, Russiadied December 1, 1934, Leningrad [now St. Petersburg]), Russian Communist leader whose assassination marked the beginning of the Great Purge in the S. Nikolayev's friend reported this to the NKVD. After the murder of Kirov, top functionaries of the Leningrad NKVD were relieved of their duties and were given very light sentences, but in 1937 they were shot. He . According to Orlov, Nikolayev had allegedly told a friend he wanted to kill the head of the party control commission that had expelled him. The correct answer is strong economy. On the last day of the Congress, voting delegates had their say on the composition of the new Central Committee. Joseph Stalin, who rarely left the . 15 March] 1886 - 1 December 1967) was a prominent Russian revolutionary and a Soviet politician. New York, 1990. We can assume that they were shot in order to cover the traces of the organizers of Kirov's killing.[22]. Sergei Mironovich Kirov [a] (born Kostrikov; [b] 27 March 1886 - 1 December 1934) was a Russian and Soviet politician and Bolshevik revolutionary. Kirov was married to Maria Lvovna Markus (18851945) from 1911, although they never formally registered their relations. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. [27] This view was confirmed by Anastas Mikoyan's son, who stated that the murder of Kirov had certain similarities to the burning of the Reichstag in Nazi Germany in 1933. [29] Author and Menshevik scholar Boris Nikolaevsky argued: "One thing is certain: the only man who profited by the Kirov assassination was Stalin. Head of Leningrad Party & full member of the Politburo. Brezhnev, Leonid Sergei Kirov (March 27, 1886 - December 1, 1934) On this day in history (in 1934), the man who was considered next in line from Joseph Stalin was shot in the neck while attending his offices in Leningrad (then Saint Petersburg). In the Soviet Union, this case turned out to be like the Kennedy assassination in the U.S.: a charismatic leader murdered in his prime by a lone assassin, whose death would burnish his memory and go on to spawn countless conspiracy theories. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. [10] Alexander Orlov, who defected to the West, listed a series of incidents in which Kirov allegedly clashed with Stalin, based on rumors he must have heard from fellow NKVD officers. His assassin, 30-year-old Leonid Nikolaev, had acted alone. ." He became a prominent member of the Revision commission on Stalin's achievements and problems. Namely, we centralise and collectivise."[8]. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. What positions did Sergei Kirov hold before his death? Twenty-two years old, exiled and widowed but grateful still to be alive, she eked out an existence of sorts, for which she had much to thank a kindly and helpful neighbour, one Vika Nikolaev, aunt to the now infamous Leonid Vasilevich Nikolaev. 15 March] 1886 - 1 December 1934), born Sergei Mironovich Kostrikov, was a prominent early Bolshevik leader in the Soviet Union. Magyar was convicted as a "Zinovievite-Terrorist" and sent to a Gulag, where he died in 1940. All three books examine the bloody legacy of Kirovs demise--the Great Terror launched by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in the 1930s to secure absolute power through a ruthless purge of potential rivals. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday he let Saturday's aborted mutiny go on as long as it did to avoid bloodshed, while the Wagner mercenary group boss who led the uprising said he . Ultimately, the paranoia unleashed by Kirovs death swept through all levels of Soviet society and may have claimed as many as 10 million victims. Khlevniuk, Oleg V. Politbiuro: Mekhanizmy politicheskoi vlasti v 30-e gody. Nikolayev was unemployed, with a wife and child, and in financial difficulties. Zaporozhets returned to Leningrad in search of an assassin; in reviewing the files he found the name of Leonid Nikolayev. . Sergei Kirov Assasination. The murder of Sergei Kirov--as the event that set off the purges in the Soviet Union--set the stage for Stalin's dictatorship and had a tremendous impact on the entire twentieth century, said Amy Knight, Visiting Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Carleton University, and former Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Center, at a Kennan Institute lectur.