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“FORMER PEOPLE” UNDER THE PURGE: PROVINCIAL EXPERIENCE

I. Kuznetsov

Abstract

Purges of the governmental apparatus became one of the character phenomena of the soviet society in the 1920-es. They acted as a part of the transformation of society by eliminating “class alien” employees from the soviet service. The aim of this study is to estimate a purges scale and to identify how decisions on the “former people” fate were made. The problem is studied on the example of Vladimir region. Research is based on the documents from Vladimir state archive. These documents reflect the implementation and results of soviet administrative institutions’ purges at the second half of the 1920-th years. Comparative approach allows to study how attitude toward “class alien” elements changed through that period. The analysis revealed that at Vladimir province active purges of soviet institutions were started in 1925. A distinctive feature of this first wave of purges was the lack of clear instructions, so commissions had some uncertainty in their decisions. They took into account not only class origin but also financial conditions, qualification, moral reputation and even appearance. As a result, most of “class alien” employees were not dismissed despite the general negative attitude to them. But in the late 1920-es the attitude toward the “former people” considerably tightened and the proportion excluded by class motive has increased dramatically.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgemsocial2017/22/S08.056

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