FSB: mythologized notions of repression are in use

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-15 07:49

The Ural archivist spreads the myths about the period of the 30s to smithereens. and criticizes the "mass rehabilitation" of recent decades.

At the V-th interregional conference " Russian security agencies - 100 years in the system of statehood development"Dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Cheka OGPUit was noted that the majority of modern materials about the repressions of the 30s "suffer from tendentiousness, excessive emotionality, political preoccupation and lack of analysis of the prerequisites, course and consequences of these repressions."

The first stable, often mythologized ideas about the causes and course of the repressions were formed during the rehabilitation of 1958-60. “First of all, this is the demonization of Stalin, the second is the overestimation of the number of the repressed dozens of times, the third is the glorification of the repressed leaders, representatives of the so-called elite of the old guard of the Bolsheviks, which later became embodied in the form of“innocent victims”. And the fourth is the explanation of the defeats of 1941 precisely by the consequences of political repressions”.

“The third and last wave of rehabilitation, which in the 90s turned into a continuous one and took place in conditions of legal chaos. In short, everyone is in a crowd."

This is in a nutshell. More details:

- excerpts from the report Alexandra Kapustina, Head of the Office of Archives of the Sverdlovsk Region:

“I would like you to regard this report as an attempt to pose a problem, but not to solve it completely. It will be necessary to solve it all together in the professional community. Each new regime creates a history favorable to it, often mythologized. And in this story, the enemy is mean and cunning, and the ruling leader is wise and just. Reality changes, myth also changes, however, the picture already formed in public consciousness affects social life, shifting accents, making it difficult to perceive reality, in the end, society realizes the need for an impartial view of the past. Cold-blooded, not politicized study of it.

This is especially true of events that radically changed fate: such events include wars, revolutions, the birth and death of empires, other state formations, one of such events was the repression of the pre-war period, their culmination - the period 1937-1938. devoted to thousands of books and articles.

Unfortunately, most of them suffer from bias, excessive emotionality, political preoccupation and lack of analysis of the prerequisites, course and consequences of these repressions. And this is understandable, the children and grandchildren of the surviving prisoners of the GULAG, those shot and killed, the children of the organizers and participants in the repressions, informers, and those who demanded to be shot at rallies like mad dogs are not interested in an objective study, disclosure of the reasons and details of the tragic events that took place. The former perceive this as an insult to their feelings, the memory of the innocent victims, the latter are simply afraid and do not want to delve into history.

The very phrase "victims of political repression" was formed by 1958year, to the beginning of large-scale rehabilitation. The first partial rehabilitationwas carried out at the suggestion Beria in 1938-1940 … There was still rehabilitation 1940-1941., when part of the military was mainly rehabilitated. Rehabilitation 1958-60 … took place in the light of attitudes and assessments XX Congress of the CPSUand was selective: first of all, the party nomenklatura was rehabilitated, then the workers and collective farmers were somehow forgotten and there was no talk of them. And despite the fact that it was in the 60s. final certificates of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs were prepared on the number of convicts by the authorities VChK, OGPU, NKVD for 1921-1953, it was then that the first stable, often mythologized ideas about the causes and course of repressions were formed.

• First of all, this is the demonization of Stalin, the second is the overestimation of the number of repressed dozens of times, the third is the glorification of the repressed leaders, representatives of the so-called elite of the old guard of the Bolsheviks, which later became embodied in the form " innocent victims"And the fourth - the explanation of the defeats of 1941 precisely by the consequences of political repressions. It seemed that in the 40 years that have passed since the XX Congress, they should have figured out, reveal the real reasons, nature and consequences of the repressions. And although it was proved that most of Khrushchev's statements in his report were deceitful, these myths continued to be repeated.

And what's more, add new stories to them. In 1988, the third and last wave of rehabilitation began, which in the 90s turned into a continuous one and took place in conditions of legal lawlessness. In short - all in a crowd. I myself was a member of the rehabilitation commission. Wherein both criminal article 58 and the administrative one - dispossession of kulaks, repression were merged into one basket. We also added the Civil War, losses from collectivization, and so on.… In the book "Stalinist repressions" Dmitry Lyskov wrote that in 15 monthswork the Rehabilitation Commission reviewed 1 million 17 criminal cases for 1 million 586 thousand 104 people … Reconsideration Topics truly fantastic - on 67 thousand per month … The scale of the rehabilitation raises doubts as to whether a court hearing was held in these cases at all? And if these issues were considered administratively - what kind of revival of respect for the norms of the law can we talk about? It must be said that the past rehabilitation, unfortunately, for 10-15 years stopped any attempts at serious research on the problem of repression.

• A in the mass consciousness the following cliches are firmly rooted: the reasons for repression are a struggle Stalin for power, his manic character and suspicion, cruelty. The massive nature of repression, in short: "half of the country was sitting, half of the country was guarding it." On the innocence of all the repressed: "the repressions were illegal", "during the repressions, a large and better part of the leaders, the military and the intelligentsia was destroyed." And finally: "the repression weakened the country and led to its defeat in 1941."

As a result the most important issues turned out to be extremely confusing: Firstly, who, how much and why was repressed? After all, you and I know that they took place during the economic growth, in conditions of peace, not war. When citizens' dissatisfaction with the regime and system grows - in the conditions of the adoption of the constitution 1936 and during the first in the history of the USSR general, equal, secret and direct elections. With the existing guarantees, guaranteed not only by the constitution, but also by the development of production, guarantees for labor, education, medicine and social protection - and all this is free. Where did the discontent come from? Third - Why did Stalin, who by 1936 won a victory over all his political opponents, surrounded by universal adoration, suddenly decided to carry out massive repressions, why did he need it? Who thought about it? And fourth, what did the country lose and what did the country gain by 1941?

Thus, the events of 80 years ago continue to remain a mystery for many people, and we still live in myths and legends born of the 20th Congress of the CPSU. In recent years - 10 years - a significant number of works have appeared, created on a solid documentary basis: Yuri Zhukov, Dmitry Lyskov, Leonid Naumov, Leonid Tumshes, Alexander Popchinsky, Yuri Emelyanov, Alexander Putyatin and many others - have provided compelling evidence that refutes conventional wisdom on 1937 d. Their research contains information about the events of the 30s, based on numerous archival data, at the same time, a number of historians, politicians and publicists continue to adhere to the point of view of the 60-70s: Nikolai Timashov, Naum Yasny, Anri Berkson, Steven Wheatcroft, Roy Medvedev, Olga Shatunovskaya calculate the number of victims in seven figures. The record was set by the Nobel laureate Solzhenitsyn, who determined the number of victims from 66 to 100 million people - This is from "Articles and Speech", published in Paris in 1989.

The answer of a schoolgirl from Kamyshlov speaks of the continuing confusion in their heads - I regularly, almost every month, meet with schoolchildren, and in Kamyshlov They brought me classes 10-11, specialized classes in history. And when it came to this, I asked: "And how many repressed have we had?" A girl (grade 11!) Tells me - 300 million people! Sweet girl, with a population of 240 million, where did you borrow another 60 million? You have to think about it! It's time to name the real figure, although it has already been named, I repeat once again: in the 60s. prepared her for Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, but he kept silent about it.

Per 1931-1938 biennium was arrested 4 million 835 thousand 937 Human. Of them convicted 2 million 944 thousand 879 people, that is, more than 1 million were released. Of this number of convicts (out of 2 million 944 thousand 879 people), 745 thousand 220 Human. This includes the peak years - 1937-1938. If we take all the data before 1953, then we get convicts 4 million 60 thousand 315 people - of them sentenced to death 799 thousand 455Human. Yes, indeed, 1937-1938 are terrible years, because arrests and executions in two years accounted for more than all the others from 1921 to 1953, but, nevertheless, the number of those executed was 19.6% of the convicts. and the number of convicts in general is 1.7% of the country's population. And where is the massive repression? And where was "the whole country sitting"? Slightly more than 1.5%. You can blame the NKVD for anything, in cruelty, but you cannot blame them for not having a scrupulous counting in their office. Everything was counted there. These numbers can be trusted.

I want to say that this is a terrible figure, but it is not 100 million or 300 million. In the end, you need to know your history as it is. Thus, there is a need to continue research, and first of all, it is necessary to carefully study the 20-30s, it was in these years that the prerequisites were formed and the reasons appeared that led the country to the arrests of 1936-1938.

Once again, carefully, without political predilections, sympathies and antipathies, consider the development of the USSR economy during the NEP, its achievements and negative aspects. On the one hand: an increase in production volumes - by 1927 by 20% in comparison with 1917. This is a plus. On the other hand, there are various kinds of social problems and contradictions that threaten not only the future of the NEP, but the very existence of the USSR. This is the root of the abolition of the NEP, and not the fact that "evil Stalin" suddenly got tired of this whole business, and [the authorities of the USSR] decided to cover up the case, as it is written in our textbooks. I studied these textbooks myself and I know perfectly well what I am talking about. So, in 1926 the country produced marketable grain (marketable grain, which can be sold, including abroad, receiving foreign currency), twice less than in 1913. How would you like to feed the cities and the army, good gentlemen? There is nothing.

Major changes took place in the social appearance of the village, as a result of which the percentage of peasants who had a negative attitude towards the current government increased. The consequence of the revolution and the Civil War was the archaization of the countryside, with a sharp drop in labor productivity, the revival of the rural community as an organ of peasant self-government, which significantly reduced the influence of the official authorities on the peasantry. In industry, the slow growth rate was accompanied by rising unemployment, which already numbered in the millions. Already in the second half of the 20s. the youth was faced with the problem of their real prospects, social advancement. As a result, the social dissatisfaction of the society was growing. The country was still backward in most sectors of the national economy, the society of universal happiness, which the Bolsheviks had promised, took on the shape of a freak society, where speculators and corrupt officials thrive. Outcome: the emergence of red banditry.

Schoolchildren now do not know what it is at all. And many adults do not know. This is when people who fought in the Civil War, who made a revolution, who won, suddenly saw how the NEPman bourgeoisie was developing. And what kind of feeling did they have? Hatred. They formed into communist cells that simply committed lynching. And it was difficult to explain to them that the country is building a state governed by the rule of law, that only one instance can sentence a person to death - the court, and not you, even those who are all deserved. And this was, and one of these "honored" was our famous writer Arkady Gaidar - it was he who personally shot five bandits, although he had no right to do so. Do you know what they did to him? They decided that they should shoot. The court sentenced: conditionally shoot. The man was given a chance to improve. He understood, but he was one of the few who understood. And most of them continued to act in the old way, only one means could stop them. Bullet.

More and more people, especially working youth, spoke about the big leap forward. That is, the absolute majority of party members, working youth were ready for the storming of new fortresses and for the return of revolutionary romanticism.

Party state

Who are the communists of the 1930s? The party was not homogeneous in its composition, the difference in the level of education, culture, life experience was sometimes amazing. Party experience was of great importance, especially from pre-revolutionary times. At the same time, it turned out that the one who had this pre-revolutionary experience, despite his capabilities, despite his abilities, took leading positions. At party congresses, 80-90% of the delegates were just the "old guard" who had underground experience.

More than 50% of party members, as they wrote in the questionnaires, had a lower, home or prison education. They were young, up to 25 years old, and most of them joined the party when there was no political competition and danger. They are not the "old guard" who know that as communists they are putting their lives at risk of death. These already risked nothing. They quickly occupied leading positions, but they were not ready to manage plants, factories, cities and regions - neither in terms of educational level, nor in character. And there was no need to talk at all about a serious acquaintance with the foundations of Marxism and Leninism.

Artem Vesely wrote in his novel "Russia Washed in Blood": "Everything was simple: the Red Army is the defender of the working people, our enemies are the kulaks, landowners, capitalists. Mercilessly, duty, the red sacred banner, down with, long live, whoever has questions, comrades? "That's the whole ideology. Youthful idealism and impetuosity, ruthlessness towards enemies, brought up in the Civil War, utopianism - these are the characteristic features of the communist of the 1930s. Wonderful shots for the capture of any fortress, including the destruction of any enemy. This was demonstrated in the late 1930s.

Party discussions. Opposition

Studying this issue is very important for understanding the causes and course of repression. The presence of real opposition and the struggle within the party are the most important reasons for both the purges of the party and the repressions that followed. Trotsky, Bukharin, Rykov, Zinoviev, Kamenev, Tomsky, Raskolnikov, Radek, Antonov, Pyatakov, Ovseenko, Rakovsky and others constituted a minority in the party, but, nevertheless, were the spiritual fathers of most of the opposition currents. It was the abundance of factions, groups and opinions that split the party, disorienting not only the party masses, but the whole country, because everyone was watching these discussions. And if we take into account the goals and methods of achievement pursued by them, then, indeed, they represented a real danger for the development of the country.

Degradation of the ruling elite

It is well reflected in the reports of the Cheka of the OGPU in the letters of citizens perlated by the censorship authorities. Most of those who came to power in 1917 were convinced of their right to remain at the head of the country forever. Most of them - the so-called "old guard" - in the words of Mayakovsky, built cozy nests for themselves by that time, considering districts and cities, factories and factories as their fiefdoms. And the dominant society in the 20-30s. legal nihilism helped to reveal permissiveness, rudeness, bribery, embezzlement and other not the best traits of a person. Zoshchenko, Mayakovsky, Ilf and Petrov wrote their works from nature, not from the finger, like Solzhenitsyn, they sucked the facts, but from what they saw in reality. And all this was real in life. And in large numbers.

Army

What was the command staff in terms of combat experience? You will see that it was the Civil War, and that's it. There was nowhere else to gain experience, and the situation changed dramatically even by the end of the 1920s. And we are still stuck there. By education - most of the commanders had primary and secondary education. Only a few had an academic education. In terms of ideology and political orientation, who was the creator of the Red Army then considered? Trotsky. Most of them, excuse me, were appointed to their positions and were brought up by this particular comrade. They were devoted to him. Grouping. The army was not united. I mean the command staff. These were the groups of the first knights, these were the groups of the Chapaevites, these were the groups of the Kotites, the commanding staff was split. They dragged their own people, both sharply and in a sharp form, competed with others.

Could such a composition act as a single fist in the outbreak of the war? No, I couldn't. For moral and household stability. We know that drunkenness is the scourge of the army. But this was especially characteristic precisely manifested in the 1920s and early 1930s. I will not expand on this topic, but it is. By the way, a significant number of commanders dismissed from the army, who were then suddenly declared "politically repressed", were dismissed for drunkenness and debauchery. Bottom line: the combat readiness of the army was low. And this must be admitted.

The results of the exercises of 1935-1936. showed the actual unpreparedness of the army for war. And the Finnish experience of 1939 showed this. Look at the act of receiving the People's Commissariat of Defense - from Voroshilov to Timoshenko, and you will clearly see how weak the army was. For the unsatisfactory combat readiness of the army, responsibility was borne not only by Stalin, of course, and he, but first of all the marshals, divisional commanders - just those who were arrested, and now we declare them "innocent victims." It is a fact".