Stalin appoints Yogoda as the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs, overseeing the NKVD. This leads to the organization of the first Moscow show trial and the execution of Soviet politicians.

Appointment of Yogoda as NKVD Chief

Yogoda's tenure sees a purge in the Red Army High Command, with a quarter of a million arrests. The Gulag system is expanded, and Stalin becomes increasingly dissatisfied with Yogoda.

Expansion of the Purge

Stalin receives a report from Yogoda about negative reactions to the show trials and the sympathy for the executed defendants. Stalin interprets this as a suggestion to stop the trials, leading to his unhappiness with Yogoda's performance.

Stalin's Displeasure with Yogoda

Stalin sends a telegram appointing Yazov as the head of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs, replacing Yogoda. Yogoda is deemed unfit to expose the Trotskyist Sinovich bloc.

Yogoda's Replacement

Yogoda is arrested on Stalin's orders and demoted to the position of People's Commissar for Post and Telegraph. Yezhov takes over as the main purger.

Arrest and Demotion of Yogoda

Yezhov accuses Yogoda of diamond smuggling, corruption, and being a German agent. It is discovered that Yogoda possessed pornographic materials and items related to the assassination of Zinovov and Komolev.

Accusations and Discoveries

Yogoda is found guilty of treason and conspiracy against the Soviet government. He appeals for mercy during the trial but is shot soon after. His wife is also executed.

Trial and Execution

Yogoda's sister and brother-in-law are arrested and executed. The other defendants in the trial are later cleared of any offenses, acknowledging the false confessions. Yogoda remains unrehabilitated.

Further Persecution and Reversals

## Newsletter

### The Great Purge: The Rise and Fall of Nikolai Yagoda

In this edition:

- Introduction
- Yagoda's Appointment as NKVD Chief
- The Moscow Show Trial
- The Expansion of the Gulag System
- Stalin's Displeasure with Yagoda
- Yagoda's Replacement
- Yagoda's Arrest, Trial, and Execution
- The Aftermath


## Introduction

Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter. In this issue, we delve into the fascinating and dark history of Nikolai Yagoda, the former NKVD Chief during Stalin's reign. Join us as we uncover the rise and fall of this influential figure in Soviet history.


## Yagoda's Appointment as NKVD Chief

On July 10, 1934, two months after Minsky's death, Joseph Stalin appointed Yogoda as the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs. This position granted him oversight of both the regular and secret police, the NKVD. Yagoda worked closely with Andrei Vichinsky in organizing the first Moscow show trial, which resulted in the prosecution and execution of former Soviet politicians Grigory Zinvel and Lev Kamenov in August 1936.


## The Moscow Show Trial

As part of Stalin's Great Purge, Yagoda played a key role in organizing the first Moscow show trial. This trial aimed to suppress any opposition to Stalin's regime and resulted in the execution of several prominent Soviet politicians. The Red Army High Command was also targeted, with many of its members arrested and purged. The show trials and purges during the 1934-1935 period led to the arrest of over a quarter of a million people.


## The Expansion of the Gulag System

Under Yagoda's leadership, the Gulag system, a network of forced labor camps, was significantly expanded. Penal labor became a major development resource in the Soviet economy. Yagoda's tenure as NKVD Chief saw a vast increase in the number of people sent to the Gulag, further solidifying Stalin's control over the population.


## Stalin's Displeasure with Yagoda

As time went on, Stalin became increasingly dissatisfied with Yagoda's performance. In the middle of 1936, Yagoda's report detailing the unfavorable public reaction abroad to the show trials and the growing sympathy among the Soviet population for the executed defendants enraged Stalin. He interpreted the report as Yagoda's advice to stop the show trials and abandon the planned purge of Mikhail Chauvinsky, Marshal of the Soviet Union and former commander-in-chief of the Red Army. Stalin's dissatisfaction with Yagoda was also fueled by his mismanagement of Kirov's assassination and his failure to fabricate evidence linking Kemerov and Zinoviev to the Okhrana.


## Yagoda's Replacement

On September 25, 1936, Stalin sent a telegram to the members of the Politburo, expressing his belief that Yagoda was unfit for the task of exposing the Trotskyist Sinovich bloc. A day later, Yagoda was replaced by Yezhov, who would go on to manage the main purges during 1937-1938. Yagoda was demoted to the post of People's Commissar for Post and Telegraph.


## Yagoda's Arrest, Trial, and Execution

In March 1937, Yagoda was arrested on Stalin's orders. Yezhov announced Yagoda's arrest for diamond smuggling, corruption, and working as a German agent since joining the party in 1917. Yagoda was also accused of attempting to assassinate Yezhov. During the trial of the 21 in March 1938, Yagoda was found guilty of treason and conspiracy against the Soviet government. He denied being a spy but admitted to most other charges. Yagoda's plea for clemency fell on deaf ears, and he was summarily shot soon after the trial. His wife, Ida Everbach, and other family members also faced execution.


## The Aftermath

The Soviet authorities later admitted that the entire trial of the 21 was built on false confessions. Yagoda was the only defendant not to be posthumously rehabilitated. The Great Purge and Yagoda's role in it remain as dark chapters in Soviet history.


Stay tuned for our next edition, where we explore another intriguing aspect of history.


*Disclaimer: This newsletter is for educational purposes only and does not condone or promote any form of violence or oppression.*

The Great Purge: The Rise and Fall of Nikolai Yagoda

Part 2 summarizes Yagoda’s role with the NKVD and his arrest, trial and execution. 
Part 3 will overview Yagoda’s rise to becoming head of the NKVD

On July 10, 1934, 2 months after Minsky's death, Joseph Stalin appointed Yogoda, People's Commissar of Internal Affairs, a position that included the oversight of both the regular and the secret police, the NKVD, Yagoda worked closely with Andrei Vichinsky in organizing the first Moscow show trial, which resulted in the prosecution and subsequent execution of former Soviet politicians Grigory Zinvel and Lev Kamenov in August 1936 as part of Stalin's Great Purge.

The Red Army High Command was not spared and its ranks were thinned by Yagoda As a precursor to the later and more extensive purge in the Russian military, more than a quarter of a million people were arrested during the 1934-1935 period.

The Gulag system was vastly expanded under his stewardship, and penal labor became a major development resource in the Soviet economy.

Stalin became increasingly delusional with Yagoda's performance.

In the middle of 1936, Stalin received a report from Yagoda detailing the unfavorable public reaction abroad to the show trials in the growing sympathy among the Soviet population for the executed defendants.

The report enraged Stalin, interpreting it as Yagoda's advice to stop the show trials and in particular to abandon the planned purge of Mikhail Chauvinsky Marshal of the Soviet Union and the former commander-in-chief of the Red Army Stalin was already unhappy with you go to services mostly due to the mismanagement of Kirov's assassination and his failure to fabricate proofs of ties between Kemerov and Zinoviev and the Okhrana.

As 1 Soviet official put it, the boss forgets nothing.

On September 25, 1936, Stalin sent a telegram to the members of the Politburo.

The telegram read, We consider it absolutely necessary and urgent that Comrade Yazov be appointed to the head of People's Commissariat of internal affairs.

Yagoda has obviously proved unequal to the task of exposing the Trotskyist Sinovich bloc.

All party heads and the most of the NKVD agents in the region are talking this." A day later he was replaced by Yezhov who managed the main purges during 1937-1938.

Yegoda was demoted to the post of People's Commissar for Post and Telegraph.

The Arrest, Trial, and execution of Yegoda.

In March 1937 Yegoda was arrested on Stalin's orders.

Yezhov announced Yegoda's arrest for diamond smuggling corruption and working as a German agent since joining the party in 1917.

Yezhov even blamed Yagoda of an attempt to assassinate him by sprinkling mercury around his office.

He was accused of poisoning Maxim Korky and his son.

It was discovered that Yagoda's 2 Moscow apartments and his dacha contained 3, 904 pornographic photos, 11 pornographic films, 165 pornographically carved pipes, 1 dodo, and the 2 bullets that killed Zinovov and Komolev.

He had spent 4 million rubles decorating his 3 homes, boasting that his garden had 2, 000 orchids and roses.

Yagoda was found guilty of treason and conspiracy against the Soviet government at the trial of the 21 in March 1938.

He denied he was a spy but admitted most other charges.

Solzhenitsyn described Yagoda as expecting clemency from Stalin after the show trial.

Just as though Stalin had been sitting right there in the hall, Yagoda confidently and insistently begged him directly for mercy.

I appeal you, for you I built 2 great canals and a witness reports that at just that moment a match flared in the shadows behind a window on the second floor of the hall, apparently behind a muslin curtain, and while it lasted, the outline of a pipe could be seen.

Yagoda was summarily shot soon after the trial.

His wife, Ida Everbach, was executed in 1938.

His sister, Lilia, was arrested on May 7, 1937 and shot on July 16.

His brother-in-law, Leopold Everbach, was shot in August 1988 on the 50th anniversary of the trial.

The Soviet authorities belatedly cleared all of the other 20 defendants of any criminal offense, admitting that the entire trial was built on false confessions.

Yagoda was the only defendant not to be posthumously rehabilitated.


Speaker 0: NKVD Chief. On July 10, 1934, 2 months after Minsky's death, Joseph Stalin appointed Yogoda, People's Commissar of Internal Affairs, a position that included the oversight of both the regular and the secret police, the NKVD, Yagoda worked closely with Andrei Vichinsky in organizing the first Moscow show trial, which resulted in the prosecution and subsequent execution of former Soviet politicians Grigory Zinvel and Lev Kamenov in August 1936 as part of Stalin's Great Purge. The Red Army High Command was not spared and its ranks were thinned by Yagoda As a precursor to the later and more extensive purge in the Russian military, more than a quarter of a million people were arrested during the 1934-1935 period. The Gulag system was vastly expanded under his stewardship, and penal labor became a major development resource in the Soviet economy. Stalin became increasingly delusional with Yagoda's performance.

In the middle of 1936, Stalin received a report from Yagoda detailing the unfavorable public reaction abroad to the show trials in the growing sympathy among the Soviet population for the executed defendants. The report enraged Stalin, interpreting it as Yagoda's advice to stop the show trials and in particular to abandon the planned purge of Mikhail Chauvinsky Marshal of the Soviet Union and the former commander-in-chief of the Red Army Stalin was already unhappy with you go to services mostly due to the mismanagement of Kirov's assassination and his failure to fabricate proofs of ties between Kemerov and Zinoviev and the Okhrana. As 1 Soviet official put it, the boss forgets nothing. On September 25, 1936, Stalin sent a telegram to the members of the Politburo. The telegram read, We consider it absolutely necessary and urgent that Comrade Yazov be appointed to the head of People's Commissariat of internal affairs.

Yagoda has obviously proved unequal to the task of exposing the Trotskyist Sinovich bloc. The GPU is 4 years late in this matter. All party heads and the most of the NKVD agents in the region are talking this." A day later he was replaced by Yezhov who managed the main purges during 1937-1938. Yegoda was demoted to the post of People's Commissar for Post and Telegraph. The Arrest, Trial, and execution of Yegoda.

In March 1937 Yegoda was arrested on Stalin's orders. Yezhov announced Yegoda's arrest for diamond smuggling corruption and working as a German agent since joining the party in 1917. Yezhov even blamed Yagoda of an attempt to assassinate him by sprinkling mercury around his office. He was accused of poisoning Maxim Korky and his son. It was discovered that Yagoda's 2 Moscow apartments and his dacha contained 3, 904 pornographic photos, 11 pornographic films, 165 pornographically carved pipes, 1 dodo, and the 2 bullets that killed Zinovov and Komolev.

Yezov took over the apartments. He had spent 4 million rubles decorating his 3 homes, boasting that his garden had 2, 000 orchids and roses. Yagoda was found guilty of treason and conspiracy against the Soviet government at the trial of the 21 in March 1938. He denied he was a spy but admitted most other charges. Solzhenitsyn described Yagoda as expecting clemency from Stalin after the show trial.

Just as though Stalin had been sitting right there in the hall, Yagoda confidently and insistently begged him directly for mercy. I appeal you, for you I built 2 great canals and a witness reports that at just that moment a match flared in the shadows behind a window on the second floor of the hall, apparently behind a muslin curtain, and while it lasted, the outline of a pipe could be seen. Yagoda was summarily shot soon after the trial. His wife, Ida Everbach, was executed in 1938. His sister, Lilia, was arrested on May 7, 1937 and shot on July 16.

His brother-in-law, Leopold Everbach, was shot in August 1988 on the 50th anniversary of the trial. The Soviet authorities belatedly cleared all of the other 20 defendants of any criminal offense, admitting that the entire trial was built on false confessions. Yagoda was the only defendant not to be posthumously rehabilitated.

See all History Time Out transcripts on Youtube

Genrikh Yagoda (Part 2) NKVD | Arrest, Trial, Execution