Assassinations to Sustain Governments - Essay Example

1. Stalin’s proceedings against his opponents were treacherous, for his flair for manipulating situations is evident from the execution of seventeen Ukraine soviet ministers. Stalin’s efforts were to grab and consolidate his own power ruthlessly suppressing whoever came his way. If the purge would not take place, his government could not have come into power. So, Stalin was evidently using all the harassment against his rivals to sustain his government which otherwise would have lost public support.

2. Stalin decided to take action against Kirov, the emerging rival for leadership in the Party. On 1st December 1934, Stalin had Kirov assassinated. On the same day, Stalin passed a law that ordered anyone accused of terrorism and plots against the government to be arrested and executed immediately after conviction (Furia 8 - 9).

3. Stalin feared that Sergei Kirov would grab power from him. So, he tried to persuade Kirov to be loyal to him. Stalin asked Kirov to leave Leningrad to join him in Moscow. Stalin wanted Kirov in a place where he could keep a close eye on him. When Kirov refused, Stalin decided to have him assassinated (Furia 8 - 9).

4. Kirov was a potential rival in the party against Stalin. He used to disagree with Stalin over the issue of democracy within the party. Stalin feared that Sergei Kirov would topple him from power. So, he tried to persuade Kirov to be loyal to him. Stalin asked Kirov to leave Leningrad to join him in Moscow. Stalin wanted Kirov in a place where he could keep a close eye on him. When Kirov refused, Stalin decided to have him assassinated. He was shot dead on December 1st, 1934 by a party member called Leonid Nikolayev (Furia 8 - 9).

5. The assassination of Kirov turned out as expected by Stalin. Whatever Stalin's specific role in the assassination of his political rival Kirov, he used the murder as an alleged reason for eliminating many of his rivals in the Communist Party, the government, the armed forces, and the intelligentsia. Kirov's assassination provided the basis for seven separate trials and the arrest and execution of hundreds of notable figures in Soviet political, military, and cultural life.

6. The assassination of Kirov can never be regarded as worthwhile. For, it paved the way for blood baths in Russia. Stalin was taking this as an opportunity for eliminating his rivals in the party. Moreover, the communist party lost a prospective leader who would have contributed towards the general good unlike the dictator Stalin.