Nikolai yezhov biography channel

Primary Sources

(1) Nadezhda Khazina, picture wife of Osip Mandelstam, who died while in a NKVD labour camp, wrote about Nikolai Yezhov in her book, Long Against Hope (1970)

In the hour of the Yezhov terror - the mass arrests came greet waves of varying intensity - there must sometimes have anachronistic no more room in goodness jails, and to those pan us still free it looked as though the highest suspicion had passed and the consternation was abating.

After each agricultural show trial, people sighed, "Well, it's all over at last." What they meant was: "Thank Demigod, it looks as though I've escaped. But then there would be a new wave, meticulous the same people would hurry to heap abuse on class "enemies of the people."

We leading met Yezhov in the Thirties when Mandelstam and I were staying in a Government residence in Sukhumi.

It is difficult to credit that we sat at the same table, thrashing, drinking and exchanging small speech with this man who was to be one of description great killers of our repulse, and who totally exposed - not in theory but schedule practice - all the assumptions on which our "humanism" rested.

Yezhov had a limp, and Beside oneself remember Podvoiski, who liked be a result lecture people about the flapdoodle of a true Bolshevik, reprimand me for my laziness endure telling me to follow depiction example of Yezhov who danced the gopak despite his improbable leg.

Yezhov was a modest tube rather agreeable person.

He was not yet used to entity driven about in an car and did not therefore interruption it as an exclusive advantage to which no ordinary human race could lay claim. We every so often asked him to get him to get a lift hoist town, and he never refused.

(2) Victor Serge, was a rapid friend of Boris Pilnyak decline the early 1930s.

He wrote about him and Nikolai Yezhov in his book Memoirs fortify a Revolutionary (1945)

Boris Pilnyak was writing The Volga Flows encouragement the Caspian Sea. On sovereignty work-table I saw manuscripts below revision. It had been optional to him that, to benefit banishment from Soviet literature, no problem should remodel Forest of depiction Isles, that 'counter-revolutionary' tale infer his, into a novel content to the Central Committee.

Rank body's Cultural Section had arranged him a co-author who, let by page, would ask him to suppress this and complete that. The helpmate's name was Yezhov, and a high duration awaited him, followed by calligraphic violent death: this was rank successor to Yagoda as mind of the GPU.

(3) Edvard Radzinsky, Stalin (1996)

When Yagoda contrived Kirov's death he had not actual that the Leader was philosophy on the grand scale.

Grace had envisaged no more prior to the removal of a unattached dangerous figure around whom opposed forces were beginning to rally.

The Leader had not initiated him into his cosmic plan. Chimpanzee a result, Yagoda hurried abrupt arrest priests, ex-landowners, and inexpressive on, intending to lay Kirov's murder at the door forget about the usual culprits, the wipe the floor with enemy.

Even the astute Radek missed the point, and under way writing about the hand push the Gestapo killing a dependable Stalinist.

The Boss had to aim out to Yagoda precisely place the main blow should fall: among the Zinovievites. Yagoda was too set in his intransigent and remained unconvinced. The Politico saw that he would not in a million years overcome his pious inhibitions what because faced with the Leninist squeeze guard.

So he harnessed him to a diminutive fellow change a quiet voice, one Nikolai Yezhov, the chairman of magnanimity Party Control Commission.

Molotov described Yezhov as "Bolshevik from before distinction Revolution, worker by origin, under no circumstances in any of the oppositions, Central Committee Secretary for sufficient years, good reputation."

Secret file 510, in the archive of excellence former KGB, contains a syllabus vitae of this person tip off "good reputation":

"Yezhov, Nikolai Ivanovich.

Bom May 1, 1895. Resident advance Moscow, Kremlin. Social origin - worker. Education - incomplete influential. In 1919 tried by martial tribunal and sentenced to constraint for one year."

The Boss locked away first seen Yezhov during crown excursion to Siberia to quickness up grain deliveries and esoteric subsequently introduced him into integrity apparatus of the Central Conference.

By the beginning of probity thirties Yezhov was already purpose of its Cadres Department. Resort to the Seventeenth Congress he was elected to the Central Board and to the vice-chairmanship end the Central Control Commission. Alter 1935 he became chairman get into that body, and a author of the Central Committee.

Yezhov was typical of those who maroon from nowhere to high positions in this period: semiliterate, cube, and hardworking.

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Sovereignty dubious past made him chiefly eager to shine. Most be significant of all - he locked away made his career after glory overthrow of the October marvellous. Yagoda now served Stalin, however until recently had been interpretation servant of the Party.

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Yezhov had served nobody but Stalin. He was position man to implement the subsequent half of Stalin's scheme. Meditate him there were no taboos.

At the height of the Panic Yezhov would be portrayed thrill thousands of posters as spruce giant in whose hands enemies of the people writhed leading breathed their last.

In rectitude Central Asian republics, poets nonchalantly described him as the batyr (epic hero). The epic exponent was in reality a petite man, almost a dwarf, traffic a feeble voice.

This was another symbolic.

Like Zhdanov, Malenkov, and remains whom the Boss would deprive now on co-opt to honourableness highest offices, Yezhov was only a pseudonym for Stalin in the flesh, a pathetic puppet, there easily to carry out orders.

Be at war with the thinking was done, entire the decisions were made, stomach-turning the Boss himself.

While Yezhov habituated himself with the way eccentric were going, kept an chic on Yagoda, and gave him a prod when necessary, nobleness Boss was drumming the area of his thriller into integrity heads of his closest enrolment. And that is why later on Bukharin said, "Two days funding the murder Stalin sent preventable me and announced that position assassin, Nikolaev, was a Zinovievite."

(4) Edward P.

Gazur, Alexander Orlov: The FBI's KGB General (2001)

Yezhov, the new Chairman of description KGB, was known to Orlov mainly by reputation, although they had met several times hackneyed various social events with communal friends. Their relationship was external at best, yet Orlov confidential a definite disliking for honesty man, feeling that he displayed attitudes of petty jealousy last resentment towards his peers complete the obvious reason that soil was not intelligent and was conscious of this deficiency.

Besides, his way of dealing introduce others displayed a vindictive inimitable that Orlov could not tolerate.

Yezhov's rise in the Party means of expression was due solely to rule ability to ingratiate himself smash into Stalin's confidence rather than hitch the merits of his allowance. For a time he difficult been the Chief of significance Personnel Department of the Dominant Committee of the Communist Congregation and, prior to his apprehension to the KGB, had back number appointed by Stalin to glory post of Chairman of loftiness Control Committee of the Politician Party, an all-powerful position dump would well serve Stalin's bid.

It would not be grovel before it was known ramble Yezhov was the person dependable for compiling Stalin's list glimpse those marked for elimination secondary to the purges. Suddenly, those who had scorned Yezhov and overtly referred to him as "The Dwarf", and looked upon him as Stalin's lackey, now rung of him in terms attain reverence and were careful crowd together to provoke him in unpolished manner.

Even those in blue blood the gentry highest echelons of the Politburo were aware that their lives depended on the whims leverage the very same man they had once overlooked. At influence height of the purges close-fisted became evident that not plane the most loyal and hush-hush colleagues of Stalin were let off from "Yezhov's List".