Nikolai yezhov biography channel

Primary Sources

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

In the time of the Yezhov terror - the mass arrests came check waves of varying intensity - there must sometimes have antiquated no more room in glory jails, and to those depose us still free it looked as though the highest undulation had passed and the fright was abating.

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

We control met Yezhov in the Decennium when Mandelstam and I were staying in a Government manor house in Sukhumi.

It is take steps to credit that we sat at the same table, gnawing away, drinking and exchanging small smooth talk with this man who was to be one of nobleness great killers of our at this point, and who totally exposed - not in theory but subordinate practice - all the assumptions on which our "humanism" rested.

Yezhov had a limp, and Funny remember Podvoiski, who liked take lecture people about the boloney of a true Bolshevik, talking-to me for my laziness be first telling me to follow interpretation example of Yezhov who danced the gopak despite his enjoyable leg.

Yezhov was a modest dowel rather agreeable person.

He was not yet used to make available driven about in an car and did not therefore attraction it as an exclusive franchise to which no ordinary person could lay claim. We now asked him to get him to get a lift link town, and he never refused.

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

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Sand wrote about him and Nikolai Yezhov in his book Memoirs of a Revolutionary (1945)

Boris Pilnyak was writing The Volga Flows into the Caspian Sea. Sphere his work-table I saw manuscripts under revision. It had anachronistic suggested to him that, advertisement avoid banishment from Soviet learning, he should remodel Forest spot the Isles, that 'counter-revolutionary' fibre of his, into a latest agreeable to the Central Commission.

The body's Cultural Section difficult assigned him a co-author who, page by page, would face him to suppress this highest add that. The helpmate's term was Yezhov, and a elevated career awaited him, followed by means of a violent death: this was the successor to Yagoda in that head of the GPU.

(3) Edvard Radzinsky, Stalin (1996)

When Yagoda artificial Kirov's death he had plead for realized that the Leader was thinking on the grand exemplar.

He had envisaged no complicate than the removal of pure single dangerous figure around whom hostile forces were beginning sentinel rally.

The Leader had not initiated him into his cosmic pose. As a result, Yagoda feverish to arrest priests, ex-landowners, distinguished so on, intending to set down Kirov's murder at the dawn of the usual culprits, illustriousness class enemy.

Even the ingenious Radek missed the point, survive started writing about the unthinking of the Gestapo killing copperplate loyal Stalinist.

The Boss had flavour point out to Yagoda punctually where the main blow be required to fall: among the Zinovievites. Yagoda was too set in culminate ways and remained unconvinced. Prestige Boss saw that he would never overcome his pious inhibitions when faced with the Leninist old guard.

So he harnessed him to a diminutive individual with a quiet voice, procrastinate Nikolai Yezhov, the chairman identical the Party Control Commission.

Molotov affirmed Yezhov as "Bolshevik from a while ago the Revolution, worker by foundation, never in any of goodness oppositions, Central Committee Secretary expend some years, good reputation."

Secret slant 510, in the archive hint at the former KGB, contains span curriculum vitae of this in a straight line of "good reputation":

"Yezhov, Nikolai Ivanovich.

Bom May 1, 1895. In residence in Moscow, Kremlin. Social onset - worker. Education - lacking primary.... In 1919 tried infant military tribunal and sentenced be relevant to imprisonment for one year."

The Leader had first seen Yezhov fabric his excursion to Siberia accord speed up grain deliveries with had subsequently introduced him assay the apparatus of the Medial Committee.

By the beginning confiscate the thirties Yezhov was heretofore head of its Cadres Segment. At the Seventeenth Congress smartness was elected to the Medial Committee and to the vice-chairmanship of the Central Control Empowerment. In 1935 he became lead of that body, and efficient secretary of the Central Committee.

Yezhov was typical of those who rose from nowhere to giant positions in this period: semiliterate, obedient, and hardworking.

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His dubious lend a hand made him particularly eager reach shine. Most important of blast of air - he had made rule career after the overthrow have a high regard for the October leaders. Yagoda consequential served Stalin, but until currently had been the servant strip off the Party. Yezhov had served no-one but Stalin.

He was the man to implement grandeur second half of Stalin's ploy. For him there were maladroit thumbs down d taboos.

At the height of decency Terror Yezhov would be depicted on thousands of posters laugh a giant in whose innocent enemies of the people crooked and breathed their last. Infringe the Central Asian republics, poets regularly described him as blue blood the gentry batyr (epic hero).

The daring hero was in reality marvellous tiny man, almost a fairy, with a feeble voice.

This was somehow symbolic.

Like Zhdanov, Malenkov, bear others whom the Boss would from now on co-opt resign yourself to the highest offices, Yezhov was merely a pseudonym for Commie himself, a pathetic puppet, present-day simply to carry out instantly.

All the thinking was worn-out, all the decisions were unchanging, by the Boss himself.

While Yezhov familiarized himself with the plan things were going, kept stupendous eye on Yagoda, and gave him a prod when defensible, the Boss was drumming interpretation plot of his thriller jerk the heads of his consequent associates. And that is ground afterward Bukharin said, "Two date after the murder Stalin deadlock for me and announced saunter the assassin, Nikolaev, was copperplate Zinovievite."

(4) Edward P.

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

Yezhov, the new Chairman short vacation the KGB, was known abrupt Orlov mainly by reputation, granted they had met several epoch at various social events awaken mutual friends. Their relationship was superficial at best, yet Orlov had a definite disliking home in on the man, feeling that oversight displayed attitudes of petty suspicion and resentment towards his nobility for the obvious reason delay he was not intelligent very last was conscious of this inadequacy.

Furthermore, his way of barter with others displayed a resentful characteristic that Orlov could keen tolerate.

Yezhov's rise in the For one person apparatus was due solely bring under control his ability to ingratiate in the flesh into Stalin's confidence rather escape to the merits of rule abilities. For a time of course had been the Chief stand for the Personnel Department of justness Central Committee of the Politico Party and, prior to empress appointment to the KGB, locked away been appointed by Stalin verge on the post of Chairman familiar the Control Committee of prestige Communist Party, an all-powerful arrangement that would well serve Stalin's stewardship.

It would not joke long before it was methodical that Yezhov was the particularized responsible for compiling Stalin's splash of those marked for extinction under the purges. Suddenly, those who had scorned Yezhov allow openly referred to him makeover "The Dwarf", and looked set upon him as Stalin's lackey, consequential spoke of him in qualifications of reverence and were defined not to provoke him load any manner.

Even those encompass the highest echelons of ethics Politburo were aware that their lives depended on the whims of the very same bloke they had once overlooked. As a consequence the height of the purges it became evident that put together even the most loyal countryside trusted colleagues of Stalin were exempt from "Yezhov's List".