%0 Journal Article
%T Liquidation of ¡°the Fifth Column¡± in the USSR (1937-1938)
%A Viktor Denninghaus
%J Bylye Gody
%D 2012
%I Sochi State University
%X The article is focused on the repressions of western ethnic minorities in the USSR in 1937¨C1938. They were associated with Stalin¡¯s sensation of imminent war, taking into account his spy mania and ideas of ¡°hostile capitalist environment¡±. Considering this situation, representatives of western national minorities perfectly fitted the role of ¡°the fifth column¡±. These were Stalin¡¯s ideas of military confrontation that determined the orientation of ¡°national operations¡± of 1937¨C1938 against those, who were directly or indirectly related to the states of ¡°hostile environment¡±. That¡¯s why the Poles, the Germans, the Finns, the Estonians, the Latvians and representatives of other Western countries fell the victims of NKVD (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs) "national operations¡± of 1937¨C1938.Despite the fact that ¡°national operations¡± were conducted by NKVD authorities in respect of almost all the countries of ¡°hostile capitalist environment¡±, ethnic background was not the major criteria for repressions, but birth, residency, as well as the relations with the foreign countries. This ¡°selectivity¡± is the principal distinction of ¡°national operations¡± of 1937-1938 from deportations of 1941¨C1944, affecting all the ¡°disloyal¡± nations without exception. National status outweighed the social status, having practically disposed slogan of proletarian internationalism and class solidarity, proclaimed by Bolsheviks.
%K the fifth column
%K political repressions
%K USSR.
%U http://bg.sutr.ru/pdf.html?n=1356460267.pdf