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The Rise and Fall of Nikolai Yezhov: Stalin's Butcher

The 1930s in the Soviet Union were marked by a climate of paranoia and political purges that would come to define the era. At the center of this turmoil was Joseph Stalin, who perceived any allegiance to the former Bolshevik party, or to Vladimir Lenin’s legacy, as a potential betrayal of his authority. This led to the initiation of the Great Purge, a brutal crackdown on perceived enemies that resulted in the deaths and imprisonment of millions.