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Throughout the 1920s, Yezhov steadily climbed the ranks of the Communist Party due to his disciplined work ethic and loyalty to Stalin. By 1934, he was a member of the Central Committee, and soon after, he became the head of the NKVD, the Soviet Union's secret police. His appointment coincided with a turning point for the party; after the murder of prominent Bolshevik Sergei Kirov in December 1934, Yezhov was given the authority to lead a series of deadly purges.