Part 7/10:
As the day unfolded, the cogwheel of Stalin's regime continued to turn. He summoned Nikolai Yezhov, the chief of the secret police, to shift the blame for the atrocities committed during the Great Purge. Yezhov, known as the "bloodthirsty midget," had been instrumental in orchestrating the systematic terror of the purges. But as Stalin advanced his own agenda, Yezhov’s turn came as he became nothing more than a sacrificial lamb for his master’s sins.
To Yezhov, the meeting was shrouded in unease; he sensed the grave danger looming over him. Stalin cast accusations, painting his former ally as an enemy—a methodical ploy to save his image and obscure the truth surrounding his dominion of death. As Yezhov's fate was sealed, he could do little to defend himself against the dictator’s whims.