Joseph Stalin was the most controversial and cruel figure in the history of our country. His methods amazed and forced the people to live in fear and complete obedience. Any actions were carried out with caution, and a suitcase was always prepared in each apartment in case of arrest.
The Leningrad case is the name of a general form for a whole list of court cases that were held in the post-war years, namely from 1949 to 1952. These court cases were directed against leaders of the Leningrad party organization. Everything was done in order to weaken the role of this organization in the USSR, since at that time the personality cult of Stalin was established in the Soviet Union. The Leningrad case accused several representatives of the Leningrad party of treason. Who got into this? Thanks to denunciations, the veracity of which was never established, almost all the figures nominated by the Leningrad party for leading service in Moscow after the Second World War were involved in the process.
Despite the name of the case, arrests were made throughout the country, including Moscow, Simferopol, Novgorod, Pskov and Tallinn.
The following persons were involved in the first trial:
- A. A. Kuznetsov - this man served as the 1st Secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks.
- P. S. Popkov - 1st Secretary in the Leningrad City Committee / Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks.
- I. M. Turko is a representative of a non-Leningrad party, the first secretary in the Yaroslavl Regional Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks.
- M. I. Rodionov is the Chairman of the Council of Ministers in the RSFSR.
- N. A. Voznesensky, who was the chairman of the State Planning Committee of the USSR and others.
What was the reason? The Leningrad case (important events of the process will be briefly described) is a list of compromising evidence on statesmen of the Leningrad Party. By the beginning of 1949, all the documents had already been collected, and the All-Russian Wholesale Fair held in Leningrad (January 10-20, 1949) began the process. In addition to being charged with treason, statesmen were also accused of falsifying the election of a new leadership, held in December of the previous year. After the fair, G. Malenkov brought accusations against the figures listed above that this event was held without the knowledge of such bodies as the Central Committee of the Party and the government.
However, the documents proved otherwise: the Council of Ministers authorized the Fair by its decree of November 11 of the previous year.
In February 1949, Malenkov leaves for Leningrad. The Leningrad case comes to the peak of its activity and cruelty. After holding meetings of the bureau of the city committee and the regional committee, Malenkov presented a decree there, according to which statesmen were accused of anti-party activities and removed from theirposts. Everyone was arrested. For a whole year, those arrested were subjected to severe torture and interrogation. After that N. Voznesensky, Y. Kapustin, P. Popkov, P. Lazutin, A. Kuznetsov, M. Rodionov were shot.
The Leningrad case, the case of doctors, following the first one, vividly reflects the inconsistent policy of Stalin, who did everything to ensure that his power was untouchable. His anxiety, constant suspicion led to mass repressions, most of which are unjustified. The Leningrad case was reviewed in 1954, and the persons involved in the process were rehabilitated.
