Enemies within the gates? : the Comintern and the Stalinist repression, 1934-1939 / / William J. Chase ; Russian documents translated by Vadim A. Staklo

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910813961703321
• Autore: Chase William J. <1947->
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: New Haven, : Yale University Press, c2001
• ISBN: 1-281-73139-0; 9786611731397; 0-300-13319-7
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (540 pages)
• Collana: Annals of Communism series
• Altri autori (Persone): StakloVadim A
• Disciplina: 947.084/2
• Soggetti: Political persecution - Soviet Union - History; Soviet Union Politics and government 1936-1953
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Description based upon print version of record.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
• Nota di contenuto: Front matter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- A Note on the Documents -- Abbreviations and Acronyms -- Chronology -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. The Comintern -- Chapter 2. The Kirov Murder and the Call for Vigilance -- Chapter 3. The Search for "Hostile Elements" and "Suspicious" Foreigners -- Chapter 4. Campaigns Converge, Anxieties Deepen -- Chapter 5. The Victims of Vigilance -- Chapter 6. The Consequences of Vigilance -- Chapter 7. Case Studies -- Chapter 8. Fear, Obedience, Belief, and Repression -- Notes -- Biographical Sketches -- Index of Documents -- Index
• Sommario/riassunto: This compelling work of documentary history tells a story of idealism betrayed, a story of how the Comintern (Communist International), an organization established by Lenin in 1919 to direct and assist revolutionary movements throughout the world, participated in and was ultimately destroyed by the Stalinist repression in the late 1930's. Presenting and drawing on recently declassified archival documents, William J. Chase analyzes the Comintern's roles as agent, instrument, and victim of terror. In both principle and practice, the Comintern was an international organization, with a staff that consisted primarily of Communist émigrés who had fled dictatorial regimes in Europe and ; Asia. It was, however, headquartered in Moscow and controlled by Soviet leaders. This book examines the rise of suspicions and xenophobia among Soviet and Comintern leaders and cadres for whom many foreigners were no longer the heroes of the class struggle but rather possible enemy agents. Some Comintern members internalized and acted on Stalin's theories about the infiltration of foreign spies into Soviet society, supplying the Soviet police with information that led to the exile or execution of imigris. Thousands of other imigris also became victims of the purges. Together the text and documents of this book convey graphically the essential roles played by the Comintern, providing a unique perspective on the era of Stalinist repression and terror.