1 , 6 9 2 ▁people ▁were ▁shot ▁during ▁ 1 9 3 7 – 3 8 ▁alone , ▁and ▁hundreds ▁of ▁thousands ▁of ▁political ▁prisoners ▁were ▁transport ed ▁to ▁Gul ag ▁work ▁cam ps . ▁The ▁mass ▁terror ▁and ▁p urg es ▁were ▁little ▁known ▁to ▁the ▁outside ▁world , ▁and ▁some ▁western ▁intellect uals ▁and ▁fellow ▁trav ellers ▁continued ▁to ▁believe ▁that ▁the ▁S ovi ets ▁had ▁created ▁a ▁successful ▁alternative ▁to ▁a ▁capital ist ▁world ▁. ▁In ▁ 1 9 3 6 , ▁the ▁country ▁adopted ▁its ▁first ▁formal ▁constitution , ▁which ▁only ▁on ▁paper ▁granted ▁freedom ▁of ▁speech , ▁religion , ▁and ▁assembly . ▁ ▁In ▁March ▁ 1 9 3 9 , ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁con gress ▁of ▁the ▁Commun ist ▁Party ▁was ▁held ▁in ▁Moscow . ▁Most ▁of ▁the ▁deleg ates ▁present ▁at ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁con gress ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 4 ▁were ▁gone , ▁and ▁St alin ▁was ▁heavily ▁pra ised ▁by ▁Lit vin ov ▁and ▁the ▁western ▁dem oc ra cies ▁critic ized ▁for ▁failing ▁to ▁adopt ▁the ▁principles ▁of ▁" collect ive ▁security " ▁against ▁Naz i ▁Germany . ▁ ▁Inter pre ting ▁the ▁p urg es ▁Two ▁major ▁lines ▁of ▁interpretation ▁have ▁emer ged ▁among ▁histor ians . ▁ ▁One ▁arg ues ▁that ▁the ▁p urg es ▁reflected ▁St alin ' s ▁amb itions , ▁his ▁par ano ia , ▁and ▁his ▁inner ▁drive ▁to ▁increase ▁his ▁power ▁and ▁eliminate ▁potential ▁riv als . ▁Re vision ist