▁of ▁the ▁Central ▁Committee ▁were ▁p urg ed , ▁along ▁with ▁foreign ▁commun ists ▁who ▁were ▁living ▁in ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union , ▁and ▁numerous ▁intellect uals , ▁b ureau cr ats , ▁and ▁factory ▁man agers . ▁ ▁The ▁total ▁of ▁people ▁imprison ed ▁or ▁executed ▁during ▁the ▁Y ez hov sch ina ▁number ed ▁about ▁two ▁million . ▁By ▁ 1 9 3 8 , ▁the ▁mass ▁p urg es ▁were ▁starting ▁to ▁dis rupt ▁the ▁country ' s ▁infrastr ucture , ▁and ▁St alin ▁began ▁w inding ▁them ▁down . ▁Y ez hov ▁was ▁gradually ▁rel ieved ▁of ▁power . ▁Y ez hov ▁was ▁rel ieved ▁of ▁all ▁powers ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 9 , ▁then ▁tried ▁and ▁executed ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 0 . ▁His ▁successor ▁as ▁head ▁of ▁the ▁NK VD ▁( from ▁ 1 9 3 8 ▁to ▁ 1 9 4 5 ) ▁was ▁Lav r enti y ▁Ber ia , ▁a ▁Georg ian ▁friend ▁of ▁St alin ' s . ▁Ar rest s ▁and ▁execution s ▁continued ▁into ▁ 1 9 5 2 , ▁although ▁nothing ▁on ▁the ▁scale ▁of ▁the ▁Y ez hov sch ina ▁ever ▁happened ▁again . ▁ ▁During ▁this ▁period , ▁the ▁practice ▁of ▁mass ▁arrest , ▁tort ure , ▁and ▁imprison ment ▁or ▁execution ▁without ▁trial , ▁of ▁anyone ▁sus pected ▁by ▁the ▁secret ▁police ▁of ▁oppos ing ▁St alin ' s ▁regime ▁became ▁common place . ▁By ▁the ▁NK VD ' s ▁own ▁count , ▁ 6 8