▁of ▁having ▁planned , ▁although ▁there ▁is ▁no ▁evidence ▁for ▁this ). ▁Near ly ▁all ▁the ▁old ▁pre - 1 9 1 8 ▁B ols he vik s ▁were ▁p urg ed . ▁T rot sky ▁was ▁exp elled ▁from ▁the ▁party ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 7 , ▁ex iled ▁to ▁Kaz akh stan ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 8 , ▁exp elled ▁from ▁the ▁USS R ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 9 , ▁and ▁assass in ated ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 0 . ▁St alin ▁used ▁the ▁p urg es ▁to ▁polit ically ▁and ▁phys ically ▁destroy ▁his ▁other ▁formal ▁riv als ▁( and ▁former ▁al lies ) ▁acc using ▁Gr ig ory ▁Z in ovie v ▁and ▁Lev ▁Kam ene v ▁of ▁being ▁behind ▁K iro v ' s ▁assass ination ▁and ▁planning ▁to ▁over throw ▁St alin . ▁Ult imately , ▁the ▁people ▁arrested ▁were ▁tort ured ▁and ▁forced ▁to ▁conf ess ▁to ▁being ▁sp ies ▁and ▁sab ote urs , ▁and ▁quickly ▁conv icted ▁and ▁executed . ▁ ▁Several ▁show ▁tri als ▁were ▁held ▁in ▁Moscow , ▁to ▁serve ▁as ▁examples ▁for ▁the ▁tri als ▁that ▁local ▁courts ▁were ▁expected ▁to ▁carry ▁out ▁elsewhere ▁in ▁the ▁country . ▁There ▁were ▁four ▁key ▁tri als ▁from ▁ 1 9 3 6 ▁to ▁ 1 9 3 8 , ▁The ▁Tri al ▁of ▁the ▁Six teen ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁( Dec ember ▁ 1 9 3 6 ); ▁then ▁the ▁Tri al ▁of ▁the ▁Se vent een ▁( J