<P> On 1 December 1934 , Sergei Kirov was murdered by Leonid Nikolaev . The death of this popular , high - profile politician shocked Russia , and Stalin used this murder to begin The Great Terror . Within hours of Kirov 's death , Stalin declared Grigory Zinoviev and his supporters to be responsible for Kirov 's murder . Lev Kamenev and Grigory Zinoviev were arrested and , to escape long prison sentences , confessed to political and moral responsibility for Kirov 's murder . In January 1935 , Zinoviev was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment , and Kamenev was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment . Stalin sanctioned the formation of troikas for the purpose of extrajudicial punishment . In April 1935 , Kamenev 's prison sentence was increased by another 5 years , to a total of 10 years imprisonment . Hundreds of oppositionists linked to Kamenev and Zinoviev were arrested and exiled to Siberia . In late 1935 , Stalin reopened the case . Kamenev and Zinoviev were interrogated again , and the exiled Trotsky was now accused of being the leading mastermind in Kirov 's murder . In July 1936 , Stalin promised Kamenev and Zinoviev ( through NKVD chief , Genrikh Yagoda ) that there would be no executions or persecution of their families if they confessed to conspiring with Trotsky . Stalin 's promise was soon broken . A few weeks later , after a show trial , Kamenev and Zinoviev were both executed on 25 August 1936 . </P>
<P> On 1 December 1934 , Sergei Kirov was murdered by Leonid Nikolaev . The death of this popular , high - profile politician shocked Russia , and Stalin used this murder to begin The Great Terror . Within hours of Kirov 's death , Stalin declared Grigory Zinoviev and his supporters to be responsible for Kirov 's murder . Lev Kamenev and Grigory Zinoviev were arrested and , to escape long prison sentences , confessed to political and moral responsibility for Kirov 's murder . In January 1935 , Zinoviev was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment , and Kamenev was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment . Stalin sanctioned the formation of troikas for the purpose of extrajudicial punishment . In April 1935 , Kamenev 's prison sentence was increased by another 5 years , to a total of 10 years imprisonment . Hundreds of oppositionists linked to Kamenev and Zinoviev were arrested and exiled to Siberia . In late 1935 , Stalin reopened the case . Kamenev and Zinoviev were interrogated again , and the exiled Trotsky was now accused of being the leading mastermind in Kirov 's murder . In July 1936 , Stalin promised Kamenev and Zinoviev ( through NKVD chief , Genrikh Yagoda ) that there would be no executions or persecution of their families if they confessed to conspiring with Trotsky . Stalin 's promise was soon broken . A few weeks later , after a show trial , Kamenev and Zinoviev were both executed on 25 August 1936 . </P>
who ruled the soviet union with sole power in a regime of terror
who ruled the soviet union with sole power in a regime of terror
Stalin
Stalin