Martemyan Ryutin was a
former member of the
party's Central Committee
who called for a 'fresh
start' in economic policies.
Stalin demanded he was
arrested and executed but
he was defended and
ended up with 10 years in
prison. He was eventually
executed in 1937.
Kirov
He was the Chairman of the Leningrad
Communist Party. He was murdered in his
office on 1st December 1934. It is unclear
whether Stalin ordered the murder but he
used the incident to unleash a purge
against his opposition.
Kirov's assassination allowed
Stalin to purge his enemies. He
used the assassination as an
excuse to arrest and execute his
enemies in the party. The
Leningrad Party was among the
first targets - 40,000 in
Leningrad were arrested and
removed from the city.