Trial of the Twenty-One

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The Trial of the Twenty-One was a 1938 Soviet show trial in Moscow in which prominent Old Bolsheviks and party leaders were accused of treason and executed, marking one of the most infamous episodes of Stalin’s Great Purge.

Aliases (2)

Statements (50)
Predicate Object
instanceOf historical event
political trial
show trial
aim elimination of Old Bolsheviks
intimidation of potential opposition
allegedOrganization Bloc of Rights and Trotskyites
alsoKnownAs Case of the Anti-Soviet "Bloc of Rights and Trotskyites"
Third Moscow Trial
charge conspiracy to overthrow the Soviet government
espionage
membership in an anti-Soviet bloc
sabotage
terrorism
treason
country Soviet Union
date 1938
defendant Alexei Rykov
Arkady Rosengolts
Christian Rakovsky
Genrikh Yagoda
Karl Radek
Nikolai Bukharin
Nikolai Krestinsky
Pavel Piatakov
defendantCount 21
endDate 1938-03-13
executionDate 1938-03-15
executionMethod shooting
historicalAssessment widely regarded as a show trial based on fabricated charges
language Russian
laterDevelopment posthumous rehabilitation of several defendants after Stalin's death
legalSystem Soviet legal system
location Hall of Columns
Moscow
Moscow Kremlin
mainDefendant Nikolai Bukharin
mediaCoverage Pravda
Soviet radio
notableFeature extensive propaganda coverage
forced confessions
pre-arranged verdicts
partOf Great Purge
Moscow Trials
politicalContext Joseph Stalin's consolidation of power
Stalinism
presidingJudge Vasily Ulrikh
prosecutor Andrey Vyshinsky
result guilty verdicts for all defendants
sentence death
startDate 1938-03-02

Referenced by (5)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Great Purge
Stalin era ("Moscow Trials")
notableEvent
Trial of the Sixteen ("First Moscow Trial")
alsoKnownAs
Trial of the Sixteen
followedBy
Trial of the Sixteen ("Moscow Trials")
partOf

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