The Mysterious Case of Sergo Ordzhonikidze
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  The Mysterious Case of Sergo Ordzhonikidze
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Author Topic: The Mysterious Case of Sergo Ordzhonikidze  (Read 591 times)
Kingpoleon
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« on: August 20, 2017, 01:35:39 PM »

Sergo Ordzhonikidze's death is, to this day, a mystery. According to Khrushchev, he was told at the time(in 1937) that he had been very sick by A. S. Yenukidze. At dinner with Stalin, Khrushchev mentioned his death "as before his time" - and it became silent and awkward. Malenkov told him afterwards that Yenukidze had shot himself, and that Stalin had been angered by his mistake. Khrushchev declared in the Secret Speech that Stalin had forced Ordzhonikidze to kill himself.

The problem with this story? Yenukidze, according to the records, was stripped of his posts and outlawed in 1935. That makes it seem as though Khrushchev may have purposely misspoke of it to Stalin, seeming suspicious of his death. Even that has holes in it, though. Why wouldn't he come up with someone who wasn't exiled? Was it possible that the records were changed by Khrushchev's political opponents to discredit his story? Did he kill himself, or was he forced to? It is an interesting mystery.
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smoltchanov
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« Reply #1 on: August 21, 2017, 04:31:38 AM »

As a Russian person i can give a prevalent (in Russia) answer: yes, he really shot himself. He had a private talk with Stalin before that, and tried to convince him to correct atrocities, which became more and more prevalent in 1930th... Sergo was a honest man (at least one of the most honest among Bolsheicks of that period), he saw the development of events, and undersood, that Stalin's personality cult will be only bigger with time, and regime's crimes  - more and more drastic. He didn't want to be part of it, and, exhausting all means of convincing Stalin to change course, he made a personal decision of not being part of that all.

Too romantic? May be. But, as i said, that's prevailing opinion in Russia even today.
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Kingpoleon
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« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2017, 08:48:36 AM »

As a Russian person i can give a prevalent (in Russia) answer: yes, he really shot himself. He had a private talk with Stalin before that, and tried to convince him to correct atrocities, which became more and more prevalent in 1930th... Sergo was a honest man (at least one of the most honest among Bolsheicks of that period), he saw the development of events, and undersood, that Stalin's personality cult will be only bigger with time, and regime's crimes  - more and more drastic. He didn't want to be part of it, and, exhausting all means of convincing Stalin to change course, he made a personal decision of not being part of that all.

Too romantic? May be. But, as i said, that's prevailing opinion in Russia even today.

Out of curiosity, what then of Khruschev's account?
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smoltchanov
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« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2017, 10:06:35 AM »

As a Russian person i can give a prevalent (in Russia) answer: yes, he really shot himself. He had a private talk with Stalin before that, and tried to convince him to correct atrocities, which became more and more prevalent in 1930th... Sergo was a honest man (at least one of the most honest among Bolsheicks of that period), he saw the development of events, and undersood, that Stalin's personality cult will be only bigger with time, and regime's crimes  - more and more drastic. He didn't want to be part of it, and, exhausting all means of convincing Stalin to change course, he made a personal decision of not being part of that all.

Too romantic? May be. But, as i said, that's prevailing opinion in Russia even today.

Out of curiosity, what then of Khruschev's account?

Khruschev was a participant (not the most willing and active, but still - a serious participant) in Big Terror. Later he tried to "bend" history in his favour. It was impossible to be absolutely "clean" and remain very high in party hierarchy then)))
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