Moscow Show Trials

The Moscow Show Trials were a series of highly publicized judicial proceedings in the late 1930s in the Soviet Union, where prominent Communist Party members and military leaders were forced to confess to fabricated crimes like espionage and conspiracy against the state. Orchestrated by Joseph Stalin, these trials aimed to eliminate perceived enemies and consolidate power. The confessions were often extracted through torture or coercion, and the trials were largely scripted. They served as propaganda to justify purges and reinforce Stalin’s rule, significantly impacting Soviet politics and society during that era.