The aftermath of World War II saw the Soviet Union emerge as a global superpower, yet internally, Joseph Stalin embarked on a ruthless campaign to consolidate control through ethnic purges, ideological repression, and the elimination of perceived threats. Historian Norman Naimark observed that war provided rulers with “an excuse for ethnic cleansing” and “a temporary suspension of civil law to deal with undesirable minorities.” For Stalin, the escalating Cold War tensions became an opportunity to reassert dominance over Soviet elites, Russify the bureaucracy, and tighten his grip on society through nationalist rhetoric and rigid racial hierarchies.
The Roots of Postwar Repression
Stalin’s postwar policies were shaped by a combination of paranoia, geopolitical strategy, and long-standing suspicions toward minority groups. The Soviet Union had just triumphed over Nazi Germany, but Stalin viewed the war’s end not as a time for liberalization but as a moment to purge potential dissent. His distrust of Jews, in particular, intensified as Cold War tensions rose. He became convinced that Soviet Jewish elites, American Jewish organizations, and even his own Jewish associates were conspiring against him.
By 1946, Stalin ordered the removal of “cosmopolitan” officials—a thinly veiled term for Jews—from key positions in propaganda, ideology, and cultural institutions. Andrei Zhdanov, Stalin’s chief ideologist, bluntly instructed officials to “dismantle the synagogue” within the Soviet Information Bureau, the regime’s wartime propaganda arm. This marked the beginning of a systematic purge of Jewish influence from Soviet institutions.
The Anti-Cosmopolitan Campaign and the Crackdown on Jewish Life
The anti-cosmopolitan campaign served as a smokescreen for state-sponsored antisemitism. Stalin’s suspicions deepened in 1948 when Zionist groups requested Soviet Jewish volunteers to fight in Palestine. Despite his growing antisemitism, Stalin surprisingly authorized military aid to Zionist forces via Czechoslovakia and became the first world leader to recognize Israel in May 1948. Molotov later claimed that only he and Stalin supported this decision, seeing it as a way to undermine British influence in the Middle East.
However, Israel’s alignment with the U.S. and the outpouring of Soviet Jewish support for the new state alarmed Stalin. The Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (JAFC), led by actor Solomon Mikhoels, became a particular target. In January 1948, Mikhoels was assassinated in a staged car accident, and by year’s end, JAFC leaders were arrested on fabricated charges of plotting to turn Crimea into a Zionist-American foothold. The purge extended to high-ranking officials’ Jewish wives, including Molotov’s spouse, Polina Zhemchuzhina, who was exiled.
The culmination of Stalin’s antisemitic campaign was the 1953 “Doctors’ Plot,” where Jewish physicians were falsely accused of conspiring to murder Soviet leaders. Only Stalin’s death in March 1953 prevented mass deportations of Soviet Jews to Siberia.
Ethnic Cleansing in the Caucasus and the “Leningrad Affair”
Stalin’s postwar repression extended beyond Jews to other minority groups. In the Caucasus, territorial disputes between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia fueled ethnic tensions. Stalin, frustrated by failed expansionist policies toward Turkey and Iran, authorized mass deportations of Armenians, Azerbaijanis, and Greeks from the region. Between 1948 and 1949, 157,000 people were exiled to Kazakhstan and Siberia under the pretext of rooting out “nationalists” and “foreign agents.”
Simultaneously, Stalin turned against the “Leningrad Group,” a faction of wartime leaders who had defended the city during the Nazi siege. Figures like Nikolai Voznesensky and Alexei Kuznetsov were seen as potential rivals. In 1949, they were arrested, tortured, and executed in a purge that eliminated over 200 officials and their families. The “Leningrad Affair” demonstrated Stalin’s determination to crush any independent power centers.
The Cold War and the Militarization of Soviet Society
The emerging Cold War provided Stalin with justification for his repressive policies. Soviet propaganda framed the West, particularly the U.S., as an existential threat. The 1946 U.S. atomic tests at Bikini Atoll intensified fears, reinforcing Stalin’s belief in a zero-sum struggle between socialism and imperialism.
Writer Konstantin Simonov’s play The Russian Question (1946) epitomized this mindset, depicting America as plotting a preemptive war against the USSR. The narrative resonated with a war-weary populace, fostering a siege mentality that justified continued sacrifices.
Legacy: The Fragility of Stalin’s “Socialist Empire”
Stalin sought to build an invincible socialist empire, but his methods—forced Russification, ethnic cleansing, and ideological rigidity—contained fatal flaws. Unlike historical empires that co-opted local elites and tolerated diversity, Stalin’s regime relied on terror and homogenization. The system’s stability depended entirely on his personal authority, setting the stage for a succession crisis after his death.
Moreover, the Soviet Union’s confrontation with the West was unsustainable. While America rebuilt Europe and Japan through economic aid, Stalin’s empire stagnated under repression. The purges of the late 1940s left deep scars, fostering nationalism and antisemitism that persisted long after his death. Ultimately, Stalin’s postwar policies sowed the seeds of the USSR’s eventual collapse, proving that an empire built on fear could not endure.