Stalin’s postwar terror targeted Soviet Jews – in the name of ‘anti-cosmopolitanism’

By: Wendy Z. Goldman, Carnegie Mellon University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: December 1, 2025

Words: 1,406

Last Updated: 1 month, 1 week ago

Body Text Preview

By Wendy Z. Goldman, Carnegie Mellon University

Many Americans know of Josef Stalin’s Terror of the late 1930s, during which more than 1 million people were arrested for political crimes, and over 680,000 executed.

Fewer know about the repressions that began after World War II and ended with Stalin’s death in 1953. Much like the repressions of the 1930s, they involved fabricated plots, arrests, coerced confessions and purges. Unlike the Terror of the …

Create a free account to access this story and more

Join Plucky Wire to access full stories, collaborate with newsrooms, and discover content from networks around the world.

Email Us