Ryutin Affair

The Ryutin Affair began in the summer of 1932 in the Soviet Union. Martemyan Ryutin was a right-wing communist. He wrote a 200-page document called the "Ryutin platform". In it he criticized Joseph Stalin's leadership of the communist party. Twelve or so party members met with Ryutin and read the document. This was in August 1932. They passed it on to other party members. Stalin thought Ryutin and his friends were trying to have him assassinated. Ryutin was arrested. When Stalin tried to have him executed, he was instead sent to a labor camp for ten years. Every party member who read the document was arrested. In 1933 as many as 800,000 were arrested. In 1934 another 340,000 were sent to camps. This shows that Stalin did not yet have enough power to order Ryutin's execution. But by 1937 things had changed. After a 40-minute trial on 1 January 1937 Ryutin was executed.